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Sun StorEdge[tm] A5200 Array: Field Information Notices

Some documentation links included on this page may contain "A5000" in the title, but they were included because the contents of these documents are also relevant and applicable to the A5200 array.

Implementation (Impl.):
M
= Mandatory (Fully Pro-Active)

C
= Controlled Pro-Active (per Sun Geo Plan)

R
= Reactive (As Required)

FIN
Impl.
Components Affected Description
I0897-1
R
Sun StorEdge A5200 Under specific conditions, addresses for disks in a StorEdge A5200 array may display incorrectly with the 'format' command. Instead of appearing as "c#t#d#", a disk address will display as "c#td#".
I0854-1
C
Sun Fire V880
Sun StorEdge A5200
After removing an FC-Al disk from either the internal disk sub-system of a V880 or from an A5X00. As a result of the disks have been under the control of Veritas Volume Manager 3.2, An 'Invalid device structure' error message can be seen. This causes the replacement of the disks to fail. When this happens, a reboot is needed at this point to correct affected devices. Having to reboot the system nullifies disk hotswap a valuable RAS feature.
I0836-1
R
Seagate ST336752FC 36.4GB Disk
36GB 15K 1-in FC W/SLED DRV ASSY (540-5178-01)
36GB 15K 1-in FC W/SLED DRV ASSY (540-5179-01)
DRV SEA 36GB 15K 1-in FCAL (390-0099-02)
DRV SEA 36GB 15K 1-in FCAL T3 (390-0101-02)
Seagate ST336752FC (36.4GB) disk drives should not be installed into non-RAID configurations. Seagate ST336752FC (36GB) disk drives should only be installed into configurations which use Veritas Volume Manager or SDS RAID software, or hardware RAID configurations.
I0816-1
C
Seagate 36GB disk (540-4525-01), Seagate 73GB disk (540-4905-01) Seagate ST336605FC 36GB and ST373405FC 73G drives could be susceptible to label corruption.
I0791-1
R
Brocade 16-port 2Gb switch (370-4949-01)
Brocade 16-port switch (370-4396-01)
Brocade 8-port switch (370-4395-01)
This FIN will explain the field procedure for the installation of Brocade 8 and 16 port switches into a Sun rack. There is no downtime and little customer impact as a result of this issue.
I0777-1
R
SBus Dual FC Network Adapter (375-3048-01)
SBus I/O Board with SOC+ (501-4266-08)
I/O Board with SOC+ (501-4833-01)
Graphics I/O Board with SOC+ (501-4884-07)
FC-AL SBus Card (FC100/S) (501-5202-03)
FC-AL SBus Card (FC100/S) (501-5266-04)
A3500FC FC-AL Array Ctrlr w/Memory (540-4026-01)
In some configurations, after a Fibre Channel (FC) loop disruption such as a system reboot or a plugging/unplugging of the FC cable at the FC hub, the SOC+ HBA might intermittently take the FC loop down. Also, it is possible that a LIP (Loop Initialization Primitive) received on an idle port of a SOC+ HBA can disrupt I/O activity on the second port of that HBA.
I0741-1
C
11-Slot FC-AL Disk Backplane (501-4158-04) When replacing either disk, R10 or F10, in slot 10 of an StorEdge A5200 array, a large amount of OFFLINE/ONLINE conditions occur and all disks of the A5200 become inaccessible. When the disk is re-inserted the connectivity is back but time consuming maintenance procedures are necessary.
I0712-1
R
FC-AL GBIC Module 100MB/s (option X6731A, 370-2303) This FIN is to inform the field of a new style GBIC that will be shipping with A5X00 Storage Arrays. Installing a FINISAR GBIC in any platform other than A5X00 will result in a restricted access condition which may result in unanticipated downtime.
I0711-1
R
16-PORT Python Switch (370-4276-01) Some StorEdge Network FC Switch-16 units were assembled and shipped from the vendor with their mounting brackets reversed. This could potentially result in these switches being installed backwards in the 72-inch StorEdge Expansion Cabinet. This improper installation may cause the inlet temperature of the switch to exceed its recommended range and this could affect the performance and the life of the switch. In addition, the connecting fibre cables might be damaged by hitting the rear cabinet door and may require replacement.
I0704-1
R
OEM Module GBIC Ancor (370-2303-03)
8-port swtch Brocade Silkworm 2400 (370-4395-01)
16-port swtch Brocade Silkworm 2800 (370-4396-01)
IBM GBIC (370-3975-01)
Finisar GBIC (370-4379-01)

