Configuring HP/Brocade Silkworm 2400 8 port switch with FC10 array

[Matt Powell]

Can someone point me in the right direction?

I am trying to configure an HP/Brocade Silkworm 2400 8 port switch to address an FC10 array w/ 4 36G drives.

I have an N-Class server running HPUX 11.0. including Sept 2001 general release patches and the FC patch PHKL_21834.

I have two A5158A Tachyon cards installed that I can see in ioscan CLAIMED - HP Tachyon TL/TS Fibre Channel Mass Storage Adapter.

I am only using one Tachyon Card at the moment, hoping to simplify things. I have two special device files /dev/td0 and /dev/td1, I am using the card at /dev/td1.

I have my switch connected to the LAN via the ethernet port and I can log into it both via telnet and using the built in web admin tool.

The switch seems to be configured as "fabric" not QuickLoop. In the Names Sever tables I can see the world wide names of the FC10 and the drives.

How do I access the array from the server?

It seems like I would need to create special device files using the hardware path and N_port ID of each drive. How would I do that?

Heres my ioscan:

fc 0 1/10/0/0 td CLAIMED INTERFACE HP Tachyon TL/TS Fibre Channel Mass Storage Adapter
fcp 0 1/10/0/0.8 fcp CLAIMED INTERFACE FCP Protocol Adapter
fc 1 1/12/0/0 td CLAIMED INTERFACE HP Tachyon TL/TS Fibre Channel Mass Storage Adapter
fcp 1 1/12/0/0.8 fcp CLAIMED INTERFACE FCP Protocol Adapter
ext_bus 19 1/12/0/0.8.0.255.0 fcpdev NO_HW INTERFACE FCP Device Interface
ctl 19 1/12/0/0.8.0.255.0.10.0 sctl NO_HW DEVICE HP A5236A

Here's what I see from the switch:

primary:admin> switchshow
switchName: primary
switchType: 3.4
switchState: Online
switchRole: Principal
switchDomain: 1
switchId: fffc01
switchWwn: 10:00:00:60:69:20:2a:04
port 0: id Online L-Port 4 public, 1 private, 1 phantom
port 1: id Online L-Port 1 private, 1 phantom
port 2: id No_Light
port 3: id No_Light
port 4: id No_Light
port 5: id No_Light
port 6: -- No_Module
port 7: -- No_Module

primary:admin> nsshow
The Local Name Server has 5 entries {
Type Pid COS PortName NodeName TTL(sec)
NL 0110d5; 3;50:06:0b:00:00:05:c0:46;00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00; na
FC4s: FCP [HP A5236A HP04]
NL 0110e2; 3;21:00:00:20:37:1a:10:9a;20:00:00:20:37:1a:10:9a; na
FC4s: FCP [SEAGATE ST136403FC HP03]
NL 0110e4; 3;21:00:00:20:37:47:89:4b;20:00:00:20:37:47:89:4b; na
FC4s: FCP [SEAGATE ST136403FC HP03]
NL 0110e8; 3;21:00:00:20:37:1a:6a:50;20:00:00:20:37:1a:6a:50; na
FC4s: FCP [SEAGATE ST136403FC HP03]
NL 0110ef; 3;21:00:00:20:37:1a:04:01;20:00:00:20:37:1a:04:01; na
FC4s: FCP [SEAGATE ST136403FC HP03]
}

What do I need to do to see my array?

Any input will be appreciated. Thank you.

I should note that I have not been able to locate the two Brocade manuals that I badly need:

Brocade Silkworm 2400 Users Guide - Publication number 53-0001466-01
Brocade Silkworm 2400 Product Guide - Publication number 53-0000109-01

Thanks -

Matt Powel

[Oliver Haensel · Accepted solution]

Hello Dave,

try to fulfill the following minimum requirements:

1. FC10 Controller HP06 firmware (you currently have HP04, major bug fixes)
!! This is the most essential part!!!
2. FC10 ST136403FC disks with HP04 (you currently have HP03, minor bug fixes only)
3. load the current driver software from www.software.hp.com or the latest application cd
4. load the current fibre channel patches

The output of your ioscan looks like you're running your switch in quickloop mode. Quickloop is nessessary for the FC10 port but it would be better to operate the host port in fabric mode.

That's why I would recommend to do the following :
1. disable quicklooop on whole switch with qldisable command
2. enable quickloop mode for FC10 port only:
qlportenable 0

The HBA should login to the switch as N-Port then (to check with switchshow command -> F-Port shown)

3. perform ioscan on host
4. perform insf -e -H 1/12/0/0 to create new device files

Your ioscan output should look like this:
fc 1 1/12/0/0 td CLAIMED INTERFACE HP Tachyon TL/TS Fibre Channel Mass Storage Adapter
ext_bus 19 1/12/0/1.16.0.0.0 fcpdev CLAIMED INTERFACE FCP Device Interface
disk xx 1/12/0/0.1.16.0.0.0.0 sdisk CLAIMED DEVICE SEAGATE ST136403FC
disk xx 1/12/0/0.1.16.0.0.1.0 sdisk CLAIMED DEVICE SEAGATE ST136403FC
...
ctl 19 1/12/0/0.1.16.0.0.10.0 sctl CLAIMED DEVICE HP A5236A


So have your FC10 firmware updated!

Regards

-Oliver-

[Matt Powell]

Oliver,

Thanks for the quality input. While working this problem I found a number of other issues that needed to be addressed so I thought I'd update this thread with those items.

First, I had old PDC firmware. I was running 39.XX and I believe I need at least 40.X to support Fiber/Fabric. I found this out because I had upgraded my A5158A Tachyon Driver from B.11.00.02 to B.11.00.10 and my system wouldn't boot because the old PDC f/w wouldn't support that version. I updated the PDC to 41.36 and I was able to boot with the new A5158A Tachyon Driver B.11.00.10.

Now my card comes up in fabric mode okay but I don't have an array yet because (hopefully), as you pointed out, I also have old array f/w (HP04) and I need HP06.

I had not noticed the issue with the drive firmware however (HP03). Thanks for catching that.

So - I have a service call scheduled tomorrow for HP to install new drive f/w (HP04) - new array f/w (HP06) - and new switch f/w (v0.2.1.9).

The switch is running V0.2.1.3 firmware and the research indicates that I need V0.2.1.9 or better.

Thanks for the comprehensive and timely feedback!

Matt Powell
AKA Dave Parker