P2000 MSA G3 SAS & Proliant Gen9 Server

[Magic_Hair]

I am trying to see if I can connect a (DL380) Gen9 to a P2000 MSA G3 SAS.

Product Bulletin/Quickspecs doesnt really say.

This HBA: HP Smart Array P441 (726825-B21) is designed to connect disk storage/tapes, but doesn't call out the P2000.

Does anyone know?

Thanks

[Magic_Hair]

My disti came back with this HBA

HP H241 Smart HBA 726911-B21 

Which seems compatible (though not in product bulletin for DL380 Gen9)

However,  I still can't be sure of compatiblity with P2000 G3 SAS -  and alos I dont know how to work out what SAS cable to use...

[CalvinZito]

@Magic_Hair

P2000 and MSA 2040 SAS qualifications on Gen 9 are underway.  Keep track of progress on Single Point of Connectivity Knowledge (SPOCK) over next few months.

[zqadri]

any update on this...?

[CalvinZito]

MSA P2000 G3 SAS and MSA 2040 both support ProLiant Gen9 ML and DL servers. The P2000 G3 only works with the H241 HBA and connection speeds of 6Gb/s. The MSA 2040 SAS supports both the Host Bus Adapter H241 and Smart Array P441/4GB.  Hope that helps!

[grimson]

---

@HPstorageGuy wrote:

MSA P2000 G3 SAS and MSA 2040 both support ProLiant Gen9 ML and DL servers. The P2000 G3 only works with the H241 HBA and connection speeds of 6Gb/s. The MSA 2040 SAS supports both the Host Bus Adapter H241 and Smart Array P441/4GB.  Hope that helps!

---

Hello,

Unfortunately a support engineer states that the H241 HBA is not supported with MSA2040 SAS storage and ESX5.5.

This is because we have an issue with 3 ESX5.5i Gen9 hosts, fully up-2-date (H241 firmware for now 1.34 but as of tomorrow on 2.14) when I reboot one of the controllers the path keeps dead until I reboot the ESXi host nomatter how many 'rescan adapter' tries.

The H241was valid before:

http://h20272.www2.hp.com/Content/ConfigurationSetDetailView.aspx?Id=71759

But the current URL is this:

http://h20272.www2.hp.com/Content/ConfigurationSetDetailView.aspx?Id=72849

Which no longer states the H241 HBA :( and that's HP's point of view as for now! (issue is already open for 2 months and encounting and the ESXi + MSA2040 is not in production as for this problem).

So, this is a costly 'mistake' for now removing the HBA241 and ESX5.5 from the list! thank you HP.

[Manfred-P]

Hello,

I'm working on nearly the same issue, and I found your post.

My set up is msa2040 with 2 dl360g9 with hba 241 firmware 2.14  and esxi 6.0.0 with HP iso image.

There's also the same issue, that only when I reboot the esxi server, a new lun is found.

If you got any resolution from HP please let me know, I'm going also to test some things and post again.

nice day

Manfred

[BK_HPE]

Hello @grimson

While the HP H241 12Gb 2-ports Ext Smart Host Bus Adapter (726911-B21) is not compatible with the HP ProLiant DL380 gen9.  The HP H240ar 12Gb 2-ports Int Smart Host Bus Adapter (726757-B21) is compatible with the HP ProLiant DL380 Server Gen9 series, which you can see in the HP H240ar 12Gb 2-ports Int Smart Host Bus Adapter QuickSpecs.

The HP H240ar Smart Host Bus Adapter comes in a Flexible Smart SAS HBA form factor that provides a basic building block for simple RAID storage solution for select HP Gen9 Servers with a Flexible Smart Array & SAS HBA slot. Delivering up to 12 Gb/s SAS connectivity for internal hard drives it provides increased scalability, basic data protection, and flexibility for storage connectivity. You get optimized performance and uptime for your entry-level storage requirements. This HBA supports SAS, SATA, Solid State Drives (SSDs) and internal tape drives for increased flexibility.

The HP H240ar Smart Host Bus Adapter and the attached internal storage devices are configured, deployed and managed by the easy to use HP Smart Storage Administrator software which is included in the intelligent provisioning capabilities of the server.

