****ADDING NEW EMC UNITY 500F****

[Jean Paul Enerst]

Hi Pros,

I need your help in order to extend my storage Area network. We currently have the infrastructure as follow:

Two Cisco 5108 chassis connected to >>> two 6148UPs which them connected to a pair of 5548UP. In our current EMC VNX5400  is directly connected to the 5548 Nexus switches(native FC, no FCoE)... I have inherited the infrastructure as is year ago.

Now, it's time to extend: I have an EMC unity 500F shipping and i am starting to think how i will add that new piece to the existing infrastructure.  i plan to use native FC for the Unity 500F as well.

Needless to mention that this is my first storage project. Therefore, i have some questions which need to be answer.

1. Once connected the Unity 500F to N5K switch, current vnx is just connected with an access port which gives it access to the server vlan- all 4 ports(two ports per N5K). However, i plan to use port channel and trunk the port. Would that be the best way?

2. Now, How would i go to give the server access to that new SAN? I assume there will have have new target/initiator? I assume once the device is connected to N5K, the N5K will send that information down to UCSM.... And i just look for them and modify the zoning in the N5K?

UCS specifications:

End Host

Just default VSAN

Any other questions for clarifications, please ask.

Thanks for the help everyone.

[dynamoxxx]

there is no port-channeling/trunking in FC between storage arrays and SAN switches. You will need to configure  FC ports just like they are configured for the current VNX. Create new zones between host and the new array and are set to work on the migration. What kind of hosts are you migration between VNX and Unity ?

[Jean Paul Enerst]

Thanks dynamo for the reply.

In regards to your question, i am not migrating the host from the VNX and Unity...i am just extended the storage capacity. All the servers are Cisco B-Series and they all will need to have access to the new Unity Storage.

HTH

Thanks again,

[Walter Dey · Accepted solution]

Hi Jean Paul

Don't use default VSAN (which is VSAN 1); 

I assume you have a physical dual fabric, therefore create a VSAN in each one, different from 1, and different in the 2 fabrics; eg. VSAN 10 in fabric A, and 20 in fabric B.

Regarding your new storage, 2 solutions are possible

1) put the storage in the same VSAN; this is the use case, if all your servers (having a service profile, with vhba's) must access both (new and old) storage.

2) If some servers only use old, others only new storage: create a new vsan for the new storage, and new SP, with vhba's which are in the new vsan.

Zoning is done per VSAN.

Walter.

[Jean Paul Enerst]

Thanks Walter for the reply. Really appreciate it.

Yes, i could create new vlans in the UCSM; however, the current config has only the default vlan and every single server has access to everything!

I have one more question regarding the vHBAs, once the network link is up... I guess i will have to add the new vhbas in the current SP, right? And once that done, i need to take initiator/target and add them to the current Zoning conf in the N5K.

Thanks,

[Walter Dey]

Hi Jean Paul

I assume you mean vsan, not vlan ?

Anyway: if you use the same vsan to access the new storage subsystem, you can use the existing vhba's for accessing the old and new storage. Just add a additional zone with the existing initator pwwn of the vhba and the target pwwn of the new storage controller.

If you want the new storage controller in a new vsan, then yes, you would need to add 2 additional vhba's in the SP (which btw. is disruptive), and do the zoning in the context of this new vsan.

In summary: first case: vhba is sharing traffic of both storage systems; in the latter case, storage traffic is separated by means of vsan's, and because a vhba can only be in one vsan, you also need additional vhba's.

Hope this clarifies the situation.

[dynamoxxx]

to add to what Walter already mentioned, there is no reason to separate your storage arrays into multiple VSANs.  EMC supports connectivity to multiple arrays (EMC and other vendors) on the same vHBAs.  Keep it simple.