FW V06.XX/HAFM SW V08.02.00 HP StorageWorks SAN High Availability Planning Guide (AA-RS2DD-TE, July 2004)
Table Of Contents
- SAN HA Planning Guide
- Contents
- About this Guide
- Introduction to HP Fibre Channel Products
- Product Management
- Planning Considerations for Fibre Channel Topologies
- Fibre Channel Topologies
- Planning for Point-to-Point Connectivity
- Characteristics of Arbitrated Loop Operation
- Planning for Private Arbitrated Loop Connectivity
- Planning for Fabric-Attached Loop Connectivity
- Planning for Multi-Switch Fabric Support
- Fabric Topologies
- Planning a Fibre Channel Fabric Topology
- Fabric Topology Design Considerations
- FICON Cascading
- Physical Planning Considerations
- Port Connectivity and Fiber-Optic Cabling
- HAFM Appliance, LAN, and Remote Access Support
- Inband Management Access (Optional)
- Security Provisions
- Optional Features
- Configuration Planning Tasks
- Task 1: Prepare a Site Plan
- Task 2: Plan Fibre Channel Cable Routing
- Task 3: Consider Interoperability with Fabric Elements and End Devices
- Task 4: Plan Console Management Support
- Task 5: Plan Ethernet Access
- Task 6: Plan Network Addresses
- Task 7: Plan SNMP Support (Optional)
- Task 8: Plan E-Mail Notification (Optional)
- Task 9: Establish Product and HAFM Appliance Security Measures
- Task 10: Plan Phone Connections
- Task 11: Diagram the Planned Configuration
- Task 12: Assign Port Names and Nicknames
- Task 13: Complete the Planning Worksheet
- Task 14: Plan AC Power
- Task 15: Plan a Multi-Switch Fabric (Optional)
- Task 16: Plan Zone Sets for Multiple Products (Optional)
- Index
Planning Considerations for Fibre Channel Topologies
75SAN High Availability Planning Guide
Planning for Fabric-Attached Loop Connectivity
Public arbitrated loop topology supports the connection of workgroup or
departmental FC-AL devices to a switched fabric through a loop switch B_Port.
This topology is well suited for:
■ Providing connectivity between a workgroup or departmental SAN and a
switched fabric, thus implementing connectivity of FC-AL devices to fabric
devices at the core of the enterprise.
■ Consolidating low-cost Windows NT or UNIX server connections and
providing access to fabric-attached storage devices.
■ Consolidating FC-AL tape device connections and providing access to
fabric-attached servers.
Connecting a SAN to a Switched Fabric
Arbitrated loop switches provide a B_Port that dynamically connects FC-AL
devices to directors or edge switches participating in a Fibre Channel fabric. This
function allows multiple low-cost or low-bandwidth departmental or workgroup
devices to communicate with fabric-attached devices through a high-bandwidth
link and provides connectivity as required to an enterprise SAN environment.
This approach provides:
■ Cost-effective FC-AL device connectivity to a switched fabric. The B_Port
provides fabric connectivity without incurring true switched fabric costs.
However, the switch does not provide the same simultaneous connection and
bandwidth capabilities provided by a Fibre Channel director or switch.
■ Improved access and sharing of data and computing resources throughout an
organization by connecting isolated departmental or workgroup devices to the
core data center. Fabric-to-loop connectivity ensures that edge servers have
access to enterprise storage and edge peripherals have access to enterprise
computing resources.
■ Improved resource manageability. Distributed resources are consolidated and
managed through Fibre Channel connectivity instead of physical relocation.
One High Availability Fabric Manager (HAFM) appliance manages the
operation and connectivity of multiple directors, edge switches,
fabric-attached devices, arbitrated loop switches, and FC-AL devices.
■ Improved security of business applications and data. Directors, edge switches,
and loop switches allow fabric-attached and FC-AL devices to be partitioned
into restricted-access zones to limit unauthorized access. Refer to “Zoning”
on page 154 for more information.