HPlogo Communicator e3000 MPE/iX Release 7.5 (Software Release C75.00): HP e3000 MPE/iX Computer Systems > Chapter 4 Fibre Channel Device and Adapter Support

HP SCSI-FC Fabric Router for the HP e3000

MPE documents

Complete PDF
Table of Contents
Index

By Walter McCullough, Commercial Systems Division

Product Brief

The A5814A option 003 SCSI-Fibre Channel Fabric Router allows those HP e3000s limited to SCSI HBAs access to HP's newest portfolio of fibre channel storage arrays.

Connected to an HP e3000, the router supports a number of fibre channel products.

The router SAN enables the HP e3000 by allowing it to connect to the HP SureStore Disk Array XP512, XP48 and the newest HP Virtual Disk Array 7100. The router also allows the user to incorporate the use of Brocade Silkworm Fibre Channel Switch model 2400, the 8 port version and the 2800 model which supports 16 ports into their storage topology.

The use of hubs and switches allows the user to do storage port consolidation and zoning. This allows the user to connect more host connections to an array than there are ports on the array itself.

The router is a stand alone unit separate from the storage array and computer. It is easy to setup and contains its own diagnostic (RS232) port onboard.

Site, Software and Hardware Requirements

Device installation and support is to be provided by HP. For detailed information on the support and configuration of the A5814A option 003 Fibre Channel Fabric Router, field support personnel should consult the updated version of the User Guide, which ships with the product or check for the Fabric Router Guide at the following website:
  • HP SCSI-Fibre Channel Fabric Router Installation and User Guide http://www.docs.hp.com/mpeix/all/
The fabric router requires 8.01.0A version of firmware or greater. This version of router does not support the distancing solution where two routers are connected back to back to gain SCSI distancing for connecting SCSI tapes beyond the capabilities of SCSI.

NOTE: The distancing router, firmware 7.62.00, is not upgradable to the fabric router version of 8.01.0A.

Features

  • Ease-of-use

  • Fibre channel connectivity

  • Fast protocol conversion between SCSI and fibre channel

  • Reliable host to peripheral connection

SCSI Connectivity

  • Protocol: SCSI-2 Ultra-Wide High Voltage Differential (HVD)(40 MB/sec)

  • Data Transfer Rate: 40 MB/sec (per SCSI-FC Router per SCSI Channel) burst

  • SCSI-2 HVD: 68-pin High Density

  • Device Support:

    • HP28696A F/W SCSI I/O HPPB card (NIO based machines)

    • HP4800A F/W SCSI I/O card (PCI based machines)

    • HP5159A F/W SCSI I/O card (PCI based machines)

  • Supports: Command Processing, Tagged Queuing, Disconnect/Reconnect, Synchronous and Asynchronous data transfer

Fibre Connectivity

  • Protocol: ANSI Fibre Channel (FC-PH) and ANSI Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL)

  • Classes of Service: Class 3

  • Topology: FC-AL (private or public), Point-to-Point

  • Data Transfer Rate: 100 MB/sec (per SCSI-FC Router per fibre channel)

  • Port Speed: 100 MB/sec

  • Short Wavelength Optical Cable

    • Data Rate: 100 MB/sec burst

    • Cable: 50 or 62.5 micron fibre optic

    • Distance: 500 meters (1640 feet) or 172 meter (564 feet)

    • Connector: Dual SC

Fabric System Requirements

  • Fibre optic cable: 62-or 50-micron fibre optic cable with dual SC connector, HSSDC Gigabit Interface Converters (GBIC)

  • SCSI-FC Router (host) microcode revision 8.01.0A or later

  • SCSI-2 HVD compliant host adapter

  • SCSI-2 compliant host

  • SCSI-2 compliant cabling

  • Proper electrical power source (UPS required for High Availability environments)

  • Fabric solution requires one A5814A-003 router. (A5814A is not upgradable to A5814A-003)

