DELL EMC UNITY XT

HARDWARE CONCEPTS
AND FEATURES

PARTICIPANT GUIDE

PARTICIPANT GUIDE
 Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Table of Contents

Disk Processor Enclosure Hardware Overview ...................................... 4

Dell Unity XT Hardware Redundancy Features .................................................................... 5

Dell Unity XT Hardware Components Redundancy .............................................................. 6
Disk Processor Enclosure (DPE) ....................................................................................... 16
Dell Unity XT 380/380F Model DPE ................................................................................... 17
Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models DPE ............................................................... 19
DPE Power Supplies .......................................................................................................... 21

Storage Processor Overview ................................................................. 22

Storage Processor (SP) ..................................................................................................... 23

Dell Unity XT 380/380F Systems - Storage Processor ....................................................... 24
Dell Unity XT 380/380F Systems - SP Top View ................................................................ 26
Dell Unity XT 380/380F Systems - SP Key Components.................................................... 27
Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - Storage Processor ....................................... 32
Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - SP Top View ................................................ 34
Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - SP Key Components ................................... 36
Dell Unity XT Platform Maximums ...................................................................................... 40

DPE/SP Port Identification and Connections ........................................ 42

Dell Unity XT 380/380F - DPE/SP Port Identification and Connections .............................. 43

Dell Unity XT 380/380F - DPE/SP Embedded Ports........................................................... 44
Dell Unity XT 380/380F - DPE/SP Integrated CNA Ports ................................................... 48
Dell Unity XT 380/380F - DPE Expansion I/O Module Slots ............................................... 50
Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - DPE/SP Port Identification and Connections 51
Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - DPE/SP Embedded Ports ............................ 52
Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - DPE/SP 4-Port Mezz Card ........................... 55
Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - DPE Expansion I/O Module Slots ................ 57

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LED Identification and Status Indicators .............................................. 59

25-Drive DPE Status LEDs - Dell Unity XT 380/380F ......................................................... 60

25-Drive DPE Status LEDs - Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models .......................... 62
DPE Power Supply Status LEDs ........................................................................................ 64
SP Status LEDs - Dell Unity XT 380/380F.......................................................................... 66
Embedded Module LEDs - Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models ............................. 72
Embedded Module LEDs - Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models (Documentation) .. 78
Embedded Module Status LED Activity .............................................................................. 79

I/O Expansion Modules - SLICs ............................................................. 80

I/O Expansion Modules Overview ...................................................................................... 81

I/O Expansion Modules ...................................................................................................... 82

Disk Array Enclosures and Disk Drives ................................................ 87

Disk Array Enclosure (DAE) ............................................................................................... 88

Supported DAEs ................................................................................................................ 89
2U 25-Drive DAE ............................................................................................................... 91
3U 15-Drive DAE ............................................................................................................... 95
3U 80-Drive DAE ............................................................................................................. 101
3U 80-Drive DAE Front View ........................................................................................... 103
3U 80-Drive DAE Rear View ............................................................................................ 104
SAS Flash Drives ............................................................................................................. 106
Wear Leveling for SSD Drives.......................................................................................... 110
Rotating Drive Support ..................................................................................................... 111
Mixing Different Drive Types ............................................................................................ 113

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Disk Processor Enclosure Hardware Overview

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Dell Unity XT Hardware Redundancy Features

Unity XT Series platform

The Dell Unity XT Disk Processor Enclosure (DPE) and expansion Disk Array
Enclosures (DAE) are built with hardware availability and redundancy features.
• Dual Storage Processors (SPs) with mirrored write cache.
• Drives arranged in RAID configurations
• Dual data ports on drives
• Hot Sparing
• Vault M.2 SSDs
• Battery Backup Units
• Redundant Power Supplies

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Dell Unity XT Hardware Components Redundancy

Dual Storage Processors

Mirrored
Cache-A

Cache-B
SPB

SPA Mirrored
Cache-B

Cache-A

Mirrored write cache on each DPE SP

Dell Unity XT systems support dual Storage Processors with mirrored write cache.

Each Storage Processor (SP) contains both primary cached data for its own LUNs
and a secondary copy of the cache for its peer Storage Processor.

The SP assembly includes:

• Single socket Intel CPU, with six cores (380/380F) or dual-socket Intel CPU
(480/480F and higher models), with core count between 16 to 32
• Dual inline memory modules (DIMM)
• Internal battery backup module
• M.2 SSD device

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• Fan modules
• Power Supply

Each SP enclosure can be individually removed from the DPE for maintenance and
replacement of faulted components.

RAID

RAID 5 (4+1)
RAID 1/0

RAID 6 (6+2)

Examples of stripe widths for RAID 1/0, RAID 5, and RAID 6 configurations

Storage pools consist of a collection of RAID protected drives.

The implementation of RAID protection depends directly on the type of pool:

dynamic or traditional. For pools that support multiple drive types, each drive type
can be configured with its own RAID type, and stripe width.

Dell Unity supports various RAID levels, which determine the performance
characteristics, protection and cost. The available RAID protection levels include
1/0, 5, and 6 and can co-exist in the same array simultaneously to match different
protection requirements.

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The stripe width determines the pool fault characteristics. The supported RAID
width configurations are:
• RAID 1/0 - (1+1), (2+2), (3+3), or (4+4)
• RAID 5 - (4+1), (8+1), or (12+1)
• RAID 6 - (4+2), (6+2), (8+2), (10+2), (12+2), or (14+2)

For best performance from the least number of drives, match the appropriate RAID
level with the expected workload. Review the white paper Dell EMC Unity: Dynamic
Pools for more information about storage pools.

Data Ports

I/O I/O

Disk Drive with two I/O data ports

Each disk drive in a Disk Process Enclosure (DPE) or Disk Array Enclosure (DAE)
has two data ports.

The ports provide two separate paths to each drive, one from each Storage
Processor (SP). If an SP or any component of the path fails, the drive can be
accessed by the other SP.

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Each Storage Processor includes two embedded 12 Gb/s SAS backend bus ports
for connectivity to expansion Disk Array Enclosures (DAEs).

One port provides connectivity to bus 0 and the other to bus 1.

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Hot Sparing

DYNAMIC POOL

DPG with Flash drives Spare space

Dynamic pool with spare space reservation

Dell Unity XT All-Flash arrays (AFA) and Dell Unity XT Hybrid Flash arrays (HFA)
support dynamic pools by default.
Drives are arranged in Drive Partnership Groups (DPGs).
Spare space is used to replace a failing or faulted drive within the Pool.
Users can set the amount of spare space a dynamic pool reserve at time of
creation.
• One or two drives per 32 drives can be reserved.
• Spare space is labeled Hot spare capacity.

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 TRADITIONAL MULTI-TIERED POOL

RG3 RG4

RG1 RG2

Hot spares
SAS Flash drives SAS drives

Traditional pool with dedicated hot spare drives

Dell UnityVSA support only traditional pools.

Drives are arranged in RAID Groups (RGs).
Dedicated hot spare drives are used to replace faulted drives.
• One hot spare drive is reserved per 31 drives.
• Hot spare drives are the same type of the faulted drive.
• The drive capacity is equal or bigger to the capacity of the faulted drive.

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Battery Backup Unit (BBU)

Lithium-ion
battery pack

BBU BBU

Redundant battery backup units

Each SP has a battery backup unit (BBU) sometimes referred to as Battery on Bus
(BoB) to allow for an orderly shutdown and cache destaging to the M.2 SSD
device. The BBU is an eight cell lithium-ion battery pack.

In the event of a graceful shutdown, the system flushes the write cache contents to
the backend drives.

In the event of unexpected power loss, the onboard BBUs are activated.
• The BBUs are designed to supply enough power to the enclosure temporarily.
• It keeps the SP online while it flushes the cached content to the M.2 device.
• Dell Unity XT models have two M.2 NVMe devices to support cache vaulting.

