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 Post subject: Smart SAN trouble
PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 3:31 pm 

Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:37 pm
Posts: 41
This is just an FYI to those out there that are meticulous about their zoning. Over the last few weeks, we have found ourselves running into trouble with SmartSAN or target based peer zoning (tbpz). We have noticed that it is turned on by default and I guess, now that all our devices are at the right level, the Brocade switches and 3PARs are automatically creating tbpz zones and adding them to the config without us doing so. As always, every shop is different. In ours, we have a method of zoning. While doing this, we noticed new ESXi hosts had 12 paths to a VV instead of the expected 4. After removing the auto-created zones from the zoning config, things go back to normal. However, it is causing more work for us now.

Anyway, I'm sure for some this is a welcome change but we are just not ready for it yet. I did some digging and it seems you have to turn it off on the individual SAN port. Our plan is to turn it off across the board.

portcfgtdz --disable *

I'll follow up if this doesn't work.


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 Post subject: Re: Smart SAN trouble
PostPosted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 1:31 am 

Joined: Wed May 07, 2014 1:51 am
Posts: 267
That's weird. How did you create your hosts?

When using cli, there is a clear distinction between using SmartSAN or not:

Code:
createhost -port <n:s:p> <otheroptions>

creates a host and a zoning to the mentioned port.
Code:
createhost -add -port <n:s:p>

adds zonings for this host to other desired ports.

If you omit the "-port" - specifier, no tdz-zonings are created.

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 Post subject: Re: Smart SAN trouble
PostPosted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 4:18 pm 

Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:37 pm
Posts: 41
To answer your question we use the SSMC...in this case version 3.4.0.177.

I did a test and zoned to a new esxi host and after zoning I could see LUN 256 of which showed 4 paths...each to the ports on the 3PAR that I zoned to. 4:4:2, 5:4:1, 6:4:2 and 7:4:1. I then created the host object in the SSMC. When adding the WWPNs, I noticed that next to each WWPN was 3 system ports...and not the ones that I zoned to.

HBA0 - 2:4:1, 2:4:3, 2:5:1
HBA1 - 2:4:2, 2:4:4, 2:5:2

I did not see an option to remove those system ports. Once I accepted the host creation the tbpz's were created and added to our zoning config and resulted in 10 paths to the LUN.


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 Post subject: Re: Smart SAN trouble
PostPosted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 4:50 pm 

Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:37 pm
Posts: 41
running the command on each director fixed the issue.

portcfgtdz --disable *

Now when I add the WWPN of the host in the SSMC, only the system ports that I zoned them to show up. No tbpz's created.


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 Post subject: Re: Smart SAN trouble
PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 2:09 am 

Joined: Wed May 07, 2014 1:51 am
Posts: 267
I just did a test:
- Looked for ports on the test systems with SMartSAN enabled
- Create Host, select vmware ESX as OS
- Add FC - new wwn - enter a valid wwn - ok
- press pencil-icon to edit settings for this path
- System Ports: none selected
- "add system ports", ports with Samrt SAN enabled are shown, selected one, ok
- is shown, and has a "x" to the right to delete it

If I understood your post correctly, in your environment the system paths are selected automatically and do not have the "x" on the right side to delete this path?

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 Post subject: Re: Smart SAN trouble
PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 9:06 am 

Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:37 pm
Posts: 41
We add "existing WWN" since we already zoned the host to the 3PAR in the previous step. This always shows unassigned FC WWNs. In this step, you have to filter to find the WWPNs of the new system and when selecting them...that is where you can't edit. Unfortunately I won't have another host to test on until next week to validate.

One change I noticed is that when smartsan is enabled, selecting an existing WWPN, you get a list of just about every WWPN that is connected to your 3PAR...even though it is already assigned to a host...and then you have to filter to find the true unassigned one. Once smartsan is disabled, you get the list of only unassigned WWPNs.


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 Post subject: Re: Smart SAN trouble
PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2019 11:10 am 

Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:37 pm
Posts: 41
I was able to do a test at our DR site on the SAN switches that still had Smart SAN enabled.

- I first zoned the VMware host to the 3PAR as we normally do. 4 paths across 2 fabrics.
- I then created a host on the 3PAR using the above method.
- Added the Existing WWPN's to the Host.
- Selected the Edit icon and removed the 8 suggested 3par ports.
- Manually added the 4 3PAR system ports
- Upon creation of the host object, Smart SAN still created the zones and added them to our config
even though they already existed.

Thanks for pointing out that I can edit those ports suggested by Smart SAN. However, I'm still going to disable Smart SAN as it adds clutter and extra work to our workflow.


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 Post subject: Re: Smart SAN trouble
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 2:41 am 

Joined: Wed May 07, 2014 1:51 am
Posts: 267
Hi,

Quote:
- Manually added the 4 3PAR system ports


I think this could be your problem: If you do your zoning separately, you do NOT add 3PAR Ports in the add Host-Dialoge! You add WWNs, and that's it. As soon as you add Ports, 3PAR creates Zonings, and doesn't care if there are existing zonings.

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