Guidelines for Installing an Operating System to a FC SAN Device

This section presents guidelines you should consider prior to installing an operating system to a Fibre Channel (FC) Storage Area Network (SAN) device. Specifically, it identifies the steps you must take to configure a FC PCIe EM or NEM as an installation target.

This section includes the following topics:

Before You Begin

The guidelines presented in this section assume you have already:

  • Enabled the Boot Option ROM PCIe I/0 slot in the BIOS Utility.

  • Properly installed the FC EM in the Sun Blade 8000 Chassis. For details, see Add PCIe ExpressModule (EM).

  • Verified that the FC EM is securely installed and power has been applied.

  • Observed the FC EM operating state. Each port has a corresponding set of LEDs that provide a visual indication of the operating state. The following tables summarize the LED operating state definitions for the Qlogic and Emulex EMs.

    Sun PCIe FC Dual-Port EM from Qlogic - LED Operating State Definitions:

    Hardware State

    Yellow LED (4 Gbps

    Green LED (2 Gbps)

    Amber LED (1 Gbps)

    Comments

    Power off

    Off

    Off

    Off

    Card does not have power.

    Power on (before firmware initialization)

    On

    On

    On

    On continuously

    Power on (after firmware initialization)

    Flash

    Flash

    Flash

    All at the same time

    Firmware Fault

    Flash in sequence

    Flash in sequence

    Flash in sequence

    Flashing in sequence of Yellow-->Green-->Amber

    1 Gbps Link Up/Active

    Off

    Off

    On/Flash

    On for link up; Flash if I/O activity

    2 Gbps Link Up/Active

    Off

    On/Flash

    Off

    On for link up; Flash if I/O activity

    4 Gbps Link Up/Active

    ON/Flash

    Off

    Off

    On for link up; Flash if I/O activity

    Sun StorageTek FC Dual-Port EM from Emulex - LED Operating State Definitions:

    Green LED

    Yellow LED

    State

    Off

    Off

    Wake-Up Failure (Failed board)

    Off

    On

    POST Failure (Failed board)

    Off

    Slow Blink

    Wake-Up Failure (Monitor)

    Off

    Fast Blink

    Failure in POST

    Off

    Flashing

    POST Processing in Progress

    On

    Off

    Failure While Functioning

    On

    On

    Failure While Functioning

    On

    1 Fast Blink

    1Gb Link Rate - Normal, link up

    On

    2 Fast Blinks

    2Gb Link Rate - Normal, link up

    On

    3 Fast Blinks

    4Gb Link Rate - Normal, link up

    Slow Blink

    Off

    Normal - Link Down

    Slow Blink

    On

    Not defined

    Slow Blink

    Slow Blink

    Off-line for Download

    Slow Blink

    Fast Blink

    Restricted Off-line Mode (Waiting for Restart

    Slow Blink

    Flashing

    Restricted Off-line Mode, test active

Qlogic FC EM Configuration Considerations and Procedure

Consider the following information when configuring an Qlogic FC EM as an installation targe

  • The SAN must be installed and configured, and the storage must be visible to the host. After the SAN is configured and an attachment is made to the HBA port on the FC EM, the QLogic ROM BIOS Fast!UTIL includes a feature to scan for targets to verify the link. Verify that the World Wide Name (WWN) is visible to the switch (if used) and is part of a valid zone. Some RAID arrays require permission settings to allow access. Usually, the WWN is required to set proper permissions. Check the user documentation for the switch and RAID array for the configuration details.

  • The storage system must have at least one available LUN for booting the server(s). The storage device will typically have a logical LUN associated with a specific drive or group of drives configured as a RAID. Most operating systems require that this LUN must be LUN 0. Some arrays also require that the “host type” is defined for the OS (Solaris, Linux, or Windows). This LUN configuration must be confirmed in the user documentation for the SAN storage array.

    Also, the storage array must be configured to allow the server exclusive access to the LUN; access is typically assigned via the FC HBA WWN on the storage. No other server may have access to or view this LUN.

  • Switch zoning is often used to keep hosts and LUNs separated from each other. Either a web-based GUI or CLI application can be used to verify that the WWN for the adapter port and the WWN for the RAID/Storage Array are attached to the switch, visible (or logged-in) at the connected switch port, and part of a valid zone as required.

  • Only one HBA port can be connected to the SAN during the OS installation. Multiple ports attached to the SAN can cause data corruption and will often cause failures. The OS may view these additional paths to the storage as separate storage devices.

    With the appropriate software, additional storage paths (controller ports/HBA connections) can be added after the multi-path software has been installed. In any case, this would be done after the initial OS installation to the SAN. Refer to the documentation for the multi-path software for further details.

    The QLogic adapter includes a setting to enable Spinup Delay. By default, this setting should be disabled. In general, it is best to make sure the RAID/Storage Array has completed its initialization and is ready for access before booting the server. If the server scans the FC bus before the array has completed initialization, it may fail to detect the boot device. Depending on the number of LUNS and types available, the delay across the fabric could be several minutes. If so, the Spinup Delay may need to be enabled to allow the boot device time to initialize.

  • Configuring the LUN for SAN boot generally requires configuration on the RAID or Storage Array as well as the HBA. In order to configure the RAID array permissions and configure a FC switch, it may be required to know the WWN. This can be found by booting the Sun Blade Server Module and entering the QLogic Option ROM configuration utility Fast!UTIL pressing CTRL-Q when prompted.

How to Configure the Qlogic FC Host Bus Adapter

To select and configure the Adapter port connectd to the Storage Area Network, perform the following steps:

Note

The EM has two ports. Each port will be listed as a single “Adapter” in the system. Device “1” is the lower EM port and Device “0” is the upper EM port.

  1. Reset the Sun Blade Server Module.

    The QLogic BIOS screen and messages appear.

  2. Press Ctrl-Q when the QLogic HBA banner message appears.

    The QLogic Fast!Util - Select Host Adapter menu appears.

  3. In the Select Host Adapter menu, use the up or down arrow key to select the adapter you want to view and configure, then press Enter.

    The Fast!Util Options menu appears.

  4. In the Fast!Util Options menu, use the up or down arrow key to select Configuration Settings, then press Enter.

    The Configuration Settings menu appears.

  5. In the Configuration Settings menu, use the up or down arrow key to select Adapter Settings, then press Enter.

    The Adapter Settings menu appears.

  6. In the Adapter Settings menu, use the up or down arrow key to Enable the Host Adapter BIOS setting, then press Enter.

    The Configuration Settings menu appears.

  7. Press ESC twice to exit the Configuration Settings menu.

    The Configuration Settings Modified menu appears.

  8. In the Configuration Settings Modified menu, select Save Changes and press Enter.

    The Fast!Util Options menu appears.

  9. In the Fast!Util Options menu, use the up or down arrow key to select Scan Fibre Device, then press Enter.

    The system verifies which FC ports are active. The Scan Fibre Channel Loop screen appears listing the Fibre Channel devices connected to the EMs.

  10. In the Scan Fibre Channel Loop screen, record vendor-specific information and port WWN for future reference. The port name column identifies the WWN for each discovered port.

  11. Press Esc to exit the Scan Fibre Channel Loop screen.

    The Fast!Util Options menu appears.

  12. In the Fast!Util Options menu, select Configuration Settings, then press Enter.

    The Configuration Settings menu appears.

  13. In the Configuration Settings menu, select Selectable Boot Settings, then press Enter.

    The Selectable Boot Settings screen appears.

  14. In the Selectable Boot Settings screen, do the following:

    1. change the Selectable Boot Option to Enabled.

    2. Use the down or up arrow key to select the (Primary) Boot Port Name, Lun entry and press Enter.

    The Select Fibre Channel Device screen appears.

  15. In the Select Fire Channel Device screen, use the up or down arrow key to select the appropriate boot device, press Enter.

    Tip

    If necessary, refer to the list of port IDs and names previously recorded in Step 10.

    The WWN for the boot device is listed in the Port Name column.

