IBM Support

Requirement for installation of N series Host Utilities

Troubleshooting


Problem

Installation of N series Host Utilities is required for hosts attached via SAN protocols (FCP, iSCSI and FCoE) to IBM® System Storage™ N series systems to ensure configuration requirements are met and your storage system is supported.

Environment

SAN connected storage (FCP, iSCSI and FCoE protocols)

Resolving The Problem


The N series Host Utilities enable proper connection and support from host computers to IBM N series storage systems running Data ONTAP licensed for FC (Fibre Channel), iSCSI or Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE).

The Host Utilities consist of program files that retrieve important information about the storage systems (both N series and other storage devices) and servers connected to the SAN. The Host Utilities also contain scripts that configure important settings on your host computer during installation. The scripts can be run manually on the host computer at a later time to restore these configuration settings.

The Host Utility software is retained in a software package that corresponds to the operating system on your host computer. Each software package for a supported operating system will contain a single compressed file for each supported release of the Host Utilities. You choose the appropriate release of the Host Utilities for your host computer, and you use the compressed file to install the Host Utilities software on your host computer as explained in the Host Utilities release's installation and setup guide. The software packages and publications for the Host Utilities are accessed from the N series Support Web Site:

www.ibm.com/storage/support/nas

Installation of N series Host Utilities is required for hosts that are attached to N series and other vendors' storage arrays (including IBM) to ensure IBM configuration requirements (such as timeout settings) are met.

For the most up-to-date information on the system requirements for such things as data access protocols, versions of host OS, and releases of the Host Utilities, refer to the SAN Connectivity for FC and iSCSI protocols matrix that is available on the IBM NAS interoperability Web site:

www.ibm.com/systems/storage/network/interophome.html



Note: Refer to the 'Intro' tab on SAN matrix spreadsheet for details on support requirements for such things as Host Utilities, supported Operating Systems (including virtual environments such as VMware with a Guest OS), Shared SAN Host Support for Heterogeneous Storage Support, Nondisruptive Upgrade, and End-of-Life support.

For more information on N series SAN protocols, refer to the following documentation available on the N series Support Web Site:
  • Publications Matrices and Release Notes for the appropriate release of the Host Utilities provided for the AIX, ESX (VMware), HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, and Windows (DSM / MPIO) operating systems.
  • The "Block Access Management Guide for iSCSI and FCP" for the Data ONTAP release used on your storage system. For example, the "Data ONTAP 7.3 Block Access Management Guide for iSCSI and FCP" includes the following topics:
    • Introduction to block access
    • How hosts connect to storage systems
    • What Host Utilities are

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Document Information

Modified date:
04 November 2021

UID

ssg1S1003647

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