IBM DS8000 manual Existing reference material, Implementing Linux with IBM Disk Storage

Existing reference material

There is a lot of information available that helps you set up your Linux server to attach it to a DS8000 storage subsystem.

The DS8000 Host Systems Attachment Guide

The DS8000 Host Systems Attachment Guide, SC26-7628, provides instructions to prepare an Intel IA-32 based machine for DS8000 attachment, including:

￿How to install and configure the FC HBA

￿Peculiarities of the Linux SCSI subsystem

￿How to prepare a system that boots from the DS8000

It is not very detailed with respect to the configuration and installation of the FC HBA drivers.

Implementing Linux with IBM Disk Storage

The redbook Implementing Linux with IBM Disk Storage, SG24-6261, covers several hardware platforms and storage systems. It is not yet updated with information about the DS8000. The details provided for the attachment to the IBM Enterprise Storage Server (ESS

2105) are mostly valid for DS8000, too. Read it for information regarding storage attachment:

￿Via FCP to an IBM eServer zSeries running Linux

￿To an IBM eServer pSeries running Linux

￿To an IBM eServer BladeCenter running Linux

It can be downloaded from:

http://publib-b.boulder.ibm.com/abstracts/sg246261.html

Linux with zSeries and ESS: Essentials

The redbook, Linux with zSeries and ESS: Essentials, SG24-7025, provides a lot of information about Linux on IBM eServer zSeries and the ESS. It also describes in detail how the Fibre Channel (FCP) attachment of a storage system to zLinux works. It does not, however, describe the actual implementation. This information is at:

http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/pdfs/sg247025.pdf

Getting Started with zSeries Fibre Channel Protocol

The redpaper Getting Started with zSeries Fibre Channel Protocol is an older publication (last updated in 2003) which provides an overview of Fibre Channel (FC) topologies and terminology, and instructions to attach open systems (fixed block) storage devices via FCP to an IBM eServer zSeries running Linux. It can be found at:

http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpapers/pdfs/redp0205.pdf

Other sources of information

Numerous hints and tips, especially for Linux on zSeries, are available on the IBM Redbooks technotes page:

http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks.nsf/tips/

IBM eServer zSeries dedicates its own Web page to storage attachment via FCP:

http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/zseries/connectivity/ficon_resources.html

Appendix A. Open systems operating systems specifics 357