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Change connection to servers from direct to FC switch

Created: Sep 17, 2019 16:11:35Latest reply: Nov 25, 2019 07:55:57 937 6 0 0 0
  Rewarded HiCoins: 0 (problem resolved)

Hello!

I planing to install two Fibre Channel switches to "simplify" my FC SAN between three storages and seven servers. At this time they all have direct connections to the storages (two clusters, each have its own storage). I will add new server and new FC storage wich will be connected to the all of the servers.

Every server run vmWare ESXi operation system. And at this time I have "production" "networks" between them and their storages. And they are configured in the vSphere vCenters of the clusters.

What will happened after reconnecting servers with FC switches if LUNs will be configured to be accesseable by the servers? Will they be broken or vSphere will understand that they are the same datastores but with different pathes? Should I remove them before reconnection?


Thank you in advance!

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songminwang
Created Sep 18, 2019 01:10:57

Hello friends, you need this professional staff, need to have a live network confirmation, need remote access, so your problem is best to contact the corresponding TAC engineer for processing, you can click here to contact the corresponding country Tac engineer, you will get help.
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Hello friends, you need this professional staff, need to have a live network confirmation, need remote access, so your problem is best to contact the corresponding TAC engineer for processing, you can click here to contact the corresponding country Tac engineer, you will get help.
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  • convention:

Peterhof
Peterhof Author Created Sep 18, 2019 04:00:10

Posted by songminwang at 2019-09-17 20:10 Hello friends, you need this professional staff, need to have a live network confirmation, need remo ...
Thank you for the answer! I will have an engineer onsite when installation will be made. My question was to prepare myself for that.
Thank you again!
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Peterhof
Peterhof Author Created Sep 18, 2019 14:51:36

I checked VMware information and looks like datastores need to be reconfigurated carefully. If do nothing - possible data lost occurred.
If you will do the same - think twice and check triple before reconnecting the storages with FC switches. It also regrade to the changing the FC switch interfaces of the connections of the servers and storages. The pathes must be constant. Or you will need to make some configuration tasks to recover datastore connection with possible datalost.
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songminwang
songminwang Created Sep 19, 2019 01:22:47 (0) (0)
Hello, thank you very much for your technical sharing. Can you share the complete content? It will allow more people in the forum to learn knowledge and more people will exchange ideas and learn more.  
Peterhof
Peterhof Author Created Sep 19, 2019 04:12:10

@songminwang I will write a review after my reconnection. And I will try to use several methods to solve the possible problem. First I will try to remove the datastore from the hosts before reconnection and then get them back, the second thing - is testing the KB solution with GUI and CLI. This should be happen before end of this month.
Here are the links to the VMware site:
1. Describing the possible problem https://communities.vmware.com/thread/604591
2. The solution if problem was appear https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1011387
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Peterhof
Peterhof Author Created Nov 25, 2019 07:55:57

Hello!
This Saturday we have made it. The reconnection from the direct connection to the FC switch communication.
At the all ESXi hosts was installed UltraPath software. And we have no problems with reconnection. All FC datastores reconnect successfully.
What we did:
1. Install Ultrapath software to the ESXi hosts.
2. Configure FC switches: create zones with WWPN records of the storages and hosts and activate them.
3. In testing purposes change connection of the one FC cable of one host from direct connection to connection with FC switch. Test vCenter configuration. It find new path and didn't break anything.
4. Power off all the servers and change all FC connections to communicate with FC switches. We need to power them all because of other operations we made at the same time - we replace the ethernet switches and move some servers positions.
5. Power on the servers and check datastores. Everything in this FC datastores was fine.

So I have to say that reconnection can be made online controller by controller without offline of the datastores.
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