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XP12000 and Base-VxVM - What Path Protection fo You use?

 
Alzhy
Honored Contributor

XP12000 and Base-VxVM - What Path Protection fo You use?

Anyone using XP12000 storage with Base-VxVM (hence no DMP)? What path protection do you use? Has anyone successfully used AutoPath (now known as SecurePath/XP) with Base-VxVM?

Thanks!

Hakuna Matata.
8 REPLIES 8
Vincent Fleming
Honored Contributor

Re: XP12000 and Base-VxVM - What Path Protection fo You use?

I'm told they will work together - just build your VxVM volumes on top of the SecurePath "disks".

However, I haven't done this myself, so...

Give it a try, and do let us know how it works.

Cheers,

Vince
No matter where you go, there you are.
Alzhy
Honored Contributor

Re: XP12000 and Base-VxVM - What Path Protection fo You use?

It works alright - I supressed the other path from VxVM and carved my VxVM volumes using the "main path". However, during cable pull tests (to simulate FC link breakage) - AutoPath does not seem to work graciously with VxVM and the server simply panics.

Anyone know any tricks - kernel or autopath tunables perhaps ?

I am attaching a syslog snippet at the instant the cable was pulled and the server panic'd.
Hakuna Matata.
Alzhy
Honored Contributor

Re: XP12000 and Base-VxVM - What Path Protection fo You use?

Here's that attachment of the Syslog Messages..
Hakuna Matata.
Vincent Fleming
Honored Contributor

Re: XP12000 and Base-VxVM - What Path Protection fo You use?

Aha! Found it. There has been a patch issued to resolve this issue:

panic: assertion failed (lp != NULL) at line 7627 in /ux/core/kern/common/wsio/scsi_ctl.c

Description of the problem:

Panic in SCSI code "assertion failed (lp != NULL)" due to the fact that VxVM is doing I/O on a closed device.

Patches:
PHKL_29981 - HPUX 11.11
PHKL_31245 - HPUX 11.23

Apparently, it's a VxVM issue, not an AutoPath/SecurePath issue, though, as you have noted, SecurePath/EVA doesn't exhibit the problem.

Please apply the appropriate patch, and let us know if it fixes the problem.

Cheers,

Vince

No matter where you go, there you are.
Vincent Fleming
Honored Contributor

Re: XP12000 and Base-VxVM - What Path Protection fo You use?

Nelson,

Apparently, Veritas suggests using the ASL (Array Support Library) with XPs. Here's a link to their site where you can download it, if you haven't already:

http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/272356.htm

-Vince
No matter where you go, there you are.
Alzhy
Honored Contributor

Re: XP12000 and Base-VxVM - What Path Protection fo You use?

Vincent,

We actually have the VxVM patch albeit the latest one - PHKL_30756. During cable pull tests VxVM just does not jive well with AutoPath's gyrations of failing over I/O to the other surviving path -- possibly because its behaviour is different from SecurePath/EVA -- which maintains the HP-UX disk device while AutoPath (SecurePath/XP) does not.


Hakuna Matata.
Vincent Fleming
Honored Contributor

Re: XP12000 and Base-VxVM - What Path Protection fo You use?

Oh well... I guess it looks like you found something new.

I highly suggest that you call in a support ticket, and I'm sure the folks there can find out what the problem is, and either give you an existing patch that fixes the problem, or fix the code and issue you a patch to fix your system.

Of course I'm assuming that you're carrying support - something else that's highly suggested - for just this type of situation. Many products come with 1st year support or similar, so you may be covered even if you don't normally carry support because it's a new installation.

I hope you get this fixed quickly,

Vince
No matter where you go, there you are.
Alzhy
Honored Contributor

Re: XP12000 and Base-VxVM - What Path Protection fo You use?

Vincent,

HP came back to us ans imply stated that SecurePath 3.0E (the XP flavour OR autopath) simply does not support VxVM. It is in the release notes.

I think the problem from our perception are the varying statements of support at various weblinks/documents regarding SecurePath. In one there are claims SecurePath supports both EVA and XP and supports VxVM - but it tuens out only SecurePatt/EVA is supported whilst SecurePath/XP or AutoPath is not.

Hakuna Matata.