NetApp E5700 - Considerations for Changing the Host Protocol

Considerations for changing the host protocol
The considerations for changing the host protocol depend on the starting and ending protocols of the
baseboard host ports and the HIC ports.
If you use a Mirroring feature or the Data Assurance (DA) feature, you must understand what
happens to these features when you change the host port protocol.
Note: The following considerations apply only if you are converting a storage array that has
already been in use. These considerations do not apply if you are converting a new storage array
that does not yet have hosts and volumes defined.
Converting from FC to iSCSI
• Asynchronous Mirroring requires both the local storage array and the remote storage array to use
the same protocol.
◦ If you are currently using Asynchronous Mirroring through the baseboard, you must
deactivate Asynchronous Mirroring relationships using those ports before applying the feature
pack.
◦ Refer to the online help for SANtricity System Manager to delete all mirror consistency
groups and remove all mirrored pairs from the local and remote storage arrays. In addition,
follow the instructions in the online help to deactivate Asynchronous Mirroring.
Note: If your configuration contains SAN Boot hosts connected to the FC baseboard ports,
check the NetApp Interoperability Matrix Tool to ensure that the configuration is supported on
iSCSI. If it is not, you cannot convert the host protocol to iSCSI.
• The Synchronous Mirroring feature is not supported for iSCSI.
◦ If you are currently using Synchronous Mirroring relationships via the baseboard ports, you
must deactivate those Synchronous Mirroring relationships.
◦ Refer to the online help for SANtricity System Manager to remove all synchronous mirrored
pairs, which removes mirror relationships on the local storage array and on the remote storage
array. In addition, follow the instructions in the online help to deactivate Synchronous
Mirroring.
Attention: If you do not deactivate Synchronous Mirroring relationships before converting to
iSCSI, your system will lose data access and data loss might occur.
Converting from iSCSI to FC
• Asynchronous Mirroring requires both the local storage array and the remote storage array to use
the same protocol. If you are currently using Asynchronous Mirroring with the baseboard ports,
you must deactivate Asynchronous Mirroring before changing the protocol.
• Refer to the online help for SANtricity System Manager to delete all mirror consistency groups
and remove all mirrored pairs from the local and remote storage arrays. In addition, follow the
instructions in the online help to deactivate Asynchronous Mirroring.
Converting IB-iSER to/from IB-SRP
• You do not have to make any changes to your hardware when you convert from/to iSER to SRP.
• The Data Assurance (DA) feature is not supported for SRP.
• The DA feature is not supported for IB-SRP. If you are currently using this feature via the IB-HIC
and you want to convert those ports from iSER to SRP, you must permanently disable DA on all
Host port protocol |
117