Can Linux & Windows hosts share an FA

Hi Su,

The quick answer is yes, it is O.K. to have a Windows host and Linux host sharing the same FA port.

Let me know if you have any other concerns.

BUT more for the benefit of the others that read the forums I thought I should add a little more (unrequested) detail as I find the following is the source of a LOT of confusion

You have three methods for FA port sharing available to you.

The first is to simply allow both hosts to see the EMC bin file specified Edit Director port flags on the shared FA port. This was the original method of "heterogeneous" FA port sharing - NO EMC Software required. This is NOT recommended as different operating systems, even Red Hat & Windows OS versions, have slightly different port flag requirements.

However, since you would need Device Masking Software (Solutions Enabler Array Controls and symmask commands) to ensure that only the correct logical volumes are visible to the requisite hosts you should use symmask to also set the correct Edit Director port flags. These port flag changes are at the FA port / HBA WWN level and stored in the VCM database (the EMC bin file does not need to be and is not changed).

As Kiran has already kindly pointed out you can use symmask set heterogeneous on and specify the appropriate HostConfigFlag for your host type OR you can use the newer (SE 6.4 and above) symmask set hba_flags on method.

These software tools for port sharing are detailed in the Symmetrix Solutions Enabler Array Controls CLI Product Guide available on Powerlink otherwise (as Dynamox was also kind enough to note) there is some discussion in the another thread (http://forums.emc.com/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=55294&start=0&tstart=100).

Best Regards,
Michael.