APA configuration verification

[John Payne_2]

We have an L-class with a quad port pci card, which I have used APA to make into 1 pipe. These are connected to a cisco 4000 switch. We are having problems with our backups, and now I can't get our networking guys off my back until I ask the question:

Have I set this up correctly, or is there a better way. (Please just look at my configuration scripts and comment. I am sure the aggregate is working. You are my peer review so they stop bugging me.) I should add that I set this up about 9 months ago, and we didn't start having problems until about 6 weeks ago.

/etc/rc.config.d/hp_apaconf:

#####################################################################

###########################################################################
# The HP_APA_INIT_ARGS are reserved by HP. They are NOT user changable.
HP_APA_START_LA_PPA=100
HP_APA_DEFAULT_PORT_MODE=MANUAL

HP_APA_INIT_ARGS="HP_APA_LOAD_BALANCE_MODE HP_APA_GROUP_CAPABILITY HP_APA_HOT_ST
ANDBY HP_APA_MANUAL_LA HP_APA_INIT HP_APA_KEY"

# End of hp_apaconf configuration file
HP_APA_INTERFACE_NAME[0]=lan100
HP_APA_LOAD_BALANCE_MODE[0]=LB_MAC
HP_APA_HOT_STANDBY[0]=off
HP_APA_GROUP_CAPABILITY[0]=7
HP_APA_KEY[0]=
HP_APA_MANUAL_LA[0]=1,2,3,4

/etc/rc.config.d/hp_apaportconf:


###########################################################################
# The HP_APAPORT_INIT_ARGS are reserved by HP. They are NOT user changable.

HP_APAPORT_INIT_ARGS="HP_APAPORT_GROUP_CAPABILITY HP_APAPORT_PRIORITY HP_APAPORT
_CONFIG_MODE HP_APAPORT_KEY HP_APAPORT_SYSTEM_PRIORITY"

# End of hp_apaportconf configuration file
HP_APAPORT_INTERFACE_NAME[0]=lan1
HP_APAPORT_GROUP_CAPABILITY[0]=7
HP_APAPORT_PRIORITY[0]=0
HP_APAPORT_KEY[0]=
HP_APAPORT_SYSTEM_PRIORITY[0]=0
HP_APAPORT_COLLECT_MAX_DELAY[0]=
HP_APAPORT_CONFIG_MODE[0]=MANUAL
HP_APAPORT_SPEED[0]=100FD
HP_APAPORT_INTERFACE_NAME[1]=lan2
HP_APAPORT_GROUP_CAPABILITY[1]=7
HP_APAPORT_PRIORITY[1]=0
HP_APAPORT_KEY[1]=
HP_APAPORT_SYSTEM_PRIORITY[1]=0
HP_APAPORT_COLLECT_MAX_DELAY[1]=
HP_APAPORT_CONFIG_MODE[1]=MANUAL
HP_APAPORT_SPEED[1]=100FD
HP_APAPORT_INTERFACE_NAME[2]=lan3
HP_APAPORT_GROUP_CAPABILITY[2]=7
HP_APAPORT_PRIORITY[2]=0
HP_APAPORT_KEY[2]=
HP_APAPORT_SYSTEM_PRIORITY[2]=0
HP_APAPORT_COLLECT_MAX_DELAY[2]=
HP_APAPORT_CONFIG_MODE[2]=MANUAL
HP_APAPORT_SPEED[2]=100FD
HP_APAPORT_INTERFACE_NAME[3]=lan4
HP_APAPORT_GROUP_CAPABILITY[3]=7
HP_APAPORT_PRIORITY[3]=0
HP_APAPORT_KEY[3]=
HP_APAPORT_SYSTEM_PRIORITY[3]=0
HP_APAPORT_COLLECT_MAX_DELAY[3]=
HP_APAPORT_CONFIG_MODE[3]=MANUAL
HP_APAPORT_SPEED[3]=100FD


Thanks in advance

John

[Pete Randall · Accepted solution]

Hi John,

Tell the network boys to go back to fiddling with their switches. There's nothing wrong here. They probably changed something.

