How to enable NPIV - Oracle Emulex FC HBA : fcinfo shows NPIV Not Supported

Asset ID:	1-71-1609077.1
Update Date:	2017-01-09
Keywords:

Solution Type Technical Instruction Sure

Solution 1609077.1 : How to enable NPIV - Oracle Emulex FC HBA : fcinfo shows NPIV Not Supported

Applies to:

SPARC T4-4 - Version Not Applicable and later
Emulex FC HBA - Version Not Applicable and later
Qlogic FC HBA - Version Not Applicable and later
Information in this document applies to any platform.

Goal

We try to create NPIV virtual HBAs on top of an Emulex LPem12002E-S HBA.

According to the documentation, it should be possible, but fcinfo says: NPIV not supported:

HBA Port WWN: 10000000c9dfa230
Port Mode: Initiator
Port ID: 160d40
OS Device Name: /dev/cfg/c30
Manufacturer: Emulex
Model: LPem12002E-S
Firmware Version: LPem12002E-S 2.01a4
FCode/BIOS Version: Boot:5.03a8 Fcode:3.10a3
Serial Number: 0999VM0-12240023W4
Driver Name: emlxs
Driver Version: 2.80.8.3 (2013.09.30.16.30)
Type: N-port
State: online
Supported Speeds: 2Gb 4Gb 8Gb
Current Speed: 8Gb
Node WWN: 20000000c9dfa230
NPIV Not Supported

Q. How can I enable NPIV support on this card?

Solution

There is a bug that explains what does it mean:
Bug 17191731 : FCINFO/FCADM HBA-PORT DISPLAYS "NPIV NOT SUPPORTED" WHEN NPIV IS NOT ENABLED

The "NPIV Not Supported" message may be confusing.
By default NPIV (N_Port ID Virtualization) is not enabled and this message only indicates that the current settings do not support NPIV,
not that this adapter will not work with NPIV.

In order to enable NPIV on an Oracle Emulex FC HBA:

Add in /kernel/drv/emlxs.conf this line, and then reboot:

enable-npiv=1;

vport-restrict-login=1; <<---default value

After that, you should be able to create virtual FC ports on top of that,
look for this Oracle Communtity thread "How to Enable NPIV on T4-4 server"

For more information about how to configure NPIV see:
Oracle Solaris Administration: SAN Configuration and Multipathing
Chapter 6 Configuring Virtual Fibre Channel Ports

- The command ‘fcinfo hba-port’ will any show virtual ports.
- The command ‘fcadm create-npiv-port will create an npiv port with Solaris generated WWN’s.
- Use ‘fcadm delete-npiv-port –p to remove ports.

See also this useful blog also with a sample:
Using NPIV with Oracle VM Server for SPARC

In case a FC HBA with NPIV enabled needs to be replaced, see:
How to gather Virtual Port details when replacing an HBA with an NPIV configuration (Doc ID 1990581.1)

Note1. Be aware of this known issue:
Bug 17254921 - NPIV port instance 1 lost after a host reboot
--> for the moment the work around is a reboot with reconfiguration : reboot -- -r

Note2. There are situation where NPIV must be disabled:
Bug 17192934 : EMLXS DRIVER SHOULD PREVENT NPIV FOR VIRTUAL FUNCTIONS

References

<BUG:17191731> - FCINFO/FCADM HBA-PORT DISPLAYS "NPIV NOT SUPPORTED" WHEN NPIV IS NOT ENABLED
<BUG:17192934> - EMLXS DRIVER SHOULD PREVENT NPIV FOR VIRTUAL FUNCTIONS
<NOTE:1990581.1> - How to gather Virtual Port details when replacing an HBA with an NPIV configuration

Attachments

This solution has no attachment