NetApp X1960-R6 FAS / DS storage server hardware Datacentre Switch

The NetApp X1960-R6 is the CN1610 cluster interconnect switch, a 1U sixteen-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch supplied for clustered Data ONTAP deployments. It carries the private cluster network that links controller nodes, the path over which they exchange data traffic, metadata and heartbeat so that a multi-node cluster presents as a single namespace. That network is separate from client and management traffic by design, and the switch ships with a NetApp reference configuration rather than being set up as a general purpose switch. Clusters are built with two CN1610s so the loss of one switch does not partition the cluster. Because the interconnect is latency-sensitive, NetApp specifies supported switch models and cable types rather than allowing arbitrary substitution. Tech-Star, UK-based and shipping worldwide, supplies NetApp cluster switches for clustered ONTAP build and maintenance work.