Fabric replacement

[Navaneeda]

i have a eva4k running with 4/16 brocade san switch running with firmware v5.3. hosts are windows/hpux/linux connected to the 4/16 san switch.zoning is configured on this switch. i want to replace this switch with 4/64 brocade san switch with latest firmware v6.2.
what are the stpes i have follow to replace the 4/16 san switch with 4/64 san switch with different firmware.is it possible to do it without shutting down the hosts??? what the steps involved in this ??

[IBaltay]

Hi,
the key question here is if you have 1 fabric or 2 redundant SAN fabrics (of 1 san switch).
If you dont have any redundancy, the upgrade to another physical switch cannot be online and you should plan the downtime for the cabling. (manual zoning can be prepared in advanced, with no downtime)
If you have the redundancy all changes (cabling/zoning) always in one fabric at a time fully online...

see this doc for more ideas:
http://www.brocadekorea.com/download/resource/53_0000213_01.pdf

Note:
EVA 4 front ports could recabled e.g. 2 at a time

Note:
it should be done in the off-peak IO times

[Víctor Cespón]

Do you have only this switch or the servers have dual paths to the EVA?.

If you have dual fabrics, you can disconnect all cables on the 4/16, connect them on the 4/64 and then modify zoning if needed.

Then repeat the same on the other fabric.

[Navaneeda]

i have 2 fabric for redundancy.
can i do the following steps???
1.Keep the domain id as 1 as same as the existing fabric
2.keep the PID 1 as same as the existing fabric
3.create zones on both the switches as same as the existing switches
4.mark and disconnect the fibre cables from existing second switch and remove it from the rack.
5.install the new 4/64 second swithc in the rack and connect the fibre cables as same ports like in the existing switch.
6.verify the from the hosts that all the four paths are visible properly
7.wait for 1 hour remove the 1 st switch and install the new 4/64 switch and connect the fibre cables...

is the above stpes will be ok ???

is it possible to connect one existing switch 4/16 with firmware 5.3 and 4/64 switch with 6.2 firmware and migrate ???

pls let me knwo your valuable points...

[IBaltay · Accepted solution]

>1.Keep the domain id as 1 as same as the >existing fabric
>2.keep the PID 1 as same as the existing >fabric
No you need to disable the switch via the switchdisable and then configure the fabric settings and the domain ID needs to be changed because it has to be unique

>3.create zones on both the switches as same >as the existing switches
cable the new switch into the existing fabric via the ISL link to load the zone info into it.


>4.mark and disconnect the fibre cables from >existing second switch and remove it from >the rack.
>5.install the new 4/64 second swithc in the >rack and connect the fibre cables as same... dont forget on the EVA front ports.

disable both switches in one fabric then power them off recable, replace them, power on the new switch, change the domain id to the original switch domain id
switch enable (thus if the cables are in the same ports the and the domain id is the same it should work for the new switch as if it is the original one...

Note
only one fabric at a time !!!

6.verify the from the hosts that all the four paths are visible properly
check also the set prefered controller before the intervention if there is the SET PREFERED PATH TO CONTROLLER A OR B (failover/failback) to return to the well balanced managing controllers

check again the zone split

[IBaltay]

Sorry the format is messy so i will repeat it without you quotation:

1-2
No you need to disable the switch via the switchdisable and then configure the fabric settings and the domain ID needs to be changed because it has to be unique

3
cable the new switch into the existing fabric via the ISL link to load the zone info into it.

4-5
disable both switches in one fabric then power them off recable, replace them, power on the new switch, change the domain id to the original switch domain id
switch enable (thus if the cables are in the same ports the and the domain id is the same it should work for the new switch as if it is the original one...

Note
only one fabric at a time !!!

6
verify the from the hosts that all the four paths are visible properly
check also the set prefered controller before the intervention if there is the SET PREFERED PATH TO CONTROLLER A OR B (failover/failback) to return to the well balanced managing controllers

Note
the only operation which you will have 2 switches there for a short time is the zone load to the new switch, it can save you some manual work... and the 2 firmware versions should be compatible to do that

[Navaneeda]

thanks for the points. i need some clarifications

my existing both the switches are having domain id as 1.

first to change the domain id of the new first switch to 2 and new second switch domain id as 3. then i will connect the one of the new switch isl with existing switch. so tht the zone config will get replicate to one of the new switch.

then as per your point.. to connect the second new switch isl with existing switch and get the zone info replicate to the second new switch.. in this moment i have both the new swithces are connected isl with the existing swithes and zone config is get replicated in my new swithces.....

now i have power off the both existing switch and remove the cables and connect to the new swithces as same as existing switches. then change the domain id of both new switch set to 1 as same like the existing swithces. then power on the new swithces and power on the hosts...

is this method is ok ????

but by this method i have to shutdown all the hosts ... is there any i can do without shutting down the hosts ????

