topic Re: How to connect fibre channel cards to network storage in Operating System - OpenVMS

How to connect fibre channel cards to network storage

sandyt — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:49:37 GMT

We have an alpha server ds25 with a qlogic fc card. We want to try and connect to a netapp appliance "back2back", but wwidmgr does not detect the luns. Is this possible to do, or is it possible only with a FC switch?

Thanks

Re: How to connect fibre channel cards to network storage

Hoff — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:24:03 GMT

This comes up regularly (often enough that I've written and posted this), and is surprisingly poorly documented, or not documented where folks are looking for these details...

OpenVMS requires a fibre channel switch.

OpenVMS does not support fibre channel arbitrated loop configurations.

OpenVMS typically does not support NetApp storage controllers, which means that device may or may not work with OpenVMS.

And while we're at it...

OpenVMS does not support iSCSI-based nor other NAS controllers, and support for the iSCSI prototype kit was limited to a single HP NAS storage controller, and support for that configuration was subsequently withdrawn.

And FWIW, fibre switches are available for little money on various used-equipment sites and providers, and some storage controllers do incorporate switches. Without specific details of the NetApp device, that's not something that can be determined.

Re: How to connect fibre channel cards to network storage

Craig A Berry — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:05:27 GMT

NetApp SANs may not be supported on VMS by HP, but they are supported by NetApp. Or at least some of them are, as NetApp certainly has more than one widget on the market.

You have to take additional steps on the SAN to prepare it for use by VMS. Basically you have to create a dummy LUN 0, and then for each data LUN you have to assign a Vendor Unique Identifier (UDID). If I remember correctly, the UDID becomes part of the device name, so, e.g., if you give it a value of 17, your device name visible from OpenVMS will be something like $1$DGA17:.

Since the support comes from NetApp, not HP, your best bet would be to consult your NetApp documentation or contact the vendor. I recall seeing a NetApp-written document entitled something like 'NetApp OpenVMS Guide to Best Practices."

Re: How to connect fibre channel cards to network storage

Craig A Berry — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:17:09 GMT

And that slightly stale but still functional document appears to be available from NetApp OpenVMS Guide to Best Practices.

Re: How to connect fibre channel cards to network storage

sandyt — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:50:17 GMT

Thanks for the input. We have actually been using netapp storage for over a year now with no major issues, but indeed via a switch. I asked the question because we are setting up a DRP site, and the netapp support people

thought that it would work.

Re: How to connect fibre channel cards to network storage

Hoff — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:45:55 GMT

I rest my case.