Sun Professional Services is selling Brocade Silkworm Switches containing GBIC's which have no Sun label or part number. This FIN will provide guidance for replacing these non-Sun GBIC's in the case of failure. All Brocade Silkworm switches that are re-sold through Sun Professional Services (PS) will contain IBM or Finisar GBIC's without Sun part numbers, which are identical to the short wave GBIC's that Sun currently sells and supports. The Brocade switches themselves will have a Sun part number (370-4395-01 or 370-4396-01) and a serial number label, but the GBIC's in the switches may not have a Sun part number. The non-Sun GBICs will be labeled as follows:

Vendor FAB Markings
IBM IBM42S10LNNAA20
Finisar FTR-8519
I0701-1
R
Instant Image 2.0
Fast Write Cache 2.0
The Fast Write Cache 2.0 and Instant Image 2.0 states that the products will work with Java versions 1.2.1 and higher. This is not the case. For installations without Component Manager 2.1, Java versions 1.2.1_04a through 1.2.2_05a are the only versions of Java that will work with Instant Image 2.0 and Fast Write Cache 2.0. If Component Manager 2.1 is installed, then Java 1.2.2 is the only version of Java that will work. Java 1.3 does not work at all with these products.
I0700-1
R
FC Switch-16 (370-4276)
FC Switch-8 (370-4035)
FC Switch-8 Assy (540-4372)
FC Switch-16 Assy (540-4751)
StorEdge Network FC Switch-8 and StorEdge Network FC Switch-16 products installed in a Storage Area Network (SAN) configuration must have the proper level of firmware installed for proper operation. All switches in the SAN must contain matching firmware versions. Failure to verify and install the correct switch firmware when installing or replacing switches in a SAN can cause the switch to fail. It is important that the firmware of existing switches in a SAN and any replacement switch be checked for compatibility when installing a new switch into the SAN configuration.
I0653-1
R
RSM array shelves (370-2343) RSM Array shelves may collapse under weights greater than 40lbs (18.2kg), causing system damage or personal injury.
I0647-1
R
FC-AL SBus Card (FC100/S 501-3060-06)
FC-AL SBus Card (FC100/S 501-5202-03)
FC-AL SBus Card (FC100/S 501-5266-04)

Fcode upgrade instructions for the FC100/S Host Adapter supplied with the following luxadm patches can lead to obsolete fcode being installed.

  • 105310-14 SunOS 5.5.1: Patch for socal, sf driver, and luxadm
  • 105375-25 SunOS 5.6: sf & socal driver patch
  • 107473-06 SunOS 5.7: luxadm patch
  • 109529-03 SunOS 5.8: luxadm, liba5k and libg_fc patch

The latest fcode for the FC100/S Host Adapter has been moved to patch 109400-03 for all versions of Solaris. This change is not reflected in the README files of the luxadm patches currently available (105310, 105375, 107473 and 109529). These patches still provide a lower version of the FC100/S fcode (1.11) and give instructions for installing it.

I0645-1
C
Seagate ST318203FC
(18.2GB - 10000 RPM
FC-AL 540-4191-01)
Seagate ST318304FC
(18.2GB 10000 RPM
FC-AL 540-4440-01)
Seagate ST336704FC
(36.4GB 10000 RPM
FC-AL 540-4525-01)
Seagate ST136403FC
(36.4GB 10000 RPM
FC-AL 540-4367-01)
Seagate ST318304FC
(18.2GB 10000 RPM
FC-AL 540-4673-01)

Seagate ST318304FC and ST336704FC drives will not boot and will not be recognized by host systems running Solaris 2.5.1, 2.6, and early versions of 7 (prior to 11/99) without the correct version of the sf driver patch being installed.

