Deployment Guide

Introduction
This guide provides information about deploying Dell EMC PowerVault MD3860f storage arrays. The deployment process
includes:
● Hardware installation
● Modular Disk Storage Manager (MD Storage Manager) installation
● Initial system configuration
Other information provided include system requirements, storage array organization, and utilities.
NOTE: For more information on product documentation, see Related Documentation.
MD Storage Manager enables an administrator to configure and monitor storage arrays for optimum usability. The version of MD
Storage Manager included on the PowerVault MD Series resource media can be used to manage both the PowerVault MD3860f
Series and other PowerVault MD Series storage arrays. MD Storage Manager is compatible with both Microsoft Windows and
Linux operating systems.
Topics:
• System requirements
• Introduction to storage arrays
• Related documentation
System requirements
Before installing and configuring the PowerVault MD3860f Series hardware and software, ensure that the supported operating
system is installed and minimum system requirements are met. For more information, see the Support Matrix at Dell.com/
powervaultmanuals.
Management station requirements
A management station uses MDSM to configure and manage storage arrays across the network. For management station
requirements, see Dell PowerVault MD34xx/38xx Series Support Matrix at Dell.com/powervaultmanuals.
Introduction to storage arrays
An enclosure containing physical disks accessed through RAID controller modules is called a storage array. A storage array
includes various hardware components, such as physical disks, RAID controller modules, fans, and power supplies.
One or more host servers attached to the storage array can access the data on the storage array. You can also establish
multiple physical paths between one or more hosts and the storage array so that loss of any single path (for example, through
failure of a host server port) does not result in loss of access to data on the storage array.
The storage array is managed by MD Storage Manager running on a:
● Host server—On a host server system, MD Storage Manager, and the storage array communicate management requests
and event information using in-band or out-of-band connections.
● Management station—On a management station, MD Storage Manager communicates with the storage array either through
an Ethernet connection to the storage array management port or through an Ethernet connection to a host server. The
Ethernet connection passes management information between the management station and the storage array using array
connectivity.
Using MD Storage Manager, you can configure the physical disks in the storage array into logical components called disk
groups and Dynamic Disk Pool (DDP), then divide the disk groups into virtual disks. Disk groups are created in the unconfigured
capacity of a storage array. Virtual disks are created in the free capacity of a disk group.
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