Overview of IBM DS4700 deep dive SAN

technology
by Vudagandla Srikanth Published July 28, 2016 Updated July 28, 2016

In this article we are going to see Overview of IBM DS4700 SAN. The DS4700
express storage system is the latest to the DS4000 Series providing high
performance, drive intermixing, high storage density and fully-features storage
Manager Software to Manage SAN environment.

In this DS4700 SAN two models are available, Model 70 and 72. Model 70 has
total 4 host ports, 2GB of Cache and high performance model No 72 has total 8
Host ports and 4GB Cache, designed to provide the right processing power
when needed. Unless otherwise stated for variation, We will continue to discuss
both models as DS4700 Express for simplicity.

Benefits of IBM DS4700

Performance: When compared to DS4300 and DS4700 express
architecture combines faster processors, Faster buses, more an integrated drive
side loop switch and 4GB fibre channel technology to create a system that is
designed to excel at both IOPS (Input Output Operations Per Second) and
Bandwidth in MB/s (Mega bytes per Second).

High Density Controller Enclosure: The 4GB enhanced controller

of IBM DS4700 express is designed for higher capacity related to DS4300. The
DS4700 Express is an integrated 3U chassis including two controllers, dual
power supply, cooling and battery back-up units and up to sixteen (16) 3.5 inch
hot-pluggable disk drives.

Fibre Channel (FC) and SATA disk drives both are supported, as well as mixing
those two technologies within the same enclosure and up to 6 additional disk
drive expansion units, such as the DS4000 EXP810 (Expansion Enclosure), can
be attached to the IBM DS4700 express storage system for a maximum total of
112 disk drives.

Sensible Cost:
Looking at the DS4700 Express model 70 and 72, a key motivation for several
features was to be cost conscious: higher density controller enclosures, adding
disk drives inside the controllers, better host connectivity, multiple cache
capacity options, etc.

Compatibility: It is designed to help spread the backward and forward

compatibility of the DS4700 Express. Host ports, for e.g., if we were designed
with speed auto negotiation logic and enabling connection to 1, 2, or 4 Gb host
interfaces, in deliberation of possible installed legacy hardware. The DS4000
EXP710 2 Gb disk drive expansion enclosure can be attached to DS4700
Express storage system, with / without the presence of the DS4000 EXP810
4Gb disk drive expansion enclosure.

Connectivity: With 8 host ports for part of either hosts or switches and 4
drive side loops there is double the connectivity and the imaginable for higher
performance when compared with earlier products.

Configurations: The DS4700 Express Storage System is offered in 2

models, 70 and 72, since it is the high level of integration of this product line,
the models might be appear as a quite similar, but can be distinguished in terms
of connectivity, standard storage partitions and cache size.

DS4700 Express Model 72 DS4700 Express Model 70

Eight 4 Gb/s Host Ports
Four 4 Gb/s drive Ports
4 GB of Controller Cache
Integrated XOR engine
High Performance
16 Integrated Disk Drive Slots
Max of 112 drives ( 6 Additional drive
Enclosures)
FC drives
DS4700 Storage Manager S/W
Flash Copy
Volume Copy
Enhanced Remote Mirroring
Four 4 Gb/s Host Ports
Four 4 Gb/s drive Ports
2 GB of Controller Cache
Integrated XOR engine
High Performance
16 Integrated Disk Drive Slots
Max of 112 drives ( 6 Additional drive
Enclosures)
FC drives
DS4700 Storage Manager S/W
Flash Copy
Volume Copy
Enhanced Remote Mirroring
Key Features
Providing end-to-end 4Gb/s Fibre Channel architecture and technology, the
DS4700 is a high performance (defined by IOPs or Bandwidth), as well as
providing great functional density at a lower cost. In a DS4700 storage system
within a single 3U controller enclosure, one could configure up to 4.8TB of raw
disk capacity. Containing dual redundant, RAID controllers, 4GB of controller
cache, power supplies, cooling, and storage management software.

DS4700 Express Controller Enclosure with dual Controllers, dual Power

and cooling and up to 16 embedded FC Disk drives

DS4700 express expansion enclosure EXP810 with dual environmental

Service Modules, dual Power and cooling and up to 16 embedded FC
Disk drives

The 4.8TB storage maximum for a single 3U enclosure is based on

300GB FC disk drives, with upto 16 drives per enclosure and up to a 14%
improvement in disk drive modules.
 The DS4700 Express storage system Switched Loop architecture is
unique. The DS4700 Express Controllers (DS4000 EXP810 Expansion
Enclosures 4 Gb., environmental services modules [ESMs]) are similar to
those in the 2Gb DS4000 EXP710 switchable expansion unit. These
Expansion Units have an embedded FC loop switch that creates whatever
functions are point-to-point Fibre Channel communication between the
controllers or Environmental service modules and the drives.

Technical Overview of IBM DS4700

The primary chassis in the DS4700 Express is the controller module. As shown,
this rack mount unit (DS4700 controller) has capacity for 16 FC Enhanced Disk
Drive Modules [E-DDMs]. The E-DDMs are easily removable and replaceable,
hot plugging which is field replaceable also.
As with the front, the rear of the DS4700 Express storage system is also fully
manageable for cabling. In the below diagram the controller covering (shown in
the deep blue) is mounted end-to-end to its associate dedicated power supply
and cooling unit (shown in green). The hot replaceable cache backup battery
unit connects separately to the controller.

The diagram below displays the components visible from the rear of the
DS4700 Express Controller Module:

The visual above identifies this unit as a DS4700 Express Model 72, since each
of the dual controllers has four host interfaces. The corresponding DS4700
Express Model 70 visual would look like identical, with the exception that the
each controller would have only two host ports.

The diagram below is a view of the rear of the DS4000 EXP810 Expansion
Enclosure.
Sample Cabling Diagram

The DS4700 Express storage systems four external drive loops are configured
as two redundant pairs and with each pair cabling a maximum of three
enclosures to the controller module.

The diagram shows a fully configured DS4700 Express storage system with six
DS4000 EXP810 Expansion Enclosures. The DS4700 will support 2Gb disk
drive modules for the highest availability, The storage system utilizes a top-
down and bottom-up cabling scheme to ensure access to available expansion
units.