HCP architecture
HCP hardware consists of:
- Servers
- Internal and/or SAN storage
- Networking components such as cables and switches
- Additional infrastructure items such as racks and power distribution units
HCP uses back-end, front-end and optionally, if the HCP hardware is configured to support it, management networks. The isolated back-end network connects the HCP nodes to each other through two redundant back-end Ethernet switches. Each node has a pair of bonded Ethernet ports that are used to connect the node to these switches.
Each storage node is configured with an additional pair of bonded Ethernet ports that allows external applications to access the system. The recommended configuration options are:
- Two independent Ethernet switches that connect the ports to the front-end network
- One Ethernet switch, with both HCP and the switch configured for active-active bonding
For VM systems, this hardware configuration applies to the physical environment in which HCP VM runs.
The following figure shows the architecture of an HCP system that uses internal storage. This system has four storage nodes, two back-end switches (on the left), and two front-end switches (on the right).
The table below describes the cables in this figure.
Cable | Connects from | Connects to |
Red and blue Ethernet | Back-end NICs in each node | Back-end switches |
Green and yellow Ethernet | Front-end NICs in each node | Front-end switches |
Purple Ethernet | Back-end switches | Each other |
Black power | Each node | Two PDUs |
Each back-end switch | One PDU |
The following figure shows the architecture of an HCP system that uses a Fibre Channel SAN storage system. This system has four storage nodes, two modular storage trays, two back-end switches (on the left), and two front-end switches (on the right). Each node has multipathed access to the shared SAN storage.
The table below describes the cables in this figure.
Cable | Connects from | Connects to |
Red and blue Ethernet | Back-end NICs in each node | Back-end switches |
Green and yellow Ethernet | Front-end NICs in each node | Front-end switches |
Purple Ethernet | Back-end switches | Each other |
Orange Fibre Channel | Each node | SAN array |
Black power | Each node | Two PDUs |
Each back-end switch | One PDU | |
Each storage tray | Two PDUs |
Nodes in HCP SAIN systems are either individual servers or individual blades in blade servers. The figure above shows individual servers. Some HCP SAIN systems include Fibre Channel switches between the nodes and the SAN arrays.
The physical environment for an HCP VM system has the same architecture as an HCP SAIN system. That is, the servers that host the virtual machines on which HCP runs have multipathed access to shared SAN storage. The physical switch and port configurations are the same as for SAIN systems.
Depending on the number of physical servers and the capabilities of those servers, a VM system can have one or more HCP nodes running on a host on each server. The following figure shows the physical environment for a VM system with four HCP nodes, each running in its own physical server. For information about the hardware configuration in this figure, see "SAIN system architecture" above.