When power is restored, the content of the M.2s is restored to the SPs.
• In normal scenarios, both copies of cache are valid for use.
• In case one copy is invalid or outdated:

− The SP that owns the latest valid copy synchronizes its contents to the peer
SP, before reenabling write cache.

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M.2 SSD Device

SPB SATA/PCIe

SPA SATA/PCIe

Redundant M.2 SSD devices

The M.2 SSD device is located inside the Storage Processor (SP) and serves as a
backup device in the event of an SP failure.
• In the event of an SP failure, the memory contents of the SP’s cache is written
to the M.2 SSD device so it can be recovered once the SP is restored.
• If the M.2 SSD device itself encounters a failure, cache data can be recovered
from the peer Storage Processor.

The M.2 SSD device also holds a backup copy of the boot image that is used to
boot the operating environment.

The number of M.2 SSD devices in the SP is model-dependent.

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Link Control Cards

LCC B

LCC A

Location of the LCCs in a 2 U 25-drive DAE

Expansion Disk Array Enclosures (DAEs) attach to Storage Processors (SPs) in

the Disk Processor Enclosure (DPE) using SAS cables.

Each DAE includes two Link Control Cards (LCCs) with SAS ports.

One LCC is designated for connectivity to SPA while the other is for connectivity to
SPB.

LCCs is discussed later in the course.

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Power Supplies

SPA Power SPB Power

Supply Supply

Redundant Power Supplies

AC or DC Power Supply units are installed on each SP

Redundant power supplies ensure DPE SP high availability. In case a DPE power
supply fails, the other can power the entire Disk Processor Enclosure.

Disk Array Enclosures also use redundant power supplies. One DAE power supply
can provide enough energy for both LCCs, if the other PS fails.

Like the SP power supplies, each DAE power supply (PS) should be connected to
different Power Distribution Units (PDU).

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Disk Processor Enclosure (DPE)

The Dell Unity XT Disk Processor Enclosure (DPE) is a 2U chassis that houses two
Storage Processors (SPs), drives and I/O connections and modules.

Unity XT Disk Processor Enclosure

A different version of the DPE is compatible with:

• Unity XT 380/380F models
• Unity XT 480/480F, 680/680F, 880/880F models.

The Unity XT DPE houses 25 drive slots.

• The drives are populated in the system from left to right.

The DPE is recognized by the system as Bus 99 Enclosure 0.

• The twenty-five drives are internally recognized as Bus 99 Enclosure 0 Drive 0 -
Bus 0 Enclosure 0 Drive 24.

There are LEDs on the front of the DPE for both the enclosure and drives to
indicate status and faults.

Important: The first four drive slots are reserved for system drives
which contain data that is used by the operating environment (OE)
software. Space is reserved for the system on these drives, and the
remaining space is available for storage pools. These drives should
not be moved within the DPE or relocated to another enclosure.

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Dell Unity XT 380/380F Model DPE

Front View

The Dell Unity XT 380/380F model uses a different physical chassis than the Dell
Unity XT 480/480F and higher models.

4X System Drives

Front view of a Unity XT 380 DPE with twenty-five 2.5-inch drives

Unity XT 380/380F, houses twenty-five drive slots supporting 2.5-inch SAS, and
SAS Flash drives.

Rear View

A Unity XT 380/380F system DPE has different components than Unity XT

480/480F and higher models.

Rear view of a Unity XT 380/380F 12 Gb/s 25 drives DPE

Components per Storage Processor enclosure:

1. 2x Onboard 1 GbE ports for management and service
2. 2x Onboard 10 GBaseT ports for front-end connectivity
3. 2x Onboard 12 Gb/S SAS Expansion ports

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4. 2x Converged Network Adapter (CNA) ports for 8/16 Gb FC or 10 GbE Optical
iSCSI
5. 1x USB port
6. 2x optional I/O modules for front-end connectivity
7. 1x Power Supply
8. Torque Limiting Screw (TLS) for removing Storage Processor.

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Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models DPE

Front View

Dell Unity XT 480/480F and higher models use a different physical chassis than the
Dell Unity XT 380/380F model.

4X System Drives

Front view of a Unity XT 680F DPE with twenty-five 2.5-inch drives

The Unity XT three high-end system models are 480/480F, 680/680F, and
880/880F.

The DPE on these models houses 25x drive slots supporting 2.5-in. SAS, and SAS
Flash drives.

Rear View

The DPE on Unity XT 480/480F and higher models has different components than
Unity XT 380/380F models.

Rear view of a Unity XT 680 DPE

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Components per Storage Processor enclosure:
1. 2x Onboard 1 GbE ports for management and service. The service port has
yellow identification and labeled with a wrench.
2. 2x Onboard 12 Gb/s SAS Expansion ports
3. 1x USB port
4. 4-Port Mezz Card for optional 25GbE/10GbE or 10GBaseT front-end
connectivity
5. 2x I/O module slots for front-end connectivity
6. 1x Power Supply
7. T-Latch for removing Storage Processor

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DPE Power Supplies

SPB

SPA

DPE Power Supplies

AC 100-240 VAC

Example of AC powered system with the location of Power Supply Units on SPA and SPB

A DPE draws power from two redundant intelligent Power Supplies, one for each
SP. This creates a single enclosure power zone. If the peer power supply is faulted
or removed (N+1), each power supply provides enough power to keep the entire
enclosure running at full performance.

All x80 Unity models support high line and low line power and are hot swappable.
The Power Supplies do not monitor or control the cooling fans. The exact power
supply is chosen during the ordering process.

Unity XT 380/F and 480/F models support DC power. DC power supplies are
compliant with the NEBS certification, and provide the same functionality of units
that are used on AC powered systems.

Deep Dive: Go to the support site for a detailed list of NEBS certified
parts.

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Storage Processor Overview

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Storage Processor (SP)

Two Storage Processors (SPs) are contained in the Disk Processor Enclosure
(DPE) of Unity XT systems. The Storage Processors are the core of the platform.

Storage Processors:
• Deliver block components and services.
− Multi-core Cache (MCC) and Multi-core RAID (MCR)
• Onboard ports enable data access to attached block hosts and NAS clients.
• Provide additional data access connectivity with expansion I/O modules.
• Differ between Unity XT 380/380F models and Unity XT 480/480F, 680/680F,
and 880/880F models.

− Number of CPUs, memory slots, fans, and chassis layouts.

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Dell Unity XT 380/380F Systems - Storage Processor

Rear View

Component Locator Chart Turn counter-clockwise and pull out to release SP

I/O Expansion Modules

Unity XT 380/380F Storage Processor rear view

Each Storage Processor has:

• Component locator chart on SP cover
− Visible when SP is removed from the DPE.
− Provides instructions for cover removal and component locations.
• Large orange torque limiting knob
− Engages and disengages SP to DPE
• Two I/O expansion slots

− Accommodate additional data access expansion models.

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Top View

Back-plane Contacts

Unity XT 380/380F Storage Processor top view with cover removed

Multiple backplane contact points provide connections to the DPE drive section.

Other components are shown later.

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Dell Unity XT 380/380F Systems - SP Top View

With the cover removed, key components are visible for identification and
replacement, if necessary.

Click each label for more information.

SP Components

Unity XT 380/380F Storage Processor component locations and descriptions

4
1

6
2

3 5

1: 2. M.2 SSD: Each SP contains an M.2 device. This device is a nonvolatile device
that is used by the Operating Environment (OE) and SP memory.

2: 3. Air Baffle: A clear plastic air baffle must be removed to access some
components.

3: 4. DIMMs: There are four DIMM slots on the baseboard.

4: 5. Battery Backup Unit (BBU): The BBU provides power to the SP during a
power outage.

5: 7. Power Supply: Each SP contains its own power supply.

6: 6. CPU: Each Storage Processor has a single Intel Broadwell CPU.

7: 1. Fans: The Storage Processor includes five fans.

