Very Computer

Is it possible to use this combination:

Sun server with Solaris 8 + Veritas VM 3.1.1 + DMP + Compaq storage

In Sun server I have Sun dual FC cPCI cards and there are 4 paths to
LUNs on Compaq Storage (MA8000 with two controller cards).  I hoped
that I could use DMP for multipath access to Compaq Storage, but it
simply doesn't seem to work.  vxdiskadm simply does not let me add
Compaq LUNs (when I choose first option from menu "Add or initialize
one or more disks" and type "list", I'm getting only internal disks
and controllers listed).  In documentation there is nothing that says
something like "works only with Sun storage devices" -- it simply
states that it allows multipath access to any storage type.

Both Sun server and ompaq storage are connected to F-ports on FC
switch and I have latest qlc and SAN patches installed.  From the OS I
can see all 4 paths (and do format, newfs and mount on them).

--

Opinions expressed herein are my own.
Statements included here may be fiction rather than truth.

Alek - you'll need Compaq's own Secure Path (v2.1d or the better v3 which
offers dynamic addition of LUNs).

VX DMP just doesn't work with Compaq storage.  If it did, we'd all save a
lot of $$$ by not having to buy securepath.

You should be able to add the Compaq LUNs within vxdiskadm though.  You got
the limited version of VXVM, the Sun version?

Yup, it seems that buying SecurePath is going to be only solution.  I
was browsing Veritas web site, and found that Veritas do support
Compaq storage with their DMP module in VxVM -- but only in VxVM for
Windows NT/2000. :-(

Quote:> You should be able to add the Compaq LUNs within vxdiskadm though.

Could it be that the problem is with device names.  Becase I have Sun
server on F ports on switch, target numbers are no longer target
numbers, but WWNs (so I have device names like
/dev/dsk/c3t50001FE1000F8184d0s2).  Maybe it is a little bit confusing
for Veritas if it expects to find much shorter target number after 't'
in device name?

Quote:> You got the limited version of VXVM, the Sun version?

We got it from Sun, but I beleive it is full version of product (we
have standard VxVM license).  It was not bundled with Sun storage (I
know that with some types of storage Sun ships VxVM, but it is not the
case at our site since we have only Sun T3s and Compaq MA8000s
(HSG-80)).

--

Opinions expressed herein are my own.
Statements included here may be fiction rather than truth.

Quote:> Yup, it seems that buying SecurePath is going to be only solution.  I
> was browsing Veritas web site, and found that Veritas do support
> Compaq storage with their DMP module in VxVM -- but only in VxVM for
> Windows NT/2000. :-(

Yes, will be nice if Veritas get their act together, securepath isn't cheap.

Quote:> Could it be that the problem is with device names.  Becase I have Sun
> server on F ports on switch, target numbers are no longer target
> numbers, but WWNs (so I have device names like
> /dev/dsk/c3t50001FE1000F8184d0s2).  Maybe it is a little bit confusing
> for Veritas if it expects to find much shorter target number after 't'
> in device name?

Errr, that looks bad.  Should show up as stuff like /dev/dsk/c3t100d0s2.
Something's gone a bit awry if you're getting device names like that.

Once you've got them dual attached, they'll show as /dev/dsk/c3t100d0s2 and
/dev/dsk/c4t100d0s2, and once you've popped securepath on there, just
/dev/dsk/c5t100d0s2.  If you then run /opt/CPQswsp/bin/spmt display, it'll
show the details of the underlying devices.....

Quote:> > You got the limited version of VXVM, the Sun version?

> We got it from Sun, but I beleive it is full version of product (we
> have standard VxVM license).  It was not bundled with Sun storage (I
> know that with some types of storage Sun ships VxVM, but it is not the
> case at our site since we have only Sun T3s and Compaq MA8000s
> (HSG-80)).

Looks like the previous problem is to blame, the c3t5001FE1000 stuff.

Found a good doc at
http://www.brocade.com/san/Solutionware-pdfs/53-0001613-02.pdf that might be
of interest.

