Configuring VSS in a physical environment using Fibre Channel

You can use Fibre Channel (FC) when configuring the VSS provider in a physical environment.

1. Connect to the storage machine using Common Information Model Object Manager (CIMOM).
2. Create the free pool and reserved pool for VSS. Define the virtual hosts VSS_FREE_POOL and VSS_RESERVED_POOL on the storage system with the following example world wide port name (WWPN): 5000000000000000 and 5000000000000001.

   Note: In a multiple host environment where hosts are connecting to the same storage, a common reserved pool and a common free pool must be created on the storage. Every host uses the common free pool and the common reserved pool.

3. Issue the following commands to set the example WWPN of the free pool and the reserved pool:
   • ibmvcfg set vssFreeInitiator
   • ibmvcfg set vssReservedInitiator
4. Map source volumes to the physical machine by FC.
5. Map the target volumes to the free pool.

   Note: Enable multiple path input/output (MPIO) with the appropriate vendor DSM if you configure multiple paths from the host to the storage array.