Install Guide

Introduction
6 Dell EMC SC Series Storage with SAS Front-end Support for Microsoft Hyper-V | 3026-CD-WS | V3
Front and rear views of the SCv3000/SC5020 with SAS FE ports
For more information about the SC Series arrays discussed in this paper — including release notes, getting
started guides, system deployment guides, and owner’s manuals — see the resources available at Dell
Support.
1.2 Microsoft Windows Server clustering and Hyper-V
Microsoft Windows Server clustering and Hyper-V provide the foundation for creating highly available (HA)
host server and VM configurations in Microsoft environments. HA provides load balancing and redundancy to
enhance performance and protect against single points of failure.
Hyper-V is the Microsoft virtualization platform for Windows Server. Introduced with Windows Server 2008,
each new release has incorporated many new features and enhancements. Support for SAS FE with SC
Series arrays requires Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V or newer.
This document assumes the reader has working knowledge of Microsoft Windows Server, Windows
clustering, and Microsoft Hyper-V. For more information, see the Windows IT Center.
1.3 Transport options
For most environments, FC or iSCSI are the preferred transport methods for configuring front-end
connectively between host servers and SC Series storage. Fibre Channel and iSCSI are mature, robust,
proven technologies that can scale to include a very large number of hosts and SC Series arrays across
multiple locations. When configured with redundant fabrics, these transports offer highly resilient and reliable
data transfer between SAN storage and hosts. However, they require additional hardware components
including switches, HBAs, and cabling, along with the technical expertise to support the technology.