Joe

One more question.  Can I have both Veritas and SecurePath installed
on same host (and optionally MPxIO, since we use that one also on some
servers)?

Quote:> > Could it be that the problem is with device names.  Becase I have Sun
> > server on F ports on switch, target numbers are no longer target
> > numbers, but WWNs (so I have device names like
> > /dev/dsk/c3t50001FE1000F8184d0s2).  Maybe it is a little bit confusing
> > for Veritas if it expects to find much shorter target number after 't'
> > in device name?

> Errr, that looks bad.  Should show up as stuff like /dev/dsk/c3t100d0s2.
> Something's gone a bit awry if you're getting device names like that.

Actually, that is the way Sun people intended device names to look
like when you have Sun branded FC card connected to an F port on
switch (if you connect FC card to L or TL port, or if you don't have
Sun branded card, you'll have standard device names).  If you think
those device names are perversion, read ahead for some more...

Quote:> Once you've got them dual attached, they'll show as /dev/dsk/c3t100d0s2 and
> /dev/dsk/c4t100d0s2, and once you've popped securepath on there, just
> /dev/dsk/c5t100d0s2.  If you then run /opt/CPQswsp/bin/spmt display, it'll
> show the details of the underlying devices.....

Much like the Solaris MPxIO thing, except that it seems that you can
still see original devices (MPxIO removes original device names
completely, you can access disks only using MPxIO device name) and you
have much shorter device names than with MPxIO
(/dev/dsk/c5t60020F20000080883BE25FC7000A299Ad0s7 is typical MPxIO
device name, believe it or not).  Needless to say, you can't use MPxIO
disks in VxVM (or at least I couldn't get it working...

Quote:> Found a good doc at
> http://www.brocade.com/san/Solutionware-pdfs/53-0001613-02.pdf that might be
> of interest.

I'll have a look on it...

--

Opinions expressed herein are my own.
Statements included here may be fiction rather than truth.

As I already said, it happens only for FC devices that can be
connected to fabric (either on F or TL ports on FC switch) like Sun
StorEdge T3 and Compaq HSG80 when using Sun FC host adapter.

Quote:> It doesn't on the A5000 boxes or the SSAs.

AFAIK, SSA can be connected as direct attached storage only.  Not sure
for A1000 and A5000 (but I don't remember that I saw that it is
supported to use A1000 and A5000 on loop or on fabric).

Quote:> The contract I was at used Compaq's recommend Fibre card (which was NOT
> Sun's FCAL card) and the last I heard was the the JCOR(?) HBA, Brocade
> Fabric Hubs, and Compaq MA8000 RAID boxes worked with SecurePath and
> Veritas.

Well, I have Sun HBA cards (the rest of config is the same).  If
Veritas DMP worked with MA8000 in the above config, it is most likely
that non-standard device names are to be blamed (hm, time to send bug
report to Veritas folks?).

Quote:> The devices came out as expected with the standard cWtXdYsZ
> format, where W is the controller instance (you'll see 2 for dual pathed
> LUNs), X is the SCSI target ID assigned to the LUN on the COMPAQ, Y is
> the LUN#, and Z is the slice (slice 2 is typical).

Yes, I know how the standard controler/target/lun schema looks like.
If you have Sun Fibre Channel card connected to F port (fabric
topology) you will get non-standard device names (as the ones I
posted).  Also, if you are using MPxIO for multipathing you will get
non-standrd device names on both loop and fabric connected servers
(don't know if this is a case for direct attached storage).  If you
want to see how it looks like with your own eyes, you'll need at least
Solaris 8 04/01, Sun ISP2200A based FC cards, SUNWcfpl and SUNWcfplx
packages and all of the following patches installed: 108982-09,
108984-08, 109529-06, 111847-01, 111412-06, 111095-05, 111096-03,
111097-06, 111413-06, 111267-02, 111846-01 and 110614-02.  After that
you can enable MPxIO in /kernel/drv/scsi_vhci.conf file (and if you
have Sun Fire280 you'll need to disable MPxIO in qlc.conf file for
on-board FC controller, or you'll end up with unbootable server).

