Incorrect FC Host Port Mode Caused a Failure of the Storage Device to Communicate with the Brocade 5100

Publication Date:  2012-07-19 Views:  278 Downloads:  0
Issue Description

Product and version information:

  • S5500T V100R001 V100R002
  • S5600T V100R001 V100R002
  • S6800T V100R001 V100R002
  • Switch: Brocade 5100 and Brocade 300 (any version)

When the storage device was connected to a Brocade switch and the FC host port Mode was set to Public Loop, the storage device could not communicate with the Brocade 5100 or Brocade 300 switch properly.

Alarm Information
None
Handling Process
Set the FC host port Mode to Point to Point or Fabric.
 1. Log in to the ISM and expand the storage node, and then choose Device Info > Ports in the navigation tree.
 2. Select the FC host port and right-click it.
 3. Choose Modify in the shortcut menu.
 4. In the Modify FC Port dialog box, set Mode to Point to Point or Fabric.
Root Cause
The storage device could not communicate with the Brocade 5100 or Brocade 300 switch properly due to an incorrect FC host port Mode.
Suggestions

When a storage device is connected to a Brocade switch, set the FC host port Mode to Point to Point or Fabric; otherwise, the storage device may fail to communicate with application servers through the Brocade switch.

The default FC host port Mode is Public Loop, which has a compatibility issue with the Brocade 8G series switches. The root cause is that Brocade and the FC chip supplier PMC had different understandings of the FC protocol details when they were designing their products. This difference of understandings led to intermittent link-downs or other abnormal symptoms when the storage device is connected to a Brocade switch and the the FC host port mode is Public Loop.

END

Contribute Articles
Feedback