Troubleshooting Physical Connectivity Problems
When experiencing problems with iSCSI host ports, always first check for simple connectivity issues (see
Basic Cabling, Power and Switch Issues). If problems persist, refer to the following table:
Table 4. Diagnosing iSCSI Host Port Connectivity
Issue/Problem
Experiencing physical link errors or
unable to successfully establish iSCSI
sessions
Suspected bad cable
No link LEDs visible on RAID
controller (rear)
Does the network switch and iSCSI
host port speed match?
Recommendation
Verify that a supported cable is connected from the
iSCSI host port(s) of the RAID controller module to
either:
(1) an industry-standard network switch
or
(2) directly to the iSCSI initiator on the host server
Recommended
Cable
CAT 6A or better
CAT 5E or better
Replace the suspected bad cable with a known good
cable. If problems persist, cable is probably OK.
If you are using a network switch, verify that it is
powered on and Ethernet ports on both the network
switch and RAID controller module are active. Also,
make sure the storage array enclosure is powered
on.
NOTE: For any iSCSI host port shown in MDSM, verify its
connection state as either Connected or
Disconnected in the Configure iSCSI Host Ports
window.
Network switch and iSCSI host port speeds must
match (or at least not exceed the capability of the
switch).
NOTE: iSCSI host ports can only auto-negotiate to port
speeds set in MD Storage Manager. Additionally,
the storage array will not downward auto-
negotiate (for example, will not automatically
auto-negotiate a 10Gb port setting down to a 1Gb
speed if a 1Gb switch is connected).
Any down-speed link setting/component in a
network configuration will impact throughout,
regardless of the speed of other components.
Maximum Speed
10Gbps (MD3600i-series)
1Gbps (MD3200i-series)
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