Create an Additional Zone - MDS 9148

[jasonwelch001]

Hello,

Let me start off by saying i'm new to MDS switching...Currently, all our Windows/esxi server hosts are connected to 2 MDS 9148's and a back-end EMC NS-480.  We are about to migrate from the NS-480 to a VNX 7500 and looking for the recommended/supported way to connect our Windows/esxi hosts to both the NS-480 as well as VNX for the time period when we'll need to migrate all data to the VNX.

Currently, on each MDS switch, there is one zone (vsan001) and within this zone are the zonesets for the server hosts.  For example on MDS Switch 1, there is server zoneset which has the server's HBA1 WWN and 4 SP WWNs associated to the NS480 (WWNs for SPA0, SPA2, SPB0 and SPB2).   What are the steps to have this same host (and its HBA1 WWN) appear as a registered host on teh VNX, while still being connected to the NS480?

Do I create a new Zone on the MDS Switch, and setup a new zoneset for this host and witihin the host's zoneset add the WWN for its HBA1 as well as the 4 VNX sp ports connected to this MDS switch. 

Will this work?  Or is there a better way to do it?  If this is preferred way to do it, is there any documentation for creating addtional zones within a switch?

Thanks in advance

[dynamoxxx]

Jason,

it's actually very simple. You just want to create new zones on each switch. EMC best practice is to do single singel single initiator zoning, like this:

MDS1:

zone1 - HBA1 / SPA0

zone2 - HBA1 /SPB1

zone3 - HBA1 / SPA2

zone4 - HBA1 / SPB3

MDS2:

zone1 - HBA2 / SPA2

zone2 - HBA2 /SPB0

zone3 - HBA2 / SPA3

zone4 - HBA2 / SPB2

you could also create just one zone per switch that would contain HBA and all of the ports on VNX but if you have SanCopy installed on your VNX,  VNX ports will login into each other, not a good thing. Once you create your zone you just need to add them to the active zone set and activate it. At this point your systems will show up in Connectivity Status on VNX.

I don't know if you purchased MirrorView or not but make sure that port SPA0 and SPB0 are on different MDS switches. If you every decide to use MirrorView for replication, you don't want to have a single point of failure by having SPA0 and SPB0 on the same switch.

I assume you will be using storage vmotion for ESX servers, what about Windows ? You can use SanCopy (should have come included with purchase of VNX) or you can use PowerPath Migraiton enabler (free as well)

[jasonwelch001]

Hi Dynomoxxx

Thanks for the reply.. in response to your explanation, do i need to create 4 zonesets per each Windows/ESXi host on each MDS switch??  Or would the following works??

Physical Server (currently connected to NS-480)

• •-          has 2 HBA ports
  
• •-          configured within the existing Zone on MDS Switch 1 &  existing Zone on MDS Switch 2
  
• •-          A zoneset is created for this host within the existing zone on MDS Switch1.  Within this zoneset is the server’s HBA1 WWN as well as SPA4, SPA6, SPB4, and SPB6 for NS-480
  
• •-          A zoneset is created for this host within existing zone on MDS Switch 2…Within this zoneset is the server’s HBA2 WWN as well as SPA5, APA7, SPB4, and SPB6 for NS-480
  

Now we need to make sure this same host can connect to the VNX…Can the following be done??

• •-          On both MDS Switches 1 & 2, create new Zones for each switch
  
• •-          A zoneset is created for this host within the new zone on MDS Switch1…Within this zoneset is the server’s HBA1 WWN (same WWN as above) as well as SPA0, SPA2, SPB0, SPB2 for VNX7500
  
• •-          A zoneset is created for this host within the new zone on MDS Switch 2…Within this zoneset is the server’s HBA2 WWN (same WWN as above) as well as SPA1, SPA3, SPB1, SPB3 for VNX 7500
  

So, can a server host reside in 2 separate zones on one MDS switch…and that server’s HBA connected to that MDS switch, can it be in one zoneset with SPs for the NS480 as well as be in another zoneset which includes that same HBA WWN and SPs for the VNX…