[JeroenL]

Hello @LSW

You mention the H240 HBA. This is an INTERNAL only HBA.

It will be very difficult to connect a MSA2040 to this HBA.

Better get your engineers work harder to provide us with a fix to get the MSA2040 working with the H241 HBA when used with VMware or provide a cost-neutral replacement of the HBA's and the MSA2040 controllers so we can use FC or 10Gbe iSCSI.

At this moment we have two nearly identical setups, both with 3 DL380gen9 servers and a MSA2040 SAS san and both are wasting power doing nothing until these problems are solved. One of these sets also has a very nasty 10Gbe problem again using only HP hardware.

Our customers are getting more pissed off as the days are passing and they can only look at rackspace being used by state of the art brand new hardware doing NOTHING. They are rapidly losing faith in HP as their tier one technology brand and so am I. I personally am realy thinking of advising my customers Huawei or whatever other brand instead of HP since this is not the first "incident" with HP.

[grimson]

~ # esxcli hpssacli cmd -q 'ctrl all show'

Smart Array P440ar in Slot 0 (Embedded)   (sn: PDNLH0BRH7U35F)

Smart HBA H241 in Slot 1 (HBA Mode)       (sn: PDNNL0ARH7Q0B3)

Smart HBA H241 in Slot 2 (HBA Mode)       (sn: PDNNL0ARH7T0KH)

~ # esxcli hpssacli cmd -q 'ctrl slot=1 ld all show'

Error: The specified device does not have any logical drives.

Above ESXi Shell command's would 'nudge' the HBA and show me the path again.
First command is to identify the HBA's, second command is to 'nudge' the HBA with the path loss state.

It did work with Firmware 1.34 and driver 5.5.57 as I can recall.

Also a double restart of a controller gave me back the loss of path, but all not really recommended for production.

[CB-IT]

Same problem here with the H241 controllers, DL360 Gen9 servers and MSA2040 SAS dual controller storage. All firmware up to date (version 2.14 running on the H241's). Symptoms are the same: a dead path is not revived and new LUNs are not visible unless you use some hpssacli commands (unreliable for me at best - doesn't always work).

Tried playing with the "Missing LUN response" option in the MSA2040 but both "Not Ready" and "Illegal Request" lead to the same result (according to VMware Best Practices it should be set to "Illegal Request").

Anyone have a case running or have a solution?

Edit: Opened a case, nr 4651214555

[CB-IT]

I just got a call from an HP support representative regarding the case I created, unfortunately he wasn't able to help me on this.

As it stands, the H241 HBA and the MSA 2040 combo is NOT supported.

He said it is being worked on but that's the only thing he could tell me. No release dates on updated firmware or whatever, couldn't tell me in which direction they were working (to get it supported or not). He recommended I subscribe to the new firmware alerts and closed the case on this.

[stevegolab]

After reading the thread, it appears the issue is still unresolved and has been costly. I wonder if it would help to post your question today during HP Servers Expert Day - April 28th/29th. This is an event where Server Experts across HP join the HP Support Forums to answer all your questions. Simply go the Proliant board on the HP Enterprise Business Community and post your question between 7am EST April 28th thru 7am EST April 29th.

Let me know so I can follow along.

[masterase]

I got involved into a simmilar issue yesterday.

The customer is running into identical problems with MS HYperv 3.0 (Server 2012R2)

Configuration:

Hyper-V Cluster with 3 Hosts:

DL380 Gen9 2x Intel CPU E5-2620 V3 256 GB RAM Ethernet 331i

ALL Array Controllers manually set to function as HBA adapter.

1.

1x SAS HBA H241 initially running 1.34 updated to firmware 2.14 after numerous crashes

Used first - had various crashes per week

2.

1x P441 Array Controller mit Firmware 2.14

(crashed after two days)

hp recommended downgrade  to 1.18

crash after 1/2 day

3.

replaced by

1x P431 Array Controller mit Firmware 2.40

remark: SUPPORTED on MSA2040 but UNSUPPORTED in G9 Servers

Stable sicne 3 days, but unsupported.

Die MSA2040 SAS running firmware GL200P002 (initially last V1 Firmware)

Customer is no longer amused spending 100k + EUR for the whole solution.