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Dell Unity XT 380/380F Systems - SP Key Components

Use the left and right arrows to navigate between components.

SP DIMM Slots

The Unity XT 380 and 380F SPs have four slots to support up to four DDR4
SDRAM modules. Each DIMM is a Customer Replaceable Unit (CRU).

DIMM slots on Unity XT 380/380F SPs

Unity XT 380/380F Storage Processor DIMM slots

The maximum memory for an SP is 64 GB.

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SP Fans

Five cooling fan packs provide adaptive cooling for each SP Enclosure.

Fan Packs

Five per SP

Unity XT 380/380F Storage Processor fan packs

Fan packs are divided into two zones:

• Zone 1 contains fan packs 0, 1, and 2.
− Provides ambient air cooling of the CPU, DIMMs, BoB, SSD, and onboard
I/O components
• Zone 2 contains fan packs 3 and 4.

− Provides ambient air cooling of I/O expansion modules

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SP M.2 SSD Non-Volatile Device

Each Storage Processor in the Unity XT 380/380F contains a 6-Gb/s internal M.2
SSD. The M.2 device stores the operating environment (OE)1 and vault data2.

Unity XT 380/380F Storage Processor M.2 SSD

The M.2 device:

• Is encrypted
• Is a CRU
• Data is not visible externally.
• Size is model-dependent
− With enough capacity and bandwidth to support the process to vault data.
• Has two possible error states

1 The Operating Environment (OE) is the software code that each Unity XT SP
loads on boot and runs to provide storage resources and services.
2 Vault Data is data written to SP cache but has not been committed to persistent

media (disk storage). If the SP looses power, the SP remains powered by the
battery backup unit. The data in SP cache is written to the M.2 device as vault data.
When power is returned, the SP boot process writes the vault data from the M.2
device to disk storage.

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 − Degraded – only a few spare blocks remain. The SSD should be replaced
soon.
− Faulted – no spare blocks remaining, replace immediately. If not, it could
result in bringing the SP down or not able to save the vault data during a
power failure.

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SP Battery Backup Unit

Each Storage Processor in the Unity XT 380/380F contains a Battery Backup Unit
(BBU).

Unity XT 380/380F Storage Processor battery backup unit

The battery backup unit:

• Is an eight-cell lithium-ion battery pack
• Provides just under 12 VDC

− Does not deliver power until the main 12 VDC power drops or the SP is
removed from the DPE midplane.

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Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - Storage
Processor

Rear View

SP B

SP A

T-Latch mechanism pulled-

out

Unity XT 480/480F and higher model numbers Storage Processor rear view

In Unity XT 480/480F, 680/680F, and 880/880F models, both SPs are removable
using individual T-Latch mechanisms. The image shows the handle that is used to
pull the SP B assembly out of the chassis.

The rear of each SP enclosure includes:

• Management port
• Service port
• 4-port Mezzanine (mezz) card
• Power supply

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Top View

Fans

BBU

M.2 SSDs
CPUs

DIMMs

Unity XT 480/480F and higher model numbers Storage Processor top view with cover removed

The Storage Processor internal components are accessible with the top cover
removed.

Each SP enclosure includes:

• 2 CPUs - Dual-socket motherboard
• DIMMs
• M.2 SSDs
• Battery-backup Unit (BBU)
• Six counter-rotating fan packs

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Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - SP Top View

With the cover removed, key components are visible for identification and
replacement, if necessary.

Click each label for more information.

SP Components

Unity XT 480/480F and higher models Storage Processor components

4 7

1: Fans: The Storage Processor includes six fans.

2: M.2 SSD: Each SP contains two M.2 riser cards. This device is a nonvolatile
device that is used by the Operating Environment [OE] and SP memory.

3: CPU: Each Storage Processor holds two Intel Skylake CPUs.

4: 4-Port Mezz Card: Each Storage Processor supports a 4-Port Mezz Card for
optional 25GbE/10GbE or 10GBaseT front-end connectivity.

5: Battery Backup Unit (BBU): The BBU provides power to the SP when there is
an AC power outage.

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6: DIMMs: There are 24 DIMM slots on the baseboard.

7: Power Supply: Each SP contains its own power supply.

8: SLIC Slots: Each Storage Processor supports two SLIC slots for expanding
front-end and back-end connectivity.

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Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - SP Key
Components

Use the left and right arrows to navigate between components.

SP DIMM Slots

The storage processors in Dell EMC Unity XT 480/480F, 680/680F, and 880/880F
storage systems have twenty-four slots.

SP DIMM slots

SP DIMM slots

These slots are filled with up to twelve DIMMs, depending on the model.

The DIMMs are between 16 GB and 32 GB in size. If a DIMM is faulted, the system
boots into service mode so the faulted DIMM can be replaced.

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SP Fans

Six counter-rotating cooling modules in each SP Enclosure.

Cooling Modules

Six per CPU Module

SP cooling fans

These fan packs provide cool airflow to the assembly interior. If a module fault, the
remaining fan packs compensate for the faulted module.

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SP M.2 SSD Non-Volatile Devices

Each Storage Processor contains a single double-sided M.2 riser card, which holds
an NVMe M.2 device and a SATA M.2 device. The riser card is between the
DIMMs.

M.2 NVMe SSD device (480/480F, 680/680F, 880/880F models)

M.2 SATA SSD Device (480/480F, 680/680F, 880/880F models)

SP M.2 SSDs

The M.2 device is used to store the operating environment (OE) for booting
purposes and as a backup device if an SP fails.

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SP Battery Backup Unit (BBU)

Each SP assembly has a lithium-ion battery backup unit (BBU) located in the
middle of the Cooling modules.

SP BBU

Each BBU powers its own SP and does not provide power for the peer SP. Cache
is enabled when the supporting BBU is in the ‘ready state’. If both SP BBUs are not
ready, cache is disabled. Battery life depends on usage and operating
temperatures.

The BBU is designed to power the SP long enough for the system to store SP
cache content to the M.2 SSD devices before powering off.

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Dell Unity XT Platform Maximums

Unity XT model maximums

Platform Unity XT Unity XT Unity XT Unity XT

380/380F 480/480F 680/680F 880/880F

Chassis 2U 2U 2U 2U
Lay-out

Storage 2 2 2 2
Processors

Processor 1x Intel 6-core, 2x Intel 8-core, 2x Intel 12- 2x Intel 16-

(per SP) 1.7-GHz 1.8-GHz core, 2.1-GHz core, 2.1-GHz
The number Broadwell Skylake Skylake Skylake
of cores
increases
with each
model.

Memory (per 64 GB (4x16 96 GB (12x8 192 GB (12x16 384 GB (12x32

SP) GB) GB)* GB) GB)

Max Drive 500 750** 1000** 1500**

Count

Max I/O 4 4 4 4
Modules

*If 8 GB DIMMs can no longer be supplied, 12x16 GB DIMMs are used and limited
to 96 GB usable.

**Requires SAS Backend SLIC to reach max drives.

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 Deep Dive: For more information, see the Hardware Information
Guide document for the Dell Unity XT platform (Hybrid and All-Flash)
at the Unity Info hub site.

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DPE/SP Port Identification and Connections

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Dell Unity XT 380/380F - DPE/SP Port Identification and
Connections

SP
B

SP
A

Rear view of a Dell Unity XT 380/380F system DPE

The Dell Unity XT 380/380F 12 Gb/s 25 drive DPE has the following ports per SP:
• 2x Onboard 1 GbE ports for management and service. Service port has a
yellow label and an image of a wrench.
• 2x Onboard 10 GBaseT ports for front-end connectivity
• 2x Onboard 12 Gb/S SAS Expansion ports
• 1x USB port
• 2x Converged Network Adapter (CNA) ports for Fibre Channel or iSCSI
connectivity
• 2x expansion I/O modules slots for front-end connectivity

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Dell Unity XT 380/380F - DPE/SP Embedded Ports

Ethernet Ports 0 and 1

Unity XT 380/380F systems support a Base-T dual channel 10/100/1000 Mb LAN

controller, which supplies two 1 Gb/s Ethernet ports for service and management
usage.

