EqualLogic Configuration Guide - Daniel Dainty

1 dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide dell Storage Infrastructure and Solutions Configure unified block and file storage solutions based on EqualLogic PS Series arrays and the FS Series Family of NAS Appliances. Recommendations and best practices for iSCSI SAN and scale-out NAS network fabric design. Updated capacity guidelines, capabilities, limitations and feature sets for the EqualLogic product family. Version 12. 4 November 2011 dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide ii Abstract This Configuration Guide provides technical guidance for designing and implementing dell EqualLogic PS Series storage solutions in iSCSI SAN environments. The goal of this Guide is to provide a single reference for product technical information and recommended SAN and NAS design methods: Details on the capacity and capabilities of different EqualLogic PS Series family and FS Series family of NAS Appliances An overview of the peer storage feature set provided by the EqualLogic storage controllers and the NAS feature set provided by the FS Series NAS Service iSCSI SAN design guidelines for optimizing redundancy, availability and performance of EqualLogic storage arrays.

2 Host Configuration guidelines and recommendations for Ethernet switch Configuration This document should be used strictly as a Guide in planning an EqualLogic SAN solution. It should not be considered a statement of support for any specific Configuration . Actual viability of any Configuration will depend on the capabilities of the individual components (switches, network interface controllers, initiators, etc.) that make up the SAN infrastructure. This Configuration Guide is intended for storage administrators, SAN designers, storage consultants, or anyone who is considering purchasing or has purchased an EqualLogic PS Series Array(s) for use in a production storage area network. THIS WHITE PAPER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND MAY CONTAIN TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND TECHNICAL INACCURACIES. THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND.

3 2011 dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of dell Inc. is strictly forbidden. For more information, contact dell . dell , the dell logo, and the dell badge, PowerConnect , dell EqualLogic , PowerEdge and PowerVault are trademarks of dell Inc. Broadcom is a registered trademark of Broadcom Corporation. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation in the and other countries. Microsoft , Windows , Windows Server , and Active Directory are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide ii Revision History Revision Date Changes November 2011 New sections and other changes throughout the document to include coverage of FS Series NAS Appliance (FS7500) October 2011 Updates for PS4100/PS6100 family arrays: controller details; vertical port failover; SAN Configuration guidelines; RAID level capacity tables July 2011 Corrected Spanning Tree portfast guidance in Appendix D.

4 May 2011 Updated figures and content additions to Replication section March 2011 Section : Replication Section : Integrating 1 GbE and 10 GbE SANs Section : Supported Configuration Limits (maintaining consistency with current firmware release notes) Appendix B and Appendix C: Content removed and now published as a separate Validated Components List document All significant changes included in the most recent version of this document are highlighted using blue text, just as this note is. dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide iii Table of Contents Table of Contents .. iii 1 Introduction .. 1 Audience .. 1 2 PS Series Storage Arrays .. 2 Array Models .. 2 PS Series Supported Configuration Limits .. 3 PS Series Storage Array Controllers .. 4 Controller Types in all models prior to PS4100/PS6100.

5 4 Controller Redundancy in all models prior to PS4100/PS6100 .. 5 Controller Failover behavior in all models prior to PS4100/PS6100 .. 5 Controller Types in PS4100/PS6100 models .. 8 Controller Redundancy in PS4100/PS6100 controllers .. 8 Controller failover behavior: PS4100/PS6100 .. 8 Vertical Port Failover behavior in PS4100/PS6100 Controllers .. 10 Controller Firmware ..12 RAID Policies and Sizing Tables .. 14 RAID 5 Drive Layouts and Total Raw 15 RAID 6 Drive Layouts and Total Raw Storage .. 16 RAID 10 Drive Layouts and Total Raw Storage .. 17 RAID 50 Drive Layouts and Total Raw Storage .. 18 3 PS Series Block Level Operations .. 19 Groups .. 19 Pools .. 19 Volumes ..21 Volume Attributes ..21 Volume Features .. 22 Thin Provisioning .. 22 23 Clones .. 24 Template volumes and thin clones.

