You can convert control enclosures of an online system from using 10 Gbps Ethernet host interface adapters for Fibre Channel over
Ethernet (FCoE) connectivity to using 8
Gbps Fibre Channel host interface adapters.
Before you begin
During this procedure, the FCoE ports that connect the system to the SAN are reconfigured as
Fibre Channel ports. For the hosts, external storage controllers, and nodes to
communicate, the system must accommodate both types of connectivity. Before you start this
procedure, ensure the appropriate Fibre Channel and FCoE SAN equipment is installed on the
system.
Each 8
Gbps Fibre Channel host interface adapter has four ports. Each 10 Gbps Ethernet host interface adapter has two ports.
Depending on your port usage, you
might have to redesign the SAN connectivity to accommodate the difference in port numbers.
It is not necessary for all control enclosures in a system to have identical port configurations.
The system can operate by using Fibre Channel on one I/O group, and FCoE on the other I/O group.
However, I/O performance might vary depending on the path that is taken from host to volume.
Communication between hosts, external controllers, and the
system might be disrupted
during this procedure, impacting I/O throughput. To minimize disruption, read through the entire
procedure before you start maintenance and schedule an appropriate maintenance period.
Procedure
For each control enclosure in the system that is to be converted from 10 Gbps Ethernet
host interface adapters to 8
Gbps Fibre Channel host interface adapters, complete the following
steps. Start with node canister 1 of the control enclosure that is to be converted.
- Identify the node canister that
is to be converted.
- Use the management GUI to
remove the node canister from the system.
- Use the service assistant to shut down the node canister.
- Disconnect the cables from the 10 Gbps Ethernet host interface adapter.
- Complete the Replacing a host interface adapter procedure to remove the node
canister from the enclosure. Then, replace the 10 Gbps Ethernet host interface adapter with the 8
Gbps Fibre Channel host interface adapter. Ensure that you also install the correct SFP transceivers into the ports on the 8
Gbps Fibre Channel host interface adapter.
Note: After the node
canister starts, the node might not come online, but instead go to service state with a node error
550. This code is normal if a second control enclosure is installed. Do not attempt to fix errors in
the Event log at this stage, but continue with this procedure.
- Use the service assistant to determine the WWPNs of the 8
Gbps Fibre Channel host interface adapter ports. On the Home page, ensure that the correct node is selected. Read the
WWPNs from the Ports tab of the Node Detail view.
- Connect the 8
Gbps Fibre Channel host interface adapter ports to your SAN.
- Use the WWPNs identified in step 6 to correct the zoning on one
redundant half of the SAN. The zoning must include the zones for intra-cluster communication and host access. Refer to SAN configuration and zoning rules summary
for more details. Verify that hosts, storage systems, and nodes on that half of the SAN are
configured correctly before you configure the other redundant half of the SAN. When the reconfigured node can see all other nodes in the system, the node error 550
noted in step 5 is
automatically cleared and the node automatically rejoins the cluster. After node canister 1 is
online, a hardware mismatch event (error code 1470) is shown in the log. This error code indicates
that the two nodes in the enclosure have different hardware. You can ignore this error.
- Repeat steps 1
through 8 on node
canister 2. When both node canisters in an enclosure accept the Ethernet host interface adapter, the mismatching
hardware event (error code 1470) noted in step 8 is automatically
corrected.