Iscsi boot, Capacity, Link aggregation (bonding) – Lenovo Secure Managed Client User Manual
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iSCSI boot
Secure Managed Client conforms to the iSCSI standard protocol. Make sure that
port 3260 is not blocked so as not to block iSCSI traffic. For more information, see
The initial operating system (the boot manager) is loaded into the client through
an iSCSI boot by the NIC. The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
server must be configured to tell the NIC which iSCSI target to load. The DHCP
server conveys the IP address, the target name, and the Logical Unit Number
(LUN) number in the boot option of the DHCP configuration. The specific syntax
and method (or syntax or method) depends on the kind of DHCP server used in
the customer environment and is, therefore, beyond the scope of this book.
An iSCSI target is a string or tag that is recognized by the iSCSI target service as
mapping to a file or device. In the case of Secure Managed Client, the iSCSI service
runs in the storage array and the target (or tag) is generated by a combination of
the storage array and the LANDesk server. The prefix of the target name is
generated by the storage array so that it is guaranteed to be unique. The remainder
of the name is generated by LANDesk and is usually smcboot.
To find the boot manager target name, perform an iSCSI discovery to the storage
array IP address. This will return a list of targets in the storage array. One of these
targets should be the smcboot target. The DHCP server should set the target name
in the iSCSI boot configuration to be this name (including the storage
array-generated unique prefix). If the IP address is statically assigned, the LUN
will normally be 0.
Capacity
The general activity generated by Secure Managed Client is relatively small, but
the network should be designed for peak capacity. While peak access on different
systems will rarely occur at the same time, there may be times when several
systems are booting at the same time. The network topology should be created
with these times, known as boot storms, in mind.
A single 100 Mb line is able to support a single user but as multiple clients added,
the capacity of the 100 Mb line will be exceeded and you might need a 1 Gb line.
A 1 Gb line can carry the peak traffic of 20 to 25 clients. More clients will require
multiple lines.
Link aggregation (Bonding)
If the number of clients through a particular link exceeds 20 to 25, then multiple
physical links can be combined into a single logical link with greater capacity. Link
aggregation is in accordance with ISO 802.3AD but varies by switch manufacturer.
In the Secure Managed Client solution, a 6-wide aggregate link is used between the
storage array and the main switch. This allows the storage array to have a single
IP address and have enough network capacity for up to 100 clients.
Chapter 3. Networking considerations
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