Hi, MPxIO is basically a failover protocol. The way MpXIO will handle a storage device is listed in /kernel/drv/scsi_vhci.conf
If you have multiple paths to your device over Fibre or over IP for iSCSI and MPXIO is not configured right or disabled, or turned off on your storage array, then at the format command, you will get multiple entries for one LUN with short device names and the customer will be pretty unhappy. Any changes to this (scsi_vhci.conf) file will require a reboot. I always do a reboot -- -r to make sure the changes are taken. Then, watch the Solaris boot carefully for any error messages. For Sun supported hardware - 6130, 6140, 6540, 25xx et el, all you need to do is to set the storage device to MPxIO - for Solaris. Many of the Sun storage devices are already defaulted to this value. Just connect them up, use CAM to verify the setting is set to MPxIO and then check the /kernel/drv/scsi_vhci.conf file to make sure MPXIO is enabled. On Solaris 8 and 9 MPxIO was disabled by default. On Solaris 10, it is enabled and included in the distribution. If memory serves me correctly, for Solaris 8 and 9, you need to download MPxIO support and install it as a package with pkgadd or it is a huge shell script that installs the packages for you. You need to do this first on a virgin Solaris 8 or 9 system. Save the headache and just download Solaris 10 U5 and burn a DVD and install this for a new customer if possible. MpXIO will work over fibre channel or iSCSI connections as it is really a protocol. If your storage device is third party and not well known by Sun or tested well, then you need to enter the device into /kernel/drv/scsi_vhci.conf The file has an example on what to add, so look in the file first. To find out the exact string- Make sure your storage device has a LUN online that you can see with the format command from a Solaris prompt. Then, from format, select the device and from the format prompt use an inquiry command like this: format> inquiry This will send a SCSI_INQUIRY command to the device/lun. You will get back the VID/PID pair. Like: XYZ FAST_ARRAY_500 You need to put this exactly into the /kernel/drv/scsi_vhci.conf file to support the third party array and reboot.. Now, on build 79b all this is different. You put the same string into the scsi_vhci.conf file from the format> inquiry command, but you then have to call out the driver used. For example, if your device is a generic symmetric storage array, then the entry will be "XYZ FAST_ARRAY_500", "f_sym"; You need to have the _exact_ spaces in the above commands matching the comments in the /kernel/drv/scsi_vhci.conf file. Then, reboot -- -r When the system comes back up, run format and look for a single entry for your LUN with a LONG device name. When you see long device names and only one device in format for your one LUN, then you have succeeded. For EMC, you will need to probably put in the exact inquiry string to support it in /kernel/drv/scsi_vhci.conf - for Solaris 10 U5. For Opensolaris build 79b and above, there is an f_EMC driver in there that you need to pair with your EMC array. Again, the VID/PID is obtained from the format> inquiry command. Best to you, Jeff This message posted from opensolaris.org _______________________________________________ zfs-discuss mailing list zfs-discuss@opensolaris.org http://mail.opensolaris.org/mailman/listinfo/zfs-discuss
