Virtual Connect Fibre Channel connectivity issue

[Benjamin Katz]

Hi,

I'm trying to set up connectivity between the 8GB 20-port VC modules and our existing SAN fabric, on Cisco MDS9216i. I believe I have followed all the instructions correctly, but cannot get any server HBA to connect or log in to the SAN fabric. In detail:

c3000 Chassis
2 1/10GB-F VC-Enet modules in interconnects 1,2 (Ethernet is working perfectly.)
2 VC 8GB 20-port FC modules in interconnects 3,4
Each FC module has 2 uplinks to an MDS9216i, put together in a dynamic SAN fabric per module. However, the issue occurs with only 1 uplink as well.

2 BL460c servers with 8GB LPe1205 mezz cards in mezz2.
2 BL465c servers with 4GB LPe1105 mezz cards in mezz2.

MDS switches have NPIV enabled.

I followed the procedures from section 6 and appendix B in the VCFC cookbook: http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01702940/c01702940.pdf.

Server profiles have the 2 SAN fabrics assigned. HBA port 1 connected to the InterConnect3 fabric, port 2 to the IC4 fabric.

When I check the MDS switches, I can only see the WWNs of the VC ports (under the FLOGI tab). When I check the VC console, I see the MDS VSAN's WWN, and it indicates that the 2 ports have logged in but the blade HBA's have not. Tested using Windows & ESX, as well as just in the BIOS setup. I've tried with only 1 uplink per module, only assigning 1 SAN fabric, just about every combination I can think of.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

[HEM_2]

If your VCFC modules are in Bay 3 and 4, then the HBA's need to be in mezz1

[Benjamin Katz]

Hi,

Thanks, but this is a C3000 chassis, not a C7000. Mezz2 provides connectivity to Interconnects 3&4. See http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01752724/c01752724.pdf.

[Adrian Clint]

Ben,
Do you have all 8 servers mapped to come out of the VC-SAN uplinks. If you have the mapping set to say 4 to 1. Then if the servers are not in the right slots their WWPN will be presented out of VC uplinks that you have connected, they will be presented out of unconnected uplinks.

[Benjamin Katz]

Adrian,

This happens even with a single server, one VC module and one uplink. I assign a server profile to a server slot, and in the profile I attach one SAN fabric. Still nothing.

[HEM_2]

sorry I missed the fact that this was a c3000.

what is your Cisco MDS OS version?

The symptom you describe definitely sounds like NPIV is NOT enabled but I see from your message that it is. Is there any way to verify that in the MDS? I.e. do you see multiple WWN's on other ports not connected to VC?

[Benjamin Katz]

HEM -

Thanks for the guidance. I did confirm that NPIV was enabled, and started digging around a bit. Apparently, probably due to the version of MDS we're running 3.0(2a), I have to manually add the WWN to the DPVM database. As soon as I did that, the WWN appeared in the FLOGI tab, VC tells me the HBA has logged in, and I can even dynamically move it around from uplink to uplink.

thanks for the help!