Dell PowerStore 5200T EMC PowerStore Host Configuration Guide - Page 17

Additional Considerations, NVMe-oF General Guidelines

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NOTE: Failure to configure consistent MTU end to end, may result with PowerStore node failures. For details, see Dell EMC Knowledge Article 000196316 (PowerStore: After increasing the MTU...). ● See your Ethernet switch user manual for instructions on the implementations. ● For detailed information about connecting the PowerStore appliance to the ToR switch, see the PowerStore Network Planning Guide and the Network Configuration Guide for Dell PowerSwitch series Additional Considerations Review the following additional considerations when configuring hosts with PowerStore using NVMe/TCP. ● NVMe/TCP requires ports 8009 and 4420 to be open between PowerStore storage networks and each NVMe/TCP initiator. ● See the NVMe/TCP Host/Storage Interoperability Simple Support Matrix for supported NICs/HBA models and drivers with NVMe/TCP and known limits. ● NVMe/TCP with vSphere ESXi requires vDS 7.0.3 (or later) or a VSS. ● For customers deploying NVMe/TCP environments at scale, consider leveraging SmartFabric Storage Software to automate host and subsystem connectivity. For more information, see the SmartFabric Storage Software Deployment Guide. NVMe-oF General Guidelines PowerStore operating system 2.0 introduces support of NVMe/FC and PowerStore operating system 2.1 introduces support for NVMe/TCP. The following is a high-level list of concepts and key features of PowerStore with NVMe-oF: ● NVMe Subsystem ○ An NVMe Subsystem usually represents a storage array (except for a discovery subsystem). ○ A PowerStore cluster (Federation) is considered a single NVMe Subsystem. ○ NVMe-oF is supported on both PowerStore T model and PowerStore X model models. ● NVMe Front-End Ports ○ NVMe Front-End ports are the target ports capable of NVMe-oF. ○ On PowerStore, all FE, FC, and Ethernet ports are capable of NVMe-oF. ○ When you create a storage network, the NVMe/TCP purpose must be manually selected to work with NVMe/TCP. ○ When you upgrade to PowerStore operating system 2.0, all FC ports automatically support NVMe/FC and NPIV is enabled on those ports. ○ When you upgrade to PowerStore operating system 2.1, all iSCSI storage networks are automatically assigned the purpose of NVMe/TCP. ● NVMe Qualified Name (NQN) ○ Uniquely describes a Host or NVMe subsystem for identification and authentication. ○ This value can be modified (depending on the operating system) to UUID based or to hostname based. ○ The value must comply with NVMe Express Base Specification, chapter 4.5 (NVMe Qualified Names). ● Namespace ○ A Namespace is equivalent to a Logical Unit (LU) in SCSI world, and represents the data written to a PowerStore volume. ○ Mapping a volume to a host (or host group) designates that volume as either SCSI (iSCSI or FC) or NVMe (NVMe/FC or NVMe/TCP). ○ A volume can only be mapped to either an NVMe host (or host group) or to a SCSI host (or host group). ● Namespace ID (NSID) ○ An NSID is equivalent to a Logical Unit Number (LUN) in SCSI world, and represents the identifier of a namespace (volume). ○ An NSID on a PowerStore is unique across an NVMe subsystem. ○ On SCSI, there is a differentiation between Array LUN ID (ALU) and Host LUN ID (HLU). For example, A SCSI LUN on the array may be with ALU of 10 while to a host it may have an HLU of 250. In addition, a LUN created on one appliance can have the same ALU and HLU as another LUN created on a different appliance from the same PowerStore cluster. ○ With PowerStore implementation of NVMe-oF, since an NVMe subsystem is a PowerStore cluster, a namespace (LU) can have a single NSID (for example, a volume that is created with NSID10 has the same ID across all appliances, internally on the array (ALU) and externally to the hosts (HLU)). With NVMe-oF, there is no distinction between HLU and ALU. ● For a deep dive theory on NVMe-oF, see NVMe, NVMe/TCP, and Dell SmartFabric Storage Software Overview IP SAN Solution Primer. Best Practices for Storage Connectivity 17

