Configuring the z/VSE operating system

You must configure the z/VSE operating system before you can use it with the system.

Before you configure the z/VSE operating system, the following tasks must be completed:

A service representative must install the system.
You must install the appropriate host bus adapter (HBA) for your z Systems server.
You must configure the FICONExpress adapter or HBA in FCP mode. FCP mode means that the HBA is configured with channel path ID (CHPID) type FCP in the input/output control data set (IOCDS) of your z Systems server.

After the prerequisite tasks are complete, use the following general steps to configure your host system that is running the z/VSE operating system:

Zone the host to the system on the Fibre Channel SAN.
For more information, see the zoning details and zoning examples topics in the Configuring section in this product information.
Create the host on the system by using the worldwide port names (WWPNs) of your FCP adapter. Map the volumes to the host, as required.
Note: With N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV), multiple virtual FCP adapters can be defined. Each virtual FCP adapter can have its own unique WWPN. You can use the WWPN of a virtual FCP adapter to map volumes to the host. This action can be used to define multiple hosts that share the same physical FCP adapter. The NPIV support was introduced with System z9.
Configure your z/VSE system to use FCP-attached SCSI disks. After you configure a path to the SCSI disk, the SCSI disks are recognized by z/VSE user programs and system programs as fixed block architecture (FBA) disks only. You can use the SCSI disks with existing FBA interfaces. The z/VSE operating system does not provide SCSI command support for applications. See the IBMz/VSE Administration publication for additional information.