--

Opinions expressed herein are my own.
Statements included here may be fiction rather than truth.

JNI cards from JAYCOR.

Quote:> Fabric Hubs, and Compaq MA8000 RAID boxes worked with SecurePath and
> Veritas.  The devices came out as expected with the standard cWtXdYsZ
> format, where W is the controller instance (you'll see 2 for dual pathed
> LUNs), X is the SCSI target ID assigned to the LUN on the COMPAQ, Y is
> the LUN#, and Z is the slice (slice 2 is typical).

That's the setup we're running with. Sure is a pain to get working -
I'd love to continue using the fabric in transparent mode, but since
our Alphas insist (or maybe it's compaq who insists) on multibus, our
Sun boxes have to go with SecurePath.

We're currently at 2.1d, and it works, but we have had really annoying
problems - one is that in order to install SP you need all disks offlined -
damn difficult when you're running Veritas Cluster in an production
environment, and the cluster group kind of prefers to be online on
one node at least! Also the provided spconfig mechanism for configured the
/kernel/drv configuration files doesn't work except if your switch
setup is really really simple. We do our ldLite, sd, mda and fca-pci.conf
by hand, otherwise we don't have a chance.

When that's said - then it apparently works. The targets before SP
are like 64, 65; SP maps them down to normal-looking ones, for
example

AVAILABLE DISK SELECTIONS:
       0. c0t0d0 <SUN18G cyl 7506 alt 2 hd 19 sec 248>

       1. c0t1d0 <SUN18G cyl 7506 alt 2 hd 19 sec 248>

       2. c2t0d0 <DEC-HSG80-V86F cyl 27995 alt 2 hd 20 sec 254>

       3. c2t1d0 <DEC-HSG80-V86F cyl 13996 alt 2 hd 20 sec 254>

       4. c2t2d0 <DEC-HSG80-V86F cyl 27995 alt 2 hd 20 sec 254>

       5. c2t3d0 <DEC-HSG80-V86F cyl 13996 alt 2 hd 20 sec 254>

       6. c2t4d0 <DEC-HSG80-V86F cyl 13996 alt 2 hd 20 sec 254>

       7. c2t5d0 <DEC-HSG80-V86F cyl 13996 alt 2 hd 20 sec 254>

Specify disk (enter its number):

which Volume Manager can quite easily understand.

But I would prefer to be without SecurePath.

/Ole

--
power-lusers  (read:  running  latest  and  greatest  from  Freshmeat,
insecure at extreme, owner does  everything  logged  in as  root cause
he finally got root on a Unix box and that makes his* way longer).
                               -- Alexander Viro on comp.security.unix

Quote:> Actually, that is the way Sun people intended device names to look
> like when you have Sun branded FC card connected to an F port on
> switch (if you connect FC card to L or TL port, or if you don't have
> Sun branded card, you'll have standard device names).  If you think
> those device names are perversion, read ahead for some more...

Alek - Sun branded FC cards aren't supported.  They've got to be JNI and
they've got to be a certain firmware version.
See http://www.compaq.com/products/quickspecs/10506_div/10506_div.html :-

Host Adapters
Compaq 32-bit PCI Fibre Channel Adapter 380576-001
Compaq 64-bit SBUS Fibre Channel Adapter 123503-001

*Very* likely that this is why you've got the whacky device names.

Quote:> One more question.  Can I have both Veritas and SecurePath installed
> on same host (and optionally MPxIO, since we use that one also on some
> servers)?

Yes, we have vxvm+sp installed, works a treat.  Recommend that you keep
rootdg on local devices, and not somewhere on the SAN.

If anybody runs into same problems as I have with VxVM and MPxIO (or
simply with VxVM and Sun branded FC cards in fabric SAN topology), I
found out why my VxVM doesn't see the disks on SAN.  Long device names
(those that have WWN after 't' in device name) are supported only on
VxVM 3.2 and later.  I have VxVM 3.1.1 that can only use disks with
standard (normal, "short") device names.

--

Opinions expressed herein are my own.
Statements included here may be fiction rather than truth.