Number Of Paths Required Per Initiator; Use Of Isns; Use Of Iscsi Ports; Balancing The Load - HP StorageWorks 6100 - Enterprise Virtual Array User Manual

Number of paths required per initiator

After establishing the number of initiators, determine how many paths are required by each. The
number of connections per blade is finite, and every initiator login constitutes a connection to the
MPX200. In a multipath environment, HP recommends a minimum of one connection per blade;
high-performance applications may require up to four connections per blade (a total of eight).

Use of iSNS

The MPX200 presents one iSCSI target for each virtual port group (VPG) (a total of four). Each initiator,
therefore, discovers four times the number of FC targets. HP recommends that you use iSNS to present
to the initiator only the required iSCSI targets.

Use of iSCSI ports

When configuring the MPX200 for iSCSI, there are four available iSCSI ports per blade. For high
performance and maximum initiator connectivity, HP recommends that you use all available ports.

Balancing the load

HP recommends that you use all iSCSI ports for both 1-GbE and 10-GbE blades. If multiple 1-GbE
initiators are required, ensure that logins are spread across all 1-GbE ports. For 10-GbE blades, you
can place a higher number of initiators on the 10-GbE ports than on the 1-GbE ports.

10-GbE initiators

HP recommends that you map servers with 10-GbE NICs for login to the 10-GbE ports on the MPX200.

CHAP security

You can configure the Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) on the MPX200. CHAP
is a security protocol that supports the bi-directional (mutual) authentication option and the one-way
(target) authentication option. The target MPX200 can have a unique password for the one-way CHAP
option. The initiator can have a unique password for the bi-directional CHAP option with the target
MPX200.
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