Add storage capacity to the ExtraHop Trace appliance

Adding additional storage capacity to your Trace appliance enables you to store more packets and extend the amount of lookback available when running packet queries. You can safely add ExtraHop Extended Storage Units to a Trace appliance and retain all packets currently stored on the appliance.

Compatibility

The ExtraHop Extended Storage Unit (ESU) is available in two models, the 72 TB ESU and the 96 TB ESU.
ExtraHop Trace Appliance Extended Storage Unit
ETA 6150
  • 72 TB ESU
  • 96 TB ESU

You can attach a mix of 72 TB and 96 TB ESUs to the ETA 6150.

ETA 8250
  • 96 TB ESU
You can attach up to four ESUs to a Trace appliance.

Installation prerequisites

Before connecting your ESU, make sure you have the following items available:
  • ExtraHop Trace appliance with firmware 7.2 or later. Firmware 7.4 is required to encrypt the ESU. If you have not deployed the Trace appliance, follow the instructions in the Deploy the ExtraHop Trace 6150 Appliance and Deploy the ExtraHop Trace 8250 Appliance guides.
  • ExtraHop license for the extended packetstore feature
  • ExtraHop extended storage unit
  • 2U of rack space and electrical connections for 2 x 600 W power supplies.
  • Power cables
  • SAS cables
  • Rail kit

Set up the extended storage unit

  1. Install the extended storage unit in your data center with the included rack-mounting kit. The mounting kit supports most four-post racks with either round or square holes.
  2. Connect the power cables to the power supply units (PSUs).

Shut down the Trace appliance

  1. Log in to the Administration settings on the ExtraHop system through https://<extrahop-hostname-or-IP-address>/admin.
  2. In the Appliance Settings section, click Shutdown or Restart.
  3. In the Actions column, click Shutdown.
  4. On the confirmation page, click Shut down.

Connect the extended storage unit

The extended storage unit connects to the Trace appliance through both of the two enclosure management modules (EMMs). Each EMM has four ports for connecting the SAS cables.

In a redundant configuration, the storage units are linked together in a series, with one of the extended storage units connected to both host bus adapter (HBA) ports on the Trace appliance, as shown in the following figure.

  1. Connect the SAS cables to the EMM SAS connectors on the extended storage unit and to the HBA ports on the Trace appliance. Connect the SAS cable as follows for the first storage unit:
    • HBA port 0 (on the right) to upper EMM port 1
    • HBA port 1 (on the left) to lower EMM port 1

    Push the cable into the connector until it clicks into place. Green link lights will appear next to the ports when the ESU and Trace appliance are both powered on.

    Note:
    • Connectors on both ends of the SAS cable are universally keyed. You can connect either end of the cable to the EMM or the HBA on the Trace appliance.
    • Attach the SAS cable to the EMM with the blue pull-tab oriented on the top of the connector.
    • Attach the SAS cable to the HBA on the Trace appliance with the blue pull-tab oriented on the bottom of the connector.
    • To remove the SAS cable, pull the pull-tab to release the cable from the connector on the EMM and the Trace appliance.
  2. Cable any additional storage units as illustrated above.
  3. Make sure that the power switch on both PSUs is turned off and then connect the PSUs to the power source.
  4. Power on the PSUs on each ESU and then wait 60 seconds before powering on the Trace appliance.

Attach the extended storage unit

  1. Power on the Trace appliance.
  2. Log in to the Administration settings.
    Note:If the Trace appliance was previously encrypted, the packetstore is locked after the Trace appliance is powered on. The packetstore must be locked before you can attach the ESU to an encrypted Trace appliance.

  3. In the Appliance Settings section, click Disks.
  4. Confirm that all drives in the Drive Map section are colored green, indicating they are healthy. If any disk is unhealthy, contact ExtraHop Support.
  5. At the bottom of the Disks page, click Extended Storage Units.
  6. In the Unused Disks section for the extended storage unit, click Attach, and then click OK.
  7. After the configuration is complete, confirm that all drives in the extended storage unit are colored green, indicating they are healthy. If any disk is unhealthy (yellow), contact ExtraHop Support.
  8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for any additional extended storage units.
  9. (Optional): If the packetstore is locked, you must unlock it from the Packetstore Encryption Settings page before the ESU can be encrypted and new packets can be stored.
Last modified 2023-11-07