Introduction; General Recommendations; Specific Network Recommendations - HP P4000 SAN Technical White Paper

Introduction

This document will provide you with the guidelines for creating a high-performance, highly available IP network for
use with HP P4000 SANs. As of the writing of this document, this paper applies only to the server based storage
nodes, such as the P4500 and P4300. You'll find important configuration guidelines, best practices, and frequently
asked questions that will help you to accelerate a successful deployment.
Implementing HP P4000 SAN solutions along with standard networking and iSCSI technology enables the creation of
enterprise-class storage systems at a reasonable price point. Given the options available, HP does recommend
specific configurations to promote ease of deployment and functionality.

General recommendations

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Specific network recommendations

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Adhere to the recommended switching requirements to reduce performance and configuration concerns (see
Specific network recommendations, Recommended switch infrastructure for an HP P4000 SAN, and Table 1).
Implement adaptive load balancing (ALB) network interface card (NIC) bonding on the storage node for 1 Gigabit
and 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) networks.
To achieve superior performance and redundancy in Microsoft
Microsoft Multipath I/O (MPIO) along with the either P4000 device-specific module (DSM) or the Microsoft DSM.
For more information on Microsoft MPIO options for P4000, please read the P4000 Windows Solution Pack
user guide.
For NIC fault tolerance and performance with other operating systems, implement NIC bonding in the host software
where supported.
Implement a separate subnet or VLAN for the IP storage network so that you have dedicated bandwidth and
storage traffic is contained within your storage network.
Implement a fault-tolerant switch environment as a separate VLAN through a core switch infrastructure or multiple
redundant switches.
Set Access controls and traffic filtering to ensure that only authorized devices have access to your storage or
administrative traffic.
Set the individual ports connected to the storage nodes and host servers auto negotiate speed, duplex and flow
control at the host/node port level.
Implement switches that have full-duplex, non-blocking mesh backplane.
Switch buffer mechanism has an impact on the performance of the switch. HP suggests at minimum 512k packet
buffer per port.
Use switches with a low or non-existent oversubscription ratio on a per port, card, or backplane basis. If
oversubscription is necessary, cable your storage devices and clients so storage nodes and initiators are balanced
across oversubscribed domains.
Implement flow control on the storage network switch infrastructure. Failure to implement flow control at server, on
all storage and network ports connected to the SAN can cause storage performance issues.
Create separate network segments to isolate your production and storage traffic.
Ensure that the storage environment has access to network services via direct connections or appropriate routing.
Optionally, implement jumbo frame support on the switch, storage nodes, and all servers connected to the HP
P4000 SAN. If implemented, it must be done on all storage and network ports connected to the SAN.
® Windows ® Server environments, implement