Connect & Configure 2x HP B-series 8/12c BladeSystem SAN Switches with external HP 8/8 SAN switches

[Pramod Unni]

Dear All,

I have 2xHP-B Series 8/12 Blade system san switches installed on c7000 enclosure & i have two external HP Storageworks 8/8 San switches and EVA 4400 as the storage.

By going through some of the previous posts and based on my understanding we need to change the domain IDs after disabling the switch & set the time out values etc..

Can someone clsrity the steps once again, on assiging the principal switch role & attaching the bladesystem san switches with the external san switches according to HP best practices.

Thanks & Regards,
Pramod.

[Johan Guldmyr]

Hi!

maybe you should read the HP SAN Design Reference Guide? (It's long, but it's good to read it at least once). But I don't know where to find the documentation that tells you exactly which parameters/settings that needs to be identical/the same for a merge.

--

The CLI command to configure DomainID is 'configure'. In there you get to decide a lot of things.

The switch timeout values etc needs to be the same.
'configshow -pattern fabric.ops' will show you what they are configured to.

But if you haven't set the switch back to factory defaults or changed them they should be the same. Then you just have to do the rest of the things required for a merge to take place.. like identical/no zoning. default zoning the same.

When you connect a switch to a switch and they don't merge you will get an error on the ports in 'switchshow' and quite possibly in 'errdump' as well.

[Pramod Unni]

Thanks for your response,

I believe with the 8Gbps Switches i will be able to configure the blade system SAN switches in Access Gateway Mode & use the NPIV feature right. I believe that wil be the best option right.

[Johan Guldmyr]

It is the best if you will expand with many more domains (each switch is a domain).

As far as I understand it AG is used so that you do not run out of domain ids.
But with four switches it will be quite a while before you do :)

You will still be able to use NPIV capable hosts on a switch that is not in AG mode.

[Pramod Unni]

Thank you for your response,

I was trying to merge process, after changing the domain IDs on both switches & disabling the mgmtplatform, the interop mode 1 mode option is not available with the latest version of fabric OS (6.3.1c).Can I select the mode 3 in this case.

What i would like to achieve is that (the internal blade system san switches (Int-blade system san switch connects to my external san switch 1 & int san sw2 to external san switch 2 for redundancy. I will create the zones on my external switch once i get the internal switch WWNs with the domain IDs.

Is this is the process i have to follow,in case if there is a better way or some place i am going wrong appreciate if someone can assist me.

Good Day,
Pramod.

[Johan Guldmyr]

You should use the native brocade interop mode .. if all your switches are brocade. Or do you haev more switches than the 8/8 and 8/12?

No, looks like a good idea.

C-class SAN SW1 -> External SAN SW1
C-class SAN SW2 -> External SAN SW2

Then you will have two fabrics. And then you can set up the portmapping in the c-class accordingly.

[Pramod Unni]

Thanks for the response,

All San Switches are Brocade at the moment, two of them 8Gbps blade system switches,two of them are are external 8/8 brocade san switches.

In that case can i select the interop mode as 3,i am only getting 2 & 3.

Appreciate your valuable suggestion.

[CLEB]

If the switches are not merging then it could be because of the defzone --noaccess setting.

Unplug the BladeSystem SAN switches and change their mode with "defzone --allaccess"
then plug the FC cables in and the zones should transfer from the 8/8 SAN switches.

[Johan Guldmyr]

choose the interop mode that they have by default. Unless you have specific equipment that requires something else.