Service Ethernet
Port

Management SPB
Ethernet Port

Management
SPA Ethernet Port

Service Ethernet
Port

Management and Service Ethernet ports on SPA and SPB

Port Description

Service Ethernet The service port can be used to provide a Serial Over LAN
Port (SOL) connection to the array using the IPMI tool.

Management • The management port is used to connect to a network for

Ethernet Port management, including synchronous replication
operations.
• Unity systems only have one IP address, which is serviced
by the primary SP.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Ethernet Ports 2 and 3

Onboard SP 10G BASE-T Ethernet (10 GigE) ports 2 and 3 on SPA and SPB are
used for front-end connectivity.

Port 2

Port 3
SPB

SPA
Port 3

Port 2

Location of the onboard Ethernet ports on SPA and SPB

Port 2 and 3 support 10 GbE or 1 GbE connectivity for Block iSCSI and file IP. The
ports support custom MTU frames.

SAS Ports

Unity XT 380/380F systems support two embedded SAS ports per SP (total of four
embedded ports per array).

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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 SAS 0

SAS 1
SPB

SPA
SAS 1

SAS 0

Location of the 12 Gb/s SAS connectors on SPA and SPB

The SAS connectors are used to cable a mini-HD SAS cable to an expansion DAE
when adding capacity to an existing Dell Unity XT array.

The Dell Unity XT SAS component is a highly embedded Gen3.0 eight-port

encryption-capable SAS controller.

The controller contains eight independent SAS ports and interfaces that are directly
integrated with the CPU through a PCIe Gen3 bus.
• SAS Port 0 is connected internally to the DPE disk drives, which are known as
Bus 0, Enclosure 0, (0_0), BE0 EA0.
• Dell Technologies recommends that the first attached DAE physically connects
to mini-HD SAS Port 1.
− For example, Bus 1 Enclosure 0 (1_0), BE1 EA0.
• The second attached DAE physically connects to mini-HD SAS Port 0.

− For example, Bus 0 Enclosure 1 (0_1), BE0 EA1.

Note: Dell Unity XT 380/380F systems do not support backend SLIC

I/O modules.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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USB Ports

Each Unity XT storage processor supports a USB port that is v2.0 and v3.0
capable.

USB Port

SPB

SPA

USB Port

USB ports on SPA and SPB

• The port connects internally to the Platform Controller Hub (PCH) on the
respective CPU.
• This port is for Dell internal use and an alternative way to configure IP using a
Unity Connection Utility.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Dell Unity XT 380/380F - DPE/SP Integrated CNA Ports

Dell Unity XT 380/380F systems support onboard Converged Network Adapter

(CNA) for front-end connectivity using a dual personality controller.

The CNA controller supports both Ethernet (iSCSI or File) or the Fibre Channel
protocols depending on which SFP is inserted.

Each SP has two CNA ports supporting hot swappable Small Form-Factor
Pluggable SFP+ optical connectors.

CNA 4

SPB
CNA 5

CNA 5
SPA

CNA 4

Location of the CNA ports on Dell Unity XT 380/380F systems

Ethernet iSCSI/File

For block and file protocols, users can configure a 1 GbE SFP or a 10 Gb/s SFP.
When an Ethernet SFP is inserted in the CNA ports, the ports are persisted as the
Ethernet protocol at first system boot, and cannot be changed.

The SFPs are hot swappable between 1 GbE and 10 Gb/s SFPs.

If the CNA is initially persisted with 10 Gb/s SFPs, the customer can downgrade to
1 Gb/s SFP, if necessary.

CNA ports can only be configured as a single protocol across both SPs on the
system. For example, if there are two CNA ports per SP, both must be configured
to use either a NIC or Fibre Channel connection.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Fibre Channel

For Fibre Channel connectivity, CNA ports can be configured with either multimode
or single mode SFPs. Single-mode SFPs support 16 Gb/s only.

When a Fibre Channel SFP is inserted in the CNA ports, the ports are persisted as
the FC protocol at first system boot. The setting cannot be changed.

The supported Fibre Channel topologies and speed include:

• Support for 4/8/16 Gb/s (Auto Negotiable)
• Two node Loop topology support with 4/8 Gb/s configurations
• Point to Point topology support in two node or switched configurations for all
speeds
• All ports are available for RecoverPoint.

Synchronous replication is supported when the lowest number port is enabled as a

Sync/Replication port. If a customer wants to synchronously replicate up to 10 km
with speeds up to 16 Gb/s, one can use the single mode SFP. For shorter
distances, customers can typically replicate up to 300 through 400 meters. If there
is a synchronous replication port, it can be configured as single mode, and the
remaining ports can be configured as multimode.

Important: CNA ports are available only on the Dell Unity XT

380/380F platform. FCoE and FCIP are not supported protocols.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Dell Unity XT 380/380F - DPE Expansion I/O Module Slots

Each Unity XT SP has two I/O module expansion slots: Slot 0 and Slot 1.

Slot 1 Slot 0

SPB

SPA

Slot 0 Slot 1

Location of the I/O module slots on SPA and SPB

Each SP in a Unity XT DPE supports two v2.0 I/O modules (SLICs) for expansion.
Supported I/O modules are:
• 4-Port 16 Gb Fibre Channel
• 4-Port 32 Gb Fibre Channel
• 4-Port 25 GbE SFP-based
• 4-Port 10 GbE BaseT

Important: Version 2.0 I/O modules are not backward compatible

with the previous v1.0 generation I/O modules.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - DPE/SP Port
Identification and Connections

SPB

SPA

Location of the IOPMs on SPA and SPB

On the Unity XT 480/480F and higher models, each SP contains an Embedded

Module.

The Embedded Module also known as the IO Personality Module (IOPM) has the
following ports:
• 2x Onboard 1 GbE ports for management and service LAN
• 2x Onboard 12 Gb/s SAS Expansion ports
• 1x USB port
• 4-Port Mezz Card for optional 25GbE/10GbE or 10GBaseT front-end
connectivity

Each Storage Processor also provides two slots for optional front-end or back-end
I/O Modules.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - DPE/SP
Embedded Ports

Ethernet Ports

Management Ethernet
Port

Service Ethernet
Port

Management and Service ports in an SP IOPM

Dell Unity XT 480/480F, 680/680F, and 880/880F storage arrays support a Base-T
dual channel 10/100/1000-Mbit LAN controller.

The IOPM provides two 1Gb/s Ethernet ports for service and management usage.

The management port is used to connect to the network for management

operations. There is only one management IP address. It floats between each SP
depending on which SP is the Primary

The service LAN port provides a Serial Over LAN (SOL) connection to the array
using the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) tool.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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SAS Ports

SAS 1

SAS 0

Location of two external 12 Gb/s mini-HD SAS connectors in an SP IOPM

The connectors are used to cable a mini-HD SAS cable to an expansion DAE when
adding capacity to an existing Dell Unity array.

Connectivity from the SPs to the drives in the Dell Unity XT 480/480F and higher
models is different from the Dell Unity XT 380/380F models.
• On the 480/480F and higher models, the DPE drives are on a separate internal
bus.
• There is a maximum of six ports for extra DAEs.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

© Copyright 2022 Dell Inc. Page 53

USB Port

USB Port

Location of the USB 3.0 port in an SP IOPM

Each Dell Unity XT storage processor supports a USB port that is v2.0 and v3.0
capable.
• The port connects internally to the Platform Controller Hub (PCH) on the
respective CPU.
• This port is for internal use only except when you use the connection utility to
create a USB to IP the system.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

Page 54 © Copyright 2022 Dell Inc.

Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - DPE/SP 4-Port
Mezz Card

Mezz cards are optional and only available on the Dell Unity XT 480/480F,
680/680F, and 880/880F models.
• Mezz cards are installed in the IOPM.
• Because the onboard 1 GbE Port provides management access, Mezz Cards
are not used for management.

Mezz card

Location of the Mezz card installed in an SP IOPM

Unity XT systems are shipped with these configurations:

Configuration Description

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

© Copyright 2022 Dell Inc. Page 55

4-Port 25 GbE This card is a Quad port Ethernet I/O module that is used to
SFP Mezz card serve Ethernet traffic, and iSCSI block protocol. The card
provides a 25G capable SFP+ connection to a host or switch
port. Quad ports support 25Gb/10Gb/1Gb Ethernet. Each
speed requires a specific SFP.

4-Port 10 GbE This card is a Quad port Ethernet I/O module that serves
BaseT Mezz card Ethernet traffic and iSCSI block protocol. It employs a 1G/10G
BaseT (RJ45) connection to a host or to a switch port.

No Mezz card Filler plate.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models - DPE Expansion
I/O Module Slots

Dell Unity XT 480/480F, 680/680F, and 880/880F platforms support four I/O
expansion modules.

Slot 1 Slot 0

Slot 0 Slot 1

Location of I/O module expansion slots on SPA and SPB

When adding new I/O modules, always install I/O modules in pairs:
• One module in SP A and one module in SP B.
• Both SPs must have the same type of I/O modules in the same slots.

Slot 0 provides a x16 lane PCIe channel/bus connection to the CPU, while slot 1
provides an x8 lane channel/bus connection.
• When a system is configured with a single I/O module per SP, the I/O module in
slot 0 of each SP is populated first.
• When a system is configured with two I/O modules per SP, slot 0 is populated
first, and then slot 1 of each SP.

When both I/O module slots are used, install higher priority cards into slot 0.
Populate slot 0 with the following I/O modules in this priority:
• 4-Port 32 Gb Fibre Channel
• 4-Port 25 GbE SFP-based
• 4-Port 16 Gb Fibre Channel
• 4-Port 10 GbE BaseT
• 12 Gb/s SAS Backend

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

© Copyright 2022 Dell Inc. Page 57

 Important: SAS back-end I/O modules are supported only on Dell
Unity XT 480/480F, 680/680F, and 880/880F models.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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LED Identification and Status Indicators

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

© Copyright 2022 Dell Inc. Page 59

25-Drive DPE Status LEDs - Dell Unity XT 380/380F

There are multiple status LEDs on a 25-disk drive DPE of the Dell Unity XT
380/380F storage arrays.

DPE Front View: Dell Unity XT 380/380F Storage Arrays

Unity XT 380/380F model DPE status LEDs

1 2

3 4

1: ENCLOSURE FAULT LED STATUS

State Description

Off No fault has occurred. Normal Operation

On (Amber) Fault in the DPE or enclosed components

2: POWER LED STATUS

State Description

Off Power off. Power failure.

On (Solid Blue) Powering and powered up. Normal operation.

3:

State Description

Off Normal. No fault has occurred.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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On (Amber) Drive is faulted.

4: DRIVE ACTIVITY LED STATUS

State Description

Off Drive is powered off.

On (Blue) Powering and powered up.

Flashing (Blue) Drive is active. Normal operation.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

© Copyright 2022 Dell Inc. Page 61

25-Drive DPE Status LEDs - Dell Unity XT 480/480F and
Higher Models

There are multiple status LEDs on a 25-disk drive DPE for Dell Unity XT 480/480F,
680/680F, and 880/880F storage arrays.

DPE Front View: Dell Unity XT 480/480F, 680/680F, 880/880F Storage

Arrays

Unity XT 480/480F and higher model DPE status LEDs

2 3

1: DPE POWER/FAULT LED STATUS

State Description

Off DPE is powered off.

On (Blue) Power is on. No fault has occurred. Normal operation.

On (Amber) Fault in the DPE or enclosed components.

2: DRIVE FAULT LED STATUS

State Description

Off Normal. No fault has occurred.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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On (Amber) Drive is faulted.

3: DRIVE ACTIVITY LED STATUS

State Description

Off Drive is powered off.

On (Blue) Powering and powered up.

Flashing (Blue) Drive is active. Normal operation.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

© Copyright 2022 Dell Inc. Page 63

DPE Power Supply Status LEDs

Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher Models

The Power Supplies (PS) as viewed from the rear of a Dell Unity XT 480/480F and
higher models.

Unity XT 480/480F and higher model power supply LEDs

A single power supply can provide power to the entire enclosure if the peer power
supply has been removed or is faulted.

Each power supply has three LEDs near the AC input connector which indicate the
unit state.

LED State Description

1. AC Power Green AC power is on.

Input
Off AC power is off. Verify source power.

2. DC Power Green DC power is on.

output
Off DC power is off. Verify source power.

3. Fault Solid Amber Power supply or backup fault. Check the cable
connection.

Blinking BIOS, POST, and operating system starting up or

Amber system overheating.

Off No fault or power off.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Dell Unity XT 380/380F

The Power Supplies (PS) as viewed from the rear of Dell Unity XT 380/380F
models.

AC Power Input

DC Power Output

PS Fault

Unity XT 380/380F model power supply LEDs

A single power supply can provide power to the entire enclosure if the peer power
supply has been removed or is faulted.

Each power supply has three LEDs near the AC input connector which indicate the
unit state.

LED State Description

AC Power Solid Green AC power is on. The AC power is good.

Input
Off AC power is off. Verify source power.

DC Power Solid Green DC power is on. DC power is good.

output
Off DC power is off. Verify source power.

PS Fault Solid Amber Power supply or backup fault. Check the cable
connection.

Off No fault or power off.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

© Copyright 2022 Dell Inc. Page 65

SP Status LEDs - Dell Unity XT 380/380F

Memory/Boot Fault Status LED

The Memory/Boot Fault LED is normally off. When a memory or boot fault occurs,
this indicator is solid amber. In this state, the SP cannot boot. BIOS and POST
should detect any issues with the DIMMs or M.2 module from testing at startup.

The main purpose of the Memory/Boot Fault LED is to identify a bad DIMM or bad
M.2 in a single SP. Since Unity XT is a dual SP system, the peer SP can read the
SP's System Error Log (SEL) and indicate any CRU replacement required.

Memory/Boot Fault Status LED

Unity XT 380/380F model memory/boot fault LED

LED State Description

Off Normal

Amber SP cannot boot.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Power Status LED

If the SP Power LED is off, then DC power is not present to the Storage Processor.
When the LED indicator is solid green, power is present. When the Indicator blinks
green at a rate of 1 Hz [one cycle per second] the SP is in Standby Mode. This
status indicates that the SP is initializing a serial over LAN session.

Power Status LED

Unity XT 380/380F model power status LED

LED State Description

Solid Green Normal

Blinking Green (1 Hz) Standby mode

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

© Copyright 2022 Dell Inc. Page 67

SP Fault LED

The SP fault LED shows various states.

SP Fault LED

Unity XT 380/380F model SP fault status LED

SP Fault LED State Description

Off No fault on SP (Normal Operation)

Amber Blink or Blue Blink (0.25 Hz, 1 BIOS, POST, or operating system
Hz, 4 Hz) booting

Amber (On Solid) The SP has faulted.

Amber/Blue (1 second blinking) Rescue Mode

Amber (1 second), Blue (3 seconds) No management IP set

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Unsafe To Remove Status LED

Do not remove the SP from the DPE chassis if the Unsafe to Remove LED is
illuminated white. A single SP may fail in the system. With that condition, cache
data is still available on the peer SP and the Unsafe to Remove LED illuminates
white. Removing the SP means that all cached data would be lost.

