PS6000 iSCSI setup

Question

I am setting up an iSCSI environment for a Windows Server. I will be using 2 Dell Poweconnect 7024s , 1 Dell PS6000, and a Windows Server (2008 R2). I have more experience in fiber switches and EMC VNX series SANs than I do with the Powerconnect and PS series products, so I have a few questions. 1)The PS6000 has 2 controller cards (the greens) with 4 Ethernet ports each. In this documentation, Section 4.5.1, the image shows all 4 ports of each card connected to the iSCSI network I believe. Additionally it looks like one of the preferred methods to setup these SANs is via the Remote Setup Wizard. Question: Do people generally not have a dedicated IP/management port to each SP for remote management on these? Is the preferred method to use all 4 ports per controller for iSCSI network traffic, and then just manage the SAN via the Windows Server that will be connected to it? Or should I be able to setup 1 of those ports, possibly the last one of each card, as a separate remote management port? 2)In all diagrams of this setup it seems like I have to have the switches either stacked or LAGed. In the same document, figure 19 in section 4.3.1, shows stack or LAG. Question: Do I have to have these switches stacked or LAGed for redundancy, or can they remain not connected?

Chadddada · Answer

Dwilliam62:

I really do want to have the separate dedicated management port setup but not sure if I should. I think this desire mostly comes from managing EMC VNX/ Ax / Cx series SANs. However most of the setups in Dell EqualLogic documentation don't seem to be using the dedicated remote management. Rather they use all 8 ports, across the 2 different controller modules (array controllers) for iSCSI traffic across 2 different switches.

Would it be best, design wise, to just install the Remote Setup Wizard on the file server I am connecting to this SAN to? So basically the build would be:

1)Setup switches.

2)Connect SAN to the switches / Window File server to the switches, as described en.community.dell.com/.../3615.rapid-equallogic-configuration-portal-by-sis.aspx .

3)Power up the SAN.

4)Run the Remote Setup Wizard on the file server and it should find the array to initialize and configure it?

Generally I have set the IP via the serial connection and then used Unisphere (and the old version) to connect and configure the SAN.

Dev Mgr · Answer

Note that if you purchased your Equallogic array in the US (within about the last year), it should have come with a remote install service from Dell. This service covers setting up the unit, updating the firmware, going over the GUI basics, optimizing your 2 switches for iSCSI and configuring the server to connect to the storage.

Several of the engineers that do those setups have experience with EMC and could help explain the similarities and differences between EMC and Equallogic to help understand what is different and why.

EqualLogic

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