Configure dual host adapters

[Jim Miksitz]

How do I configure dual FC Qlogic host adapters to boot from either fabric switch? I've configure the LUN's to boot to only one host adapter, but can't seem to figure out how to add the second host adapter. One's active and the others in standby. Do I have to manually reassign switches when a failure occurs? Doesn't seem right.

Trying to setup redundency. I have a MSA1000 with dual fibre switches and dual controllers running four windows 2003 R2 blades, all booting to separate partitions.

Thanks.

[Steven Clementi · Accepted solution]

Jim:


The first thing you need to do is failover your controller, makeing the Standby controller active.

Once you do this, you should be able to get into the bios of the hba, select the second port and see your boot LUN to configure it.


Steven

[Jim Miksitz]

Do you know how to active the second controller? I've assigned all dual FC connections to each servers qlogic HBA's and assigned the connections to the controllers with the WWPN #, but don't know how to active the second controller. I'm using the CLI interface and have read the manual twice and I'm going in circles.

I'm able to assign the second hba to the second controller in the bios.

Do I need secure path software ?

Thanks.

[Steven Clementi]

Jim:

If you do not have Securepath already install (or MPIO for the MSA), then I suggest you get it and install it before going multipath.

Once you have SecurePath installed, you can use the manager to manuall fail the path in order to swap the controller roles.

Another way would be to disconnect the active controller from the fabric or the active hba from the fabric. This should cause a path failure event, triggering a path failover event on the MSA.

Complete your configuration and your done. You can either leave the controllers "as is" or failthem over again.

Steven

[Jim Miksitz]

Thanks Steven. Just to verify, do I have to install the MPIO on each of my servers? I've installed it on one server, but not the other three.

[Uwe Zessin]

Yes, it *must* be installed on each server that has a redundant connection and you are not allowed to mix MPIO and Secure Path.

[Jim Miksitz]

Ok, I attempted to install on the other blades and it will not allow me. I assume it's detecting the configuration from the first server blade. I have each of the four blades booting from the MSA1000.

Before installing the MPIO, all the blades were booting from controller 1 and now after installing the MPIO onto blade1, they now default to controller2(active). The problem I'm running into is, if the MSA1000 is rebooted and the first blade is rebooted, then it will not boot. What happens is controller1 now becomes the active controller. To fix this, what I do is, in the first blades Qlogic card settings, I disable the first HBA1 that points to the controller2. Reboot the blade so it boots from controller1 using HBA2. Once the first blade boots, it then switches the controllers back. Controller2 becomes active and controller1(standby).

I then can boot the other blades with no problem.

Is the how it's suppose to work?
Thanks.

[Don Levinson]

Did you ever get a response that solves this?
I am seeing the same problems. when my MSA fails to the second controller, none of my PC's can reboot because they all still try to boot off of the first Qlogic controller BIOS which returns a bad disk error. I have to manually disable the first HBA so that they boot off of the second HBA.