6 25 dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide iv Replication .. 25 Replication Limits .. 25 Replication Paths .. 26 Replication Process .. 27 Fast failback .. 30 Sizing Replica Reserve and Delegated Space .. 30 Effect of TCP Window Size on Latency across WAN links .. 32 Clustering .. 33 4 EqualLogic SAN Design .. 34 Implementation of Standards .. 34 General Requirements and Recommendations .. 35 Quality of Service (QoS) .. 36 Ethernet Switches and Infrastructure .. 36 Connecting SAN Switches in a Layer 2 Network .. 38 Sizing Inter- Switch Connections .. 40 Comparing Inter-Switch Connection Types .. 41 Block I/O Host Configuration Guidelines .. 42 Design guidelines for host connectivity in a redundant SAN .. 42 Multi- Path I/O .. 43 EqualLogic iSCSI SAN Design .. 45 Redundant SAN Configuration .

7 45 Partially Redundant SAN Configurations .. 47 Minimum Cabling Scenarios: PS4100 and PS6100 .. 49 Integrating 1 GbE and 10 GbE SANs .. 51 Design considerations .. 52 Mixed SAN best practices .. 54 5 FS Series NAS Appliance .. 55 FS Series Architecture .. 55 FS Series solution for file only 56 dell FluidFS .. 57 FS Series Models .. 58 FS7500 Supported Configuration Limits .. 58 FS7500 System Components .. 59 dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v FS7500 file system operation on controller failover .. 60 6 FS Series File Level Operations .. 61 NAS Service .. 61 NAS Reserve .. 61 Relationship between PS Series Groups, Pools and NAS Reserve .. 61 NAS File Systems .. 62 NAS File System security styles .. 63 File System Snapshots .. 64 7 FS Series NAS Configuration .. 65 FS7500 Connection Paths.

8 65 8 M1000e Blade Chassis 68 Guidelines for Stacking Switches in a Blade Chassis .. 68 Single M1000e Enclosure Integration .. 69 Multiple M1000e Enclosure Integration .. 69 M1000e Ethernet Pass- Through I/O Module .. 71 External Tier Stacking .. 71 Stack to Stack Interconnect .. 71 10 GbE Uplink Recommendations .. 71 1 GbE Uplink Recommendations .. 73 Appendix A Network Ports and Protocols .. 76 Required Ports and Protocols .. 76 Optional Ports and Protocols .. 76 Appendix B Recommended Switches .. 77 Appendix C Supported iSCSI Initiators .. 77 Appendix D PowerConnect 54xx Switch Configuration .. 78 Disabling iSCSI Optimization Setting .. 78 Enabling the PortFast Option to Configure STP Edge Ports .. 79 Configuring Flow Control .. 79 Disabling Unicast Storm Control .. 80 Configuring Jumbo Frames.

9 80 Appendix E PowerConnect 62xx Switch Configuration .. 81 Interface Naming Convention .. 81 Enabling the PortFast Option to Configure STP Edge Ports .. 82 dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide vi Configuring Flow Control .. 82 Disabling Unicast Storm Control .. 82 Configuring Jumbo Frames .. 83 Appendix F Cisco IOS based Switch Configuration .. 84 Enabling the PortFast Option to Configure STP Edge Ports .. 85 Configuring Flow Control .. 85 Disabling Unicast Storm Control .. 86 Configuring Jumbo Frames .. 86 Related Publications .. 88 dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide 1 1 Introduction With the dell EqualLogic PS Series of storage arrays dell provides a storage solution that delivers the benefits of consolidated networked storage in a self- managing, iSCSI storage area network (SAN) that is affordable and easy to use, regardless of scale.

10 By eliminating complex tasks and enabling fast and flexible storage provisioning, these solutions dramatically reduce the costs of storage acquisition and ongoing operations. To be able to leverage the advanced features provided by an EqualLogic array, a robust, standards-compliant iSCSI storage area network (SAN) infrastructure must be created. While almost any industry standard, enterprise class Ethernet switch can be used to connect hosts to the EqualLogic - based virtual storage volumes, some switches, network interface controllers(NICs), iSCSI Host Bus Adapters (HBAs), and iSCSI initiators can directly impact the overall performance of the SAN storage solution. The dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide is provided as an aid to help storage administrators determine how best to build an iSCSI infrastructure for use within an EqualLogic SAN solution.