These new generation drives were released as second source 18GB and 36GB FC-AL disk drives. These drives are meant to be interchangeable with older generation Seagate drives. The FRU part number for the old and new drives is the same.

FRU Capacity Old Drive New Drive
540-4191-02 18GB ST318203FC ST318304FC
540-4440-01 18GB ST318203FC ST318304FC
540-4673-01 18GB ST318203FC ST318304FC
540-4192-01 36GB ST136403FC ST336704FC
540-4367-01 36GB ST136403FC ST336704FC
I0630-1
R
A5x00 Arrays
T3 Arrays
Fiber channel devices may experience symptoms consistent with marginal signal quality on the GBaud FC-AL loops. Marginal signal quality can be caused by dust particles and/or errant electrostatic discharge (ESD) for GBIC's, backplanes, interface boards, interconnect assemblies, FC-AL drives, and fiber cables.
Symptoms of errors that might be seen include:
excessive "CRC Error" or "scsi parity error" messages
excessive "OFFLINE" messages
excessive "timeout" messages
"Offline Timeout" messages
I0575-1
R
Sun StorEdge Component Manager 2.0 (798-2832-01) When used on a heavily loaded system to monitor multiple enclosures, Component Manager response time can be longer than expected.
I0554-1
R
Veritas Volume Manager for Solaris Version 3.0.2 (798-2205-01) There is confusion with regard to supporting the A5x00 products with hubs attached and the use of Volume Manager version 3.0.2. This confusion came from the Veritas Volume Manager Hardware Application Note Release 3.0.2, which states on page 12...

"Dynamic Multi Pathing (DMP) does not support hub-attached A5000,
A5100, and A5200 arrays at this time. See your sales representatives
for details about DMP support plans for this configuration."
If the above recommendation is not followed, then the system could encounter catastrophic results.
I0541-2
R
FC100/P FC-AL PCI Card (375-0040)

Any FC-AL PCI loop where A5X00 Storage Arrays are directly connected to i) a host using PCI FC100/P initiator card without hub, or ii) other host (dual host) with FC-AL initiator-card is connected to the same loop may experience the following errors as described in BugId 4243157.
Sample error messages:

Dec 8 05:18:17 name unix: transport rejected (-2)
Dec 8 05:18:17 name unix:
Dec 8 05:18:17 name unix: WARNING: /pci@4,4000/SUNW,
ifp@4/ssd@w2100002037141659,0 (ssd32)
Dec 8 05:18:17 name unix: transport rejected (-2)
Dec 8 05:18:17 name unix:
Dec 8 05:18:18 name unix: ifp0: LIP occurred
Dec 8 05:18:18 name unix: ifp0: Loop up
Dec 8 05:18:18 name unix: ifp0: Loop reconfigure in progress
Dec 8 05:18:18 name unix: ifp0: Loop reconfigure done
Dec 8 08:17:41 name unix: ifp0: Loop down
Dec 8 08:17:46 name unix: ifp0: LIP reset occurred

UPDATE FOR FIN I0541-2:

The Corrective Action on FIN I0541-1 provides two different options or solutions to the above mentioned problems as follows:

  • OPTION-1: The FC100/P card is the only Initiator on any one loop where Sun A5x00 Storage Array are direct connected.
  • OPTION-2: A Sun FCAL hub is placed between the FC100/P card(s), and the A5X00 Storage Array. In this case, more than one host-adapter on the same loop, may be used.

Due to resistance from the Field over the cost of implementation, OPTION-2 has been removed from the Corrective Action. This option would have required the customer to purchase and connect a hub to the A5x00 Storage Array. The Corrective Action now recommends only OPTION-1 for avoiding this FC100/P card problem. This restriction is advantageous from high-availability/RAS point of view since having each host on a separate loop removes a single point Of failure (SPOF) in Multi Initiator configurations.