Unsafe to Remove Status LED

Unity XT 380/380F model unsafe to remove status LED

LED State Description

On (White Caution: Never remove the healthy SP

hand) when this LED is lit. Data loss could result.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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SAS Port Link Status LEDs

Embedded SAS ports 0 and 1 activity LED are off to indicate a fault, blink blue at a
one second interval to indicate that the port is marked. When illuminated solid blue,
it indicates that the SAS port is up.

SAS Port Link Status LEDs

Unity XT 380/380F model SAS port link status LEDs

SAS Port Link Status LED Description

State

Blue (1 Hz) SAS Port marked

Blue SAS Port Link Up

Off SAS Faulted

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Ethernet Port LEDs

There are four Ethernet ports that are embedded on the Unity XT baseboard. Each
port has two LEDs, a Link Port LED and a Port Activity LED.

Port Link LED Port Activity LED

Unity XT 380/380F model Ethernet port status LEDs

LED State Description

Ethernet Port Link LED Amber (1 Hz) Ethernet port Marked

Green Ethernet link active

Ethernet Port Activity Blue Port is Active.

LED Off Port is Failed.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

© Copyright 2022 Dell Inc. Page 71

Embedded Module LEDs - Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher
Models

SP Power LED

The SP Power LED has three states: off, solid green, and blinking green.

SP Power Status
LED

Unity XT 480/480F and higher models SP power status LED

LED State Description

Off The SP is off.

Blinking Green (1 Hz) The SP is initializing a serial over LAN session

(Standby Mode).

Solid Green The SP is on (main power).

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Unsafe to Remove LED

Do not remove the SP from the DPE chassis if the Unsafe to Remove LED is
illuminated white. A single SP may fail in the system. With that condition, cache
data is still available on the peer SP and the Unsafe to Remove LED will light white.
Removing the SP means that all cached data would be lost.

Unsafe to Remove LED

Unity XT 480/480F and higher models unsafe to remove status LED

LED State Description

On (White Caution: Never remove the healthy SP

hand) when this LED is lit. Data loss could result.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

© Copyright 2022 Dell Inc. Page 73

SP Fault LED

The SP fault LED shows various states.

SP Fault LED

Unity XT 480/480F and higher models SP fault status LED

LED State Description

Off No fault on SP

Amber or Blue (0.25 Hz, 1 Hz, 4 Hz) BIOS, POST, or operating system booting

Amber The SP is faulty. Reseat or replace the SP

if fault persists.

Amber (0.25 Hz, 1 Hz, 4 Hz) Standard blink codes

Amber 1 second, blue 1 second Rescue mode

blinking

Every 3 seconds, go to amber then No management IP is set.

immediately to blue

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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SAS Port Link Status LEDs

The SAS port fault/link LEDs are off to indicate a fault and solid blue to indicate that
the SAS port is up.

SAS Port Fault/Link LEDs

Unity XT 480/480F and higher models SAS port link status LEDs

LED State Description

On (Blue) SAS Port link is up.

Off SAS faulted or not inserted.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Ethernet Port LEDs

Each Ethernet port of the embedded module has two LEDs: a Link Port LED and a
Port Activity LED.

Ethernet Port Activity LED Ethernet Port Link LED

Ethernet Port Link LED Ethernet Port Activity LED

Unity XT 480/480F and higher models Ethernet port status LEDs

LED State Description

Ethernet Port Link LED Amber at 1 Hz Ethernet Port marked

Ethernet Port Activity Blue Ethernet Port has activity.

LED
Off Ethernet faulted

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Embedded Module Fault LED

The embedded module status LED has two states.

Embedded Module Fault LED

Unity XT 480/480F and higher models embedded module fault status LED

State Description

Off Normal Operation

Amber Embedded module has faulted.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

© Copyright 2022 Dell Inc. Page 77

Embedded Module LEDs - Dell Unity XT 480/480F and Higher
Models (Documentation)

The embedded module status LED information is in the Dell Unity All Flash and
Unity Hybrid Unity 380/F, Unity 480/F, Unity 680/F, Unity 880/F Hardware
Information Guide. The guide is accessed from the Unity Info Hub site, under the
Introduction and product specs section, at the Unity XT Hardware Information
Guide link. It is provided here for the next activity. Open the guide in another
browser window or tab for reference.

Unity XT hardware information location Unity Info Hub site

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Embedded Module Status LED Activity

The Online Course Contains an Interaction Here.

[Detailed description of the Interaction for Guides]

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

© Copyright 2022 Dell Inc. Page 79

I/O Expansion Modules - SLICs

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

Page 80 © Copyright 2022 Dell Inc.

I/O Expansion Modules Overview

Each SP assembly has two slots (slot 0 and slot 1) to install optional expansion I/O
modules. These I/O modules are also called Subscriber Line Interface Cards
(SLICs). The table shows the available I/O modules that are supported in the Dell
Unity XT storage arrays.

Technology Ports Port Type Notes

12 Gb SAS 4 Mini-SAS HD Connects to DAEs and supports

encryption.

16 Gb FC 4 SFP+ Fibre Channel

32 Gb FC 4 SFP+ Fibre Channel

10 Gb Ethernet 4 RJ45 iSCSI and NAS

25 Gb Ethernet 4 SFP iSCSI and NAS

The maximum number of available expansion slots on a Dell Unity XT storage

array is four (two per SP).

Deep Dive: For more information, see the Hardware Information

Guide document for the Dell Unity XT platform (Hybrid and All-Flash)
at the Unit Info Hub site.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

© Copyright 2022 Dell Inc. Page 81

I/O Expansion Modules

12 Gb/s SAS back end

12 Gb/s SAS expansion module

The 12 Gb/s SAS BE SLIC is a 4 port x 16 lane interface that is designed to

accommodate DAE expansion.

The 12 Gb/s SAS back-end SLIC is supported on Unity XT models 480/480F,

680/680F, and 880/880F only. It allows up to 1,500 drives in the 880 models.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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16 Gb/s Fibre Channel front end

16 Gb/s FIbre Channel expansion module

The 4-port 16 Gb FC I/O module is used to service the front-end Fibre Channel
block protocol over SAN.

Each port employs an optical SFP+ connection that supports 16 Gb SFPs.

• 16 Gb SFPs support speeds of 16 Gb/s, 8 Gb/s, and 4 Gb/s

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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32 Gb/s Fibre Channel front end

32 Gb/s Fibre Channel expansion module

The 4-port 32 Gb FC I/O module is used to service the front-end Fibre Channel
block protocol over SAN.

Each port employs an optical SFP+ connection that supports 16 Gb and 32 Gb

SFPs.
• 16 Gb SFPs support speeds of 16 Gb/s, 8 Gb/s, and 4 Gb/s
• 32 Gb SFPs support speeds of 32 Gb/s, 16 Gb/s, and 8 Gb/s

Different SFPs can be mixed within the same I/O module. Matching the peer is
recommended.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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10 GbE Base-T front end

10 GbE Base-T Ethernet expansion module

The 10 GbE Base-T expansion module is used to service front-end iSCSI block
and file storage connectivity. Ports can be configured for iSCSI block and NAS file
connections simultaneously.

The I/O module comes with four 10-Gb/s RJ45 ports.

• Support speeds of 10 Gb/s and 1 Gb/s.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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4-port 25 GbE optical front end

25 GbE optical Ethernet expansion module

The 25 GbE optical expansion module is used to service front-end iSCSI block and
file storage connectivity. Ports can be configured for iSCSI block and NAS file
connections simultaneously.

The I/O module comes with four ports that support optical 10 Gb or 25 Gb capable
SFP+ connections to a host or switch port.
• Support speeds of 25 Gb/s, 10 Gb/s, and 1 Gb/s.

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Disk Array Enclosures and Disk Drives

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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Disk Array Enclosure (DAE)

A Disk Array Enclosure (DAE) is a device that houses additional drives in a storage
array. Disk Array Enclosures (DAEs) expand the capacity of a storage array.