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NOTE:
Failure to configure consistent MTU end to end, may result with PowerStore node failures. For details, see
Dell
EMC Knowledge Article 000196316 (PowerStore: After increasing the MTU...)
.
●
See your Ethernet switch user manual for instructions on the implementations.
●
For detailed information about connecting the PowerStore appliance to the ToR switch, see the PowerStore
Network
Planning Guide
and the
Network Configuration Guide
for Dell PowerSwitch series
Additional Considerations
Review the following additional considerations when configuring hosts with PowerStore using NVMe/TCP.
●
NVMe/TCP requires ports 8009 and 4420 to be open between PowerStore storage networks and each NVMe/TCP initiator.
●
See the
NVMe/TCP Host/Storage Interoperability Simple Support Matrix
for supported NICs/HBA models and drivers with
NVMe/TCP and known limits.
●
NVMe/TCP with vSphere ESXi requires vDS 7.0.3 (or later) or a VSS.
●
For customers deploying NVMe/TCP environments at scale, consider leveraging SmartFabric Storage Software to automate
host and subsystem connectivity. For more information, see the
SmartFabric Storage Software Deployment Guide
.
NVMe-oF General Guidelines
PowerStore operating system 2.0 introduces support of NVMe/FC and PowerStore operating system 2.1 introduces support for
NVMe/TCP.
The following is a high-level list of concepts and key features of PowerStore with NVMe-oF:
●
NVMe Subsystem
○
An NVMe Subsystem usually represents a storage array (except for a discovery subsystem).
○
A PowerStore cluster (Federation) is considered a single NVMe Subsystem.
○
NVMe-oF is supported on both PowerStore T model and PowerStore X model models.
●
NVMe Front-End Ports
○
NVMe Front-End ports are the target ports capable of NVMe-oF.
○
On PowerStore, all FE, FC, and Ethernet ports are capable of NVMe-oF.
○
When you create a storage network, the NVMe/TCP purpose must be manually selected to work with NVMe/TCP.
○
When you upgrade to PowerStore operating system 2.0, all FC ports automatically support NVMe/FC and NPIV is
enabled on those ports.
○
When you upgrade to PowerStore operating system 2.1, all iSCSI storage networks are automatically assigned the
purpose of NVMe/TCP.
●
NVMe Qualified Name (NQN)
○
Uniquely describes a Host or NVMe subsystem for identification and authentication.
○
This value can be modified (depending on the operating system) to UUID based or to hostname based.
○
The value must comply with
NVMe Express Base Specification
, chapter 4.5 (NVMe Qualified Names).
●
Namespace
○
A Namespace is equivalent to a Logical Unit (LU) in SCSI world, and represents the data written to a PowerStore volume.
○
Mapping a volume to a host (or host group) designates that volume as either SCSI (iSCSI or FC) or NVMe (NVMe/FC or
NVMe/TCP).
○
A volume can only be mapped to either an NVMe host (or host group) or to a SCSI host (or host group).
●
Namespace ID (NSID)
○
An NSID is equivalent to a Logical Unit Number (LUN) in SCSI world, and represents the identifier of a namespace
(volume).
○
An NSID on a PowerStore is unique across an NVMe subsystem.
○
On SCSI, there is a differentiation between Array LUN ID (ALU) and Host LUN ID (HLU). For example, A SCSI LUN on
the array may be with ALU of 10 while to a host it may have an HLU of 250. In addition, a LUN created on one appliance
can have the same ALU and HLU as another LUN created on a different appliance from the same PowerStore cluster.
○
With PowerStore implementation of NVMe-oF, since an NVMe subsystem is a PowerStore cluster, a namespace (LU)
can have a single NSID (for example, a volume that is created with NSID10 has the same ID across all appliances,
internally on the array (ALU) and externally to the hosts (HLU)). With NVMe-oF, there is no distinction between HLU and
ALU.
●
For a deep dive theory on NVMe-oF, see
NVMe, NVMe/TCP, and Dell SmartFabric Storage Software Overview IP SAN
Solution Primer
.
Best Practices for Storage Connectivity
17