Deployment Guide

Attach SAS hosts to the storage system

Perform the following steps to attach Fibre Channel (FC) hosts to the storage system:

1. Ensure that all HBAs have the latest supported firmware and drivers as described on Dell.com/support. For a list of supported SAS

HBAs, see the Dell EMC ME4 Series Storage System Support Matrix.

2. Use the SAS cabling diagrams to cable the hosts to the storage system either by using switches or connecting the hosts directly to

the storage system.

3. Log in to the console for each XenServer host using SSH or XenCenter.

4. Use the following command to display and record the initiator ID for the HBA ports that are connected to the storage enclosure:

systool -c sas_device -v | grep enclosure_identifier

NOTE: SAS HBAs have two ports. The World Wide Port Name (WWPN) for port 0 ends in 0 and the WWPN for port 1

ends in 1.

Enable Multipathing on the XenServer hosts

Perform the following steps to enable Multipathing on the XenServer hosts using XenCenter:

1. Log in to XenCenter and select the XenServer host.

2. Right-click the host, and select Enter Maintenance Mode.

3. On the General tab, click Properties.

The Properties window is displayed.

4. Click the Multipathing tab, and select the Enable multipathing on this server checkbox.

5. Click OK.

6. Right-click the host, and select Exit Maintenance Mode.

Repeat the previous steps for all the hosts in the pool.

Perform the following steps to register hosts, and create volumes using the PowerVault Manager:

1. Log in to the PowerVault Manager.

2. Access the Host Setup wizard:

• From the Welcome screen, click Host Setup.

• From the Home topic, click Action > Host Setup.

3. Confirm that all the SAS prerequisites have been met, then click Next.

4. Type a host name in the Host Name field.

5. Using the information documented in step 4 of Attach SAS hosts to the storage system on page 65, select the SAS initiators for the

host you are configuring, then click Next.

6. Group hosts together with other hosts in a cluster.

a. For cluster configurations, group hosts together so that all hosts within the group share the same storage.

• If this host is the first host in the cluster, select Create a new host group, type a name for the host group, and click Next.

• If this host is being added to a host group that exists, select Add to existing host group, select the group from the drop-

down list, and click Next.

b. For stand-alone hosts, select the Do not group this host option, then click Next.

7. On the Attach Volumes page, specify the name, size, and pool for each volume, and click Next.

To add a volume, click Add Row. To remove a volume, click Remove.

NOTE: Dell EMC recommends that you update the name with the hostname to better identify the volumes.

8. On the Summary page, review the host configuration settings, and click Configure Host.

If the host is successfully configured, a Success dialog box is displayed

9. Click Yes to return to the Introduction page of the wizard, or click No to close the wizard.

Perform host setup