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Considerations for FC configurations overview

Contributors netapp-ahibbard netapp-thomi

You should be aware of several things when setting up your FC configuration.

  • You can set up your FC configuration with single nodes or HA pairs using a single fabric or multifabric.

  • You should configure two FC data LIFs per node.

    This creates redundancy and protects against loss of data access.

  • You should configure one management LIF for every storage virtual machine (SVM) supporting SAN.

  • Multiple hosts, using different operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, or UNIX, can access the storage solution at the same time.

    Hosts require that a supported multipathing solution be installed and configured. Supported operating systems and multipathing solutions can be verified on the Interoperability Matrix.

  • ONTAP supports single, dual, or multiple node solutions that are connected to multiple physically independent storage fabrics; a minimum of two are recommended for SAN solutions.

    This provides redundancy at the fabric and storage system layers. Redundancy is particularly important because these layers typically support many hosts.

  • The use of heterogeneous FC switch fabrics is not supported, except in the case of embedded blade switches.

    Specific exceptions are listed on the Interoperability Matrix.

  • Cascade, partial mesh, full mesh, core-edge, and director fabrics are all industry-standard methods of connecting FC switches to a fabric, and all are supported.

    A fabric can consist of one or multiple switches, and the storage controllers can be connected to multiple switches.