Dell EMC SC Series Storage and Microsoft Multipath IO Documentation and User Guide
Summary
Dell EMC Best Practices for SC Series Storage and Microsoft Multipath I/O (MPIO). This document provides an overview of Microsoft MPIO and best practice guidelines for configuring MPIO on Windows Server with Dell EMC SC Series storage. It covers iSCSI initiator setup, recommended hotfixes, registry values, SAS front-end configuration, and Live Volume ALUA support. Target users: Storage administrators and IT professionals configuring multipath I/O for Dell EMC SC Series storage arrays.
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Dell EMC SC Series Storage and Microsoft Multipath I/O
Abstract This document provides an overview of Microsoft® Multipath I/O (MPIO) along with best practice guidelines for configuring MPIO on Microsoft Windows Server® with Dell EMC™ SC Series storage.
July 2018
Dell EMC Best Practices
Page Summary Contents For Dell EMC SC Series Storage and Microsoft Multipath IO Documentation and User Guide
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Dell EMC SC Series Storage and Microsoft Multipath I/O Abstract This document provides an overview of Microsoft® Multipath I/O (MPIO) along with best practice guidelines for configuring MPIO on Micros...
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Revisions Revisions Date Description October 2010 Initial release October 2010 Corrected errors November 2011 Additional content on Microsoft® Windows Server® Core October 2012 Updated to include Wind...
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Table of contents Table of contents Revisions..............................................................................................................................................................
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Table of contents 5.3.1 Using the disk management GUI: ..................................................................................................................... 23 5.3.2 Using the MPCLAIM ...
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Preface 1 Preface This document provides an overview of Microsoft® Multipath I/O (MPIO) along with best practice guidelines for configuring MPIO on Microsoft Windows Server® 2008 R2, 2012, 2012 R2, an...
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Introduction to Microsoft Multipath I/O 2 Introduction to Microsoft Multipath I/O Microsoft MPIO is a framework that allows administrators to configure load balancing and failover processes for Fibre ...
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Introduction to Microsoft Multipath I/O Figure 1 shows an example cable configuration using legacy port mode. Each color represents a separate fault domain. Server 750W 750W i DRAC FC switches Fabric ...
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Introduction to Microsoft Multipath I/O A virtual front-end port configuration with i SCSI fault domains (FD 1 and FD 2 in Figure 3) is similar to FC. Server 750W 750W i DRAC 10G data switches i SCSI ...
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Introduction to Microsoft Multipath I/O 2.1.3 SAS front-end support Select SC Series arrays support SAS front-end (FE) ports for MPIO connectivity. With SAS FE, host servers are connected directly to ...
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Install the MPIO feature 3 Install the MPIO feature Microsoft includes a built-in DSM for Windows Server 2008 and newer that manages all aspects of failover and load balancing. SC Series storage uses ...
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Install the MPIO feature 3.2 Windows Server 2012 or later The MPIO feature can be installed on Windows Server 2012 or later using the Server Manager GUI or through the MPIO module in Microsoft Power S...
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Configure server objects on SC Series storage 4 Configure server objects on SC Series storage Follow the steps in this section to configure Windows Server objects on SC Series storage. These steps ass...
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Configure server objects on SC Series storage 3. Review the prerequisites and click Next. 4. If more than one SC Series array is available, select the desired array and click Next. 5. The wizard will ...
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Configure server objects on SC Series storage 4. For each HBA, perform Scan Fibre Devices. The HBA will scan the fabric looking for storage devices. Although none will be found at this point, this adv...
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Configure server objects on SC Series storage 4.3 Manual server configuration with i SCSI Use the Configure this host to access a Storage Center option in the Dell Storage Manager client to automatica...
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Configure server objects on SC Series storage 8. From the Local adapter drop-down menu, select Microsoft i SCSI Initiator. From the Initiator IP drop-down menu, select the local IP address of the serv...
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Configure server objects on SC Series storage 15. On the Connect To Target screen, verify that both Add this connection to the list of Favorite Targets and Enable multi-path are checked. 16. Click Adv...
