Enable iSCSI on existing Alletra with FC in production

[jchen522]

We have existing Alletra 5050 with FC enabled only in production.

If we enable FC + iSCSI config, will there be any down time?

What is the proper procedure?

Is there a way to backup the configs just in case?  CLI?

How does failover works in case when both FC and iSCSI are active?

Thank you!

[AshwiniBarath]

Hello @jchen522 
Hope you are doing good.

Enabling the iSCSI service and configuring new iSCSI ports is an online action.
however there are important cautions (zoning, IP addressing, host multipath, and how volumes are presented) and you should schedule a maintenance window.
Do not present the same volume to the same host simultaneously over FC and iSCSI unless the host multipath/OS is configured and supported for that setup — mis‑configuration can cause pathing problems and data corruption.
Always take configuration backups and ensure you have good data backups/snaps before changing production storage.

The operation is commonly done online but involves risk if host multipathing or mapping is incorrect. If you are not fully comfortable with host MPIO and cross‑protocol exposure, Please contact HPE support and log a case and perform the change with HPE guidance or during a maintenance window with roll‑back plans in place.
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Regards,
Ashwini

[support_s]

System recommended content:

1. HPE Alletra 5000 Installation Guide

2. VMware Integration Guide Version NOS 5.1.x, NOS 5.2.x

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[buzzsubash]

Hi @jchen522 

• Yes, there will be downtime. Enabling a second protol is a disruptive activity as the core service gets restarted : DSD, SFD and GDD and Jetty. 
• From the array UI, navigate to Administration > Network > Configure Draft Settings > Protocol > 'FC and iSCSI', from the protocol drop down, chose FC + iSCSI. When Activating 'FC and iSCSI' as the Protocol, the below message will be seen.  This would cause a short spike in latency as the following daemons/services are restarted:  DSD, SFD and GDD and Jetty.
• With regards to back up, yes, click on "save as draft" as in this screenshot.
• As you are already aware, The multi-protocol feature enables you to use both iSCSI and FC protocols simultaneously on a single array or group to access different volumes. A volume can be accessed via FC on an array where other volumes are accessed via iSCSI. This feature provides flexibility in environments with both iSCSI and FC hosts, and it facilitates migrating from one protocol environment to the other. You may read more from https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=sd00004006en_us&docLocale=en_US&page=GUID-5047C9AC-64D6-458F-964D-ECFAB76F1A89.html 
• Regarding last question around failover, please explain more in detail. We just have to make sure that HPE storage connection manager is installed on all of the hosts where you are planning to present volumes, protocols does not matter, it handles the multi-pathing and timeouts correctly.