[rescue] Re: Tray for a NetApp F330

[Robert Novak]

On Wed, 3 Jul 2002, Drew Schatt wrote:

> Does anyone have a source/recommendation for a cheap rack of drives
> (preferably 9gigs or larger) for a NetApp F330?  I've got a pretty nice
> head unit, but without any drives to play with, it's sort of a worthless
> toy.

Get a bunch of 9gb Seagate ST19171WC drives. They run $15-20 each these
days, and once you flash the EMC firmware out of them and go back to
Seagate firmware, they're pretty good. Definitely the best GB/$ for
supported drives.

Enclosure doesn't matter to the netapp (as long as there's no raid
controller in the way), although DEC Storageworks BA350-series is common
and was used on some of that era's filers.

> Another question:  Will the F330 support FC drives?  Would it
> theoretically be possible to hook a F330 to a Sun A5000 and have it use
> that for the drive shelf?

I think it will, if you have a supported copper FC card (the one with the
weird HP-type connector, I suppose) and a db9-array and appropriate cable.
Drive support will be quite limited though--only certain drives and
certain firmware are "supported" and netapp is more definite on
"supported" -- ST19171WC with the wrong firmware will just not work for
example. It's not like Sun where "supported" != "all that works."

A5000 probably won't work, unless Netapp shipped a fiber-based FC
controller, or unless you get an adapter of some sort... you're best off
finding the support matrix and getting disks and a jbod-type enclosure, I
think, whether FC or SCSI. Unless a 5000 is ubercheepo and has the right
drives and right firmware.

> What does everyone else use with theirs?

One of mine is holding down a pile of Indigo2 corpses, and the other is
helping to keep Bill's garage from floating away. Need to buy disks when I
get back and load up my storageworks array. :-)

--Rob
-- 
Robert Novak, Indyramp Consulting * rnovak at indyramp.com * indyramp.com/~rnovak
	"I don't want to doubt you, Know everything about you
      I don't want to sit Across the table from you Wishing I could run."