Alletra 5010 FC with vsphere 7 and HPE Storage Connection Manager

[Pazzoide1976]

Alletra 5010 FC with vsphere 7 and HPE Storage Connection Manager
HI,
I have a question to ask.
I have to install an Alletra 5010, with fc connectivity, in a Vsphere 7.0 u3 cluster.
My question is:
For multipath, is it necessary to install HPE Storage Connection Manager or can I use the native vmware one?

Thank you

Greetings

[support_s]

System recommended content:

1. HPE Emulex FC HBA - HPE ProLiant Servers Running VMware ESXi 7.0 U3 And Configured With Certain Fiber Channel Adapters (FC HBA) May Experience Loss of Storage Connectivity

2. HPE Alletra 9000 VMware ESX/ESXi Implementation Guide

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[Pazzoide1976]

Thanks for the links you sent me.
I found the Installation Guide for HPE Alletra 5000 document.
On page 49 it says:
VMware Environments
HPE storage array integration with VMware consists of features preinstalled in the operating system and features installed
separately. The vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI) enable the WRITE SAME, UNMAP, ATS, Copy Offload, and XCOPY
APIs. The HPE vCenter plugin creates and manages datastores on the storage array.The OS also includes a VASA Provider
for vVol support. VMware Synchronized Snapshots enable application consistent snapshots within VMware environments.
SRA for SRM lets you set up disaster recovery plans. Connection Manager installs on the ESXi host and consists of two
components:
• HPE Storage Connection Service – CIM provider. Optimized connection management.
• HPE Storage Path Selection Plugin – Optimized path management.
See the VMware Integration Guide for more information.

Reading the VMware Integration Guide https://infosight.hpe.com/InfoSight/media/cms/active/public/pubs_VMware_Integration_Guide_6_1_2_x.whz/index.html it says:
NOTE: To achieve optional I/O performance on HPE Storage devices, HPE recommends using HPE Storage Connection Manager for automatic iSCSI session management and for optimal path selection in both FC and iSCSI environments. HPE Storage Connection Manager is required in environments that use striped pools as well as environments that use the volume migration feature to ensure traffic is directed to the optimal array
Components: Connection Service and HPE Storage Path Selection Plugin (PSP)

Also in the following post https://community.hpe.com/t5/array-setup-and-networking/ncm-required-for-vmware-that-is-fc-connected/td-p/7179898 it is recommended to install NCM.

At this point should NCM be installed or not?

Thank you

[Mahesh202 · Accepted solution]

Hi Pazzoide1976

Yes, it is recommended to install NCM. HPE recommends using HPE Storage Connection Manager or Automatic iSCSI session management for optimal path selection in FC and iSCSI environments.

I hope this helps.!!

Regards
Mahesh.