IBM DS6000 Series manual Controller, SAN/FICON switches

Single pathed host

HBA

HP

HP

HP

HP

Even LSS

Odd LSS

HP

HP

HP

HP

Controller 0

Controller 1

Logical

Logical

DA

Volumes

Volumes

DA

Inter-controller data path

Figure 3-3 A host with a single path to the DS6800

For best reliability and performance, it is recommended that each attached host has two connections, one to each controller as depicted in Figure 3-4.This allows it to maintain connection to the DS6800 through both controller failure and HBA or HA (host adapter) failure.

	Dual pathed host
		HBA		HBA
	HP	HP	HP	HP	Even LSS	Odd LSS	HP	HP	HP	HP
	Controller 0						Controller 1
					Logical	Logical
				DA	Volumes	Volumes	DA
					Inter-controller data path
Figure 3-4 A host with two paths to the DS6800

SAN/FICON switches

Because a large number of hosts may be connected to the DS6800, each using multiple paths, the eight host adapter ports that are available in the DS6800 may not be sufficient to accommodate all the connections. The solution to this problem is the use of SAN switches or directors to switch logical connections from multiple hosts. In a zSeries environment you will need to select a SAN switch or director that also supports FICON.

50DS6000 Series: Concepts and Architecture