Setup Guide

Component Requirements

NOTE: Other web browsers may work but are not officially supported.

Java Java version 7 and 8. When using Java, open the Java Control Panel and

make sure that the option Enable Java content in the browser is selected.

Validate Host Best Practices

To reduce the impact of the controller restart operation on the host operating system and applications

when applying Service Optional updates, verify that the correct configuration and best practices are

applied to the host.

NOTE: Dell recommends that each host has at least one failover test where the redundancy of the

HBAs, fabrics, and storage controllers is tested and validated. Validate every newly configured host

that is accessing Storage Center volumes or when large update packages are applied to the host

operating system. See the Storage Center System Manager Administrator’s Guide for more

information about HBA server settings and iSCSI settings best practices.

Types of Components

Within an update package, an individual update component is classified according to how it can be

installed.

NOTE: The method you use to install updates affects your infrastructure differently. Before applying

updates, understand the impact of the update on Storage Center infrastructure and plan the update

process carefully to avoid unplanned downtime.

• Required: Required components must be installed as part of the update.

• Deferrable: Deferrable components can be installed later; however, doing so can negatively affect the

reliability of the components whose firmware is not being updated.

• Service Affecting: Service Affecting components can be installed only when Storage Center is

temporarily taken out-of-service. During the outage, all systems and services using volumes from

Storage Center must be powered down correctly to avoid data loss and unplanned system disruption.

• Service Optional: Service Optional components can be installed either when Storage Center is in

service or during a scheduled outage. Although these components are designed to not cause system

disruption, the way in which Storage Center is configured can affect performance. During a Service

Optional update, the firmware update process occurs as a rolling controller update. This process

results in a controller failover event that causes the host initiators to log out and then log back in to

the volumes connected to the SAN. If you have implemented the Dell Storage best practices for host

settings (for example, multipath IO, HBA settings, time-outs) and fabric design (cabling, number of

front-end ports, and so on), the logout/login process has minimal effect on host volumes. The update

process should not affect data access, data integrity, or result in any data loss.

NOTE: When performing a Service Optional update, reduce the impact of the controller restart

operation on the host OS and applications by verifying that the correct configuration and best

practices are applied to each newly configured host. Dell recommends that every host that

accesses Storage Center volumes or that has large updates applied to its OS, has at least one

failover test.

The following table shows which components affect service during installation.

Getting Started