## About Allocating Ports

The service panel has three sections: the top section is the Service Processor panel and the middle and bottom sections are the I/O panel. The service panel provides ports for both data host connections and storage connections.

As a guideline, use the four leftmost ports, ports 1 - 4, to connect to data hosts, and use the four rightmost ports, ports 5 - 8, to connect to the arrays in the system. However, you can allocate the ports as needed, depending on the number of arrays.

For example, if your site has fewer than four arrays in a single-cabinet system connected to a storage resource card (SRC) set, the unused ports can be used for connecting more than four data hosts, subject to the following limitations:

- The total number of hosts that can be connected directly to each SRC set is limited by the number of initiators each host has and by the number of arrays. If you need to connect more than the maximum number of initiators that are supported by the number of SRCs, you must add a front-end switch and connect the ports to the switches outside the system.
- The number and configuration of arrays that can be installed in expansion cabinets is limited by the number and configuration of arrays in the base cabinet and the number of Fibre Channel (FC) ports dedicated to hosts.

### Related Topics

- About SRC Sets
- Guidelines for Fibre Channel Port Connections