Deployment Guide

Example

Figure 31. Storage System with Dual 16 Gb Storage Controllers and One FC Switch

1. Server 1 2. Server 2

3. FC switch (Fault domain 1) 4. Storage system

5. Storage controller 1 6. 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 8 Gb 4-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 8 Gb 4-port storage controllers.

About this task

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

using four FC connections.

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

storage controller.

• If a storage controller becomes unavailable, the virtual ports on the offline storage controller move to the 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 the 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 3 to the FC switch

• Storage controller 2: port 1 to the FC switch

• Storage controller 2: port 3 to the FC switch

3. Connect fault domain 2 (shown in blue) to the fabric.

• Storage controller 1: port 2 to the FC switch

Connect the Front-End Cabling