Storage Center Front End Cabling

What’s in it for you?

Describe how to cable a dual controller Storage Center
solution using both Legacy and Virtual Port modes.

Define how to zone a dual controller Storage Center

solution using both Legacy and Virtual Port modes.

Define the steps to zone a Brocade fibre channel

switch.

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 Storage Center cabling
iSCSI server

Fibre channel server

front end

back end

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 Front end cabling
Connecting Storage
to Servers

Considerations:
•Number of controllers
•Number of
fabrics/networks

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 Legacy front end cabling introduction
Legacy mode uses “primary” and “reserve” ports paired together in a fault
domain to provide controller level redundancy.

iSCSI Fibre Channel

Dual Fabric

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Redundancy considerations in legacy mode

Fabric 1 Fabric 2

The primary WWN moves to the reserve port upon controller failure

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 Building fault domains in legacy mode

Connect primary and reserve lines from each controller to

each switch

The primary from one controller is paired with the reserve

from the opposite controller connected to the same switch

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 Dual controller, single fabric – legacy mode

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 Dual controller, dual fabric – legacy mode

Fabric 1 Fabric 2

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Fibre channel cabling & fault domains–legacy (1 FC card)

Fault Domain 1 Primary 3 Reserve 4 Fault Domain 3

Primary 1 Reserve 3
Fault Domain 2 Fault Domain 4
Primary 4
Reserve 2 Primary 2 Reserve 1

4321 4321

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Configure local ports screen – fibre channel legacy

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 Adding a Fault Domain

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Fibre channel cabling & fault domains–legacy (2 FC cards)

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 Fabric zoning in legacy mode
First Zone = All First Zone = All Storage
Storage Center Center Front End
Front End Ports WWNs

Server Zones = Server Server Zones = Server

Port + All Storage WWN + All Storage
Center Front End Ports Center Front End
PRIMARY WWNs
WWN Zoning Port Zoning
0 1 2 3 8 9 10 11
4 5 6 7 12 13 14 15

R2 P1 P2 R1
WWN WWN WWN WWN
P=Primary
R2 P1 P2 R1 R=Reserve
Port Port Port Port

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 Dual Controller, iSCSI – Legacy Mode

iSCSI Server

Fault Domains are

created the same
regardless of transport
media

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iSCSI cabling & fault domains – legacy mode

Primary 5
Primary 6
Reserve 6
Fault Domain 5 Fault Domain 6 Reserve 5

21 21
4321 4321

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Configure local ports screen – iSCSI legacy

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 Perform Lab 1:
Front end cabling
Legacy Mode
 Lab 1: front end cabling – legacy mode

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 Perform Lab 1.1:
Configure Local Ports
FC - Legacy Mode
 Lab-1.1: configure local ports–FC legacy mode

Primary
Reserve
Front End
Back End
Domain 1
1/1 Domain 2
1/2 Domain 3
2/1 Domain 4
2/2 Domain 5
1/1 Domain 6
1/2
2/1
2/2

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 Lab-1.1: configure local ports–FC legacy mode

Primary
Reserve
Front End
Back End
Domain 1
1/1 Primary Domain 1 Domain 2
1/2 Reserve Domain 4 Domain 3
2/1 Reserve Domain 2 Domain 4
2/2 Primary Domain 3 Domain 5
1/1 Reserve Domain 1 Domain 6
1/2 Primary Domain 4
2/1 Primary Domain 2
2/2 Reserve Domain 3

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 Perform Lab 1.2:
Configure Local Ports
iSCSI - Legacy Mode
Lab 1.2: Configure local ports–iSCSI Legacy mode

Primary
Reserve
Front End
Back End
Domain 1
Domain 2
Domain 3
Domain 4
Domain 5
Domain 6

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Lab 1.2: Configure local ports–iSCSI Legacy mode

Primary
Reserve
Front End
Back End
Primary Domain 5 Domain 1
Reserve Domain 6
Domain 2
Reserve Domain 5
Primary Domain 6 Domain 3
Domain 4
Domain 5
Domain 6

