active controllers in Linux environments (400681-002, October 2006)

Preparing for the migration

IMPORTANT: Before proceeding, understand the following:

• Currently, the coexistence of active/active and active/passive storage systems on the same host is not

supported. All active/passive storage systems connected to the host must upgrade to active/active at

the same time. Likewise, all hosts connected to storage systems that are upgraded to active/active must

also be upgraded. See the MSA 1000 or MSA1500 website for the latest support statements.

• Before installing the additional array controller, ensure that both controllers have the same cache size

installed. (MSA1000 environments must have 256M or greater cache modules installed; 128M cache

modules are not supported in MSA1000 active/active environments.)

• It is not possible to migrate back to active/passive firmware. Re-loading the older firmware will result in

the loss of all configuration information on the MSA.

• Be sure to assess the impact of the upgrade on all hosts and storage devices before proceeding with

this upgrade.

• If HP StorageWorks Secure Path for Linux is installed, it cannot access or manage active/active

MSA1000 or MSA1500 disk arrays. The QLogic Driver for HBA control and multi-pathing (QLogic

MPIO driver) is the supported tool for managing redundancy on an active/active MSA.

• Do not change the SAN configuration during this migration process.

• Due to the required MSA and server restarts, a scheduled maintenance window of approximately one

hour (in addition to time required to perform the backups) is needed to complete the migration.

CAUTION: A full backup of the Linux operating system and data volumes is required before starting the

upgrade process. HP is not responsible for any data loss incurred during the upgrade process.

Step Description Check

Review or obtain a copy of the following documents on the Technical Documents page

of the appropriate website.

• MSA compatibility guide

• MSA QuickSpecs

• MSA1000/1500 firmware updating guide

• MSA release notes

For systems moving from single-path to multi-path:

Obtain the following additional hardware components:

• MSA controller (with identical cache as the currently-installed controller)

• MSA Fibre Channel I/O module

• Fibre Channel host bus adapter (HBA) for the server

• Fibre Channel cables for the new connections

• Port on the Fibre Channel network switch for the additional connections

Verify that all servers, HBAs, HBA drivers, Linux operating system versions, kernels,

patch kits, and clustering software are supported for use, as listed in the MSA1000 or

MSA1500 compatibility guide. If necessary, upgrade these components.