Direct Attach mode, or F_port, allows the VMs in an PowerEdge MX compute sled to access FC storage that is directly connected to the MX9116n switch. In Direct Attach mode, the switch supports the required services such as name server and zoning that are typical of FC switches.
This scenario demonstrates directly attaching to a Dell EMC Unity 500F storage array. MX9116n FSE universal ports 44:1 and 44:2 are required for the FC connections and operate in F_port mode. This mode is what allows an FC storage array to be connected directly to the MX9116n FSE. The uplink type enables F_port functionality on the MX9116n unified ports, converting FCoE traffic to native FC traffic and passing that traffic to a directly attached FC storage array. The figure below shows the topology and ports that are used on the MX9116n FSE to set up this scenario.
Topology
To configure the Direct Attach storage scenario in SmartFabric mode and allow FM access, perform the following steps:
- Cable the storage array to the MX9116n FSE as shown in Connection of PowerEdge MX VMs to storage using Direct Attach.
- Configure the MX SmartFabric as described in Chapter 3. The information in this section is also used to configure the Direct Attach (F_port) settings.
- Configure vCenter as described in Chapter 4 and in Chapter 5.
- Use the steps provided in the Configuration steps section to complete the configuration.