topic Re: Network / Switch configuration for MSA2052 in MSA Storage

Network / Switch configuration for MSA2052

bdgarcia — Sat, 14 Mar 2020 23:00:43 GMT

Hi,

I am setting up a two node Windows Server 2019 Hyper V Cluster. I amplanning to use two 10 Gbe links from each controller to the storage VLAN on my C9300 switches. What is unclear to me is do I set this into on big LACP group or do I do something else. I plan to use Windows Server 2019 and MPIO. I plan to have a two node cluster, with two 10 Gbe links from each server. I am again assumming I should setup the these as an LACP group from both the Windows Server and the swith perspective.

Also, doe the MSA2052 support LACP groups, and does it support tagged VLAN traffic, or do I need to set the storage VLAN as the native VLAN on the switch ports?

I have tried to search for answers for this, but I have not found any document or article on netwoking best practices for the MSA2052, Cisco Catatalyst 9300, and Windows Server 2019 HyperV Cluster.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thx

Bryan

Re: Network / Switch configuration for MSA2052

parnassus — Sat, 14 Mar 2020 23:40:17 GMT

Have a look here for Best Practices: https://h20195.www2.hpe.com/v2/getpdf.aspx/A00015961ENW.pdf

It seems to me that LACP and MPIO are somewhat exclusive each other...in any case LACP requires that physical member links are co-terminus on the same switching entity (a physical standalone switch or a virtual switch made of two or more ones using IRF, VSS, VSF, VSX or MC-LAGs technologies).

Re: Network / Switch configuration for MSA2052

bdgarcia — Sat, 14 Mar 2020 23:58:32 GMT

Unfortunately that document is basically silent on network configuration.

Sent from my iPhone

Re: Network / Switch configuration for MSA2052

parnassus — Sun, 15 Mar 2020 15:48:17 GMT

The MSA 2052 (SAN) doesn't support LACP on its Controllers' host ports facing the storage network(s) so you need to rely on MPIO or MCS implementations (references here, here, here, here and here <-- look for any reference about SAN iSCSI topology, SAN cabling and/or controllers' host ports configuration through CLI/SMU)...I think that topologically speaking if two 10G Switches are going to be used between your hosts and the MSA SAN controllers - so for your storage network portion or along with the production network - you could deploy these two Switches as either an IRF stack (AKA adopting the virtual switching approach) or as two standalone separate devices...in both cases LACP between MSA host ports and those Switches is not supported. Production Network links can instead be deployed using LACP between your hosts and the above switches (if collapsed approach is used) or to other if you segregate Storage/Production networks using totally different devices.

Edit: I think I found the document you can use as generic baseline for your iSCSI deployment. It's not based around MSA storage series but it explains some concepts and provide some suggestions that can be easily generalized (Network best practices, VLAN Tagging, iSCSI MPIO, etc.). It also treat separated storage/production or collapsed storage+production network scenarios (clearly all is biased on HPE FlexNetwork/FlexFabric Ethernet Switch series implementations - Standalone or IRF - that support FCoE/iSCSI protocols on their ethernet ports and HPE ProLiant servers hosts). Download it here. I admin I wasn't able to find a Validated Reference Design (VRD) about HPE MSA 2052 (or just 2050) SAN using iSCSI with possible detailed networking scenarios explained.