Cisco MDS 9148 configuration (with UCS 6148)

[MSL]

Hi

We are new to MDS and even to UCS. Our current environment consists of Brocade and Dell blades and we used to do all zoning stuff through web interface and there we never had a concept of VSAN. We have a few doubts regarding configuring MDS switches and following are them.  

a) The vendor tested the connectivity between UCS and SAN infra (EMC VNX storage) using the default VSAN ID 1, they did all these stuff with another team and the whole team was moved to another project and we didn't get any update from them. When we checked MDS we didn't find and any zoneset or zones. Here our belief is all newly added devices will be added to default zone and default zoneset and that's the reason they got connected to the storage and did the testing, is it right?

Below are settings that we found with each MDS

MDS1:

show zone

Zone not present

SHOW zone VSAN 1

Zone not present

show zoneset active

Zoneset not present

SHOW ZOne STatUs

VSAN: 1 default-zone: deny distribute: active only Interop: default
    mode: basic merge-control: allow
    hard-zoning: enabled broadcast: unsupported
    smart-zoning: disabled
    Zonesets:1  Zones:0 Aliases: 0
Active Zoning Database :
    Database Not Available

Show flogi database (*Shows all WWNs in VSAN1)

show fcns database

VSAN 1:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
FCID        TYPE  PWWN                    (VENDOR)        FC4-TYPE:FEATURE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
0x400000    N     50:00:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx                 scsi-fcp
                  [Compl_HBA5-Phy]
0x400001    N     50:00:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx                 scsi-fcp
                  [Compl_HBA5-Vir]
0x400100    N     50:00:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx                 scsi-fcp
                  [Compl_HBA2-Phy]
0x400101    N     50:00:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx                 scsi-fcp
                  [Compl_HBA2-Vir]
0x400700    N     50:0x:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx (Clariion)      scsi-fcp
                  [EMC_SPB_HBA1]

0x400900    N     50:0x:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx (Clariion)      scsi-fcp
                  [EMC_SPA_HBA1]
0x400b00    N     2x:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx (Cisco)         npv
                  [UCS-FA-PO187-Uplink]
0x400b01    N     2x:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx (Cisco)        
                  [UCS-Blade_Test]

Total number of entries = 8

With second switch all lokks same eacept the zoneset mentioned below:

zoneset name a vsan 1 (This is populated with fcalias)

In common the features NPIV, fport-channel-trunk, port channel are enabled.

Here do we need to enable any more features? Also can anyone explain us how the default VSAN, zone and zoneset works, is it required to disable default VSAN, zone, zoneset completely? How do we remove / reconfigure the alias (fcalias) and zoneset in default VSAN to the newly created VSAN.

b) For testing we configured one of the UCS FI-A ports in VSAN 3839 & FI-B port in VSAN 3840 and connected to MDS with below settings

device-alias name dell-strge-tst pwwn <>

device-alias commit (did this for all storage ports - we have Compellent and EMC)

fcalias name dell-strge-tst vsan 3839 (with MDS1 VSAN 3839 & MDS2 3840)

member pwwv <> (did this for all storage ports)

Created zoneset with both MDS

Is the configuration correct till now? If correct then, we will go ahead and configure UCS part and will zone the storage pwwns with blade pwwn and added them to the zoneset created with respective VSAN ID.

We are waiting for the comments / guidelines from experts

Thanks in advance

[Walter Dey]

Have a look at this document, for best practise connecting UCS to MDS SAN

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/servers-unified-computing/ucs-manager/whitepaper_c11-697337.html

https://supportforums.cisco.com/t5/data-center-documents/ucs-best-practices-and-common-recommendations-for-configuration/ta-p/3145267

http://d2zmdbbm9feqrf.cloudfront.net/2012/usa/pdf/BRKCOM-2002.pdf

Don't use VSAN 1 (nor Vlan 1)

Use a different VSAN for Fabric A and B; which means you have to do zoning separately in Fabric A and B: 2 different zonesets !

UCS should be in FC EHM

And MDS NPIV is correct.

[MSL]

Thanks a lot Walter. We are going though all the docs (especially the last one is very helpful).

Can you also provide some hints on my questions.

Q. Do we need to disable VSAN1, if yes then, what's the command for it?

As you mentioned different VSANs & zonesets are using for the MDS switches, and UCS is in EHM.

Thank You 

[Walter Dey · Accepted solution]

Hi

No, you don't have to disable VSAN 1; just don't use it.

Therefore the command show vsan 1 membership shows all the interfaces which are not configured (in a VSAN /= 1)

As you mentioned different VSANs & zonesets are using for the MDS switches, and UCS is in EHM.

This is most likeley a misunderstanding. Even if your UCS is in FC EHM, you will have to configure VSAN's. And the have to match the VSAN on the MDS.

Eg. on UCS Fabric A, VSAN 10, connected to MDS-A which also has VSAN 10 and

UCS Fabric B, VSAN 11, connecting to MDS-B which has VSAN 11.

And then zoning on the MDS has to be done for VSAN 10 and 11, which is totally separate.

[MSL]

Thanks a lot Walter.

Exactly the same way we configured VSAN, Zone and Zoneset. Below is the configuration;

UCS FI-A, VSAN 3839, connected to MDS-A which also has VSAN 3839 and

UCS FI-B, VSAN 3840, connecting to MDS-B which has VSAN 3840.

And then zoning on the MDS has done for VSAN 3839 (MDS A) and 3840 (MDS B), which is totally separate