Hardware Overview

The Quantum Xcellis Workflow Director Gen 3 system is a work-flow storage system with various configurations and options to meet your evolving storage performance and capacity needs. The StorNext Unified User Interface and the StorNext UI provide ongoing holistic monitoring of your entire StorNext environment after initial configuration.

System components include:

  • One or two server nodes
  • One RAID Chassis
  • JBOD/Expansion Chassis (optional)
  • Additional RAID Chassis (optional)
  • Additional JBOD/Expansion Chassis connected to the additional RAID chassis (optional)

Figure 1: Minimum Xcellis Workflow Director Gen 3/H-Series/F-Series configuration: an Xcellis Workflow Director system configured with a single server node, and a single 2U H-Series RAID or F-Series, and no JBODs

Figure 2: Minimum Xcellis Workflow Director Gen 3/QXS configuration: Xcellis Workflow Director system configured with a single server node, and a single 2U QXS RAID, and no JBODs

Figure 3: Typical Xcellis Workflow Director Gen 3/H-Series/F-Series configuration: Xcellis Workflow Director system configured with a single server node, and a single 2U H-Series RAID or F-Series, and no JBODs

Figure 4: An Xcellis Workflow Director System Configured with Two Workflow Director Nodes, and a QXS 2U RAID Chassis

Figure 5: Maximum Xcellis Workflow Director Gen 3/H-Series configuration: H-Series configuration: an Xcellis Workflow Director system configured with a single server node, a single 2U H-Series RAID, and three 2U H-Series JBODs

Figure 6: An Xcellis Workflow Director Gen 3 System Configured with Two Workflow Director Nodes, a QXS 2U RAID Chassis, and a QXS-456 Expansion Chassis

The system is offered with converged metadata and user data storage or with dedicated metadata storage in different configuration options. The following figures illustrate the supported configurations. Your storage configuration may be different than those shown here.

Figure 7: Two Server Nodes With Converged Metadata/User Data on H-Series Storage

1. Server Node 1
2. Server Node 2
3. H-Series 12 or 24-Drive RAID Chassis (metadata and user data)
4. H-Series 12 or 24-Drive Expansion Chassis (metadata and user data)

Figure 8: Two Server Nodes With Converged Metadata/User Data on QXS Storage

1. Server Node 1
2. Server Node 2
3. QXS 12 or 24-Drive RAID Chassis (metadata and user data)
4. QXS 12 or 24-Drive Expansion Chassis (metadata and user data)

The system is offered with converged metadata and user data storage or with dedicated metadata storage in different configuration options. The following figures illustrate the supported configurations. Your storage configuration may be different than those shown here.

Figure 9: Two Server Nodes with Converged Metadata/User Data Storage and iSCSI Connections

1. Server Node 1
2. Server Node 2
3. H-Series 12 or 24-Drive RAID Chassis (metadata and user data)
4. H-Series 12 or 24-Drive Expansion Chassis (metadata and user data)

Figure 10: Two Server Nodes with Converged Metadata/User Data Storage and iSCSI Connections

1. Server Node 1
2. Server Node 2
3. QXS 312-Drive RAID Chassis (metadata and user data)
4. QXS 312-Drive Expansion Chassis (metadata and user data)

The system is offered with converged metadata and user data storage or with dedicated metadata storage in different configuration options. The following figures illustrate the supported configurations. In the QXS example, a 56-Drive Chassis is used for user data. Your storage configuration may be different than those shown here.

Figure 11: Two Server Nodes With Separate Dedicated Metadata and User Data Storage

1. Server Node 1
2. Server Node 2
3. H-Series 24-Drive RAID Chassis (metadata-only)
4. H-Series RAID Chassis (user data)

Figure 12: Two Server Nodes With Separate Dedicated Metadata Storage and User Data on 56-Drive Storage

1. Server Node 1
2. Server Node 2
3. QXS 24-Drive RAID Chassis (metadata-only)
4. QXS-456 RAID Chassis (user data)

The system is offered with converged metadata and user data storage or with dedicated metadata storage in different configuration options. The following figures illustrate the supported configurations. Your storage configuration may be different than those shown here.

Figure 13: Two Server Nodes With Separate Dedicated Metadata and User Data Storage

Figure 14: Two Server Nodes With Separate Dedicated Metadata and User Data Storage

Hardware

  • 1U Server running Rocky 8 Linux, 256 GB RAM (standard) to 512 GB RAM (maximum), 32-Core CPU, PCIe4

  • 1 x slot for low-profile, half length (LPHL) expansion (add-on) card

  • 2 x slots for full height, half length (FHHL) expansion cards

  • 2 x 960 GB M.2 NVMe (boot) drives

  • 2 x 960 GB 2.5" NVMe flash (data) drives

  • 2 x dual power, redundant fans

Features

Item Description
1

Front handles

WARNING: Do not pick up the node with the front handles. They are designed to pull the system from a rack only.
2

(10) Drives bays for 2.5" hot-swap drive carrier

Note: Only two NVMe flash drives are used in slot 1 and slot 2.
3 Control panel
4 (2) USB storage port
5

(2) Hot-swappable redundant, load-sharing AC power supply unit (PSU)

  • Off: Indicates that the power supply is Off, or without the input connected.