A DAE connects to a Disk Processor Enclosure (DPE) and other DAEs using Mini-
SAS-HD cables.

Front and rear view of a 2U, 25-drive DAE

Each DAE consists of the following components:

• Drive carrier – Provide contact with the enclosure slot guides and midplane
connectors.
• Disk drives – Multiple types supported and distinguished by latch and handle
mechanisms, type, capacity, and speed labels on each disk drive.
• Link control cards (LCCs) – The LCCs support, control, and monitor the DAE.
LCCs include connectors for input and expansion to downstream DAEs.
• Power supply/cooling modules – Two independent power supply and blower
cooling assemblies for each DAE.
• Midplane – The midplane connects front-facing disk drives to rear-facing LCCs
and power supply/cooling modules.
• EMI shielding – Protects drives and unit from electromagnetic interference
(EMI).
• Cable management arms – Provide cable management for the power cables
and SAS cables that attach to the rear ports of DAEs on some DAE models.

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Supported DAEs

2U, 25 Drive DAE (front view)

3U, 15 Drive DAE (front view)

3U, 80 Drive DAE (top view)

Dell Unity XT storage systems support three types of DAEs:

• 2U, 25 Drive DAE with 2.5-inch drives
• 3U, 15 Drive DAE with 3.5-inch drives
• 3U, 80 Drive DAE with 2.5-inch drives

Each model supports a different number of drive slots.

System Model Drive Slots

380/380F 500

480/480F 750

680/680F 1000

880/880F 1500

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 Important: The maximum number of DAEs depends on the drive
type in the DPE and DAEs. For compatibility information, locate the
latest Dell Unity XT Storage Systems - Drive and OE Compatibility
Matrix document at Dell Support.

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2U 25-Drive DAE

DAE Components

Front view and rear view of the 2U, 25-Drive DAE with LCCs and power supplies

• The 2U, 25-Drive DAE supports up to 25 x 2.5-inch (6.35 cm) SAS and SAS
Flash drives.
• Drives face the front of the DAE. Two power supplies (PS) and two LCCs face
the rear.
• LCC A normally receives power from LCC A PS. LCC B normally received
power from LCC B PS.
• Each PS can power both LCCs and peer PS fans.
• A DC version of this DAE is available when ordered with Unity 3xx and 4xx
models.
• Software detects cabling issues, such as crossed or asymmetric cabling and
provides the Energy Star statistics like input power wattage and air inlet
temperature.
• Mounting rails are shipped with every DAE. DAEs ordered in a Dell rack uses
fixed rails. DAEs ordered separately includes adjustable and snap-in rails.

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DAE Connections

SAS connection
To PDU B
from DPE SPB
SAS ports

SAS connection from

DPE SPA SAS ports To PDU A

Power and SAS connections

Each PS connects to the Only one type of Mini-HD SAS cable is used for
appropriate Power Distribution all DAE connections.
Unit [PDU] on the rear of the
cabinet or directly to an AC or DC
source.

Each LCC has an input and Cables have the same mini-SAS HD connector
output port for connecting to a on both ends, and are not keyed.
DPE or another DAE.

Back end supports 12 Gb/s. Available cable lengths are 1–8 meters.

Use SAS port A as the Primary 12 Gb/s SAS cables are different from 6 Gb/s
Port and port B as the Expansion SAS cables and are not interchangeable.
Port.

For detailed connection instructions, see the appropriate installation guide:

 Dell Unity XT 380/F Installation Guide

 Dell Unity XT 480/F, 680/F, and 880/F Installation Guide

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DAE Front LEDs

Enclosure Fault LED Power LED

Enclosure Fault and Power LEDs

Front side LED indicators include Power On and DAE Fault.

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DAE Rear LCC LEDs

Enclosure Position
Backend Bus ID
ID

LED/Color State Status

Power ON [Normal] AC or DC [SPS] Power is applied, and all DC Outputs are within operating
range
[Green] OFF [Fault] Any or all outputs are outside the specified operating range

ON [Fault] One or two blower faults detected within unit

LCC Fault
[Amber]
OFF [Normal] No fault detected - blowers operating normally.

ON [Solid] Any link is established at any speed

SAS Link
[Blue] ON [1 HZ] Port is marked

Enclosure Position and Backend Bus ID LEDs

There are three, 7-segment displays on the LCC:

• The single, blue 7-segment LED identifies the Enclosure ID (which is the
position of the enclosure in the backend chain).
• The dual green, 7-segment LEDs display the Backend Bus ID.

Other LEDs include:

• One amber marker/fault LED.
• One green power LED positioned next to the amber marker/fault LED.
• One blue LED positioned for each 4x Mini SAS HD connector.

− When LED is solid, it indicates that any link is established at any speed.
Blinking at 1 Hz is for marking the port.

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3U 15-Drive DAE

DAE Components

Front 12 Gb/s 15 x 3.5-inch drives

LCC B Power Supply/Cooling LCC B

Back

LCC A LCC A Power Supply/Cooling

modules

Front view and the rear view of the 3U 15-Drive DAE.

The 3U 15-Drive DAE holds up to 15 drives and supports SAS, NL-SAS, and SAS
Flash drives.

Chassis contains a midplane, connecting power supplies to the LCCs and disk
drives.

Each PS can supply power to both LCCs and the peer PS fans.

The DAE houses several FRUs including:

• Drives
• Two Power supply/cooling modules
• Two Link control cards (LCC A and LCC B)

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 The 3U, 15-Drive DAE does not support SATA drives.

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DAE Connections

SAS connection
from DPE SPB
To PDU B Power Supply
SAS port

LCC B

LCC A

SAS connection Power Supply To PDU A

from DPE SPA
SAS port

3U 15-Drive DAE connections

• Each LCC has an input and output port for connecting to a DPE or another
DAE.
− Mini-HD SAS cables provide connectivity.
o SAS Connections from DPE SPA attached the LCC A.
o SAS Connections from DPE SPB connect to LCC B.
• AC or DC power is provided by connecting the PS to the appropriate Power
Distribution Unit [PDU] on the rear of the cabinet.

− LCC A connects to the PDU on the right side, and LCC B connects to the
PDU on the left side of the cabinet.
For detailed connection instructions, see the appropriate installation guide:

 Dell Unity XT 380/F Installation Guide

 Dell Unity XT 480/F, 680/F, and 880/F Installation Guide

Dell EMC Unity XT Hardware Concepts and Features-SSP

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DAE Front LEDs

Enclosure Fault LED Power LED

3U 15-Drive front LED indicators include Enclosure Fault and Power.

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DAE Rear LCC LEDs

Enclosure ID LCC A
display

Backend Bus ID
display
LED/Color State Status

ON AC Power is applied, and no fault.

Power
(Solid)
OFF Any or all outputs are outside the specified operating range
(Green)
(Fault)
ON (Fault) Fault within the LCC
LCC Fault
(Amber) OFF No fault detected or LCC powered off
(Normal)
ON (Solid) Any link is established at any speed
SAS Link (Blue) Blinking (1 Port is marked
HZ)

3U 15-Drive DAE LCC LEDs

Blue 7-segment identifies the enclosure ID, which is the position of the enclosure in
the backend chain.

Dual green, 7-segment LEDs display the Backend Bus ID.

Other LEDs include:

• One amber marker/fault LED.
• One green power LED positioned next to the amber marker/fault LED.
• One blue LED positioned for each 4x Mini SAS HD connector. When LED is
solid, it indicates that any link is established at any speed. Blinking at 1 Hz is for
marking the port.

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DAE Power Supply LEDs

LCC A

LED/Color State Status

ON (Fault) One or two blower fault detected within the unit

Cooling Fault (Amber)
OFF (Normal) No fault detected - blowers operating normally.

ON (Normal) AC or DC (SPS) Power is applied, and all DC outputs are within operating range
Power (Green)
OFF (Fault) Any or all outputs are outside the specified operating range

ON (Fault) Any or all outputs are outside the specified operating range
SAS Link (Blue)

OFF (Normal) All outputs are outside the specified operating range

3U 15-Drive DAE PS LEDs

Three LEDs on each power supply/cooling module display the status of these
components.
• The Power OK LED is on and green under normal operation and off if any or all
outputs are outside the specified operating range.
• The Power Supply Fault LED is off under normal operation and on amber if any
or all outputs are outside the specified operating range.
• The Cooling Fault LED is off under normal operation, and on amber when one
or two blower faults are detected within the unit.

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3U 80-Drive DAE

80-Drive DAE extended from rack

Dell Unity XT supports a 3U 80-Drive DAE.

• Provides up to 655 TB of effective capacity in each rack unit.
• Supports Flash and SAS 2.5” drives up to 12 Gb/s data transfer speeds.
• DAE is a drawer style where the entire DAE is pulled forward from the rack.
• Installable in Dell standard rack (no dense rack required) or customer rack.
• Drives and ten fans are accessed from the top. Two LCCs and four power
supplies are accessed from the front.

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• DAE is supported on Dell Unity XT Hybrid and All Flash systems, except DC
models.
• Cable management arms enable the DAE to be pulled forward without catching
cables on any other hardware in the rack.

Important: The 3U 80-Drive DAE is not customer installable and

requires a Professional Services engagement.

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3U 80-Drive DAE Front View

Click each number for key component information.

3U 80-Drive DAE front view with LEDs

4 5

1: 1 - The 3U 80-drive DAE has screws to secure it inside the rack.

2: 2 - The 3U 80-Drive DAE has pull tabs to remove the DAE.

3: 3 - The System Status Card (SSC) is a small card that is at the front end (below
the air-dams) of the baseboard. The SCC provides status on the health of the entire
DAE.

4: 4 - The amber System Status Card Fault LED indicates if there is a fault with the
SSC itself.

5: 5 - System Status Card Power Blue LED indicates if the SSC has power.

6: 6 - System Fault Amber LED indicates if a component within the system, such as
disk, fan, LCC, or power supply has faulted.

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3U 80-Drive DAE Rear View

PS B0 PS B1 PS A0 PS A1

Expansion Ports SAS Ports

SAS Ports

Expansion Ports
LCC B LCC A

Bus/Enclosure Indicator

3U 80-Drive DAE rear view with LEDs

The 80-Drive DAE four power supplies are divided between the two LCCs and
support AC power input only.

The two LCCs using the SAS ports provide physical connectivity to the DPE or
other DAEs.
• Supports either x4 lane or x8 lane cables depending on the model.

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• Expansion ports provide connectivity for adding other DAEs to the bus and in a
daisy chain.
• LCC A has a Bus/Enclosure ID indicator.

Important: If cabling two DAEs together with an x8 lane cable, the

DPE, and the first DAE must be cabled as an x8 lane.

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SAS Flash Drives

SAS Flash 2

Dell Unity XT supports SAS Flash 2 drives.

SAS FLASH 2 drives:

• Use the eMLC technology and are rated at 10 writes per day [WPD].
• Have a 2.5” form factor. Unity XT supports only the 400 GB size.
• Have a 520-byte block size and show up in Unisphere as SAS Flash 2 drives.
• Are supported in FAST Cache, Mixed, or All-Flash-pools.

SAS Flash 3

Dell Unity XT supports SAS Flash 3 drives.

SAS Flash 3 drives:

• Use the eMLC technology and are rated to 3 WPD.
• Have a 2.5” form factor and Unity XT support capacities of 800 GB, 1.6 TB, and
3.2 TB.
• Have a 520-byte block size and are seen as SAS FLASH 3 in Unisphere.

Some restrictions as to where these drives can be used include:

• The 800 GB, 1.6 TB, and 3.2 TB Flash 3 drives are supported in Mixed and All-
Flash pools.
• SAS Flash 3 drives cannot be used in FAST Cache.

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800 GB, 1.6 TB, and 3.2 TB SAS Flash 3 drives

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400 GB SAS Flash 2 drive

SAS Flash 4

1.92 TB, 3.84 TB, 7.68 TB, and 15.36 TB SAS Flash 4 drives

Dell Unity XT supports SAS Flash 4 drives.

SAS Flash 4 drives:

• Use Triple Level Cell [TLC] technology and are rated at 1 WPD.
• Are in a 2.5” form factor with Unity XT supporting 1.92 TB, 3.84 TB, 7.68 TB,
and 15.36 TB capacities.
• Have a 520-byte block size and are seen as SAS FLASH 4 in Unisphere.

Some restrictions as to where these drives can be used include:

• SAS Flash 4 drives can only be used in All-Flash pools.

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• SAS Flash 4 drives can be mixed in other SAS flash drive types in a pool.
• SAS Flash 4 drives can be used in the system drive slots.
• SAS Flash 4 drives cannot be used in Mixed pools or FAST Cache
implementations.

Important: In the hybrid models, only the 7.68 TB SAS Flash 4 drive
is supported.

Important: For compatibility information, locate the latest Dell Unity

XT Storage Systems - Drive and OE Compatibility Matrix document at
Dell Unity Info Hub.

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Wear Leveling for SSD Drives

SSD (Flash) cells wear out as data is written to the drive.

SSDs have a limit for the amount of program/erase (PE) cycles that can be done
before the device becomes unreliable.

Based on the WPD, SSD drives are classified into:

• High Endurance (HE)
• Medium Endurance (ME)
• Low Endurance (LE)

For example, a HE drive would be limited to around 25 WPD, whereas ME is

limited to 10 WPD and LE to 1 to 3 WPD.

Dell Unity XT systems use a wear leveling technique to ensure that each drive is
operational until the end of the warranty period. Wear leveling optimization ensures
that the Flash drives do not prematurely wear out. The SSD optimizations limit the
number of writes to the drive. The drive is given a certain quota of writes calculated
based on wearing consumption model.

Wear information of Flash drives is propagated up the software stack to other

software components like FAST VP.

Slice allocation requests take into account the wear level. In traditional pools, wear
information is propagated at the RAID Group [RG] level per storage resource. The
Dell Unity XT system determines which RAID Group the slice is allocated from in
an attempt to balance wear across other RAID Groups. This information is not
visible to the user.

Unisphere users can view wear alerts, which are issued at 180, 90, 60, and 30-day
periods before the predicted end of life. Proactive Copy operations (PACO) are
automatically initiated at 30 days to spare drive. Also, drive health status is updated
to show faulted state and no longer usable by the system.

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Rotating Drive Support

SAS 10 K

Dell Unity XT supports SAS 10 K RPM drives.

The SAS 10 K RPM drives:

• Have a 2.5-inch (6.35 cm) form factor and uses a 4 K
block size.
• Are available in 600 GB, 1.2 TB, and 1.8 TB
capacities.
• Can be used in the 25-drive DAE or the 80-drive
DAE.

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NL-SAS

Dell Unity XT supports NL-SAS drives.

The NL-SAS 7.2 K RPM drives:

• Have a 3.5” form factor, uses a 4 K block size.
• Are available in 4 TB, 6 TB, or 12 TB capacities.
• Have a 12 Gb/s backend interface.

Important: For compatibility information, locate the latest Dell Unity

XT Storage Systems - Drive and OE Compatibility Matrix document at
Dell Unity Info Hub.

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Mixing Different Drive Types

The mixing of different Flash drive types in the same pool is supported.

The same drive sparing rules still apply. For example, a SAS Flash 4 drive still
requires a SAS Flash 4 drive to be available for sparing.

The drive types under the Mixed Pools column can be used in mixed pools. The
drive types under the All Flash Pools column can be used in all-flash pools.

Mixed All
Pools Flash
Pools

NL-SAS SAS
Flash 3

SAS SAS
Flash 4

SAS
Flash 2

SAS
Flash 3

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