Getting Started With Your System 9
Preparing the Host Server
Supported Operating Systems
• Microsoft Windows Server
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 
•VMware 
  NOTE: For the latest information on all supported operating system versions, 
see the Support Matrix at support.dell.com/manuals.
Additional NICs for iSCSI
When installing additional NICs, it is recommended that:
• You use dedicated redundant storage networks for iSCSI traffic. 
If a dedicated network is not feasible, isolate the iSCSI traffic from 
general network traffic using virtual local area networks (VLAN). 
• You use additional NICs dedicated for iSCSI traffic. 
• The NICs must be added in pairs for redundancy. 
  NOTE: A single NIC is also supported.
NIC Configuration
In a SAN environment, depending on the number of switches, it is 
recommended that you use two unique subnets for iSCSI traffic. 
For direct-attached storage environments, each NIC directly connected to 
the PowerVault MD36xxi must be on a separate subnet. All host IP addresses 
must be configured before installing the MD storage software.