Dell Technologies recommends the following best practices for designing the storage area network (SAN):
- Use redundant Connectrix 32 Gb/s-capable switches or directors (DS-6610B, DS-6620B, ED-DCX6) to prevent a SPOF.
- Include the optional Enterprise Bundle with Fabric Vision for the DS-6610B and DS-6620B switches (Enterprise Bundle is included with the ED-DCX6 directors).
- Use two FC HBA cards for high availability.
- Enable high availability by making crisscross cable connections between redundant FC HBA cards and redundant FC switches.
- Use name zoning of end devices (FC HBAs) and PowerMax ports while creating zones. Name zoning of end devices provides better flexibility because it does not tie them to specific physical ports on either the switch or the storage array.
- In general, for best availability and performance, Dell Technologies recommends that you zone or mask each server HBA port to one or two PowerMax ports. Where possible, ensure that the PowerMax ports are on different engines and directors and avoid creating a bandwidth mismatch between a host and the engine it accesses, such as a single 16 Gb/s FC host initiator accessing four 16 Gb/s FC ports on one engine. In this type of configuration, the host might simultaneously transmit I/O requests to all four storage ports and be overwhelmed by the response from the targets, leading to spreading congestion and a potentially negative impact on overall SAN performance.
- Use Brocade fabric performance impact (FPI) monitoring and their Monitoring and Alerting Policy Suite (MAPS) to monitor the SAN for slow-drain events. For more information, see the Brocade Monitoring and Alerting Policy Suite Configuration Guide.