Release Notes

Connectivity considerations
9 Dell EMC PowerVault ME4 Series and Linux | 3924-BP-L
2 Connectivity considerations
In a dual-controller configuration, each ME4 Series system provides up to eight host ports, four per controller,
that support the following host connectivity options:
• All Fibre Channel
• All iSCSI
• All SAS
• FC/iSCSI combination
- FC: ports A0, A1, B0, and B1
- iSCSI: ports A2, A3, B2, and B3
Note: To make sure the host HBAs, and FC or network switches meet the support requirements, refer to the
ME4 Series Support Matrix at Dell.com/support for supported hardware, firmware, and driver versions.
2.1 Direct-attached storage
ME4 Series storage supports connecting hosts directly to one or more IOM ports. The number of hosts
supported depends on the number of IOM ports available (eight ports in a dual-controller configuration), and
whether the hosts have multiple redundant connections. This configuration is simple and does not require
additional SAN switches, but limits the number of attached servers. It is highly recommended to use a dual-
controller, redundant-path configuration for any critical or production environments.
ME4 Series storage supports FC arbitrated loop (public or private) or point-to-point topologies. When directly
connecting the host and ME4 Series system, use either loop protocol or point-to-point protocol. Point-to-point
direct connection is only supported at 16 Gb/s.
2.2 SAN-attached storage
Given the limited host ports available on a ME4 Storage System, attaching the storage system and hosts to a
SAN allows more hosts to connect to a single ME4 Series system concurrently. While this can significantly
improve the usage efficiency of the storage system, administrators should carefully balance the total workload
driven by all connected hosts and the resource availability on the storage system.
2.2.1 Fibre Channel
Fibre Channel zones are used to segment the fabric to restrict access. A zone contains paths between
initiators (server HBAs) and targets (storage array front-end ports). Either physical ports (port zoning) on the
Fibre Channel switches or the WWNs (name zoning) of the end devices can be used in zoning. It is
recommended to use name zoning because it offers better flexibility. With name zoning, server HBAs and
storage array ports are not tied to specific physical ports on the switch.
Zoning Fibre Channel switches for Linux hosts is essentially no different than zoning any other hosts to the
ME4 Series array.