Connecting Hosts; Host System Requirements; Cabling Considerations; Connecting The Enclosure To Hosts - Lenovo S3200 Setup Manual

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Connecting hosts

Host system requirements

Hosts connected to a Lenovo Storage S3200/S2200 controller enclosure must meet the following
requirements:
• Depending on your system configuration, host operating systems may require that multipathing is
supported.
If fault tolerance is required, then multipathing software may be required. Host-based multipath
software should be used in any configuration where two logical paths between the host and any
storage volume may exist at the same time. This would include most configurations where there are
multiple connections to the host or multiple connections between a switch and the storage.
• Use native Microsoft MPIO DSM support with Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2012.
Use either the Server Manager or the command-line interface (mpclaim CLI tool) to perform the
installation.
See the following web sites for information about using native Microsoft MPIO DSM:
http://support.microsoft.com
http://technet.microsoft.com

Cabling considerations

Common cabling configurations address hosts, controller enclosures, drive enclosures, and switches. Host
interface ports on S3200/S2200 controller enclosures can connect to respective hosts via direct cable
connection or switch attach.

Connecting the enclosure to hosts

A host identifies an external port to which the storage system is attached. The external port may be a port
in an I/O adapter (such as an FC HBA) in a server. Cable connections vary depending on configuration.
This section describes host interface protocols supported by S3200/S2200 controller enclosures, while
showing a few common cabling configurations.
NOTE: S3200/S2200 controllers use Unified LUN Presentation (ULP): a controller feature enabling a host
to access mapped volumes through any controller host port.
ULP can show all LUNs through all host ports on both controllers, and the interconnect information is
managed by the controller firmware. ULP appears to the host as an active-active storage system, allowing
the host to select any available path to access the LUN, regardless of disk group ownership.
TIP: See "Using the Configuration Wizard" in the Storage Manager Guide to initially configure the
system or change system configuration settings (such as Configuring host ports).

CNC technology

Certain Lenovo Storage S3200/S2200 models use Converged Network Controller technology, allowing
you to select the desired host interface protocol(s) from the available FC or iSCSI host interface protocols
supported by the system. The small form-factor pluggable (SFP transceiver or SFP) connectors used in CNC
ports are further described in the subsections below. Also see
page 10 for more information concerning use of CNC ports.
30 Connecting hosts
(search the site for "multipath I/O overview")
CNC ports used for host connection on