Customizing Fibre Channel configuration

Before you install the operating system, you can configure a Fibre Host Bus Adapter to boot from a Storage Area Network (SAN). After configuration, it is possible to install an operating system to the SAN. The Toolkit provides a sample fibre policy file that can be used to deploy a fibre configuration.

You can use Linux Scripting ToolkitServerGuide Scripting Toolkit, Linux Edition variables to customize the configuration of Fibre HBAs on the target system, allowing them to boot from SAN targets.

By default, the Linux Scripting Toolkit configures the first HBA on the system to boot from the first available SAN target (for QLogic Fibre HBAs only. See Known problems and limitations for limitations concerning Emulex Fibre HBAs). The BIOS configures the first disk drive it finds that is also a LUN 0 as a boot device. The Linux Scripting Toolkit uses the following variables to configure Fibre HBAs.

Note: Some of the following examples are broken across multiple lines for formatting reasons; however, when you use these settings, you must include all the information for each variable on a single line.
Table 1. Fibre HBA boot configuration variables
Variable Description
TK_FIBRE_COUNT

Specifies the number of HBA ports to configure.

Valid values are 1–n, where n is the number of HBA ports available.

This variable affects the use of the following variables:
  • TK_FIBRE_N_HBA_ID
  • TK_FIBRE_N_BOOT_DISABLE
  • TK_FIBRE_N_BOOT_PRIM
  • TK_FIBRE_N_BOOT_ALT1
  • TK_FIBRE_N_BOOT_ALT2
  • TK_FIBRE_N_BOOT_ALT3
Where N is the HBA number to be configured.
Note: You must complete one of each of these variables for every HBA port you configure. So if TK_FIBRE_COUNT=2, you must complete one set of these variables for the first port and one for the second.
TK_FIBRE_N_HBA_ID

Identifies the Qlogic/Emulex HBA to be configured, where N is the HBA number to be configured.

Valid values are:
hba_instance

The instance number of an HBA port. Valid values are integers from 0 to n-1, where n is the number of HBAs in the system.

For example, to configure HBA instance 0:TK_FIBRE_1_HBA_ID=0

hba_wwpn

the World Wide Port Name of an HBA port, in the format xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx or xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

For example, to configure HBA: 90-87-AA-BB-65-34-BB-E0:
TK_FIBRE_1_HBA_ID=
90-87-AA-BB-65-34-BB-E0

Default: 0

Identifies the Brocade HBA to be configured, where N is the HBA number to be configured.

Valid values are:
hba_instance

the instance number of an HBA port. The valid format is N/P, where N is the adapter number from 1 to N, and P is the port number from 0 to p-1.

For example, to configure HBA instance 0: TK_FIBRE_1_HBA_ID=1/0

hba_wwpn

the World Wide Port Name of an HBA port, in the format xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx or xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

For example, to configure HBA: 90-87-AA-BB-65-34-BB-E0:
TK_FIBRE_1_HBA_ID=
90-87-AA-BB-65-34-BB-E0

Default: 0

TK_FIBRE_N_BOOT_DISABLE

Disables the selected current boot device settings on the specified HBA port, where N is the HBA number to be configured.

Valid values are:
No
Does not clear or disable any boot settings.
All
Disables the primary and all alternate boot settings - Prim, Alt1, Alt2, and Alt3.
Prim
Disables only the primary boot setting.
Alt1
Disables the Alternative 1 boot setting.
Alt2
Disables the Alternative 2 boot setting.
Alt3
Disables the Alternative 3 boot setting.
Default: No.
TK_FIBRE_N_BOOT_PRIM = target_wwnn target_wwpn lun_id
Defines the primary boot target settings, where N is the HBA number to be configured and:
  • target_wwnn is the World Wide Node Name of a device, in the format xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx or xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
  • target_wwpn is the World Wide Port Name of a device, in the format xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx or xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
  • lun_id is the Logical Unit Number of a device.

Default: 0 0 0

Example:
TK_FIBRE_1_BOOT_PRIM=
BB-CC-AA-BB-65-34-BB-F1 BB-CC-AA-BB-FF-34-BB-F1 9
TK_FIBRE_N_BOOT_ALT1 = target_wwnn target_wwpn lun_id
Configures the operating system to use the indicated target as the first alternate boot device, where N is the HBA number to be configured and:
  • target_wwnn is the World Wide Node Name of a device, in the format xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx or xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
  • target_wwpn is the World Wide Port Name of a device, in the format xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx or xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
  • lun_id is the Logical Unit Number of a device.

Default: blank.

Example:
TK_FIBRE_1_BOOT_ALT1=
BB-CC-AA-BB-65-34-BB-FD BB-CC-AA-BB-FF-40-BB-F1 5
TK_FIBRE_N_BOOT_ALT2 = target_wwnn target_wwpn lun_id
Configures the operating system to use the indicated target as the second alternate boot device, where N is the HBA number to be configured and:
  • target_wwnn is the World Wide Node Name of a device, in the format xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx or xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
  • target_wwpn is the World Wide Port Name of a device, in the format xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx or xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
  • lun_id is the Logical Unit Number of a device.

Default: blank.

Example:
TK_FIBRE_1_BOOT_ALT2=
BB-CC-AA-BB-65-34-BB-FD BB-CC-AA-BB-FF-40-BB-F1 5
TK_FIBRE_N_BOOT_ALT3 = target_wwnn target_wwpn lun_id
Configures the operating system to use the indicated target as the third alternate boot device, where N is the HBA number to be configured and:
  • target_wwnn is the World Wide Node Name of a device, in the format xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx or xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
  • target_wwpn is the World Wide Port Name of a device, in the format xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx or xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
  • lun_id is the Logical Unit Number of a device.

Default: blank

Example:
TK_FIBRE_1_BOOT_ALT3=
BB-CC-AA-BB-65-34-BB-FD BB-CC-AA-BB-FF-40-BB-F1 5

For more configuration options, please refer to QAUCLI.