Storage arrays supply the physical storage of the system. Each storage array consists of trays of disks and controllers. Each tray can contain between 7 and 14 disk drives. A tray with fewer than 14 disk drives can be upgraded.
Each array has two controllers to provide a redundant control path. Each array also has redundant Fibre Channel (FC) data paths. For redundant power, each array has two power supplies, each with its own battery backup system. In a total power failure, each array has sufficient power from the batteries to shut down in an orderly fashion. In addition, each disk drive has system area information that is mirrored across all drives for redundancy so that data can be recovered from any functional drive.
The system is available in three supported storage array configurations:
The configuration of the system is based on requirements for throughput, amount of storage, and economy. For example, if throughput is more important to you than economy, your system might use the 2x2 storage array configuration. If the amount of available storage is more important than throughput, your system might use the 2x6 storage array configuration.