[ASK] - AIX Fibre Channel behavior


 
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Operating Systems AIX [ASK] - AIX Fibre Channel behavior
# 8  
Old 03-08-2019
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phat
Can you explain to me 1 thing. As you mentioned, each physical/virtual FC has 2 WWPN. As I check on HMC, I can see the virtual FC assigned to my LPAR has 2 WWPN as screenshot attached.

But when I check on LPAR, I see only 1:
Code:
[root@xxx] / > lscfg -vl fcs0 | grep -i network
        Network Address.............C050760671B10018

Just one short question: you have posted the (correct) dialog from the HMCs web GUI where both addresses are shown. How about - instead of grepping the output of lscfg - looking at its unfiltered output, hmm? I mean, grep is for filtering information. To filter something you need to understand what is vital and what is not. So, instead of filtering, look at the whole first. What does i.e.

Code:
[root@xxx] / > lscfg -vl fcs0

tell you? Do you see the WWPN somewhere, which you see in the HMCs GUI? So, there is your answer.

Quote:
If it's not zoning, I guess we still see the WWPN info on the AIX.
Your guess is correct. The WWPN is - see the explanation above - a property of the adapter and the basis for zoning. So it has to be there prior to any zoning taking place.

Quote:
Originally Posted by vbe
I want to point out the very last paragraph is crucial! as more than 75% of the issues I encounter are related to that paragraph, usually when migrating disk bays or servers in a hurry ( time frame to respect...)
Absolutely. But a lifelong experience as a software developer and a systems administrator has taught me one important lesson:

do it as fast as possible - but not faster!

When you start to sacrifice security or quality or reliability for getting "finished" it is time to call it quits. Step back one step, question your objectives and the objectives of the project and ask yourself how to GLOBALLY do the most good. Globally - as opposed to locally - is important here: if you finish a 3-day schedule in 2 days but in a way so that it breaks down in short time and needs another 3-day overhaul you haven't sped up the process, but in fact slowed it down. Knowing that, i take 3 days if it takes 3 days and to hell with some unrealistic promise some non-technical dimwit made just because it looked good on his spreadsheet. If he think it can be done in two days - show me. Chances are he can't.

I remember well the opportunity when i heard Seamour Cray - from Cray Computers fame - talking about developing. It was about the lines of ...you go by taking one step after the other. If you try to take several steps at once you just hop up and down rapidly but in fact get nowhere. To this i have nothing to add.

I hope this helps.

bakunin

Moderator's Comments:
Mod Comment PS: As this thread is dealing with AIX specifics i transfer it to the AIX board.

Last edited by bakunin; 03-08-2019 at 10:05 AM..
# 9  
Old 03-08-2019
Hi Bakunin,
Here the full details. So I don't see any WWPN elsewhere.
Code:
[root@xxx] / > lscfg -vl fcs0
  fcs0             U9117.MMD.06528F7-V17-C112-T1  Virtual Fibre Channel Client Adapter

        Network Address.............C050760671B10018
        ROS Level and ID............
        Device Specific.(Z0)........
        Device Specific.(Z1)........
        Device Specific.(Z2)........
        Device Specific.(Z3)........
        Device Specific.(Z4)........
        Device Specific.(Z5)........
        Device Specific.(Z6)........
        Device Specific.(Z7)........
        Device Specific.(Z8)........C050760671B10018
        Device Specific.(Z9)........
        Hardware Location Code......U9117.MMD.06528F7-V17-C112-T1

And how about this quote and the rest Smilie you want to emphasize full details are very crucial???
Code:
Absolutely. But a lifelong experience as a software developer and a systems administrator has taught me one important lesson:

# 10  
Old 03-08-2019
It is same for fcs1, ... and so on

Code:
[root@xxx] / > lscfg -vl fcs2
  fcs2             U9117.MMD.06528F7-V17-C312-T1  Virtual Fibre Channel Client Adapter

        Network Address.............C050760671B1001C
        ROS Level and ID............
        Device Specific.(Z0)........
        Device Specific.(Z1)........
        Device Specific.(Z2)........
        Device Specific.(Z3)........
        Device Specific.(Z4)........
        Device Specific.(Z5)........
        Device Specific.(Z6)........
        Device Specific.(Z7)........
        Device Specific.(Z8)........C050760671B1001C
        Device Specific.(Z9)........
        Hardware Location Code......U9117.MMD.06528F7-V17-C312-T1

[ASK] - AIX Fibre Channel behavior-aix_wwpn3png
# 11  
Old 03-09-2019
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phat
Here the full details. So I don't see any WWPN elsewhere.
Code:
[root@xxx] / > lscfg -vl fcs0
  fcs0             U9117.MMD.06528F7-V17-C112-T1  Virtual Fibre Channel Client Adapter

        Network Address.............C050760671B10018
        ROS Level and ID............
        Device Specific.(Z0)........
        Device Specific.(Z1)........
        Device Specific.(Z2)........
        Device Specific.(Z3)........
        Device Specific.(Z4)........
        Device Specific.(Z5)........
        Device Specific.(Z6)........
        Device Specific.(Z7)........
        Device Specific.(Z8)........C050760671B10018
        Device Specific.(Z9)........
        Hardware Location Code......U9117.MMD.06528F7-V17-C112-T1

Well, i have to apologize. Having no AIX system to check at hand i was relying on memory and i thought the other WWPN would be displayed in the Z8 field. Seeing the whole display now i see that it is only the first WWPN.