I0533-1
R
Seagate ST39102FC (9GB 10000 RPM FC-AL 540-3869) A failure mechanism has been identified as low amplitude head failures due to scratches across the Pole Tip of the head. Pole Tip is the electrical area of the head which detects the magnetic signal from the disk.
The most frequent symptoms are error messages similar to below:
  • Drive not ready and/or drive has excessive G-list adds
I0520-1
C
A5x00 Swapping a disk within a clustered environment could cause issue for a customer's clustered environment in the future if the disk is the quorum device.
Failure to notice that the failed disk is the quorum device and swapping it will cause the cluster to invoke manual intervention if the cluster goes into failure fencing or split brained activities.
I0506-1
R
72" rack There is confusion in the field about a 2" clearance requirement on the left side only (viewing from the front of the cabinet) of the 72" Storage Expansion Cabinet. This clearance is not required for all cabinet configurations, only those containing A5x00 Storage Arrays and/or E4x00 Enterprise Servers.
I0502-1
R
370-2303-01 GBIC
370-2303-03 GBIC
370-3975-01 GBIC
The Factory phased in shipments of -03 GBICS beginning early April 1999. A5X00s with chassis s/n greater than 9917 will have the -03 GBIC, or an IBM -02 CD GBIC. These modules appear physically identical to the -02 modules. Field personnel cannot differentiate between module revisions without physically removing them to read the revision level on the connector label. This would require an unacceptable maintenance downtime for host systems.The Vixel -03 Vertical cavity GBICS can be identified as follows:
  • Parts are marked as a -03; this marking can be found on the GBIC connector (system interface connector) as "03a" for -03 revision a.
  • The inside if the cable connector housing will be silver in color on the Vixel vertical cavity (-03) parts; black on the -02 cd laser versions.
I0501-1
R
11 slot backplane 501-4158 The revision level printed on the labels for the 7-slot Backplane and the 11-slot Backplane for the A5000, A5100, and A5200 array are different than the revision levels that are dynamically reported by the arrays.
I0400-2
R
Seagate ST29102FC (9.1GB 10000 RPM FC-AL 540-3869)
Seagate ST39103FC (9.1GB 10000 RPM FC-AL 540-3869)
Seagate ST318203FC (18.2GB 10000 RPM FC-AL 540-4191)
Empty backplane/incorrect configuration on StorEdge A5x00 can Cause Errors. This minimum configuration is a requirement because circuitry on the disk drives regenerate and retime the data signals which corrects signal quality loss accumulated through the bypass circuitry between empty slots. Empty backplanes can generate errors which are intermittent and difficult to isolate.
Error message examples:

Jun 6 20:48:11 depth unix: sf0: Target 0x12 Reset Failed. Ret=105
Jun 6 20:48:11 depth unix: sf0: sf_reset all
Jun 6 20:48:11 depth unix: ID[SUNWssa.socal.link.5010] socal0: port 0:
Fibre Channel is OFFLINE
Jun 6 20:48:11 depth unix: WARNING:
/sbus@1f,0/SUNW,socal@0,0/sf@0,0/ssd@w2100002037070d4c,0 (ssd8):
Jun 6 20:48:11 depth unix: SCSI transport failed: reason 'timeout':
retrying command
Jun 6 20:48:11 depth unix: ID[SUNWssa.socal.link.6010] socal0: port 0:
Fibre Channel Loop is ONLINE
Jun 6 20:48:13 depth unix: sf0: ELS 0x0 to target 0x1d retrying
Jun 6 21:00:07 depth unix: WARNING:
/sbus@1f,0/SUNW,socal@0,0/sf@0,0/ssd@w2100002037070d5a,0 (ssd5):
Jun 6 21:00:07 depth unix: Error for Command: read(10) Error Level:
Retryable


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