146 IBM Midrange System Storage Hardware Guide
Host agent (in-band) management method
When the host agent (in-band) management method is used, the storage systems are
managed through the Fibre Channel or iSCSI I/O path from the host server. This requires
installation of the Storage Manager agent (SMagent) package. The management information
can either be processed on the host server or passed to the management station through the
network connection, as shown in Figure 4-13.
Figure 4-13 In-band management
Managing storage systems through the host agent has the following advantages:
Ethernet cables do not need to be run to the controllers’ management ports.
A host name or IP address must only be specified for the host instead of for the individual
controllers in a storage system. Storage systems that are attached to the host can be
automatically discovered.
Managing storage systems through the host agent has the following disadvantages:
The host agent requires a special logical drive, called the
access logical drive, to
communicate with the controllers in the storage system. Therefore, the host server is
limited to one less logical drive than the maximum number that is allowed by the operating
system and the host adapter that is being used. Not all operating systems support the
access logical drive. In-band management is not supported on these systems.
If the connection through the Fibre Channel or iSCSI path is lost between the host and the
server, the server cannot be managed or monitored.
Important: If a host already has the maximum number of logical drives configured, either
use the direct management method or give up a logical drive for use as the access logical
drive.
PC workstation
with SMclient
Host server with
SMagent
DS5000 Storage Controller
LAN
SAN Fabric
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