Deployment Guide

Example

Figure 30. Storage System with Dual 8 Gb Storage Controllers and Two FC Switches

1. Server 1 2. Server 2

3. FC switch 1 (fault domain 1) 4. FC switch 2 (fault domain 2)

5. Storage system 6. Storage controller 1

7. Storage controller 2

Next steps

Install or enable MPIO on the host servers.

NOTE: After the Storage Center configuration is complete, run the host access wizard to configure host server access

and apply MPIO best practices. For the latest best practices, see the Dell Storage Center Best Practices document on

the

Dell TechCenter site (http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/storage/).

One Fibre Channel Fabric with Dual 16 Gb 2-Port Storage Controllers

Use one Fibre Channel (FC) fabric to prevent an unavailable port or storage controller from causing a loss of connectivity between

the host servers and a storage system with dual 16 Gb 2-port storage controllers.

About this task

This configuration includes one fault domain, one fabric, and one FC switch. Each storage controller connects to the FC switch

using two FC connections.

• If a physical port becomes unavailable, the virtual port moves to another port in the fault domain on the same storage controller

• If a storage controller becomes unavailable, the virtual ports on the offline storage controller move to physical ports on the other

storage controller.

NOTE: This configuration is vulnerable to switch unavailability, which results in a loss of connectivity between the host

servers and storage system.

Steps

1. Connect each server to the FC fabric.

2. Connect fault domain 1 (shown in orange) to the fabric.

• Storage controller 1: port 1 to the FC switch

• Storage controller 1: port 2 to the FC switch

• Storage controller 2: port 1 to the FC switch

• Storage controller 2: port 2 to the FC switch

Connect the Front-End Cabling