Installation and Setup
Network Requirements and Recommendations
2–3
No STP functionality
on switch ports that
connect end nodes
If possible, do not use Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP) on switch
ports that connect end nodes (iSCSI initiators or array network
interfaces).
However, if you must use STP or RSTP (preferable to STP), you
should enable the port settings (available on some switches) that
let the port immediately transition into STP forwarding state upon
link up. This functionality can reduce network interruptions that
occur when devices restart, and it should only be enabled on
switch ports that connect end nodes.
You can use Spanning-Tree for a single-cable connection between
switches, and you can use trunking for multi-cable connections
between switches.
Flow Control
enabled on switches
and NICs
Enable Flow Control on each switch port and NIC that handles
iSCSI traffic. PS Series arrays will correctly respond to Flow
Control.
Unicast storm control
disabled on switches
Disable unicast storm control on each switch that handles iSCSI
traffic if the switch provides this feature. However, the use of
broadcast and multicast storm control is encouraged on switches.
Jumbo Frames
enabled
Enable Jumbo Frames on each switch and each NIC that handles
iSCSI traffic.
VLANs
Configure switches to use VLANs to separate iSCSI SAN traffic
from other network traffic.
Table 2-1: Network Recommendations (Continued)
Recommendation Description
