Installation and Reference Guide HP StorageWorks Secure Path 3.0F Service Pack 4 for HP-UX 11i v1.0 and 11i v2.0 (5697-8001, March 2009)

1 Secure Path for Active-Passive disk arrays
HP StorageWorks Secure Path is a server-based software product that enhances HP StorageWorks
RAID array storage systems by providing automatic path recovery from server-to-storage-system
connection failures. Secure Path supports multiple input/output (I/O) paths between host and storage,
which improves overall data availability. If any component in a path between host and storage fails,
Secure Path redirects I/O requests to an alternate path.
This chapter provides the following Secure Path information:
•Overview
• Features
• Software components
• Secure Path operation
• Secure Path for Active-Passive disk arrays hardware setup
• Installing Secure Path for Active-Passive disk arrays
• Managing Secure Path for Active-Passive disk arrays
• Removing and upgrading Secure Path for Active-Passive disk arrays
• Troubleshooting Secure Path for Active-Passive disk arrays
Overview
Secure Path is a high-availability software product that manages and maintains continuous data access
to the following HP StorageWorks storage systems:
• EVA3000 (HSV100)
• EVA5000 (HSV110)
Secure Path eliminates the RAID controller, host bus adapter (HBA), and interconnect hardware (cables,
switches, and connectivity devices) as single points of failure in the storage system.
By using redundant hardware and advanced RAID technology, Secure Path enhances fault tolerance
and storage system availability by providing automated failover capability.
Redundant physical connections define separate paths in a Secure Path hardware configuration. Each
path originates at a unique HBA port on a server and ends at a unique RAID controller port in the
storage system.
Figure 1 illustrates basic Secure Path hardware configurations. The physical connections define two
separate paths. Each path originates at a unique storage area network (SAN) HBA on a server and
ends at a port on a separate RAID controller on the storage system.
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