At least 6 other similar HYPERv projects of my company are on hold, because of the actual situation.

We urgently need proffesional support from hp (or Dothill) and will ask for an escalation manager tomorrow.

HP CASE:4651226095

 best regards from Germany

Christian

[Ken Krubsack]

Well, add me to the list too.

2 ea. 380 Gen9's running VM ESXi 5.5 with P441 controllers attached to an MSA 2000 series storage and I'm having issues with the hosts not always having connectivity to the storage.

Case opened with HP - this one happens to be in Spain.

Flippin' lovely...

Ken

[CB-IT]

Just had one server become unresponsive (running VMware ESXI 5.5.0), I connected to the console and switched to the logging terminal and saw these messages constantly scrolling by:

As you can see by the timestamps, these messages are being generated multiple times per second. Either the driver or the controller crashed, rendering the host unusable. I couldn't login to the VMware console either, the only way to regain control of the host was to hard reset it.

[Torsten.]

I remember a very similar scenario some time ago with P2000 SAS and Gen8 servers. At the end we converted the P2000 SAS to  P2000 FC and the problem was gone. The result of investigation by hp support was a bad SAS driver installed on the servers. Once corrected, the P2000 SAS was working fine.

Just my 2 cents ...

[Ken Krubsack]

Torsten,

At this point HP hasn't come up with a fix for the Gen9 issue yet.

I have good reason for that statement (which I would be willing to share in a private email).

Ken

[Ken Krubsack]

FOLKS - UPDATE FROM HP.

This customer advisory is available by doing a Google search on the advisory number (c04654888).

hth

Ken

=======================================================

SUPPORT COMMUNICATION -

Document ID: c04654888

Version: 1

CUSTOMER ADVISORY: HP Storage MSA 2040 SAS Arrays Temporarily Halted Support of SAS Arrays Configured with HP ProLiant Gen9 Servers and HP H241 HBAs in VMware ESX/ESXi Environments

Release Date: 2015-04-28

Last Updated: 2015-04-28

---

DESCRIPTION

HP has recently discovered an issue with certain configurations of the HP Storage MSA 2040 SAS arrays when connected to an HP ProLiant Gen9 server configured with an HP H241 Smart Host Bus Adapter (HBA) in VMware ESX/ESXi environments. The HP H241 HBA controller was originally listed on the Single Point of Connectivity Knowledge (SPOCK) as a supported configuration with the HP ProLiant Gen9 servers configured with the HP MSA 2040 SAS array. For detailed specifications about the operating systems and connectivity components supported with the HP Storage MSA 2040 arrays, go to the SPOCK website. Sign up for an HP Passport to enable access:

http://www.hp.com/storage/spock

Currently there are no other HP Smart Arrays (such as a P441 or P741) qualified for use in the HP ProLiant Gen9 server that are qualified with the HP MSA 2040 SAS array in a VMware ESX/ESXi environment. If you are currently in this type of configuration and it is working, no further action is needed. If you recently bought this configuration and are having issues, contact HP Support.

SCOPE

This advisory affects HP Storage MSA 2040 SAS arrays and HP H241 Smart Host Bus Adapters.

RESOLUTION

HP is working to resolve the issue quickly. Once the issue has been resolved, this advisory and SPOCK will be updated.

[JeroenL]

Update:

HP provided us with SAN controllers, FC SFPs and FC HBAs for our setup.

First I replaced the SAS HBAs and updated the server with the latest Service Pack for Proliant and reinstalled ESXi using the latest 5.5 U2 HP OEM installer. Made some alternations for the default path selection and roundrobin settings. Don't know if it has any function with direct attached FC, because there are maximum 2 paths with only one to the storage controller hosting the LUN, so only one really active IO path and so no RoundRobin load balancing being performed.

After this I replaced the MSA2040 controllers and installed the latest firmware on the MSA. Made the proper settings for VMware usage and I removed ALL the old SAS mappings for all LUNs.

Next I connected the servers one by one, modified the auto detected initiators, added them to a host, and added the hosts to a host group.

After this I mapped all the luns to this host group. And tada...everything works just as expected.

Some more testing and dead paths are automatically detected when reconnected and reconfigured as the IO active path.

