Guidelines for configuring ports on your storage subsystem

Redundant port configuration

Always configure ports in pairs. Each port in a redundant pair of ports must be configured the same way.

Sharing LUNs in a parity group

LUNs in a parity group can be shared between gFiler gateways and non-gFiler hosts.

gFiler sharing channel adapter ports with other hosts

If you are using the host group feature on your storage subsystem, you can share channel adapter ports among gFiler gateways and non-gFiler hosts.

gFiler ports in a host group

If you create a host group, include all ports of the gFiler or gFiler cluster in the host group. The gFiler is limited to one host group per port and the maximum number of LUNs per host group in that port. If this maximum number of LUNs is smaller than the maximum number of LUNs that the gFiler node or cluster needs, you must add more ports on the storage subsystem to obtain the maximum number of LUNs that the node can support. You cannot just add another host group on the existing port for the gFiler to increase the number of LUNs.

Preventing overwriting of data

To prevent overwriting of data, gFiler gateways and non-gFiler hosts must not share each other's LUNs. You can prevent overwriting of data by other hosts by using one of the following methods:

Configuring switch zoning
gFiler gateways and non-gFiler hosts can share the same switch if you configure switch zoning. See your third-party switch documentation for details about zoning.
Configuring the LUN access controls on the storage subsystem

Guidelines for configuring Fibre Channel ports

After selecting the Fibre Channel port you want to configure, use the following guidelines to set port options on the UI of your storage subsystem.

Port parameter		Guideline
Port address		Any port address
Fibre Channel topology	Whether a fabric switch is used--Fabric ON or OFF	Select whether a fabric switch is used to connect the gFiler to the storage subsystem. If you use a fabric switch, select Fabric ON. If not, select Fabric OFF.
Fibre Channel topology	Connection type--Fibre Channel or Point-to-Point	Select whether the connection type is Fibre Channel or Point-to-Point. If you use a fabric switch, select point-to-point. If not, that is, if the gFiler is directly connected to the storage subsystem, select Fibre Channel.
Host speed--1 or 2 Gb/s, or Auto		Set channel speed to auto or 2 Gb/s.