Alternatively, the ME4 Series enables you to set the CNC ports to use FC and iSCSI protocols in combination. When configuring a
combination of host interface protocols, host ports 0 and 1 must be configured for FC, and host ports 2 and 3 must be configured for
iSCSI. The CNC ports must use qualified SFP+ connectors and cables for the selected host interface protocol. For more information, see
SFP+ transceiver for FC/iSCSI ports
Fibre Channel protocol
ME4 Series controller enclosures support controller modules with CNC host interface ports.
Using qualified FC SFP+ transceiver/cable options, these CNC ports can be configured to support Fibre Channel protocol in either four or
two CNC ports. Supported data rates are 8 Gb/sec or 16 Gb/s.
The controllers support Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop (public or private) or point-to-point topologies. Loop protocol can be used in a
physical loop or for direct connection between two devices. Point-to-point protocol is used to connect to a fabric switch. Point-to-point
protocol can also be used for direct connection, and it is the only option supporting direct connection at 16 Gb/s.
The Fibre Channel ports are used for:
•
Connecting to FC hosts directly, or through a switch used for the FC traffic.
•
Connecting two storage systems through a switch for replication. See
.
The first option requires that the host computer must support FC and optionally, multipath I/O.
Use the ME Storage Manager to set FC port speed and options. See the topic about configuring host ports in the
Dell EMC PowerVault
ME4 Series Storage System Administrator’s Guide
. You can also use CLI commands to perform these actions:
•
Use the
set host-parameters
CLI command to set FC port options.
•
Use the
show ports
CLI command to view information about host ports.
iSCSI protocol
ME4 Series controller enclosures support controller modules with CNC host interface ports.
CNC ports can be configured to support iSCSI protocol in either four or two CNC ports. The CNC ports support 10 GbE but do not
support 1 GbE.
The 10 GbE iSCSI ports are used for:
•
Connecting to 10 GbE iSCSI hosts directly, or through a switch used for the 10 GbE iSCSI traffic.
•
Connecting two storage systems through a switch for replication.
The first option requires that the host computer supports Ethernet, iSCSI, and optionally, multipath I/O.
See the topic about configuring CHAP in the
Dell EMC PowerVault ME4 Series Storage System Administrator’s Guide
.
Use the ME Storage Manager to set iSCSI port options. See the topic about configuring host ports in the
Dell EMC PowerVault ME4
Series Storage System Administrator’s Guide
. You can also use CLI commands to perform these actions:
•
Use the
set host-parameters
CLI command to set iSCSI port options.
•
Use the
show ports
CLI command to view information about host ports.
iSCSI settings
The host should be cabled to two different Ethernet switches for redundancy.
If you are using switches with mixed traffic (LAN/iSCSI), then a VLAN should be created to isolate iSCSI traffic from the rest of the
switch traffic.
Example iSCSI port address assignments
The following figure and the supporting tables provide example iSCSI port address assignments featuring two redundant switches and two
IPv4 subnets:
NOTE:
For each callout number, read across the table row for the addresses in the data path.
Cable host servers to the storage system
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