After this I set the scratch storage location to a LUN and storage wise we are finally ready for production usage.

Although it isn't really sure this FC "upgrade" is temporary or not?

We also had an horrable 10Gbe network issue. This we traced to the HP J9546A 10GbT V2 module and some crappy firmware. HP send us new Intel based LOMs and although these didn't caused PSoDs like the 533FLR-T Flexloms did, we weren't able to get stable network at 10Gbe. With the switchport set to 1000-Auto, not problems, but at Auto-Auto it was unusable.

After using a simpel Netgear S3300 switch, we were able to eliminate the server hardware and get stable 10Gbe performance and no more PSoDs.

HP provided a new firmware on may 1st 2015, and we are planning to update the switches to this new firmware and see if this fixes the problem.

I think it is very, very bad that these things can happen these days. We are paying HighPrice for our HP hardware and HP is skipping basic connectivity testing when releasing new firmware. For a full month HP was unable to provide good support.

At this moment we spend more than 40hours of testing and troubleshooting for HP while expensive carepacks were bought for the servers and the storage. Me, as a technician, and our customer lost confidence in HP and I am really interested to see what HP is going to do for this customer and the company I work for to get back this confidence.

[marioatwork]

Is there an update regarding the issue? This is a dealbraker, literally! 

[Erik_IG]

Hi all,

We have the same issue, we recently upgraded our servers from DL360 G7 to DL360 Gen9 servers connected to HP P2000 MSA G3 storage device via SAS.

Previous setup: (stable for 3 years)

3x           HP ProLiant DL360 G7

1x           HP MSA P2000 G3

3x           HP Modular Smart Array SC08e 2-ports Ext PCIe x8 SAS Host Bus Adapter (to connect the ProLiant to the P2000)

                p/n:       614988-B21

New setup (2 months running – unstable)

3x           HP ProLiant DL360 Gen9

1x           HP MSA P2000 G3

3x           HP H241 12Gb 2-ports Ext Smart Host Bus Adapter (to connect the ProLiant to the P2000)

                p/n:       726911-B21

3x           HP SD-card 8GB (to run VMware ESX on)

When investigating the upgrade, HP confirmed to my HP supplier that the combo DL360 Gen9 + P2000 G3 + H241 was OK.

Dear Danny,

Thank you for using our service.

Question

You guys know which SAS HBA I should use in a DL380gen9 server to connect to a P2000?

Answer

Gen9 servers can connect to MSA 2040 SAS / P2000G3 MSA SAS using the H241 adapter (726911-B21). Supported OS details can be found on SPOCK:

Older generation MSA SAS arrays are not supported with Gen9 servers.

Yours Sincerely,

Kasper Malfroid

Technical Presales Consultant

EG Office Based Presales EMEA

About 2 months ago, we installed the complete kit but since we see an unstable situation, odd thing it only started about 1,5 months after the installation. 

Since, we once again updated all systems including firmware and VMware updates. 

HP Support just mentioned the following, 

Compatible P2000 HBA's: H221 & SC08e

Compatible Gen9 HBA's: H240ar & H241

Either way, we need to replace the P2000 or need to downgrade to G8 servers.. 

Will get in contact with HP tomorrow in a conference together with my supplier to discuss next steps.

Case: 4752888713

P.S. This setup runs over in Kenya, we are based in Holland.. Makes it even more challenging. 

[CB-IT]

Hi all

New firmware was released for the H241 controllers (version 2.52) along with a new set of drivers for VMware ESXI 5.5. We tested the new firmware & drivers on one server and the result is still the same, so it doesn't fix any of our issues (down paths not reviving and new LUNs not visible).

[3T]

Same issue with last firmware but with IBM DS3500 SAN Storage..... :( the link disapear and dont came back.

Other Issue, i can see only LUN 0

11 other LUN's dosent appear... 

[Helpdesk_37]

Erik_IG , did you manage to get this working?

I checked HP SPOCK, VMware ESXi is not in the list of supported configurations (P2000 + H241). It's only for Windows, SuSE and RedHat.

We're planning to buy the DL360G9+H241 for our P2000 SAS and ESXi. Should we go ahead?

Thanks