Pete

[John Payne_2]

Thanks Pete. I forwarded that on, and now their question is about the CISCO switch side. Is there a recommendation about how the switch side of the aggregate is set up? i.e. does HP have a "best practices" for configuring the cisco-side aggregate in an HP APA configuration. (Mine in fact. And it's really nice seeing them ask this kind of a question for a change...)

John

[Pete Randall]

John,

The only reference to the switch I've found is this (from "Using HP APA", Troubleshooting, Known Problems with Switches):

# Cisco Catalyst 5000 Switches

Turning off Cisco's Fast EtherChannel on one network physical port on the HP 9000 server may cause the entire link aggregate (the port it is associated with) to be deconfigured.

Corrective Action: This problem can only be corrected by reconfiguring the switch to not include the port in the link aggregate being configured. Refer to the appropriate switch documentation for details on how to reconfigure link aggregates.

The Catalyst 5000 switch only allows two- or four-port link aggregates. Refer to the Cisco Catalyst 5000 Configuration Guide for more details on these limitations.

A known problem has been fixed for HSC 100Base-TX, and PCI 4-port 100Base-TX when interfacing to a Cisco Catalyst 5000 switch [with firmware version 4.5(4)] with ports in Desirable Mode connected to an HP server with ports running HP APA. Sometimes the link aggregations went up and down repeatedly.

Corrective Action: For HP-UX 11.0, the HSC 100Base-TX fix requires patch PHNE_20420, and the PCI 4-port fix is in patch PHNE_20423. You also need the core LAN patch PHNE_20657 (or later). For HP-UX 11i, the 100Base-T fix is in patch PHNE_23465.


I'm still searching for any other recommendations.

Pete

[Pete Randall]

John,

There's also a white paper "Using APA to Build a Screaming Fast Network Server Connection" on docs.hp.com:
http://www.docs.hp.com/hpux/netcom/index.html#Auto%20Port%20Aggregation%20(APA)

Once again, it says absolutely nothing about configuration on the switch end.

Pete

[John Payne_2]

I actually opened a support call, and the HP guy said he also could not find anything on it. He recommended looking at Cisco's site at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps663/products_configuration_guide_chapter09186a00800f0e21.html for information.

Thanks for your help Pete.

John

[Pete Randall]

You're welcome, John.

[Jeff Carver]

From the 'Using HP Auto Port Aggregation (APA)' manual on docs.hp.com.

"NOTE: HP APA also requires that you configure your switches??? trunking mode (AUTO or MANUAL) to match the mode being used on the server: Cisco???s Fast EtherChannel (FEC), IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP), or MANUAL mode.

Ensure that the switch ports and the HP LAN card ports are set to the same APA (or ???trunking???) mode (MANUAL or AUTO), speed, and duplexity."

With the diversity of switches available, instructions for setting the switch in the APA documentation cannot be done with any chance of staying current, therefore the recommendation to refer to the switch documentation on how to configure the switch.

APA documentation provides directions TO configure on the switch to the same mode, speed, and duplexity as on APA, but HOW to set the switch is dependent on the switch itself.

Jeff

[John Payne_2]

Thanks for the info, Jeff. That helps a lot. I seem to have missed that note. (Our switch is set to auto, our APA configuration manual...)

John

[Pete Randall]

Here you go, John. You can test your posting difficulties - just assign (how ever many times it takes) me 0, thanks.

Pete

[Steven E. Protter]

One thing to check with the switch boys.

Switch configuration. On Cisco switches you can have trouble if the swtich is set to auto negotiate.

Have the cisco people check the switch and report how it says its configured.

run lanadmin -x 1

Make sure things match.

Have the Cisco switch set to 100FD 100 Base T full duplex manual, not auto negotiate.

You may need to edit the file in /etc/rc.config.d/btlan... (forgot the end of the name) Maybe its hpbtlan...

darn.

Anyway you can have network problems on Cisco switches if they aren't hardcoded to the speed your NIC card expects under HP-UX

SEP

[John Payne_2]

Thanks Pete. I deleted the cookies and it worked.

Steven, we ALWAYS have the server and the port set to 100FD, (or what ever) we have long long ago had that heartburn...

John

[Dave Brown_2]

We run APA on HP with CISCO switches. We found that the connections needed to be on sequential ports on the switch.

[John Payne_2]

Closed. jjp