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Configuring Fibre Channel Mass Storage Adapter

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As with other device adapter cards for HP e3000, fibre channel adapters can also be configured through the MPE/iX utility SYSGEN. Assume a Fibre Channel adapter card at path 0/8/0/0. Start by configuring the first path component System Bus Location equal to zero "0". Then configure the Local Bus Number equal to eight "8", PCI Device equal to zero "0", and PCI Function equal to zero "0". In most cases, the System Bus component and Local Bus number component may already be configured. If so, directly proceed to configure the PCI Device component. 

 io> ap 0 id=pat_ioa_bc
 io> ap 0/8 id=pat_pci_bc
 io> ap 0/8/0 id=pci_device
 io> ap 0/8/0/0 id=A6795A
To check that the FC Device Adapter Card is properly configured: 

 io> lp 0/8/0/0
 PATH: 0/8/0/0                            LDEV:
   ID: A6795A                             TYPE: DA
 PMGR: FC_DAM                          PMGRPRI: 6
 LMGR:                                  MAXIOS: 0
Note that the PMGR should be set to "FC_DAM," which is the manager software for FC device adapter card. After configuring the adapter card through SYSGEN, reboot the system. (If the FC card is configured online using online configuration tool IOCONFIG instead of SYSGEN, the reboot is not required).

When the system is rebooted with FC adapter configured, the software driver for the FC adapter initializes the card and identifies FC devices connected to the card. At this time, a message appears on the system console saying:

td: claimed Tachyon XL2 Fibre Channel Mass Storage card at 0/8/0/0
Scanning for fibre channel devices at 0/8/0/0. This may take a while...

The appearance of this message indicates that the card has been initialized successfully and the software identified any FC devices connected to this adapter card. The list of FC devices/LUNs thus identified is not printed immediately. This list can later be generated by running another MPE/iX utility called FCSCAN, which can be run from the MPE/iX CI prompt.

Understanding Fibre Channel Device Paths

Before identifying and configuring fibre channel devices connected to the adapter, understand about Fibre Channel device hardware path format, used in MPE/iX. Unlike a SCSI device path, a Fibre Channel device path is interpreted differently. The path used in MPE/iX to represent a fibre channel device is given below: 

System Bus Location / Local Bus Number / PCI Device /
   PCI Device Function. FC NPort.FC LUN
Note that the second to last component here is "FC NPort" whereas in the case of SCSI devices it would have been a "SCSI Target". FC Nport a "fibre channel node port" which represents the connection point for a fibre channel device. Under the FC Nport, there can be multiple LUNs of the FC device which are accessible in the same way as SCSI LUNs. A single FC device can support multiple Nports and each Nport can have varying number of LUNs under it. This is analogous to multiple SCSI LUNs under a SCSI Target.

The last component in the FC path represents an "FC LUN" while in a SCSI device path it would be a "SCSI LUN". Although the FC LUN is functionally the same as a SCSI LUN, it is termed differently to signify that it can take on much larger values.

Determining Fibre Channel Devices Connected to FC Adapter

There is no way in the HP e3000 system firmware Main Menu to identify the FC devices connected to an FC adapter card. Running ODE MAPPER2 from ISL does help to identify some FC devices but even this may not list out all the LUNs under the FC devices. For configuring in MPE/iX we ultimately need the FC LUN paths. In order to assist the System Administrator in identifying the FC devices and LUNs accessible from an FC adapter card, MPE/iX provides a new utility called FCSCAN. This utility is present in the system as "FCSCAN.PUB.SYS".

Before using FCSCAN to identify FC devices/LUNs under an FC adapter, you need to make sure that the FC adapter has been configured in the system. The steps mentioned under the section "Configuring Fibre Channel Mass Storage Adapter" should have been completed before running FCSCAN utility.

A sample output generated on running the FCSCAN utility is shown below: 

 :fcscan
 FCSCAN has found the following Fibre Channel I/O Adapter Cards
  and Devices on this system.
  
   SYSGEN PATH        DESCRIPTION                 BOOT MENU PATH
   =============      =============               ================
   0/8/0/0           Fibre Channel Adapter
   0/8/0/0.0         Fibre Channel N-Port
   0/8/0/0.0.0       HP OPEN-3 disk               0/8/0/0.8.0.0.0.0.0
   0/8/0/0.0.1       HP OPEN-3 disk               0/8/0/0.8.0.0.0.0.1
   0/8/0/0.0.105     HP OPEN-3 disk               0/8/0/0.8.0.0.0.13.1
   0/8/0/0.95        Fibre Channel N-Port
   0/8/0/0.95.0      HP A6188A disk               0/8/0/0.8.0.95.0.0.0
   0/8/0/0.95.5      HP A6188A disk               0/8/0/0.8.0.95.0.0.5
   0/8/0/0.95.10     HP A6188A disk               0/8/0/0.8.0.95.0.1.2
   0/8/0/0.95.50     HP A6188A disk               0/8/0/0.8.0.95.0.6.2
The output from FCSCAN shows the list of FC adapter cards and devices present in the system. The hardware paths printed by FCSCAN can be directly used in SYSGEN to configure the corresponding device.

The output from the FCSCAN utility shows the following information:
  • SYSGEN PATH:

    • Hardware path of the FC adapter card or device. This is the path which is to be used in SYSGEN to configure the card or device in the system.

  • DESCRIPTION:

    • Description about whether the path specifies an FC card or device. If device, it also specifies the model and type of the device.

  • BOOT MENU PATH:

    • Path value for an FC device to be used in the system Boot Command Handler or firmware Main Menu to set that particular device as the primary path. The boot menu path is a detailed long format path unlike the simplified SYSGEN path. It is necessary to use this long path in boot menu because the system firmware can understand only this format to access devices. To install on, or boot from an FC disk, the primary path will be set to this long path for that disk as printed by FCSCAN.
The above sample output shows that there is a Fibre Channel Adapter card configured in the system at path 0/8/0/0. Under this card, there are some devices listed.

Path 0/8/0/0.0 shows an FC N_Port (Node Port) which indicates the fibre channel port of a device connected to the card. FC N_port is required to be configured in SYSGEN while configuring devices. The output also shows three disks of type HP OPEN-3 shown with paths 0/8/0/0.0.0, 0/8/0/0.0.1 and 0/8/0/0.0.105. The last components of these paths refer to the LUN number of these disks. The type HP OPEN-3 usually refers to an XP512 device disk. Since the hardware paths of these three disks come under Nport 0/8/0/0.0, they all fall under the same Nport in the XP512 device.

Path 0/8/0/0.95 shows another FC N_Port (Node Port) indicating another device is connected to the card. Under this N_Port, there are four disk LUNs of type HP A6188A shown with paths 0/8/0/0.95.0, 0/8/0/0.95.5, 0/8/0/0.95.10 and 0/8/0/0.95.50. The type HP A6188A refers to the Virtual Array device A6188A.

FCSCAN utility provides a list of all device N_Ports and LUNs connected to the adapter card. This information should be used to configure them in SYSGEN. Further details on FCSCAN utility and the steps for configuring FC device LUNs are covered in the MPE/iX Release 7.5 Communicator document.

NOTE: If FCSCAN output shows only the adapter card but no devices under it, then most likely the device has not been connected properly. Verify the FC cable connecting the FC device to the adapter. Try again by running FCSCAN with "-h" option. For more details how to run FCSCAN with this option, refer to the MPE/iX 7.5 Communicator document.



Chapter 3 Verifying Installation

Chapter 4 Troubleshooting