You may be lucky using the fcstat command, because it will always show the active WWPN, which may or may not be the first one, depending on LPM status.

A sure-fire way to get both WWPNs is to query the HMC, either by GUI as you did or by commandline:

Code:
lshwres -r virtualio --rsubtype fc --level lpar -m <Managed System> -F lpar_name,wwpns --header --filter lpar_names=<LPAR>

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phat
And how about this quote and the rest Smilie you want to emphasize full details are very crucial???
Quote:
]Absolutely. But a lifelong experience as a software developer and a systems administrator has taught me one important lesson:
First off: please, when you quote other peoples text, use QUOTE-tags, not CODE-tags. The formatting is different and formatting flow text as code (that is, among other things: without line breaks) is ridiculous.

What i meant is that you can speed up things only to a point: it takes 9 months to deliver a (working) baby and if you try to "optimize" or "streamline" (or whatever the newspeak of quacks with a degree in business is today) the process you are likely not to end up with a baby delivered sooner but an abomination delivered later. Corollary: managers subjugating the mother to do daily status reports won't help either.

I try to be as circumspect as possible when doing crucial things (and configuring a system that should then run for some years is crucial) and under pressure i can speed up a bit. But once this cutting corners is endangering the success of the whole operation i usually stop and just make clear that ridiculous timelines set by clueless managers based on the size of their expected bonus is not relevant for me - and is not for my work either. If someone happens to have the "idea" (for lack of a more fitting word) to have a server installed and configured by noon at 11:59 - he is just going to be gravely disappointed. An he not having the server he expected by the time he phantasized he'd have it doesn't make my coffee tasting less good or my sleep being any less deep. As a technician i am paid for doing technics - if you need a wonder hire the god of your choice.

I hope this helps.

bakunin

ADDENDUM: in my introduction to FC networks i forgot to mention that new adapters need to be "logged in" to the network before they can be used and their WWPNs are recognised. If you have an LPAR without NPIV you can simply start the system and the FC adapters will be logged in automatically. But with NPIV and a boot disk from the SAN directly (and not via VIOS as a SCSI-disk) you need to take this into account when discovering the disks for the first time.

bakunin

Last edited by bakunin; 03-09-2019 at 05:06 PM..
# 12  
Old 03-10-2019
Hi Bakunin,

From the HMC, I can list all the wwpn of lpar as below
Code:
yyy@xxx:~> lshwres -r virtualio --rsubtype fc --level lpar -m zzzzz -F lpar_name,wwpns --header --filter lpar_names=nnn
lpar_name,wwpns
xxx,"c050760671b1001e,c050760671b1001f"
xxx,"c050760671b1001c,c050760671b1001d"
xxx,"c050760671b1001a,c050760671b1001b"
xxx,"c050760671b10018,c050760671b10019"

Quote:
ADDENDUM: in my introduction to FC networks i forgot to mention that new adapters need to be "logged in" to the network before they can be used and their WWPNs are recognised. If you have an LPAR without NPIV you can simply start the system and the FC adapters will be logged in automatically. But with NPIV and a boot disk from the SAN directly (and not via VIOS as a SCSI-disk) you need to take this into account when discovering the disks for the first time.
We use VIOS and the boot disk from the SAN directly. From VIOS, I can see the fcs is logged already
Code:
Name          Physloc                            ClntID ClntName       ClntOS
------------- ---------------------------------- ------ -------------- -------
vfchost2      U9117.MMD.06528F7-V200-C212            17 xxx          AIX

Status:LOGGED_IN
FC name:fcs0                    FC loc code:U5802.001.9K83854-P1-C3-T1
Ports logged in:2
Flags:a<LOGGED_IN,STRIP_MERGE>
VFC client name:fcs1            VFC client DRC:U9117.MMD.06528F7-V17-C212

Name          Physloc                            ClntID ClntName       ClntOS
------------- ---------------------------------- ------ -------------- -------
vfchost3      U9117.MMD.06528F7-V200-C412            17 xxx          AIX

Status:LOGGED_IN
FC name:fcs2                    FC loc code:U5802.001.9K84360-P1-C3-T1
Ports logged in:2
Flags:a<LOGGED_IN,STRIP_MERGE>
VFC client name:fcs3            VFC client DRC:U9117.MMD.06528F7-V17-C412

So strange we can see only 1 WWPN. Or only this WWPN is used?

