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Dell Storage Manager 2020 R1 Administrator's Guide

Front-End Connectivity Modes

Storage Center uses either legacy mode, virtual port mode, or ALUA port mode to transport data to servers that use SAN storage. In legacy mode, front-end I/O ports are configured in pairs of primary and reserved ports. In virtual port mode, all ports are active, and if one port fails the load is distributed between the remaining ports within the same fault domain. In ALUA port mode, volumes are mapped using two paths, active and passive.

NOTE:In Legacy mode, reserve ports and primary ports reside on separate controllers, providing controller-level failover only. Legacy mode does not provide port-level failover.

The front-end connectivity mode is configured independently for Fibre Channel and iSCSI. Both transport types can be configured to use the same mode or different modes to meet the needs of the network infrastructure. For example, a Storage Center can be configured to use virtual port mode for iSCSI and legacy mode for FC.

  • The front-end connectivity mode for FC and iSCSI ports is initially selected during Storage Center deployment.
  • After deployment, the front-end FC and iSCSI ports can be changed from legacy mode to virtual port mode.
    • After FC and iSCSI ports are configured for virtual port mode, they cannot be changed back to legacy mode.
      NOTE:Use legacy port mode only if the network environment does not meet the requirements for virtual port mode.
  • The front-end connectivity mode for SAS front-end is always ALUA port mode and cannot be changed.

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