Configuring a Windows host with iSCSI network adapters
These instructions document IPv4 configuration with dual switch subnet for network redundancy and failover. These instructions do not cover IPv6 configuration:
Prerequisites
Complete the
PowerVault Manager guided setup process and storage setup process.
Refer to the cabling diagrams within this guide before attaching a host to the storage system; careful planning ensures a successful deployment.
Complete a planning worksheet with the iSCSI network IP addresses to be used, per the example in the following table:
Table 1. Example worksheet for host server with dual port iSCSI NICsExample worksheet for dual port iSCSI NICs
Management
IP
Server Management
10.10.96.46
ME4024Controller A Management
10.10.96.128
ME4024 Controller B Management
10.10.96.129
Subnet 1
Server iSCSI NIC 1
172.1.96.46
ME4024 controller A port 0
172.1.100.128
ME4024 controller B port 0
172.1.200.129
ME4024 controller A port 2
172.1.102.128
ME4024 controller B port 2
172.1.202.129
Subnet Mask
255.255.0.0
Subnet 2
Server iSCSI NIC 1
172.2.96.46
ME4024 controller A port 1
172.2.101.128
ME4024 controller B port 1
172.2.201.129
ME4024 controller A port 3
172.2.103.128
ME4024 controller B port 3
172.2.203.129
Subnet Mask
255.255.0.0
NOTE:The following instructions document IPv4 configurations with a dual switch subnet for network redundancy and failover. It does not cover IPv6 configuration.
Attach a Windows host with iSCSI network adapters to the storage system
Perform the following steps to attach the Windows host with iSCSI network adapters to the storage system:
Ensure that all network adapters have the latest supported firmware and drivers as described on
Dell.com/support.
NOTE:The
Dell PowerVault ME4 Series storage system supports only software iSCSI adapters.
Use the iSCSI cabling diagrams to connect the hosts to the storage system either by using switches or connecting the hosts directly to the storage system.
Install MPIO on the iSCSI hosts:
Open Server Manager.
Click
Manage > Add Roles and Features.
Click
Next until you reach the Features page.
Select
Multipath IO.
Click
Next, click
Install, and click
Close.
Reboot the Windows server.
Assign IP addresses for each network adapter connecting to the iSCSI network
Perform the following steps to assign IP addresses for the network adapter that connects to the iSCSI network:
CAUTION:IP addresses must match the subnets for each network. Make sure that you assign the correct IP addresses to the NICs. Assigning IP addresses to the wrong ports can cause connectivity issues.
NOTE:If using jumbo frames, they must be enabled and configured on all devices in the data path, adapter ports, switches, and storage system.
From the Network and Sharing Center, click
Change adapter settings.
Right-click on the network adapter, then select
Properties.
Select
Internet Protocol Version 4, then click
Properties.
Select the
Use the following IP address radio button and type the corresponding IP addresses recorded in the planning worksheet described in the Prerequisites section (ex: 172.1.96.46).
Set the netmask .
Configure a gateway if appropriate.
Click
OK and
Close. The settings are applied to the selected adapter.
Repeat steps 1-7 for each of the required iSCSI interfaces (NIC 1 and NIC 2 in
Table 1).
From the command prompt, ping each of the controller IP addresses to verify host connectivity before proceeding. If ping is not successful, verify connections and the appropriate IP/subnet agreement between interfaces.
Configure the iSCSI Initiator on the Windows host
Perform the following steps to configure the iSCSI Initiator on a Windows host:
If you are running the iSCSI initiator for the first time, click
Yes when prompted to have it start automatically when the server reboots.
Click the
Discovery tab, then click
Discover Portal. The
Discover Target Protocol dialog box opens.
Using the planning worksheet that you created in the Prerequisites section, type the IP address of a port on controller A that is on the first subnet and click
OK.
Repeat steps 3-4 to add the IP address of a port on the second subnet that is from controller B .