[Uwe Zessin]

Watch out in a HP-UX environment: the device path name includes the Fibre Channel address which includes the Domain-ID, the port numer (which is somtimes modified by the core-PID id).

So if you change Domain-IDs and/or move storage devices to new ports it will result in new path news.

And do _not_ use Domin-ID: 8 - it is used internally by HP-UX.

[Navaneeda]

We will be keeping the domain id 1 for both the new switches as same as the existing switches. The new switches domain id will be change back to 1 and then we will enable.

[IBaltay]

you dont need to shutdown the hosts if you have 2 hba from each host... the IO will be allways routed to the existing untouched fabric till the time in which you will be perfectly sure that the new one works fine...

[Navaneeda]

i have 2 hba on all the hosts. pls go through the below steps and correct me if anything is wrong.

1. connect the 1st new switch and change the domain id to 2. connect the isl from the existing 1st switch.replicate the zone config to the 1st new switch. after the replication of the zone config ,disable the 1st new switch.

2.connect the 2nd new switch and change the domanin id to 3. connect the isl from the existing 2nd switch.replicate the zone config to the 2nd new switch.after the replication of the zone config disable the 2nd new switch.

3.power off the 2nd existing switch.
remove the fibre cables from the 2nd existing switch and connect to the 2nd new switch.
change the domain id of the 2nd new switch to 1 and enable the 2nd new switch. verify from the host side that four paths are visible.

4.power off the 1st existing switch.remove the fibre cables from the 1st existing switch and connect to the 1st new switch. power off the 1st existing switch.
change the domain id of the 1st new switch to 1 and enable the 1st new switch. verify from the host side that four paths are visible.

is the above stpes are ok to proceed ???

[IBaltay]

1. connect the 1st new switch and change the domain id to 2. connect the isl from the existing 1st switch.replicate the zone config to the 1st new switch. after the replication of the zone config ,disable the 1st new switch.

this should be correct, but check the correct fabric join via the fabricshow if you see 2 switches join was successfull
and check also the zoneshow on the new switch for the fact that you see the zone info.

2.connect the 2nd new switch and change the domanin id to 3. connect the isl from the existing 2nd switch.replicate the zone config to the 2nd new switch.after the replication of the zone config disable the 2nd new switch.

no this is not correct, the secon fabric needs to stay untouched as is without any changes for the warrantied io flow and for the quick rollback startpoint, if anything goes wrong


3.power off the 2nd existing switch.
remove the fibre cables from the 2nd existing switch and connect to the 2nd new switch.
change the domain id of the 2nd new switch to 1 and enable the 2nd new switch. verify from the host side that four paths are visible.

no, the change/replacement should be done only on 1 fabric at a time.


4.power off the 1st existing switch.remove the fibre cables from the 1st existing switch and connect to the 1st new switch. power off the 1st existing switch.
change the domain id of the 1st new switch to 1 and enable the 1st new switch. verify from the host side that four paths are visible.

yes but dont do it on both fabrics in one time. Stay healthy untouched with one of the fabric to be online - online IO and do all changes only on the second fabric

Check also the EVA logs to see if everything is ok after the cable change of its front ports. (2 ports will be temporary unavailable

[Navaneeda]

sorry for the questions again. can u write me a plan in detail one more time,, im bit confused..

[TTr]

>i have 2 fabric for redundancy.
can i do the following steps???

Your steps in the above posting look OK to me.
Why bother with ISLs and connecting old and new switches just to ransfer over the zone config? You can also export the configuration of the old and new switches into files. Cut and paste the zone config for the old switch file to the new switch config file and import this config file to the new switch. Or recreate the zones in the new switches as you are proposing.
Then shutdown your servers and move the fiber cables from the old switches to the new ones, PORT to PORT.
And if you do one switch at a time (old to new) and you trust the multipathing sw on your servers, you can do this live without shutting the servers down.

[Navaneeda]

ok, i will do that.
how to export and import the switch config ???

[IBaltay]

1. choose only one fabric for the replacement,
the second fabric has to stay untouched not risking anything if you have 2 hba connections from each hosts via 2 separate fabrics (need to be checked before if all are healthy and working)

2. take the first new switch,
switchdisable
configure
... change the domain ID to e.g. 2

3. cable it to the existing switch
enable switch

4. check if the 2 switches have created the fabric
fabricshow

5. if you see 2 switches it is fine, you can check it via the zoneshow on the new switch


6. now you have 2 possibilities to continue:

a1a) The cabling/zoning can be done from the scratch without the possible inhereted weaknesses

add new zones to the fabric (new switches host ports and new eva ports)

a1b) The cabling must be done exactly the same because of the trick with modifying the domain id to the one of the original switch

disable both switches and change the domain id of the new to the original one.
Then enable the new switch

a4) enable the new switch only

a5) check all the host to EVA connections

a6) check also EVA side if all front ports are healthy via the Command view


a7) then you can apply the same to the second fabric

[Navaneeda]

Thanks for the informations provided. i will follow the instructions and i will update you the successfull result.