Functional and Operational Characteristics
2–55
Hitachi VSP User and Reference Guide
Host Modes and host mode options
The Virtual Storage Platform supports connection of multiple server hosts of
different platforms to each of its ports. When your system is configured, the
hosts connected to each port are grouped by host group or by target. For
example, if Solaris and Windows hosts are connected to a fibre port, a host
group is created for the Solaris hosts, another host group is created for the
Windows hosts, and the appropriate host mode and host mode options are
assigned to each host group. The host modes and host mode options
provide enhanced compatibility with supported platforms and
environments.
The host groups, host modes, and host mode options are configured using
the LUN Manager software on Storage Navigator. For further information on
host groups, host modes, and host mode options, refer to the Provisioning
Guide for Open Systems.
Open-systems operations
This section provides high-level descriptions of OPEN systems compatibility,
support, and configuration.
Open-systems compatibility and functionality
The Virtual Storage Platform supports and offers many features and
functions for the open-systems environment, including:
• Multi-initiator I/O configurations in which multiple host systems are
attached to the same fibre-channel interface
• Fibre-channel arbitrated-loop (FC-AL) and fabric topologies
• Command tag queuing
• Industry-standard failover and logical volume management software
• SNMP remote storage system management
The Virtual Storage Platform’s global cache enables any fibre-channel port
to have access to any logical unit in the storage system. In the Virtual
Storage Platform, each logical unit can be assigned to multiple fibre-channel
ports to provide I/O path failover and/or load balancing (with the
appropriate middleware support, such as HGLAM) without sacrificing cache
coherency.
The user should plan for path failover (alternate pathing) to ensure the
highest data availability. The logical units can be mapped for access from
multiple ports and/or multiple target IDs. The number of connected hosts is
limited only by the number of FC ports installed and the requirement for
alternate pathing within each host. If possible, the primary path and
alternate paths should be attached to different channel cards.
Open-systems host platform support
The Virtual Storage Platform supports most major open-system operating
systems, such as Microsoft Windows, Oracle Solaris, IBM AIX, Linux, HP-UX,
and VMware. For more complete information on the supported operating
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