HP StorageWorks EVA 4400 controller issues

[WojinRina]

Hi all, after Goggle has failed me I am hoping someone here might have some experience with HP Storage Works EVAs and can shed some light on my issues.

I recently got this EVA 4400 with a HSV300 controller and 3 shelf's of disks.

When I first got it I booted it up and checked the controllers were working and found no issues. I switched it off and left it for several weeks, I came back to it recently and found the controllers in the controllers are not registering (see screen shot), I fear they are both dead, or the management model is faulty.

When I try and initialize the system or set the world wide name is says the API is not ready, if I change the IP it says it is done but never reboots as it should according to the manual. If I manually reboot it after an IP change the system never comes back online.

As you might be able to tell I have never set up a fibre channel SAN before and I am unsure what to do next, if anyone has any ideas that would be great but general questions below:

1. has any one seen anything like this before?

2. if the controllers are dead I am guessing the shelf's of disks can not be used as a SAS expander-type deal with another system via fibre?

3. all of the disks are fibre channel and look like some sort of mini SAS connection. Do they make back plains in this standard for White Box? Is it even worth trying to salvage the disks.

[bennyb]

Please forward the screenshot if you still need assistance here.  We have been repairing and resolving issues a bunch of these recently, I'm sure we can assist.

A couple of notes;

Check the Cache Battery Subsystem - These batteries are at the age where they will start failing.  Dead or batteries with too low of a charge are the source of many issues, including the controllers giving the appearance they are bad.

Check that the system has a minimum of 8 disks and that the disk shelves are properly cabled so you have good loops.

Check that the Management Module Firmware is compatible with the controller XCS code.  - If the system was up and stable, then this wouldn't be the issue.

1. has any one seen anything like this before? - Yes

2. if the controllers are dead I am guessing the shelf's of disks can not be used as a SAS expander-type deal with another system via fibre? Correct, they can however be attached to a fibre channel HBA if you don't want the resiliency of the EVA architecture. 

3. all of the disks are fibre channel and look like some sort of mini SAS connection. Do they make back plains in this standard for White Box? Is it even worth trying to salvage the disks? - I Would focus on getting the EVA in working order.  Without the controllers, the disks aren't of much use, even with an HBA hooked up unless you want to run windows based software-based raid or something of the sorts.