AssuredSAN/Quantum QXS iSCI/FiberChannel SAN/NAS

I had the chance to re-purpose a Quantum QXS 1200 2U12 4th Generation Storage array.  I am just learning here, so take everything I say here with a grain of salt.  This post will continue to develope as I learn and test some more.

These are actually manufactured by DotHill Corporation, which Seagate acquired.  Quantum has some special firmware on the machines, and targeted them to fit into their StorNext platform.

The one I am working on as previously mentioned is a QXS 2U12, which is equilvant to a AssuredSAN 4xxx series.  It has twelve 3TB 3.5" 7200rpm SAS drives in it (I have seen other models around with 10TB SATA's).  It has two controllers, each controller has a 6gb cache module with a super capacitor.  The controllers each have four SPF ports, a SAS expander, a micro USB port for serial based CLI configuration, and 3.5mm headphone jack that is actually another serial connector that gets one into an ASCII driven menu.  

The Converged Network Adapters can operate in either 10Gb iSCSI mode, 16Gb Fibre Channel, or both!  I find that flexiblity a major plus; most vendors require a different controller all together.  The ports need to be configured to accept the type of GBIC installed.  Even after a firmware upgrade I was unable to make the changes via the web GUI. I did find it in the menuing via the ASCII menu. From the CLI one can change the charteristics,  in my case I set it to be in hybrid mode, where the first two ports are Fibre Channel and the second two are 10Gb iSCSI.  For both controllers, set all ports to use iSCSI protocol. # "set host-port-mode iSCSI"   For both controllers, set the first two ports to use FC protocol and the second two ports to use iSCSI protocol. # "set host-port-mode FC-and-iSCSI".

Firmware upgrades: the system must be error free before hand.  I had FC GBICs inserted in the controller when it was configured as iSCSI.  The system complained about the configuration profile, and the attempted firmware update left the system in a quasi failed state.  The primary controller took the upgrade but then appeared to be bricked.  Fortuntaly removing the offending GBIC and rebooting via the secondary controller allowed the updates to apply sucessfully.

Also another FYI, for some reason Putty would not work, despite trying several baud rate settings, with for serial based communication.  However TeraTerm works flawlessly.  No idea why.

ASCI menu on the left via the "head phone jack/Service-1" port; CLI via the USB port on the right.

Speed test connected to a Windows 2019 Server connected via 8Gb Qlogic FibreChannel

Speed test connected to a Windows 2019 Server connected via 16Gb Qlogic FibreChannel

Speed test connected to a Windows 2019 Server connected via 10gb iSCSI

Notice that the NIC utilization never even hits 6Gbps.  This is a single DAC cable going from SAN to server.

What Device manager shows when both FC ports are connected.

Rear of the unit showing both controllers. 

Each controller node contains three "special" DDR3 2Gb RAM modules, a supercap for keeping that cache memory alive during a power outage.  The OS seems to be loaded onto Compact Flash drives.  I am told the supercap keeps the data alive long enough to write the data to the CF card, and the OS is stored onto Non-volital RAM. 

Intel SR0NX Celeron 725c, single core CPU @ 1.3ghz

Default credientials are username: "manage" and password: "!manage"