For hosts that cannot be automatically discovered, you can manually create a host. Creating a host is one of the steps required to let the storage system know which hosts are attached to it and to allow I/O access to the volumes.

About this task

Keep these guidelines in mind when you create a host:

You must define the host identifier ports that are associated with the host.
Make sure that you provide the same name as the host’s assigned system name.
This operation does not succeed if the name you choose is already in use.
The length of the name cannot exceed 30 characters.

Steps

Select Storage > Hosts.
Click Create > Host.

The Create Host dialog box appears.

Select the settings for the host as appropriate.

Field details

Setting	Description
Name	Type a name for the new host.
Host operating system type	Select the operating system that is running on the new host from the drop-down list.
Host interface type	(Optional) If you have more than one type of host interface supported on your storage system, select the host interface type that you want to use.
Host ports	Do one of the following: Select I/O Interface Generally, the host ports should have logged in and be available from the drop-down list. You can select the host port identifiers from the list. Manual add If a host port identifier is not displayed in the list, it means that the host port has not logged in. An HBA utility or the iSCSI initiator utility may be used to find the host port identifiers and associate them with the host. You can manually enter the host port identifiers or copy/paste them from the utility (one at a time) into the Host ports field. You must select one host port identifier at a time to associate it with the host, but you can continue to select as many identifiers that are associated with the host. Each identifier is displayed in the Host ports field. If necessary, you also can remove an identifier by selecting the X next to it.
CHAP initiator	(Optional) If you selected or manually entered a host port with an iSCSI IQN, and if you want to require a host that tries to access the storage system to authenticate using Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP), select the CHAP initiator checkbox. For each iSCSI host port you selected or manually entered, do the following: Enter the same CHAP secret that was set on each iSCSI host initiator for CHAP authentication. If you are using mutual CHAP authentication (two-way authentication that enables a host to validate itself to the storage system and for a storage system to validate itself to the host), you also must set the CHAP secret for the storage system at initial setup or by changing settings. Leave the field blank if you do not require host authentication. Currently, the only iSCSI authentication method used by SANtricity System Manager is CHAP.

Setting

Description

Name

Type a name for the new host.

Host operating system type

Select the operating system that is running on the new host from the drop-down list.

Host interface type

(Optional) If you have more than one type of host interface supported on your storage system, select the host interface type that you want to use.

Host ports

Do one of the following:

Select I/O Interface

Generally, the host ports should have logged in and be available from the drop-down list. You can select the host port identifiers from the list.
Manual add

If a host port identifier is not displayed in the list, it means that the host port has not logged in. An HBA utility or the iSCSI initiator utility may be used to find the host port identifiers and associate them with the host.

You can manually enter the host port identifiers or copy/paste them from the utility (one at a time) into the Host ports field.

You must select one host port identifier at a time to associate it with the host, but you can continue to select as many identifiers that are associated with the host. Each identifier is displayed in the Host ports field. If necessary, you also can remove an identifier by selecting the X next to it.

CHAP initiator

(Optional) If you selected or manually entered a host port with an iSCSI IQN, and if you want to require a host that tries to access the storage system to authenticate using Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP), select the CHAP initiator checkbox. For each iSCSI host port you selected or manually entered, do the following:

Enter the same CHAP secret that was set on each iSCSI host initiator for CHAP authentication. If you are using mutual CHAP authentication (two-way authentication that enables a host to validate itself to the storage system and for a storage system to validate itself to the host), you also must set the CHAP secret for the storage system at initial setup or by changing settings.
Leave the field blank if you do not require host authentication.

Currently, the only iSCSI authentication method used by SANtricity System Manager is CHAP.

Click Create.

Results

After the host is successfully created, the system creates a default name for each host port configured for the host (user label).

The default alias is <Hostname_Port Number>. For example, the default alias for the first port created for host IPT is IPT_1.