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11 Dell EMC SC Series: Microsoft Windows Server Best Practices | 680-042-007
2.2 Determine optimal transport and front-end configuration
Depending on the model, the SC Series is configurable as direct-attached storage (DAS) or as part of a
storage area network (SAN). DAS is supported with select SC Series models that are configured from the
factory with SAS front-end ports.
The most common configuration for SC Series is a SAN configuration leveraging iSCSI, Fibre Channel (FC),
or both types of front-end ports. SAN configurations offer customers great flexibility and scale potential when
designing their environment.
Consider the following best practice recommendations:
• If an environment is likely to scale beyond four physical hosts or nodes attached to the same SC
Series array, choose a SAN configuration (FC or iSCSI).
• DAS configurations may work well for edge cases such as a remote office or branch office that
requires a small number of hosts.
• With DAS, the server hosts must be located near the SC Series array (this distance is governed by
the length of the front-end SAS cables).
• For SAN configurations, choosing the type of transport is often a function of what is already in place
in the environment or according to customer preference.
• In cases where the infrastructure to support an FC or iSCSI SAN is already in place, customers can
continue to maximize the return on this investment.
2.3 Transport options
In the early days of SAN technology, Fibre Channel was the dominant transport. Improvements with iSCSI
(speed and dependability) in recent years have made it an equally good choice in most cases for a storage
fabric if the fabric is designed correctly.
Note: Although FC and iSCSI are considered transports in the purest sense, the term transport is often used
interchangeably with protocol in the storage industry.
Windows Server hosts and SC Series arrays support FC and iSCSI in a SAN configuration.
Windows Server hosts and SC Series arrays support front-end SAS (up to 4 hosts per SC array) in a DAS
configuration.
Typically, an environment such as a data center is configured to use a preferred transport when it is built and
will be part of the infrastructure’s core design. When deploying Windows Server hosts to existing
environments, the existing transport is typically used.
Deciding which transport to use in an existing or new environment is usually based on customer preference.
Influencing factors include size of the environment, cost of the hardware, and existing familiarity with the
technology.
2.4 Mixed transports
The use of mixed transports in a SAN environment (access to FC and iSCSI fabrics concurrently) is fully
supported by SC Series storage. It is not uncommon, especially in larger environments, for a customer to
configure SC Series storage to use mixed transports. This might be required to support diverse platforms that