Steps
1.
Connect each server to both FC fabrics.
2.
Connect fault domain 1 (shown in orange) to fabric 1.
• Storage controller 1: port 1 to FC switch 1
• Storage controller 2: port 1 to FC switch 1
3.
Connect fault domain 2 (shown in blue) to fabric 2.
• Storage controller 1: port 2 to FC switch 2
• Storage controller 2: port 2 to FC switch 2
Example
Figure 44. Storage System in Virtual Port Mode with Dual 16 Gb Storage Controllers and Two FC Switches
1.
Server 1
2.
Server 2
3.
FC switch 1 (fault domain 1)
4.
FC switch 2 (fault domain 2)
5.
Storage system
6.
Storage controller 1
7.
Storage controller 2
Next steps
Install or enable MPIO on the host servers.
NOTE: For the latest best practices, see the Dell Storage Center Best Practices document on the
Dell TechCenter site (
http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/storage/
Virtual Port Mode — Two Fibre Channel Fabrics with Dual 8 Gb 4-Port Storage Controllers
Use two Fibre Channel (FC) fabrics with virtual port mode to prevent an unavailable port, switch, or
storage controller from causing a loss of connectivity between host servers and a storage system with
dual 8 Gb 4-port storage controllers.
About this task
This configuration includes two fault domains, two FC fabrics, and two FC switches. The storage
controllers connect to each FC switch using two FC connections.
• If a physical port becomes unavailable, the virtual port moves to another physical port in the same
fault domain on the same storage controller.
56
Connect the Front-End Cabling