Home > Storage > PowerVault > Guides > Dell PowerVault ME5 Series: Microsoft Hyper-V Best Practices > Transport and front-end connectivity
The ME5 provides block storage to host servers using direct-attached storage (DAS) or a storage area network (SAN).
The ME5 supports 12 Gb SAS, 16/32 Gb FC, and 10/25 GbE iSCSI for a DAS configuration. The ME5 supports 16/32 Gb FC, and 10/25 GbE iSCSI for a SAN configuration.
DAS may not be a practical option for Hyper-V in your environment. DAS limits the number of physical hosts to a maximum of four, assuming each host is configured to use two data paths to the ME5 for redundancy.
Note: A good understanding of the Hyper-V workload is essential for sizing the storage fabric correctly. PowerVault will not perform optimally if the storage fabric is inadequate for the workload.
Before reading further, refer to the Dell PowerVault ME5 Deployment Guide at Dell Technologies Support. This guide provides a thorough summary of the different DAS, SAN, host, and replication cabling options available with the ME5.
Windows Server and Hyper-V support the available front-end transport configuration options listed in the Dell PowerVault ME5 Deployment Guide.
Consider the following best practice recommendations for Hyper-V:
Other factors to consider include the following: