General requirements for attaching a host

Before you attach a host to the DS8000® storage system, review this list of general requirements for all hosts. Then, review the specific requirements that are described in the section for each host type.

Complete the following steps before you attach a DS8000 to any host system.

1. Go to the IBM® System Storage® Interoperation Center (SSIC) website for the most current information on supported hosts, operating systems, adapters, and switches.
2. Obtain a list of supported host bus adapters (HBAs), firmware, and device driver information for your host system and host adapter on the IBM System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC) website.
3. Have an IBM service support representative install the storage system.
4. Check the volume or logical unit number (LUN) limitations for your host system and verify that enough adapters are installed on the server to manage the total number of volumes or LUNs that you want to attach.
5. Review the I/O adapter features section of the IBM DS8000 Introduction and Planning Guide for detailed host adapter configuration rules and for information about host adapter and cable feature codes, host adapter balancing for optimal performance, and supported cabling distances. To find the appropriate Introduction and Planning Guide for your model, see the publications topic.
6. Use the DS8000 Storage Management GUI or the DS8000 command-line interface (DS CLI) to define the host and I/O port configurations.
7. Install the adapter driver with your host adapter or use the steps that are defined in the section on downloading and installing a host bus adapter driver.
8. For further host attachment details, refer to the section dedicated to your host operating system.