Configuring Ethernet portsets

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You can configure Ethernet portsets with the management GUI or the command-line interface (CLI). Portsets are groupings of logical addresses that are associated with the specific traffic types. The system supports both Fibre Channel and IP portsets for host attachment, IP portsets for backend storage connectivity, and IP replication traffic. The system supports a maximum of 72 portsets.

Each physical Ethernet Port can have maximum 64 IP addresses with each IP on unique portset. However, for each port IP address can be shared between multiple unique portsets for different functions. Each port can bind to only single IP address per portset for specific Ethernet functions like host attachment (iSCSI ), backend storage connectivity (iSCSI only), and IP replication. In most cases, host attach IP addresses can be separated by VLANs or subnets or a combination of both for multi-tenant scenarios. For cloud environments, each Ethernet port supports a maximum of two IP addresses and VLANs per port for multiple clients that share storage resources on the system.
Note: IBM® FlashSystem 7300 models do not support iSER-host attachment.

Using the management GUI

To configure portsets with the management GUI, complete the following steps:
  1. Select Settings > Network > Portsets.
  2. Select Create Portset.
  3. On the Create Portset page, enter a name of the portset, and select the one of these options for the portset type:
    Host attachment
    Indicates that the IP addresses that are added to the portset are used for host attachment only.
    Remote Copy
    Indicates that the IP addresses that are added to the portset are used for IP partnerships only.
  4. For the Port Type, select Ethernet.
  5. Select the ownership group for the portset. An ownership group defines a subset of users and objects within the system. You can create ownership groups to further restrict access to specific resources that are defined in the ownership group. Only users with Security Administrator roles can configure and manage ownership groups. Restricted users are those users who are defined to a specific ownership group and can only view or manage specific resources that are assigned to that ownership group. Unrestricted users are not defined to an ownership group and can manage any objects on the system based on their role on the system. When you define an ownership group for portsets, you can limit, and restrict users to view and manage only specific portsets.
  6. Click Create.
After you create the portsets, you can assign IP addresses to that portset by following steps:
  1. Select Settings > Network > Ethernet Ports.
  2. Right-click the port and select Manage IP addresses.
  3. On Manage IP Addresses page, select Add IP Address. Enter the following information for the IP address that you are adding to the selected port:
    IP address
    Enter the IP address to associate with the selected port.
    Type
    Select the IP protocol version of the IP address.
    Subnet Mask or Prefix
    Enter the subnet mask for the IPv4 addresses or enter the prefix for IPv6 addresses.
    VLAN
    Enter the corresponding VLAN tag that this IP address belongs to.
    Portset
    Select the name or ID of the portset and ensure that portset type matches the traffic type that is assigned to the port.
  4. Click Back to return to the Ethernet Ports page. Verify that the port displays the Configured state. Select another port and add more IP addresses to corresponding portsets.
  5. Right-click the port and select either Modify Remote Copy, Modify iSCSI hosts, or Modify Storage Ports. The traffic type for the port must match the traffic for the portset that you created.

After you create portsets and assign IP addresses, you can assign hosts, host clusters, and IP partnerships to the portset for those traffic types.

Using the CLI

You can use the command-line interface (CLI) to configure portsets. To configure portsets and assign IP addresses, complete these steps:
  1. To create a portset, enter the following command:
    mkportset -name portset_name -type portset_type -ownershipgroup owner_id | owner_name
    where portset_name is the name of the portset and portset_type is either host or replication. The value owner_id | owner_name indicates the ID or name of the ownership group to which the portset belongs. All are optional values and default host type portset is created.
  2. After creation of the portset for the traffic type, enter the following command to assign IP addresses to the portset:
    mkip -node node_name -port port_id -portset portset_id | portset_name -ip x.x.x.x.x -gw gateway -vlan vlan_id -prefix subnet_prefix
    where node_name is the name of the node; port_id is the port identifier; and portset_id | portset_name indicates the ID or name of the portset that was created earlier. Enter either a valid IPv4 or IPv6 address for -ip parameter. This address is assigned to the portset and more can be added to the portset through the mkip command.
  3. After you assign the IP addresses to portset, you can assign corresponding portset to host or IP partnerships function.