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Configure server objects on SC Series storage 21. When finished, verify that all targets show with a status of Connected. 22. Click OK to exit the i SCSI Initiator Properties window. 23. Log in to the...
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Configure server objects on SC Series storage 4.4 Restrict volume mapping paths On an SC Series array that is configured to use both FC and i SCSI, it is possible to configure hosts to use FC, i SCSI,...
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Configure MPIO 5 Configure MPIO This section describes how to associate the Microsoft DSM with SC Series volumes and how to set up and configure the Microsoft DSM based on the failover and load-balanc...
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Configure MPIO 6. After rebooting, open the MPIO configuration tool and verify that COMPELNTCompellent Vol is listed under Devices under the MPIO Devices tab. 7. Click OK to close the window. 5.1.2 Us...
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Configure MPIO 3. Once the server reboots, use Disk Management to verify that the configuration is correct. There should only be one instance of each SAN volume listed in Disk Management. 5.2 Changing...
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Configure MPIO 5.2.2 Using Power Shell (Windows Server 2012 or later) The MPIO module in Power Shell can be used to set the host server default load balance policy. For example, to change the default ...
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Configure MPIO 5. From the drop-down menu, select the appropriate MPIO policy for the volume. Make sure the chosen policy is supported or Windows will revert to the current default policy. 5.3.2 Using...
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Configure MPIO Refer to Table 1 for a list of load balance policies and the associated numbers for the MPCLAIM command. To change the load balance policy of MPIO disk 2 from failover only to round rob...
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Windows Server single-path and MPIO configuration recommendations for SC Series storage A Windows Server single-path and MPIO configuration recommendations for SC Series storage Observe the following ...
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Windows Server single-path and MPIO configuration recommendations for SC Series storage A.2 Recommended updates and hotfixes for Windows Server 2012 (non-R2 version) See the Microsoft Update Catalog a...
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Windows Server single-path and MPIO configuration recommendations for SC Series storage Note: Recommended registry settings apply to all versions of Windows Server unless directly specified. Recommend...
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Windows Server single-path and MPIO configuration recommendations for SC Series storage Default Recommended Setting name Description value value Retry Interval This setting specifies the interval of t...
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Windows Server single-path and MPIO configuration recommendations for SC Series storage Note: The registry settings in Table 5 need to be created on a Windows Server 2008 R2 server. Both settings shou...
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Windows Server single-path and MPIO configuration recommendations for SC Series storage A.5 i SCSI initiator settings (single-path and MPIO) This appendix contains recommended changes for i SCSI initi...
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Windows Server single-path and MPIO configuration recommendations for SC Series storage Default Recommended Setting name Description value value Max Burst Length This is the negotiated Max Burst Lengt...
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Windows Server single-path and MPIO configuration recommendations for SC Series storage Disable Nagle’s Algorithm: To disable delayed ACK and Nagle’s algorithm, create the following DWORD 32-bit entri...
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Windows Server single-path and MPIO configuration recommendations for SC Series storage A.6 Power Shell script The following Power Shell script is provided as-is, with no warranty or guarantee of any ...
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Windows Server single-path and MPIO configuration recommendations for SC Series storage # i SCSI settings If ( ( Get-Service -Name "MSi SCSI" ).Status -eq "Running" ) # Get the reg...
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Additional resources B Additional resources B.1 Technical support and resources Dell.com/support is focused on meeting customer needs with proven services and support. Dell Tech Center is an online te...
Manual Details
| Brand | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Pages | 36 |
| File Size | 1.98 MB |
| Published | May 26, 2026 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of this document?
It provides an overview and best practice guidelines for configuring Microsoft Multipath I/O (MPIO) on Windows Server with Dell EMC SC Series storage.
How can I connect to the SC Series Storage?
Connections include legacy port mode, virtual port mode, or SAS front-end support.
What is required after adjusting MPIO registry settings?
The system must be restarted for the changes to take effect.
Where can I find additional technical support and resources?
Dell.com/support is available for customer needs, and Dell TechCenter serves as an online community for IT professionals.