Supported Devices

  • HP SureStore Disk Array XP512 on MPE/iX 6.0 express 1 and greater

  • HP SureStore Disk Array XP48 on MPE/iX 6.0 express 1 or greater

  • HP Virtual Disk Array 7100 on MPE/iX 7.0 express 1 or greater

  • Brocade 2400 Silkworm Fibre Channel Switch Firmware A2.4.1 or greater

  • Brocade 2800 Silkworm Fibre Channel Switch Firmware A2.4.1 or greater

  • Fibre Channel 1063 Mbps 10 port shortwave Hub A3724AZ

Host Hardware/Firmware Requirements

SCSI HBA (NIO based machines):
  • F/W SCSI Device Adapter HP28696A. Firmware version 3728

  • SCSI-FC Fabric Router A5814A #003. Firmware version 8.01.0A

  • HSSDC Gigabit Interface Converters (GBIC)

  • Fibre optic cable: 62- or 50-micron fibre optic cable with dual SC connector
SCSI HBA (PCI based machines):
  • Ultra SCSI I/O Device Adapter HP A4800A or A5159A

  • SCSI-FC Fabric Router A5814A #003. Firmware version 8.01.0A

  • HSSDC Gigabit Interface Converters (GBIC)

  • Fibre optic cable: 62- or 50-micron fibre optic cable with dual SC connector
Fibre Channel HBA (PCI based machines):
  • A6795A PCI- 2Gbit Card - LC Cable interface

  • No additional GBIC for Card, Device still requires one.

  • LC/SC Fibre Channel Cable such as A5750A-008 or C7530A.

Router Setup

Step One: Ensure That Attached Devices Function Properly
  1. Power on the storage device(s) that will connect to the router, as seen in Figure 1-3, of the Installation and User for the Router.

  2. Ensure that the storage devices are functioning properly (refer to the storage device operating manual to determine proper operation).

  3. Power on the host/server that will connect to the host router after connecting the SCSI and Fibre channel cables to the router.

  4. Ensure that the host is functioning properly (refer to the operating manual for the host to determine proper operation).
Step Two: Clear the Node Mapping Table of the Router
  1. Ensure power is off to the router.

  2. On SW2 of the router, set DIP switches 4 and 5 in the down position to clear the Node Mapping Table.

    [Switch-2]

  3. Power on the router. The power LED (green) should be solid on. If the power LED is off then refer to router manual.

  4. When the Fault LED (yellow) is solid on and the Status LED (green) is blinking, it indicates that the Node Mapping Table has been cleared.

    NOTE: When the Node Mapping Table has been cleared the Status LED (green) blinks a status code of 060 as described in Table B-1 of the Installation and User Guide.

  5. The process will take approximately 15 seconds.

  6. Power off the router.
Step Three: Operating Mode
  1. Power off the router.

  2. On SW2 of the router, set DIP switches 0 and 2 to the down position to activate the "host" operating.
    [Switch-2]

  3. Attach the router to the host/server with the appropriate SCSI cable. Ensure that cable and connectors are securely fastened.

  4. Power on router and wait for blinking lights to stop.

  5. ODE MAPPER should be used to verify that the HP e3000 can communicate with the fibre channel device.

    NOTE:/b> Fibre channel addressing is similar to but does not exactly match that of SCSI addressing. The router will condense fibre channel addresses to fit into its map table. This map table can then be accessed by the HP e3000. The map table is a sequential list of target and LUN addresses starting at 0.0 incrementing to 0.7 then 1.0 where the left most digit (target address) increments to 15. Except for the target address of the SCSI HBA of (usually) 7 the total number of addresses the router can store is 127 per router.

    It is best to configure your fibre channel LUN addresses starting at 0 with no holes. This be less confusing as you manage your devices on the SAN.



HP SureStore Virtual Array 7100 on the HP e3000

Chapter 5 Technical Articles