So... generally for a minimal san, as you mentioned there is the storage, the switch and the host side.

I all of those case if the "holes" look like an empty rectangular hole, then those holes are missing SFP+ modules. In some cases you can purchase Twinax cables instead of going fiber to do this, in which case the SFP+ sides come with the cable, because your HP through and through, an HP rep can probabably see you such a cable. It will probably come out cheaper then individual SFP+'s and fiber cabling.

With all that said, the SFP+ is important, as vendors just don't generically handle SFP+'s. So make sure you get the right SFP+ for your devices. HP should be able to help.


And yes, you need connection from HBA (host) to switch and from storage to switch. Often times multiple for redundancy (multipath). You'll want multipath if this for enterprise use. If for home, then just single runs will do for playing around with SAN.

If going "discount" you probably would have done better with something more generic (like Nexsan) vs. an EVA. That way you have less problems with SFP's. My favorite is Qlogic switches, HBAs and Nexsan. But I know that Qlogic isn't going to popular anymore.

Today, I'd go Arista 10GBase-T, and go all copper Cat-6A for iSCSI. More generic, costs a lot less overall. But that's if I'm defining something new for the enterprise. If FC, then my choice (in the near past) would have been Qlogic HBAs, Qlogic switch (at least 8Gbit) and Nexsan. I'm a bit frustrated by the FC world right now, though I like it over iSCSI (better performing, easier to work with). Mainly because of all the SFP+ lock in.

FCoE? Suffers from too many of the same problems as iSCSI. To me these are just about equal. Theoretically easier to setup FCoE vs. iSCSI though.

And yes you can go straight from storage to host HBA. You dont' have to have a SAN.