    The Selectable Boot Settings screen appears listing the selected boot device WWN as the primary boot device.

  16. Press ESC to exit the Selectable Boot Settings screen.

    The Configuration Settings menu appears.

  17. Press ESC to exit the Configuration Settings menu.

    The Configuration Settings Modified menu appears .

  18. In the Configuration Settings Modified menu, select Save Changes and press Enter.

    The Fast!Util Options menu appears.

  19. In the Fast!Util Options menu, select Exit Fast!Util and press Enter.

    The Exit Fast!Util menu appears.

  20. In the Exit Fast!Util menu, select Reboot System and press Enter.

  21. After rebooting, press F2 to enter the BIOS Setup Utility.

  22. In the BIOS Setup Utility, select Boot menu.

    The WWN for the selected boot device appears in the Boot Device Priority list.

Emulex FC EM Configuration Considerations and Procedure

Consider the following information when configuring an Emulex FC EM as an installation target.

  • The SAN must be installed and configured to make the storage visible to the host. After the SAN is configured and an attached to the Host Bus Adapter (HBA) port on the FC EM, you must use the Emulex Light Pulse BIOS Utility to enable the ROM BIOS and configure the boot device(s) as required. You will also need to verify that the World Wide Name (WWN) is visible to the switch (if used) and is part of a valid zone. Some RAID arrays require permission settings to allow access. Usually, the WWN is required to set proper permissions. Check the storage device user documentation for the switch and RAID array for the configuration details

  • The storage system must have at least one available LUN for booting the server(s). The storage device will typically have a logical LUN associated with a specific drive or group of drives configured as a RAID. Most operating systems require that this LUN must be LUN 0. Some arrays also require that the “host type” is defined for the OS (Solaris, Linux, or Windows.) This LUN configuration must be confirmed in the user documentation for the SAN storage array

    Also, the storage array must be configured to allow the server exclusive access to the LUN; access is typically assigned via the FC HBA WWN on the storage. No other server may have access to or view this LUN.

  • Switch zoning is often used to keep hosts and LUNs separated from each other. You can use either a web-based GUI or CLI application to verify that the WWN for the adapter port and the WWN for the RAID Storage array are attached to the switch, visible (or logged-in) at the connected switch port, and part of a valid zone as required.

  • Only one HBA port can be connected to the SAN during the OS installation. Multiple ports attached to the SAN can cause data corruption and will often cause failures. The OS may view these additional paths to the storage as separate storage devices

  • With the appropriate software, additional storage paths (controller ports/HBA connections) can be added after the multipath software has been installed. This task is done after the initial OS installation to the SAN. Refer to the OS or Emulex multipath software documentation for further details

  • The Emulex adapter includes a setting to enable Spinup Delay. By default, this setting should be disabled. In general, it is best to ensure that the RAID Storage Array has completed its initialization and is ready for access before booting the server. If the server scans the FC bus before the array has completed initialization, it may fail to detect the boot device. Depending on the number of LUNS and types available, the delay across the fabric could be several minutes. If so, the Spinup Delay may need to be enabled to allow the boot device time to initialize

How to Configure the Emulex FC Host Bus Adapter

To select and configure the Adapter port connected to the Storage Area Network, perform the following steps:

  1. Reset the Sun Blade Server Module.

    Watch for the Emulex banner message to appear on the BIOS screen.

  2. Press Ctrl-E when the Emulex HBA banner message appears.

    The Emulex Host Aapter Utility screen appears.

  3. In the Emulex Host Adapter Utility screen, do the following:

    • In the Enter Selection text field (located at bottom screen), type the selection number that represents the SAN Device Port you want to configure, then press Enter.

      The Host Bus Adapter menu appears with two options (boot device and configure adapter).

  4. In the Host Bus Adapter menu, do the following:

    • In the Enter Selection text field (located at bottom of screen), type the number 2 to configure this Adapter's Parameters, then press Enter.

    The BIOS Adapter Options menu appears.

