Replacing 16 Gbps Fibre Channel host interface adapters with 10 Gbps Ethernet host interface adapters

This procedure converts control enclosures of an online system from using 16 Gbps Fibre Channel host interface adapters to using 10 Gbps Ethernet host interface adapters. This conversion enables the system to use Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) connectivity.

During this procedure, the Fibre Channel ports that connect the system to the SAN are reconfigured as FCoE 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 16 Gbps Fibre Channel host interface adapter has four ports. Each 10 Gbps Ethernet host interface adapter has four ports, which can support iSCSI or FCoE I/O operations. 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 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.

Note: It is possible to reconfigure one node canister of each control enclosure at the same time. For instructions, refer to Replacing host interface adapters in two control enclosures concurrently.

For each control enclosure in the system that is to be converted from 16 Gbps Fibre Channel host interface adapters to 10 Gbps Ethernet 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 16 Gbps Fibre Channel host interface adapter.
Complete the Replacing a host interface adapter procedure to remove the node canister from the enclosure and replace the 16 Gbps Fibre Channel host interface adapter with the 10 Gbps Ethernet host interface adapter.
Ensure that you also install the correct SFP transceivers into the ports on the 10 Gbps Ethernet 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 10 Gbps Ethernet 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 10 Gbps Ethernet host interface adapter ports to your SAN.
Use the WWPNs identified in step #v3500_hw_upgrade_replace_fc_hic_with_ethernet/wwpns 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 proceed to 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 #v3500_hw_upgrade_replace_fc_hic_with_ethernet/remove_canister 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 code indicates that the two nodes in the enclosure have different hardware. You can ignore this error.
Repeat steps #v3500_hw_upgrade_replace_fc_hic_with_ethernet/identify_canister through #v3500_hw_upgrade_replace_fc_hic_with_ethernet/correct_zoning 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 #v3500_hw_upgrade_replace_fc_hic_with_ethernet/correct_zoning is automatically corrected.