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EMULEX drivers
- Thread starter TudorP
- Start date
WhoKilledKenny
MIS
I looks like it depends on what you are using. SCSI connections (scsiport) or Fiber Chanel connections (FC port) to you external Device.
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From the Emulex tech support:
The main difference is how they are layered in the OS. The layering is as follows:
Storport Miniport (W2k3 only)
=======================
MS Class drivers
MS Storport driver
Emulex Storport mini port
HBA
Driver discovers target devices only. LUNs are discovered by the MS Storport driver. Requires a filter driver to handle persistent bindings and LUN masking. Does not generate any SCSI commands.
FC Port Driver (NT/W2K/W2K3)
=========================
MS Class drivers
Emulex FC port driver
HBA
Driver discovers both targets and LUNs. It generates 2 SCSI commands for device discovery only. Once the target is discovered, it is always persistently bound. LUNs can be mapped automatically or manually.
SCSIport Miniport (NT/W2K/W2K3)
============================
MS Class drivers
MS SCSI port driver
Emulex SCSI port mini port
HBA
Driver discovers the target device only. LUNs are discovered the MS SCSI port driver. Requires filter driver for Persistent bindings and LUN Making/unmasking. Does not generate any SCSI commands.
LUN discovery may have anomalies for device discovery (MS SCSI port driver). Must have LUN 0, and LUNs must be contiguous by default. May scan to LUN 7 is SCSI 2 device, unless registry parameters are defined for the MS SCSI port driver.
There were limitations on LUN discovery when using SCSI port mini port drivers because of how the MS SCSI port driver discovered the LUNs. The FC port driver was developed to overcome these limitations and to be FC aware. When W2K3 was released, MS released a new driver called Storport (Storage). It is a Storage driver that is SAN aware and does not have the limitations of LUN discovery that may occur with the SCSI port driver.
The main difference is how they are layered in the OS. The layering is as follows:
Storport Miniport (W2k3 only)
=======================
MS Class drivers
MS Storport driver
Emulex Storport mini port
HBA
Driver discovers target devices only. LUNs are discovered by the MS Storport driver. Requires a filter driver to handle persistent bindings and LUN masking. Does not generate any SCSI commands.
FC Port Driver (NT/W2K/W2K3)
=========================
MS Class drivers
Emulex FC port driver
HBA
Driver discovers both targets and LUNs. It generates 2 SCSI commands for device discovery only. Once the target is discovered, it is always persistently bound. LUNs can be mapped automatically or manually.
SCSIport Miniport (NT/W2K/W2K3)
============================
MS Class drivers
MS SCSI port driver
Emulex SCSI port mini port
HBA
Driver discovers the target device only. LUNs are discovered the MS SCSI port driver. Requires filter driver for Persistent bindings and LUN Making/unmasking. Does not generate any SCSI commands.
LUN discovery may have anomalies for device discovery (MS SCSI port driver). Must have LUN 0, and LUNs must be contiguous by default. May scan to LUN 7 is SCSI 2 device, unless registry parameters are defined for the MS SCSI port driver.
There were limitations on LUN discovery when using SCSI port mini port drivers because of how the MS SCSI port driver discovered the LUNs. The FC port driver was developed to overcome these limitations and to be FC aware. When W2K3 was released, MS released a new driver called Storport (Storage). It is a Storage driver that is SAN aware and does not have the limitations of LUN discovery that may occur with the SCSI port driver.
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