Click the
Targets tab, select a discovered target, and click
Connect.
Select the
Enable multi-path check box and click
Advanced. The
Advanced Settings dialog box opens.
Select
Microsoft iSCSI initiator from the
Local adapter drop-down menu..
Select the IP address of NIC 1 from the
Initiator IP drop-down menu.
Select the first IP listed in the same subnet from the
Target portal IP drop-down menu.
Click
OK twice to return to the
iSCSI Initiator Properties dialog box.
Repeat steps 6-7 for the NIC to establish a connection to each port on the subnet.
NOTE:Step 10 is required for multi-path configurations.
Repeat steps 3-8 for the NIC 2, connecting it to the targets on the second subnet.
NOTE:After all connections are made, you can click the
Favorite Targets tab to see each path. If you click
Details, you can view specific information the selected path.
Click the
Configuration tab and record the initiator name in the
Initiator Name field. The initiator name is needed to map volumes to the host.
Click
OK to close the
iSCSI Initiator Properties dialog box.
Register the Windows host with iSCSI network adapters and create volumes
Perform the following steps to register a Windows host with iSCSI network adapters and create volumes using the
PowerVault Manager:
Log in to the
PowerVault Manager.
Access the Host Setup wizard:
From the Welcome screen, click
Host Setup.
From the Home topic, select
Action > Host Setup.
Confirm that you have met the listed prerequisites, then click
Next.
Type a host name in the
Host Name field.
Using the information from step 10 of the
Configure the iSCSI Initiator, select the iSCSI initiators for the host you are configuring, then click
Next.
Group hosts together with other hosts in a cluster.
For cluster configurations, group hosts together so that all hosts within the group share the same storage.
If this host is the first host in the cluster, select
Create a new host group, type a name for the host group, and click
Next.
If this host is being added to a host group that exists, select
Add to existing host group, select the group from the drop-down list, and click
Next.
NOTE:The host must be mapped with the same access, port, and LUN settings to the same volumes or volume groups as every other initiator in the host group.
For stand-alone hosts, select the
Do not group this host option, and click
Next.
On the Attach Volumes page, specify the name, size, and pool for each volume, and click
Next.
To add a volume, click
Add Row. To remove a volume, click
Remove.
NOTE:Dell recommends that you update the volume name with the hostname to better identify the volumes.
On the Summary page, review the host configuration settings, and click
Configure Host.
If the host is successfully configured, a
Success dialog box is displayed.
Click
Yes to return to the Introduction page of the wizard, or click
No to close the wizard.
Enable MPIO for the volumes on the Windows host
Perform the following steps to enable MPIO for the volumes on a Windows host:
Open Server Manager.
Select
Tools > MPIO.
Click the
Discover Multi-Paths tab.
Select
DellEMC ME4 in the
Device Hardware Id list.
If
DellEMC ME4 is not listed in the
Device Hardware Id list:
Ensure that there is more than one connection to a volume for multipathing.
Ensure that
Dell EMC ME4 is not already listed in the
Devices list on the
MPIO Devices tab.
Click
Add and click
Yes to reboot the Windows server.
Update the iSCSI initiator on the Windows host
Perform the following steps to update the iSCSI initiator on a Windows host:
Open Server Manager.
Click
Tools > iSCSI initiator.
Click the
Volumes and Devices tab.
Click
Auto Configure.
Click
OK to close the
iSCSI Initiator Properties window.
Format volumes on the Windows host
Perform the following steps to format a volume on a Windows host:
Open Server Manager.
Select
Tools > Computer Management.
Right-click
Disk Management and select
Rescan Disks.
Right-click on the new disk and select
Online.
Right-click on the new disk again select
Initialize Disk. The
Initialize Disk dialog box opens.
Select the partition style for the disk and click
OK.
Right-click on the unallocated space, select the type of volume to create, and follow the steps in the wizard to create the volume.
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