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MPIO design, scale, and performance considerations
12 Dell EMC SC Series: Microsoft Multipath I/O Best Practices | CML1004
Note: In virtual port mode, SC Series storage presents iSCSI control ports to host servers. Servers connect to
control ports and the SC Series array redirects traffic automatically to the appropriate virtual port.
2.4 SAS front-end support
SAS front-end (SAS FE) is a simple, cost-effective transport option that is ideal for edge cases such as a
small branch office or remote location with a few host servers. Up to four host servers per SC Series array are
supported with SAS FE.
Select SC Series arrays support SAS FE ports for MPIO connectivity when the SC array is configured from
the factory with SAS FE ports. With SAS FE, host servers are connected directly to SAS ports on the SC
Series array as shown in Figure 6. No switch is required.
Host servers require a supported SAS PCIe card to connect directly to SC Series SAS FE ports. See the
Dell
EMC Storage Compatibly Matrix for a list of supported SAS FE cards.
1 2
LNK ACT
1 2 3 4
MGM T
10G Base-T Type C
1
2
3
1 2
LNK ACT
1 2 3 4
MGM T
10G Base-T Type C
1
2
3
SC Series array
Servers (up to four)
1
1 2
750W 750W
iDRAC
1
1 2
750W 750W
iDRAC
1
1 2
750W 750W
iDRAC
1
1 2
750W 750W
iDRAC
Cabling example with SAS FE
In addition to the general SAS FE cabling guidance found in the user configuration guide or owner’s manual
for your SC Series array, see the Dell EMC SC Series Storage with SAS Front-end Support for Microsoft
Hyper-V configuration guide for detailed cabling examples and step-by-step configuration guidance for SAS
FE in Microsoft environments.
Note: SAS FE is also supported with VMware. For more information, see the
Dell EMC SC Series Storage
with SAS Front-end Support for VMware vSphere configuration guide.