1 getting started, Pre-installation documents, About virtual ports – Dell Compellent Series 40 User Manual

Page 7: Getting started

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Getting Started

Pre-installation Documents

All hardware must be installed and cabled before you begin the setup and software
installation process. If server connectivity is through Fibre Channel (FC), the FC switches
must be configured and zoned before the controller/s are set up.

Your Storage Architect or Business Partner supplied pre-installation documents that
include:

List of hardware needed to support storage requirements

Optional connectivity diagrams to illustrate cabling between the controllers, enclosures,
network, and servers

Optional network information, such as IP addresses, subnet masks, gateways, and so
forth

Refer to these documents for information about site-specific settings that will be used
during controller configuration described in

Setting Up a Controller on page 3

.

About Virtual Ports

Because Virtual Ports change IO ports from a physical to a virtualized representation, they
eliminate the need for reserve ports. All ports within a network or fabric are Primary and can
read and write IO. If a physical port fails, any Virtual Port in the same fabric can take over
for the failed port. Because each Virtual Port has a preferred Physical port association; the
virtual port returns to its preferred Physical port when the system is rebalanced.

You may want to define a Virtual Port configuration before you start the Storage Center
Startup Wizard. However, if there is no Virtual Port configuration defined,

Step 12:

Configure Ports on page 24

allows you to skip configuring ports during initial setup.

If you have not used virtualization before, refer to

Virtual Storage and Virtual Ports on

page 49

for an introduction to Virtual Storage and Virtual Ports.

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