Deployment Guide
Table Of Contents
- Dell EMC PowerVault ME4 Series Storage System Deployment Guide
- Contents
- Before you begin
- Mount the enclosures in the rack
- Connect to the management network
- Cable host servers to the storage system
- Cabling considerations
- Connecting the enclosure to hosts
- Host connection
- Connect power cables and power on the storage system
- Perform system and storage setup
- Record storage system information
- Using guided setup
- Web browser requirements and setup
- Access the PowerVault Manager
- Update firmware
- Use guided setup in the PowerVault Manager Welcome panel
- Perform host setup
- Host system requirements
- Windows hosts
- Configuring a Windows host with FC HBAs
- Configuring a Windows host with iSCSI network adapters
- Configuring a Windows host with SAS HBAs
- Linux hosts
- Configuring a Linux host with FC HBAs
- Configure a Linux host with iSCSI network adapters
- Attach a Linux host with iSCSI network adapters to the storage system
- Assign IP addresses for each network adapter connecting to the iSCSI network
- Register the Linux host with iSCSI network adapters and create volumes
- Enable and configure DM Multipath on the Linux host with iSCSI network adapters
- Create a Linux file system on the volumes
- SAS host server configuration for Linux
- VMware ESXi hosts
- Fibre Channel host server configuration for VMware ESXi
- iSCSI host server configuration for VMware ESXi
- Attach an ESXi host with network adapters to the storage system
- Configure the VMware ESXi VMkernel
- Configure the software iSCSI adapter on the ESXi host
- Register an ESXi host with a configured software iSCSI adapter and create and map volumes
- Enable multipathing on an ESXi host with iSCSI volumes
- Volume rescan and datastore creation for an ESXi hosts with iSCSI network adapters
- SAS host server configuration for VMware ESXi
- Citrix XenServer hosts
- Fibre Channel host server configuration for Citrix XenServer
- iSCSI host server configuration for Citrix XenServer
- Attach a XenServer host with network adapters to the storage system
- Configure a software iSCSI adapter on a XenServer host
- Configure the iSCSI IQN on a XenServer host
- Enable Multipathing on a XenServer host
- Register a XenServer host with a software iSCSI adapter and create volumes
- Create a Storage Repository for a volume on a XenServer host with a software iSCSI adapter
- SAS host server configuration for Citrix XenServer
- Troubleshooting and problem solving
- Locate the service tag
- Operators (Ops) panel LEDs
- Initial start-up problems
- Cabling for replication
- SFP+ transceiver for FC/iSCSI ports
- System Information Worksheet
- Setting network port IP addresses using the CLI port and serial cable
● Install the required version of the VMware ESXi operating system and configure it on the host.
● Complete a planning worksheet with the iSCSI network IP addresses to be used, per the example in the following table.
Table 10. Example worksheet for single host server with dual port iSCSI NICs
Management IP
Server Management 10.10.96.46
ME4024 Controller A Management 10.10.96.128
ME4024 Controller B Management 10.10.96.129
Subnet 1
Server iSCSI NIC 1 172.1.96.46
ME4024 controller A port 0 172.1.100.128
ME4024 controller B port 0 172.1.200.129
ME4024 controller A port 2 172.1.102.128
ME4024 controller B port 2 172.1.202.129
Subnet Mask 255.255.0.0
Subnet 2
Server iSCSI NIC 1 172.2.96.46
ME4024 controller A port 1 172.2.101.128
ME4024 controller B port 1 172.2.201.129
ME4024 controller A port 3 172.2.103.128
ME4024 controller B port 3 172.2.203.129
Subnet Mask 255.255.0.0
Attach an ESXi host with network adapters to the storage system
Perform the following steps to attach the ESXi host with network adapters to the storage system:
1. Ensure that all network adapters have the latest supported firmware and drivers as described on the Dell Support portal.
NOTE: The Dell EMC PowerVault ME4 Series storage system supports only software iSCSI adapters.
2. Use the iSCSI cabling diagrams to cable the host servers either by using switches or attaching them directly to the storage
system using one-to-one mode. Record the two different IP address ranges for each storage system controller. For example:
172.2.15.x, 172.3.20.x .
3. If the host servers are connected to the storage system by iSCSI switches, configure the switches to use two different IP
address ranges/subnets.
Configuring the switches with two different IP address ranges/subnets enables high availability.
Configure the VMware ESXi VMkernel
Perform the following steps to configure the VMware ESXi VMkernel:
1. From the VMWare VSphere web client, click Configure > Networking > Physical adapters.
2. Locate and document the device name for the NICs used for iSCSI traffic.
3. Click the VMkernel adapters, then click the plus (+) icon to create a VMkernel adapter.
4. On the Select Connection Type page, select VMkernel Network Adapter > Next.
5. On the Select Target Device page, select New standard switch > Next.
Perform host setup
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