Deployment Guide
Table Of Contents
- Dell EMC PowerVault ME4 Series Storage System Deployment Guide
- Contents
- Before you begin
- Mount the enclosures in the rack
- Connect to the management network
- Cable host servers to the storage system
- Cabling considerations
- Connecting the enclosure to hosts
- Host connection
- Connect power cables and power on the storage system
- Perform system and storage setup
- Record storage system information
- Using guided setup
- Web browser requirements and setup
- Access the PowerVault Manager
- Update firmware
- Use guided setup in the PowerVault Manager Welcome panel
- Perform host setup
- Host system requirements
- Windows hosts
- Configuring a Windows host with FC HBAs
- Configuring a Windows host with iSCSI network adapters
- Configuring a Windows host with SAS HBAs
- Linux hosts
- Configuring a Linux host with FC HBAs
- Configure a Linux host with iSCSI network adapters
- Attach a Linux host with iSCSI network adapters to the storage system
- Assign IP addresses for each network adapter connecting to the iSCSI network
- Register the Linux host with iSCSI network adapters and create volumes
- Enable and configure DM Multipath on the Linux host with iSCSI network adapters
- Create a Linux file system on the volumes
- SAS host server configuration for Linux
- VMware ESXi hosts
- Fibre Channel host server configuration for VMware ESXi
- iSCSI host server configuration for VMware ESXi
- Attach an ESXi host with network adapters to the storage system
- Configure the VMware ESXi VMkernel
- Configure the software iSCSI adapter on the ESXi host
- Register an ESXi host with a configured software iSCSI adapter and create and map volumes
- Enable multipathing on an ESXi host with iSCSI volumes
- Volume rescan and datastore creation for an ESXi hosts with iSCSI network adapters
- SAS host server configuration for VMware ESXi
- Citrix XenServer hosts
- Fibre Channel host server configuration for Citrix XenServer
- iSCSI host server configuration for Citrix XenServer
- Attach a XenServer host with network adapters to the storage system
- Configure a software iSCSI adapter on a XenServer host
- Configure the iSCSI IQN on a XenServer host
- Enable Multipathing on a XenServer host
- Register a XenServer host with a software iSCSI adapter and create volumes
- Create a Storage Repository for a volume on a XenServer host with a software iSCSI adapter
- SAS host server configuration for Citrix XenServer
- Troubleshooting and problem solving
- Locate the service tag
- Operators (Ops) panel LEDs
- Initial start-up problems
- Cabling for replication
- SFP+ transceiver for FC/iSCSI ports
- System Information Worksheet
- Setting network port IP addresses using the CLI port and serial cable
Cable host servers to the storage system
This section describes the different ways that host servers can be connected to a storage system.
Topics:
• Cabling considerations
• Connecting the enclosure to hosts
• Host connection
Cabling considerations
Host interface ports on ME4 Series controller enclosures can connect to respective hosts using direct-attach or switch-attach
methods.
Another important cabling consideration is cabling controller enclosures to enable the replication feature. The FC and iSCSI
product models support replication, but SAS product models do not support replication. See Cabling for replication on page 90.
Use only Dell EMC cables for host connections:
● Qualified 16 Gb FC SFP+ transceivers and cable options
● Qualified 10 GbE iSCSI SFP+ transceivers and cable options
● Qualified 10Gbase-T cable options
● Qualified 12 Gb mini-SAS HD cable options
Connecting the enclosure to hosts
A host identifies an external port to which the storage system is attached. The external port may be a port in an I/O adapter
(such as an FC HBA) in a server. Cable connections vary depending on configuration. This section describes host interface
protocols supported by ME4 Series controller enclosures, while showing a few common cabling configurations. ME4 Series
controllers use Unified LUN Presentation (ULP), which enables a host to access mapped volumes through any controller host
port.
ULP can show all LUNs through all host ports on both controllers, and the interconnect information is managed by the controller
firmware. ULP appears to the host as an active-active storage system, allowing the host to select any available path to access
the LUN, regardless of disk group ownership.
CNC technology
The ME4 Series FC/iSCSI models use Converged Network Controller (CNC) technology.
The CNC technology enables you to select the host interface protocols to use on the storage system. The small form-factor
pluggable (SFP+) connectors that are used in CNC ports are further described in the following subsections:
NOTE:
● Controller modules are not always shipped with preinstalled SFP+ transceivers. You might need to install SFP
transceivers into the controller modules. Within your product kit, locate the qualified SFP+ transceivers and install
them into the CNC ports. See SFP+ transceiver for FC/iSCSI ports on page 98.
● Use the PowerVault Manager to set the host interface protocol for CNC ports using qualified SFP+ transceivers. ME4
Series models ship with CNC ports configured for FC. When connecting CNC ports to iSCSI hosts, you must configure
these ports for iSCSI.
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22 Cable host servers to the storage system