--- Post updated at 08:56 AM ---

I suspect it uses the zoning with type active-standby
# 13  
Old 03-10-2019
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phat
So strange we can see only 1 WWPN. Or only this WWPN is used?

I suspect it uses the zoning with type active-standby
Yes, i would suspect the zoning too. You should investigate with the storage guy, especially if he has zoned both of the WWPNs on both of the virtual adapters. They often think that - one cable one WWPN - one of them is enough.

Only one of the two WWPNs is used - at a time. The second is needed for LPM: while the one WWPN is still used on the source system the second one is used on the target system and once the LPM move is complete the original WWPN is not used any more until you initiate another LPM move.

bakunin
# 14  
Old 03-10-2019
Hi Bakunin,

I found this:
IBM How to Initiate Login/Logout Operation for virtual Fibre Channel Client Adapters in HMC - United States

Seem that by default, each virtual FC adapter is created but only 1 WWPN is active, and the other is used for LPM.

Code:
yyy@HMCxxx:~> lsnportlogin -m xxx --filter "lpar_names=abc"
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=112,wwpn=c050760671b10018,wwpn_status=1,logged_in=client,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=112,wwpn=c050760671b10019,wwpn_status=0,logged_in=none,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=212,wwpn=c050760671b1001a,wwpn_status=1,logged_in=client,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=212,wwpn=c050760671b1001b,wwpn_status=0,logged_in=none,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=312,wwpn=c050760671b1001c,wwpn_status=1,logged_in=client,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=312,wwpn=c050760671b1001d,wwpn_status=0,logged_in=none,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=412,wwpn=c050760671b1001e,wwpn_status=1,logged_in=client,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=412,wwpn=c050760671b1001f,wwpn_status=0,logged_in=none,wwpn_status_reason=null

0: is not logged.
1: is logged or active
2: unknown.

Even I try to login the port ( on test AIX), I still see the same WWPN, not more WWPN ( the number of FC card is not increased, still 4)
Code:
xxx@HMCxxxx:~> lsnportlogin -m xxxx --filter "lpar_names=abc"
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=112,wwpn=c050760671b10018,wwpn_status=1,logged_in=client,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=112,wwpn=c050760671b10019,wwpn_status=1,logged_in=vios,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=212,wwpn=c050760671b1001a,wwpn_status=1,logged_in=client,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=212,wwpn=c050760671b1001b,wwpn_status=1,logged_in=vios,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=312,wwpn=c050760671b1001c,wwpn_status=1,logged_in=client,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=312,wwpn=c050760671b1001d,wwpn_status=1,logged_in=vios,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=412,wwpn=c050760671b1001e,wwpn_status=1,logged_in=client,wwpn_status_reason=null
lpar_name=abc,lpar_id=17,profile_name=abc,slot_num=412,wwpn=c050760671b1001f,wwpn_status=1,logged_in=vios,wwpn_status_reason=null


[root@xxx] / > lsdev -Cc adapter | grep fcs
fcs0 Available 12-T1 Virtual Fibre Channel Client Adapter
fcs1 Available 12-T1 Virtual Fibre Channel Client Adapter
fcs2 Available 12-T1 Virtual Fibre Channel Client Adapter
fcs3 Available 12-T1 Virtual Fibre Channel Client Adapter

[root@xxx] / > lscfg -vl fcs0
  fcs0             U9117.MMD.06528F7-V17-C112-T1  Virtual Fibre Channel Client Adapter

        Network Address.............C050760671B10018
        ROS Level and ID............
        Device Specific.(Z0)........
        Device Specific.(Z1)........
        Device Specific.(Z2)........
        Device Specific.(Z3)........
        Device Specific.(Z4)........
        Device Specific.(Z5)........
        Device Specific.(Z6)........
        Device Specific.(Z7)........
        Device Specific.(Z8)........C050760671B10018
        Device Specific.(Z9)........
        Hardware Location Code......U9117.MMD.06528F7-V17-C112-T1

--- Post updated at 10:29 AM ---

I guess this is the behavior of power machine, as only 1 WWPN is active and recognized on the OS side.

If we login the inactive ports, the zoning on SAN switch will see the second WWPN according to the article above.

I will verify with the storage guy tomorrow about this and update.

--- Post updated at 10:32 AM ---

1 question, LPM is used to migrate the AIX from one power host to another power host? Like migrate VM on VMware?

--- Post updated at 10:37 AM ---

Quote:
Yes, i would suspect the zoning too. You should investigate with the storage guy, especially if he has zoned both of the WWPNs on both of the virtual adapters. They often think that - one cable one WWPN - one of them is enough.
Yes, I'm not so clear after all but this is still in the checklist.
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