(Mirrored Server Link Cards)
Mirrored Server Link Cards (MSL Cards) are used with Novell NetWare SFTIII File servers to mirror memory and disk data from one physical server to the other. SIMS does not recommend using normal network cards as MSL cards although some manufacturers have drivers that will allow this to occur. Standard network cards are not designed to be connected in a point-to-point configuration at a close distance and data corruption can occur. The MSL cards that SIMS recommends and sells are FDDI and not Ethernet cards. Although they still use a Cat5 cable to connect them, the cable must be wired unique to this application. Normal Ethernet cards only use two or four of the eight wires in a Cat5 cable. FDDI cards use all eight wires and that is one of the ways that FDDI can create a 100mb/s full duplex data stream in a point-to-point configuration. FDDI cards with Fiber connections are also available if physical seperation of the servers is required or electrical isolation is needed. The Fiber cards cost quite a bit more than the Cat5 cards though and they do not give any performance benefit at this time.
Currently we are using Syskonnect FDDI cards. The cards that we have tested with are listed below:
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Some of the MSL cards use a standard Cat5 wire, however it is NOT pinned the same as any Ethernet cable. You can not buy a manufactured cable in this configuration, they must be custom made. If someone from your staff can make Cat5 cables, the pinout for it is listed in the Tech-Note section of our web site from the Support button. Because most sites are not able to make this cable themselves, SIMS does have the cable avaialable for resale, which we have had professionally made. The cable we have made is approximately 10' long, has yellow cable and yellow booted connectors. It is also labeled as a "Mirror Server Link" cable to identify it as a non-standard Cat5 cable. Our price for the Cat5 MSL cable is $30.00 plus shipping.
MSL Cards that use Fiber cabling, use a standard dual fiber cable with SC connectors. We can supply one that is approximately 10' long for $35, made with orange fiber with dual SC connectors.