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SPOCK (Single Point Of Connectivity Knowledge) is a database application used to determine compatibility between HPE Storage components.

HPE Storage compatibility testing is performed within array/operating system boundaries. For instance, the HPE Storage testing organization tests a variety of HBAs, switches, and other types of components in an HP 3PAR StoreServ 20850 Storage / Microsoft Windows Server 2012 x64 environment. Separately, they test components for compatibility with, e.g., the HP MSA 2040 SAN Storage FC array in a SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 IA32 environment. Altogether, many arrays are tested with many versions of many operating systems. Discussions of higher-level interoperability, across array/os boundaries, is provided in the HPE Storage SAN Design Guide, which is available on SPOCK.

To retrieve compatibility information from SPOCK, users describe their environment of interest and SPOCK returns a list of array/os “configuration sets” that are compatible with that environment. Each configuration set contains details of all of the components that are compatible in that environment.

SPOCK provides three interfaces for users to describe their environment of interest:

The simplest user interface is optimized around the most common use case: determining what is supported for a particular array/os combination. This Classic UI, described in the SPOCK Home Page discussion, comprises expandable tables that are located in the middle of the home page.

Next to the Classic UI is the Simplified UI: The Simplified UI provides a simple way to define your environment using a pulldown and checkbox method. This Simplified UI is also described in the SPOCK Home Page discussion.

SPOCK also provides a flexible “Compatibility View” interface that lets users constrain their environment of interest based on arbitrary combinations of components. For instance, a user might say “show me every configuration set that is compatible with a Cisco MDS 9140 Fabric Switch in an HP-UX environment.” This UI is described on the overview's SPOCK Compatibility Tool page.

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