  5. In the BIOS Adapter Options menu, do the following:

    1. In the Enter Selection text field (located at bottom of screen), type the number 1 to enable BIOS, then press Enter.

      A message appears prompting you to confirm selection.

    2. In the confirmation message, type the number 1 to confirm you want to Enable BIOS selection.

      A message appears stating that BIOS is Enabled.

    3. Press ESC twice to return to the Host Adapter menu.

  6. In the Host Adapter menu, do the following

    • In the Enter Selection text field (located at bottom of screen), type the number 1 to configure the host bus adapter, then press Enter.

    The List of Saved Boot Devices menu appears.

  7. In the List of Saved Boot Devices menu, do the following:

    1. In the Enter Selection text field (located at bottom of screen), type the number 1 to configure a primary boot device, then press Enter.

      The LUN# Device String menu appears.

    2. In the LUN# Device String menu, type 01 in the Enter Selection text field and press Enter.

      A pop-up menu appears prompting you to enter the two-digit LUN number.

    3. In the pop-up menu, enter the appropriate LUN number, and press Enter. For example, for Windows installations the two-digit LUN number is 00.

      The ID Adapter menu appears.

  8. In the ID Adapter menu, do the following:

    1. In the Enter Selection text field, type the selection number of the LUN previously selected in the last step, then press Enter.

      A pop-up menu appears.

    2. In the pop-up menu, type 1 in the Enter Selection text field then press Enter.

      The List of Saved Boot Devices menu appears with the WWN of Boot Device selected.

  9. If no further devices need to be configured, press ESC to return to the previous menu and press X to exit.

    A message appears prompting you to reboot the system for the changes to take effect.

  10. In the message, enter YES then press Enter to reboot the system.

    The BIOS screen appears.

  11. In the BIOS screen, press F2 to enter the BIOS Setup Utility.

  12. In the BIOS Setup Utility, select Boot menu.

    The WWN for the device you recently configured appears in the Boot Device Priority list.

Special Considerations for Systems Installing Microsoft Windows Server 2003

For Windows Server 20003 Operating Systems, hosts must be segregated from each other in order to perform the installation to an FC SAN device. This is accomplished by attaching a host to an appropriately configured Fibre Channel switch or directly attaching each host to one of the storage subsystem's Fibre Channel ports.

FC-AL (Fibre Channel - Arbitrated Loop) is not recommended because it does not provide adequate segregation of the attached hosts. If the host is the only one on the loop, it will generally work.

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 requires the RAID/Storage Array unit to appear as LUN 0 to the server for the boot device and must have exclusive access to the bootable device. No other host on the SAN should be able to detect or have access to the same logical disk. LUN masking at the RAID/Storage Array, zoning at the switch, or some combination of the two is typical.

Install Qlogic System Driver

The driver for the QLogic adapter is not bundled with the current version of Windows Server 2003. The driver is is available as a floppy image ( SUNBLWF2.IMG (32-bit) or SUNBLWF3.IMG (64-bit)) on the Sun Blade 8000 Series Resource CD. When installing Windows Server 2003, you must load the QLogic driver as one of the boot devices using F6. Windows software will be unable to create, modify, read, or write to any available partitions on the boot device without this driver. Once the driver has been loaded, the procedure for installing Windows Server 2003 to the SAN is identical to installation to a local disk. By ensuring that the intended target is the only attached device will make it much easier to identify the correct installation partition. See earlier comments regarding RAID array, switch, and HBA configuration.

Install Emulex System Driver

The driver for the Emulex adapter is not bundled with the current version of Windows Server 2003. The driver is is available as a floppy image ( SUNBLWF4.IMG (32-bit and 64 bit)) on the Sun Blade 8000 Series Resource CD. When installing Windows Server 2003, you must load the Emulex driver as one of the boot devices using F6. Windows software will be unable to create, modify, read, or write to any available partitions on the boot device without this driver. Once the driver has been loaded, the procedure for installing Windows Server 2003 to the SAN is identical to installation to a local disk. By ensuring that the intended target is the only attached device will make it much easier to identify the correct installation partition. See earlier comments regarding RAID array, switch, and HBA configuration.