SAN configuration and zoning rules summary

A Lenovo Storage V7000 system during normal operations in a Fibre Channel environment is defined by supported configuration and zoning rules. If a single failure causes one or more of these rules to be invalidated, the configuration is still supported until the failure is corrected and the configuration is brought back into a normal supported mode.

Lenovo Storage V7000 descriptions of configuration terms

A path is a logical connection between two Fibre Channel ports. The path can exist only if both of the two Fibre Channel ports are in the same zone.

A core switch is the switch that contains the Lenovo Storage V7000 ports. Because most SAN fabric traffic might flow through the system, put the system in the core of the fabric. Some configurations have a core switch that contains only inter-switch links (ISLs) and a storage edge switch that contains the system ports. In this rules summary, a storage edge switch is the same as a core switch.

A dual-core fabric design is an environment where two switches are both designated as core switches in the same fabric. Every node has one Fibre Channel port that is connected to each of the core switches. Zoning is then used to ensure that internode traffic flows only within a single switch wherever possible.

SAN configuration rules

The system supports any SAN fabric configuration that is supported by the SAN vendors.

Lenovo Storage V7000 connectivity:

Configuring SAN communication between nodes in the same I/O group is optional. All internode communication between ports in the same I/O group must not cross ISLs.
Each node in the system must have at least two ports with paths to all other nodes that are in different enclosures in the same system. A Lenovo Storage V7000 node cannot have more than 16 paths to another node in the same system.
Fibre Channel connections between Lenovo Storage V7000 and the switch can vary based on fibre types and different SFPs (longwave and shortwave).

Storage system connectivity (optional):

Connections between Lenovo Storage V7000 and storage require the best available bandwidth. For optimal performance and reliability, ensure that paths between Lenovo Storage V7000 and storage systems do not cross ISLs. If you use ISLs on these paths, make sure that sufficient bandwidth is available. SAN monitoring is required to identify faulty ISLs.
Each Lenovo Storage V7000 node must have a path to the same set of worldwide port names (WWPNs) for each storage system.
Where multiple paths exist between Lenovo Storage V7000 and storage systems and some of those paths cross ISLs, use zoning to prevent the system from using the paths that cross the ISLs.
Lenovo Storage V7000 supports SAN routing technologies between the system and storage systems when the routing stays entirely within Fibre Channel connectivity and does not use other transport technologies such as Internet Protocol (IP).
When the SAN is used for connection to an external storage system, each node canister in the same control enclosure must have a Fibre Channel connection to the same set of Fibre Channel SANs.

Host connectivity:

Paths between hosts and Lenovo Storage V7000 can support up to three ISL hops between hosts and system nodes.
Lenovo Storage V7000 supports SAN routing technologies (including FCIP links) between the system and hosts. However, the use of long-distance FCIP connections might degrade the performance of any servers that are attached through this technology.
Hosts can be connected to system Fibre Channel ports directly or through a SAN fabric.

Intersystem connectivity:

For a Lenovo Storage V7000 node port to have a usable path to a port on another node in the system, the following conditions must be met:
1. The ports must be connected to the same Fibre Channel SAN or to SANs that are linked.
2. The SAN zoning must have both the ports in at least one zone.
3. The system configuration on the systems must have the port number on their system enabled for connection to partnered systems. If the port number is not in the Fibre Channel partner port mask, a usable path is not available.
Lenovo Storage V7000 supports SAN routing technology (including FCIP links) for intersystem connections that use Metro Mirror or Global Mirror.

General SAN configuration rules:

To make best use of the available bandwidth between switches, use ISL trunking (also known as port channels) on all ISLs.
When you use Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) or iSCSI connections, it is best to use jumbo frames in the IP network.
Lenovo Storage V7000 supports 0 - 4 counterpart SANs per system.
High latency links can affect performance. Regarding the length of Fibre Channel connections in the SAN, ensure that you conform to the support statements of the SAN switch vendors and other connected devices.
All Fibre Channel devices (except for hosts) must be connected through a SAN fabric, and must not use direct connections. You can connect hosts directly or through a SAN fabric.
The SAN must contain only supported switches, Fibre Channel extenders, and SAN routers. See the following website for specific firmware levels and supported hardware:
http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/servers/lenovo-storage

Zoning rules

Notes:

Apply these rules to each fabric that contains Lenovo Storage V7000 ports.
If the edge devices contain more stringent zoning requirements, follow the storage system rules to further restrict the Lenovo Storage V7000 zoning rules. For example, IBM^® DS4000^® does not support a storage system A and storage system B in the same zone.

Host zoning:

Lenovo Storage V7000 requires single-initiator zoning for all large configurations that contain more than 64 host objects. Each server Fibre Channel port must be in its own zone, which contains the Fibre Channel port and Lenovo Storage V7000 ports. In configurations of fewer than 64 hosts, you can have up to 40 Fibre Channel ports in a host zone if the zone contains similar HBAs and operating systems.
For optimal performance, include a maximum of two paths per volume per host Fibre Channel port. This ratio equates to a zone that contains one port per Lenovo Storage V7000 node per HBA.
For load balancing, alternate the server Fibre Channel ports between the ports of the Lenovo Storage V7000. For example, the first server is zoned with ports 1 and 3 of each Lenovo Storage V7000 node (one Lenovo Storage V7000 port per fabric). The second server is zoned with ports 2 and 4.
The maximum number of supported paths to a Lenovo Storage V7000 volume is eight.
If a host object is not mapped to all I/O groups, do not include in the host zone Lenovo Storage V7000 ports from all nodes in the system.For example, if node A is in I/O group X and the host object is mapped to I/O group X, include only ports from node A in the host zone.
The maximum number of hosts that are mapped to an I/O group is less than the maximum number of hosts per system. Therefore, in configurations that might grow to greater than the maximum number of hosts per I/O group, do not map every host to every I/O group.
When a dual-core SAN design is used, it is a requirement that no internode communications use the ISL link. When you create host zones in this type of configuration, ensure that each system port in the host zone is attached to the same Fibre Channel switch.

Storage system zoning:

For most configurations, follow these rules:
- For every storage system, create one zone that contains system ports from every node and all storage system ports, unless otherwise stated by the zoning guidelines for that storage system.
- Single initiator zoning is not required for zones that include Lenovo Storage V7000 and the storage system. The Lenovo Storage V7000 ports are designed to log in to each other to form the system.

Lenovo Storage V7000 zoning:

If the system has more than 1 control enclosure, each node canister in the system must have at least two ports with paths to all other nodes in the same system. The zoning requirement to meet these rules is typically satisfied by other zones. However, for clarity for each SAN fabric, you must create one zone that contains all ports from this Lenovo Storage V7000 system in that SAN fabric.
If the system has only 1 control enclosure and one or more Fibre Channel ports that are attached to a SAN fabric, allow communication between node canisters over the Fibre Channel network. Creating one zone per Lenovo Storage V7000 in each SAN fabric and adding all ports from this system into that zone satisfies this best practice.