Fibre Channel hardware configuration

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Fibre Channel hardware configuration

When using Fibre Channel for a cluster, note the following details:

  • The Fibre Channel systems are listed in a separate section of the Windows Catalog at Support resources. To list all compatible Fibre Channel devices, select All in Device Type, then in Model search for Fibre Channel.

  • Your Fibre Channel disks are managed just like any other disk connected to a storage bus.

  • The Fibre Channel controller ID is preconfigured with a unique ID. This simplifies your hardware setup because you do not need to manually configure each cluster node with a separate ID.

The figure shows a Fibre Channel cluster with a fiber switch or hub. Fiber optic cable runs between a node's Fibre Channel controller and the fiber switch or hub. The device bus between the switch or hub is fiber.

Fibre Channel Cluster

For more information about the types of storage you can use in a server cluster running Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition or Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, see Server clusters overview.