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Fibre Channel Target Mode

Just as the ASC Server supports different types of storage devices (such as SCSI, Fibre Channel and iSCSI), the ASC Server is protocol-independent and supports multiple outbound target protocols, including Fibre Channel Target Mode.

ASC's support for the Fibre Channel protocol allows any Fibre Channel-enabled system to take advantage of ASC's extensive storage capabilities such as virtualization, mirroring, replication, and security. ASC supports all Fibre Channel topologies including, Point-to-Point, Fabric, and Arbitrated Loop.

There is no Client software required for Fibre Channel Clients, however ASC supplies an optional Client for Linux, Windows, AIX, Solaris, and HP-UX clients. This Client software offers the following:

Enable Fibre Channel Target Mode

To enable Fibre Channel Target Mode:

  1. In the Console, highlight the ASC Server that has the QLogic driver.
  2. Right-click on the Server and select Options --> Enable Fibre Channel.

    An Everyone client will be created under SAN Clients. This is a generic client that you can assign to all (or some) of your SAN Resources. It allows any WWPN not already associated with a Fibre Channel client to have read/write non-exclusive access to any SAN Resources assigned to Everyone.

Set QLogic ports to become target/initiator mode

By default, all QLogic ports are set to initiator mode, which means they will initiate requests rather than receive them. Determine which ports you want to use in target mode and set them to become target ports so that they can receive requests from your Fibre Channel Clients.

For ASC Failover, you should have at least three Fibre Channel cards in initiator mode, one of which is attached to your storage device. (If your storage is SCSI, you do not need a third card.)

You need to switch one of those initiators into target mode so your clients will be able to see the ASC Server. You will then need to select the equivalent adapter on the Secondary server and switch it to target mode.

Note: If a port is in initiator mode and has devices attached to it, that port cannot be set for target mode.

To set a port:

  1. In the Console, expand Physical Resources.
  2. Right-click on a QLogic HBA and select Options --> Switch to Target Mode.

    You will get a Loop Up message on your ASC Server if the port has successfully been placed in target mode.

  3. When done, make a note of all of your WWPNs.

    It may be convenient for you to highlight your server and take a screenshot of the Console.

Associate World Wide Port Names (WWPN) with clients

Similar to an IP address, the WWPN uniquely identifies a port in a Fibre Channel environment. Unlike an IP address, the WWPN is vendor assigned and is hardcoded and embedded.

Depending upon whether or not you are using ASC's optional Fibre Channel Client software and whether or not you are using a switched Fibre Channel environment, determining the WWPN for each port may be difficult.

  • If you are using the optional Fibre Channel Client software, the WWPNs are automatically discovered and stored for you when the Client communicates with the Server so that the machine can be associated with the WWPN.
  • If you are not using the optional Fibre Channel Client, you can manually determine the WWPN for each of your ports. There are different ways to determine it, depending upon the hardware vendor. You may be able to get the WWPN from the BIOS during bootup or you may have to read it from the physical card. Check with your hardware vendor for their preferred method.
  • If you are not using the optional Fibre Channel Client software but are using a switched Fibre Channel environment, ASC will query the switch for its Simple Name Server (SNS) database and will display a list of all available WWPNs. You will still have to identify which WWPN is associated with each machine.

To simplify this process, when you enabled Fibre Channel, an Everyone client was created under SAN Clients. This is a generic client that you can assign to all (or some) of your SAN Resources. It allows any WWPN not already associated with a Fibre Channel client to have read/write non-exclusive access to any SAN Resources assigned to Everyone.

For security purposes, you may want to assign specific WWPNs to specific clients. For the rest, you can use the Everyone client.

Do the following for each client for which you want to assign specific virtual devices:

  1. Highlight the Fibre Channel Client in the Console.
  2. Right-click on the Client and select Properties.

    The screen displays all associated ports. The following fields are listed:

    Authentication Status - The current status between the Client and this port in the server.

    Assigned Client - The name entered by the user.

    Actual Client - If you are using authentication, this is the name provided by the Client machine during authentication.

  3. Click Add to associate WWPNs with the Client.
  4. Select the Initiator WWPN belonging to your Client.

    If your client has two initiators, select both of them here.

    Not all initiator WWPNs list actual Clients. This is where it helps to know the initiator WWPN of each of your Clients. If you have attempted authentication with the server, and the server recognized that the client was trying to authenticate, the client's name appears in the list.

    If the name of your Client does not appear, but you know the initiator WWPN of your Client, you can choose it from the list.

    Here are some other methods to determine the WWPN of your Clients:

    - Most Fibre Channel switches allow administration of the switch through an Ethernet port. These administration applications have utilities to reveal or allow you to change the following: Configuration of each port on the switch, zoning configurations, the WWPNs of connected Fibre Channel cards, and the current status of each connection. You can use this utility to view the WWPN of each Client connected to the switch.

    - When starting up your Client, there is usually a point at which you can access the BIOS of your Fibre Channel card. The WWPN can be found there.

    - The first time a new Client connects to the ASC Server, the following message appears on the server screen:
    FSQLtgt: New Client WWPN Found: 21 00 00 e0 8b 43 23 52

    - Starting and stopping the Client Monitor will often reveal the client name.

    Note: You will see the following dialog, instead of the one above, if there are no WWPNs in the server's list. This could occur because the Client machines were not turned on or because all WWPNs were previously associated with Clients.

Assign virtualized resources to Fibre Channel Clients

For security purposes, you can assign specific SAN resources to specific clients. For the rest, you can use the Everyone client. This is a generic client that you can assign to all (or some) of your SAN Resources. It allows any WWPN not already associated with a Fibre Channel client to have read/write non-exclusive access to any SAN Resources assigned to Everyone.

To assign resources, right-click on a specific client or on the Everyone client and select Assign.

If a client has multiple ports and you are using Data Multiple Path software (such as ASC's DynaPath), after you select the virtual device, you will be asked to enter the WWPN mapping. This WWPN mapping is similar to Fibre Channel zoning and allows you to provide multiple paths to the ASC Server to limit a potential point of network failure.

You can select how the client will see the virtual device in the following ways:

  • One to One - Limits visibility to a single pair of WWPNs. You will need to select the client's Fibre Channel initiator WWPN and the server's Fibre Channel target WWPN.
  • One to All - You will need to select the client's Fibre Channel initiator WWPN.
  • All to One - You will need to select the server's Fibre Channel target WWPN.
  • All to All - Creates multiple data paths. If ports are ever added to the client or server, they will automatically be included in the WWPN mapping.


Acer, Inc.
www.acer.com
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