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 Virtual Ports front end cabling introduction
With the Virtual Ports feature enabled the requirement for
reserve ports is eliminated
Fibre Channel iSCSI
single fabric

dual fabric
Features:
improved redundancy
increased performance
simplified iSCSI targeting

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 Virtual ports for existing customers

Customers must obtain a free activation license to

install or convert to Virtual Ports
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 Virtual and physical WWNs
PCIe x8 8Gb FC

8 4 2

8 4 2
1

PORT 1

PORT 2
2

Gb 1 Gb 2

Virtual Virtual
Failover WWN 1’ WWN 2’

Physical WWN 1 Physical WWN 2

Domain 1

• Virtual WWNs can

move between
1

1
8 4 2
physical ports in the 8 4 2
PORTS

PORTS
2

2
8 4 2 8 4 2

same domain
3

3
8 4 2 8 4 2

• Servers only target

4

4
Controller A Controller B
8 4 2 8 4 2

PCIe x8
8Gb FC the Virtual WWN PCIe x8
8Gb FC

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 Virtual port domains - FC and iSCSI

Fabric 1 Fabric 2 Network 1

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Dual controller, single fabric – Virtual Port mode

Minimum 2
connections from
each controller
for port level
Domain 1 redundancy
Domain 1

Virtual port fault domains use physical ports to identify which port
the virtual port fails over to in the event of a controller failure

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Dual controller, dual fabric – Virtual Port mode
Server with
multipath software

Fabric 1 Fabric 2

Controller 1 Controller 2

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Dual controller, dual fabric – Virtual Port mode
Server with
multipath software

Fabric 1 Fabric 2

Represents additional paths needed to support port level failover

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Dual controller, inter-switch link (ISL) fabric -
Virtual Port mode

One Domain per Fabric / Network

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Fibre channel cabling & fault domains - Virtual Port mode

Fault Domain 1 Fault Domain 2

4321 4321

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Configure local ports screen – FC Virtual Port mode

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 Fabric Zoning in Virtual Ports Mode
1st zone = all Storage Center ports
Server zones = server port + all
Storage Center ports
WWN Zoning
1st zone = all Storage Center
physical WWNs
2nd zone = all Storage Center
virtual WWNs
N+1 zone = all Storage Center
virtual WWNs + server WWN
Port Zoning

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Port1 Port2 Port3 Port4

Physical WWN Zone
Phy1 WWN Phy2 WWN Phy3 WWN Phy4 WWN

Virtual Zone
Vir1 WWN Vir2 WWN Vir3 WWN Vir4 WWN

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 Dual controller, iSCSI – Virtual Port mode

Server targets
the control
port/s

control port

iSCSI virtual fault domains use one control port per domain to
redirect iSCSI traffic to the appropriate physical ports in that domain

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Dual controller, dual network – iSCSI Virtual Port mode
Server targets the

1000=ORG
1

100=GRN
ACT/LNK

ACT/LNK
10=OFF
2

Gb 1 Gb 2

Control Port/s
STACK ID STACK ID
LNK FDX MASTER DIAG RPS PWR LNK FDX MASTER DIAG RPS PWR
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 /ACT 23 /HDX 1 2 3 4 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 /ACT 23 /HDX 1 2 3 4
FAN TEMP FAN TEMP
5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8
RESET RESET
SELECT SELECT
LNK/ACT FDX/HDX LNK/ACT FDX/HDX
LNK LNK
/ACT /ACT

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 G1 LNK G2 G3 STACKING G4 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 G1 LNK G2 G3 STACKING G4

/ACT PORT /ACT PORT

control port 1 control port 2

iSCSI Domain 1 iSCSI Domain 1

iSCSI Domain 1 iSCSI Domain 1
iSCSI Domain 2
iSCSI Domain 2
iSCSI Domain 2
iSCSI Domain 2
4 6 4 6
1
1000=ORG

1
100=GRN
ACT/LNK

ACT/LNK

1000=ORG
10=OFF

100=GRN
ACT/LNK

ACT/LNK
10=OFF
ST

ST
5 7 5 7
2
1000=ORG
100=GRN
10=OFF
ACT/LNK

ACT/LNK

Cache
1000=ORG

1000=ORG
100=GRN
10=OFF
ACT/LNK

ACT/LNK
Cache
100=GRN

1000=ORG
ACT/LNK

ACT/LNK
10=OFF

100=GRN
ACT/LNK

ACT/LNK
10=OFF
2 2
1 1
3 3
750W 750W 750W 750W

1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
iDRAC iDRAC

Heartbeat

Mgmt Mgmt

iSCSI virtual fault domains use one control port per domain. In
this case since there are 2 switches, there are two control ports.

