MSA2040 FC storage connect directly to c7000 Bladecenter module

[tcnewone]

Hi,

I would like to connect an MSA2040 SAN (16Gb FC) directly to a Bladecenter c7000 as a storage solution. Which modules do I need? Do I really need a SAN switch?

[simoncorner]

Yes, you will need 2 fibre channel modules for the rear "interconnect" bays. Depending on which slots are free, will depend where you install it. Then you will need a fibre channel mezzanine in each of the blades. The mezzanine location within the blade will be determined from which interconnect bays on the rear of the chassis that you use.

There are a number of FC modules, 8GB, 16GB, some with 8 ports active, some with the full 16.

[tcnewone]

At the moment I have an QMH2672 16GB FC HBA at every blade server and one Virtual Connect 16Gb 24-port FC Module at bay 3. Do I also need a SAN switch? For me this is a single point of failure and so I think about connecting MSA directly to VC module - but this seems to not working.

[simoncorner]

You're nearly there. You just need another "Virtual Connect 16Gb 24-port FC Module " in bay 4. The QMH2672 are dual port and assuming everything is working ok, port one of the QMH2672 is internally connected to interconnect bay 3 and port 2 of the QMH2672 is internally connected to interconnect bay 4.

This will give you the redundancy.

You can then externally connect your virtual connect module to whatever external devices you want..

[tcnewone]

Ok, my plan was to test FC performance with one VC module first. But link from VC module to MSA is "disabled" (amber LED blinks slow).

[simoncorner]

So the only complication is that the VC Flex FC module is not a standard fibre channel switch.

You will probably need to login to the GUI of the module and configure it. I've never used the VC Flex FC module. I use the standard Brocade FC modules. so I can't help with that.

[tcnewone]

Virtual Connect 16Gb 24-port FC Module isn't a VC Flex module...

[simoncorner]

You are correct but it still uses the Virtual Connect ecosystem so you will need VC ethernet modules in bays 1 (and 2). It would be a good idea to update the firmware to the latest version on all of the interconnects too.

If you download "HPE Virtual Connect for c-Class BladeSystem Setup and Installation Guide Version 4.85" , or the appropriate version for your firmware, on page 12 there is an overview of the steps required to set the module up.

Also, just checking, do you have compatible modules in the Interconnect and MSA as they are both picky about compatibility?

[tcnewone]

In bay 1 & 2 are Virtual Connect Flex-10/10D Modules for c-Class BladeSystem.

All modules have actual firmware [Flex-10: 4.85, VC FC 16Gb: 4.20].

In VC FC 16Gb I use QK724A, at MSA C8R24 (MSA 16Gb SW FC SFP+) - I think that's all correct isn't it?

[simoncorner]

Yes, that all looks good.
I think you just need to configure the FC modules in the GUI. I would have expected the physical links to have come up without but they can be a but quirky.
You could try looping two ports on the interconnect to each other and see what happens. Similarly if you loop two ports on the MSA, the ports should come up.

[tcnewone]

Looping two ports at MSA works but at VC FC module both LEDs blinks amber (manual says: port disabled).

I configure VC FC module via Virtual Connect Manager - is there another web-based GUI?

[simoncorner]

That's a good sign.

I think if you work through that "setup and installation guide", you'll get it configured ok.

[tcnewone]

HPE Virtual Connect for c-Class BladeSystem Setup and Installation Guide Version 4.62/4.63, page 25:

"HPE Virtual Connect 16Gb 24-port Fibre Channel Module SFP+ ports can only be connected to Fibre
Channel switch ports that support N_port_ID virtualization.
To verify that NPIV is supported, see the firmware documentation that ships with the Fibre Channel
switch."

Means this that I need a FC switch with this module?

You wrote that you have Brocade modules... do you have a FC switch?

[simoncorner]

No, we don't have FC switches. I have seven systems with Brocade 8Gb/16Gb modules that are directly connected to Dell/EMC Unity 350F SAN. I've also connected the same Brocade modules directly to an MSA2040 when I migrated a system from MSA2040 to Unity 350F.

I can't believe that you need external switches with the Virtual Connect FC modules. I'm pretty sure that some of the equivalent systems that I work on, that are located in other countries use the VC FC to connect direclty to the Unity 350F.

[rmay_bk]

Within VirtualConnect, was the SAN fabric defined as "FabricAttach" or "DirectAttach?"

There's verbiage in the VirtualConnect documentation to suggest DirectAttach is only supported with 3PAR storage targets. But I wouldn't give up yet -- "unsupported" often means "don't call us if it doesn't work right."

I can't find anything on the DellEMC side to suggest the problem lies within your Unity. The platform does support direct attach.

[tcnewone]

I can not define as "DirectAttach" because "FabricAttach" is pre-defined and not changeable in VCM.

I tried to connect VC-FC module via ssh: If I use wrong credentials it tells me "access denied" - okay, but if I use the right password ssh session we be terminated immediately. Is this normal?