  • Green LED: Indicates that the power supply is powered On and operating normally.

  • Amber LED: Indicates that the power supply is Off, or requires service.
6 COM port
7 RJ-45 100/1,000 BASE-T IPMI port
8

(2) RJ-45 1,000/10,000 BASE-T management port (left port # 1 and right port # 2)

Note: Each server node contains an integrated Ethernet port (known as the Service Port) that is used for initial system installations. If you desire to directly connect to the system, connect an Ethernet cable from the Ethernet port of a service laptop to the Service Port (the left port # 1) on the rear of the server node you wish to access.
9

Expansion card slot (slot 1) for low-profile, half length (LPHL) expansion (add-on) card

The server has different network and Fibre Channel connection options depending on the expansion cards purchased.

This card slot only runs at the PCIe Gen 3 speeds (maximum speed is approximately 15.76 GB/s) and supports the following expansion cards:

  • Nvidia Connect X-6 (CX-6) dual-port, low-profile, 100 GbE NIC

    • The maximum speed for one port for this expansion card in this card slot is approximately 12.5 GB/s

    • The maximum speed for two ports for this expansion card in this card slot is approximately 25 GB/s

    Note: While you can install a CX-6 expansion card in this card slot, the expansion card operates at a reduced speed due to the lower PCI bandwidth. For optimal performance, Quantum recommends you install the CX-6 expansion card in slot 2 or slot 3, if available.

  • Broadcom quad-port, low-profile, 10/25 GbE Base-T NIC

  • Broadcom quad-port, low-profile, 32 GbE Fibre Channel HBA

  • Due to size constraints, the QLogic expansion card is not supported in this card slot
10

(2) Expansion card slot (top slot is slot 2 and bottom slot is slot 3) for full height, half length (FHHL) expansion card

The server has different network and Fibre Channel connection options depending on the expansion cards purchased.

This card slot supports the following expansion cards:

  • Nvidia Connect X-6 dual-port, low-profile, 100 GbE NIC

  • Broadcom quad-port, low-profile, 10/25 GbE Base-T NIC

  • Broadcom quad-port, low-profile, 32 GbE Fibre Channel HBA

  • QLogic quad-port, 32 GbE Fibre Channel HBA
11 (4) USB storage port
12 VGA port

Control Panel LEDs

Item

LED/Button

Indication/Function

1

 Power button

Use the main power switch to apply or remove power to the node. If you turn off the system power with this button, then the process removes the main power but keeps standby power supplied to the node.

Caution: You must unplug the AC power cord before you service the node.
2 Unit identifier (UID) button

Press the button to illuminate an LED on both the front and rear of the node for easy system location in a rack configuration. The LED remains on until the button is pushed a second time.

  • Blue: Solid, unit identified

  • None: Off, UID is off
3 Universal information

  • Continuously on and red: An overheat condition has occurred that might be caused by cable congestion.)

  • Blinking red (1 Hz): Fan failure; check for an inoperative fan.

  • Blinking red (0.25 Hz): Power failure; check for an inoperative power supply.

  • Solid blue: The UID has been activated locally to locate the server in a rack environment.

  • Blinking blue (300 msec): The UID has been activated using IPMI to locate the server in a rack environment.

4

10/100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 port

Indicates network activity on the management port # 1.

The physical port LEDs represent the following:

Link LED

  • Off: No connection exists

  • Orange: 1G link

  • Green: 10G link

Activity LED

  • Off: No connection or activity exists

  • Green flashing: Indicates activity

5

10/100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 port

Indicates network activity on the management port # 2.

The physical port LEDs represent the following:

Link LED

  • Off: No connection exists

  • Orange: 1G link

  • Green: 10G link

Activity LED

  • Off: No connection or activity exists

  • Green flashing: Indicates activity
6 SSD When flashing, indicates drive activity.
7 Power Indicates power is supplied to the system's power supply units; this LED illuminates when the system is operating normally.

Review the hardware overview section for your H-Series product on the Quantum Documentation Portal.

Review the hardware overview section for your F-Series product on the Quantum Documentation Portal.

Review the hardware overview section for your QXS storage product on the Quantum Documentation Portal.