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iSCSI cabling & Fault domains - Virtual Port mode

Domain 3 Domain 4

21 21

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Configure local ports screen – iSCSI Virtual Port mode

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 Perform Lab 2:
Front end cabling
Virtual Port Mode
Lab 2: front end cabling – virtual port mode

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 Perform Lab 2.1:
Configure Local Ports
FC – Virtual Port Mode
Lab 2.1:configure local ports–FC virtual ports

Primary
Reserve
Front End
Back End
Domain 1
1/1 Domain 2
1/2 Domain 3
2/1 Domain 4
2/2 Domain 5
1/1 Domain 6
1/2
2/1
2/2

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Lab 2.1:configure local ports–FC virtual ports

Primary
Reserve
Front End
Back End
Domain 1
1/1 Front End Domain 1 Domain 2
1/2 Front End Domain 2 Domain 3
2/1 Front End Domain 1 Domain 4
2/2 Front End Domain 2 Domain 5
1/1 Front End Domain 1 Domain 6
1/2 Front End Domain 2
2/1 Front End Domain 1
2/2 Front End Domain 2

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 Perform Lab 2.2:
Configure Local Ports
iSCSI – Virtual Port Mode
Lab 2.2: configure local ports – iSCSI virtual ports
Primary
Reserve
Front End
Back End
Domain 1
Domain 2
Domain 3
Domain 4
Domain 5
Domain 6

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Lab 2.2: configure local ports – iSCSI virtual ports
Primary
Reserve
Front End
Back End
Front End Domain 3 Domain 1
Front End Domain 3
Domain 2
Front End Domain 3
Front End Domain 3 Domain 3
Domain 4
Domain 5
Domain 6

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Storage Center cabling – management ports

iDRAC iDRAC

Eth0
Eth0
Eth1

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 Perform Lab 3:
Cabling – Management
ports
 Lab 3: cabling management ports

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 Switch zoning

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 main screen options

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 creating an alias

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 creating an alias (cont.)

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 creating a zone

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 creating a zone config

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 add zones to the zone config

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 saving the configuration

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 enabling a zone config

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 iSCSI best practices
Gigabit Full Duplex
Bi-Directional Flow
Control Enabled

Gigabit Full Duplex

Separate VLAN for
VLAN iSCSI
Auto-Negotiate
Bi-Directional Flow
Control Enabled

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 iSCSI best practices (cont.)
Jumbo Frames Jumbo Frames
Internet

VLAN VLAN

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 Review Questions

1. In Legacy Mode, what level of fault tolerance does a fault domain

provide?
Failover between controllers. It provides continuous connectivity to
the storage in the event of a controller failure or shutdown.

2. What are the two “rules” for building fault domains in Legacy Mode?
Primary and reserve lines are connected from each controller to each
switch.
The primary from one controller is paired with the reserve from the
opposite controller connected to the same switch.

3. If zoning by port with Legacy Mode, what ports need to be zoned for
the server to properly see the Storage Center?
All Storage Center front end ports along with the server port in one
zone. Dell Compellent supports single initiator, multiple target zones.

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 Review Questions

4. If zoning by World Wide Name in Virtual Port Mode, what Storage

Center WWNs need to be zoned to the server for the server to
properly see the Storage Center?
Virtual World Wide Names

5. What are some advantages of using Virtual Ports over Legacy mode?
Increased Performance
Controller redundancy is provided using fewer ports
Port level redundancy can be provided by adding additional paths
Simplified iSCSI connectivity

6. According to best practice, what should be used to isolate the iSCSI

traffic?
iSCSI ports should be put into a separate VLAN or separate switch

7. Do fault domains apply to iSCSI?

Yes
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