Platform Guide 13
Attaching Your Cluster Shared Storage System to a SAN

This section provides the rules and guidelines for attaching your PowerEdge cluster nodes to the

shared storage systems through a Dell | EMC SAN using redundant Fibre Channel switch fabrics.

Rules and Guidelines

The rules and guidelines described in Table1-6 apply to SAN-attached clusters.

Table 1-6. SAN-Attached Clusters Rules and Guidelines
Rule/Guideline Description
Primary storage Each Windows 2000 Advanced Server and Windows Server 2003,
Enterprise Edition cluster can support up to 22 unique drive letters for
shared logical drives. Windows Server 2003 can support additional
physical drives through mount points.
Up to four Dell | EMC Fibre Channel disk arrays are supported per
cluster in a SAN environment.
Secondary storage Up to two PowerVault™ 132T, 136T, or 160T libraries.
Any system attached to the SAN can share these devices.
Fibre Channel
switchconfiguration
Redundant switch fabrics required.
Fibre Channel
switchzoning
Single-initiator zoning.
Fibre Channel
switchessupported
Dell | EMC DS-16B2 (Brocade SilkWorm 3800), Brocade
SilkWorm3200, Brocade SilkWorm 3250, Brocade SilkWorm3850, or
Dell | EMC DS-24M2 (McData Sphereon 4500).
Fibre Channel
switchfirmware
Version 3.1.2a or later for Brocade Silkworm 3200 /3800.
Version 4.2.0b or later for Brocade Silkworm 3250 /3850.
Version 6.01.00 or later for McData Sphereon 4500.
Fibre Channel
HBAssupported
See Table1-2 to determine which HBAs are supported on your
PowerEdge server.
Emulex driver version SCSI port driver 5-2.22a8 or later (Windows 2000), Storport miniport
driver 5-1.02a3 or later (Windows 2003).
Emulex firmware version 1.90a4 or later
QLogic driver version SCSI miniport driver 9.00.12 or later (Windows 2000), Storport
miniport driver 9.00.17 or later (Windows Server 2003).
QLogic BIOS version 1.42 or later
Operating system Each cluster attached to the SAN must run Windows2000 Advanced
Server or Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.