NetApp Fiber Channel Adapters Test

This test instantly detects changes in the overall health, state/mode of the Host Bus Adapter (HBA), and immediately notifies administrators of the errors/problem conditions experienced by the HBA. Additionally the login and logout details through the HBA can also be monitored using this test.

Target of the test : A NetApp Unified Storage

Agent deploying the test : An external/remote agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for each Host Bus Adapter (HBA) of the NetApp storage system being monitored.

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameters Description

Test Period

How often should the test be executed.

Host

The host for which the test is to be configured.

Port

Specify the port at which the specified host listens in the Port text box. By default, this is NULL.

User

Here, specify the name of the user who possesses the following privileges:

login-http-admin,api-aggr-check-spare-low,api-aggr-list-info,api-aggr-mediascrub-list-info,api-aggr-scrub-list-info,api-cifs-status,api-clone-list-status,api-disk-list-info,api-fcp-adapter-list-info,api-fcp-adapter-stats-list-info,api-fcp-service-status,api-file-get-file-info,api-file-read-file,api-iscsi-connection-list-info,api-iscsi-initiator-list-info,api-iscsi-service-status,api-iscsi-session-list-info,api-iscsi-stats-list-info,api-lun-config-check-alua-conflicts-info,api-lun-config-check-cfmode-info,api-lun-config-check-info,api-lun-config-check-single-image-info,api-lun-list-info,api-nfs-status,api-perf-object-get-instances-iter*,api-perf-object-instance-list-info,api-quota-report-iter*,api-snapshot-list-info,api-vfiler-list-info,api-volume-list-info-iter*.

If such a user does not pre-exist, then, you can create a special user for this purpose using the steps detailed in Creating a New User with the Privileges Required for Monitoring the NetApp Unified Storage.

Password

Specify the password that corresponds to the above-mentioned User.

Confirm Password

Confirm the Password by retyping it here.

Authentication Mechanism

In order to collect metrics from the NetApp Unified Storage system, the eG agent connects to the ONTAP management APIs over HTTP or HTTPS. By default, this connection is authenticated using the LOGIN_PASSWORD authentication mechanism. This is why, LOGIN_PASSWORD is displayed as the default authentication mechanism.

Use SSL

Set the Use SSL flag to Yes, if SSL (Secured Socket Layer) is to be used to connect to the NetApp Unified Storage System, and No if it is not.

API Port

By default, in most environments, NetApp Unified Storage system listens on port 80 (if not SSL-enabled) or on port 443 (if SSL-enabled) only. This implies that while monitoring the NetApp Unified Storage system, the eG agent, by default, connects to port 80 or 443, depending upon the SSL-enabled status of the NetApp Unified Storage system - i.e., if the NetApp Unified Storage system is not SSL-enabled (i.e., if the Use SSL flag above is set to No), then the eG agent connects to the NetApp Unified Storage system using port 80 by default, and if the NetApp Unified Storage system is SSL-enabled (i.e., if the Use SSL flag is set to Yes), then the agent-NetApp Unified Storage system communication occurs via port 443 by default. Accordingly, the API Port parameter is set to default by default.

In some environments however, the default ports 80 or 443 might not apply. In such a case, against the API Port parameter, you can specify the exact port at which the NetApp Unified Storage system in your environment listens, so that the eG agent communicates with that port for collecting metrics from the NetApp Unified Storage system.

vFilerName

A vFiler is a virtual storage system you create using MultiStore, which enables you to partition the storage and network resources of a single storage system so that it appears as multiple storage systems on the network. If the NetApp Unified Storage system is partitioned to accommodate a set of vFilers, specify the name of the vFiler that you wish to monitor in the vFilerName text box. In some environments, the NetApp Unified Storage system may not be partitioned at all. In such a case, the NetApp Unified Storage system is monitored as a single vFiler and hence the default value of none is displayed in this text box.

Timeout

Specify the duration (in seconds) beyond which the test will timeout if no response is received from the device. The default is 120 seconds.

DD Frequency

Refers to the frequency with which detailed diagnosis measures are to be generated for this test. The default is 1:1. This indicates that, by default, detailed measures will be generated every time this test runs, and also every time the test detects a problem. You can modify this frequency, if you so desire. Also, if you intend to disable the detailed diagnosis capability for this test, you can do so by specifying none against DD frequency.

Detailed Diagnosis

To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG Enterprise embeds an optional detailed diagnostic capability. With this capability, the eG agents can be configured to run detailed, more elaborate tests as and when specific problems are detected. To enable the detailed diagnosis capability of this test for a particular server, choose the On option. To disable the capability, click on the Off option.

The option to selectively enable/disable the detailed diagnosis capability will be available only if the following conditions are fulfilled:

  • The eG manager license should allow the detailed diagnosis capability
  • Both the normal and abnormal frequencies configured for the detailed diagnosis measures should not be 0.
Measurements made by the test
Measurement Description Measurement Unit Interpretation

State

Indicates the current state of this Host Bus Adapter.

 

The values reported by this measure and their numeric equivalents are available in the table below:

Measure Value Numeric Value
Startup 1
Uninitialized 2
Initializing Firmware 3
Link Not Connected 4
Waiting For Link Up 5
Online 6
Link Disconnected 7
Resetting 8
Offline 9
Offlined by user/system 10

Note:

This measure reports the Measure Values listed in the table above to indicate the current state of this HBA. However, in the graph of this measure, the state is indicated using only the Numeric Values listed in the above table.

Is adapter on standby?

Indicates whether/not this HBA is in standby mode.

Number

The values reported by this measure and their numeric equivalents are available in the table below:

Measure Value Numeric Value
Yes 1
No 0

Note:

This measure reports the Measure Values listed in the table above to indicate whether this HBA is in standby mode. However, the graph of this measure will be represented using only the Numeric Values listed in the above table.

Queue depth

Indicates the number of I/O operations that can be run simultaneously i.e., in parallel in the ports of this HBA.

Number

A low value is desired for this measure. A high value is characterized by poor response time for the I/O operations and a queue full message. Too many I/O operations may fill the port queue to the maximum leading to a queue full message to the HBA. When a high value occurs, the host operating system may throttle the I/Os to a minimum or otherwise the I/Os may fail leading to performance bottleneck of the storage system.

Is SFP optical transceiver valid?

Indicates whether/not the configuration of this small form-factor pluggable (SFP) optical transceiver valid.

 

The SFP optical transceiver serves as the interface to a fiber optic or copper networking cable. Installed SFPs that are not supported for the configuration become invalid and result in connection issues.

The values reported by this measure and their numeric equivalents are available in the table below:

Measure Value Numeric Value
Yes 1
No 0

Note:

This measure reports the Measure Values listed in the table above to indicate whether the configuration of this SFP optical transceiver is valid. However, in the graph of this measure, the validity of the SFP optical transceiver will be represented using only the Numeric Values listed in the above table.

Selective LIP resets

Indicates the number of times the selective Reset LIP (Loop Initialization Primitive) occurred during the last measurement period.

Number

Loop Initialization is an essential process for allowing new devices onto the loop, assigning Aribrated Loop Physical Addresses (AL_PAs), providing notification of topology changes, and recovering from loop failure. Following loop initilaization, the loop enters a stable monitoring mode and resumes normal activity. Depending on the number of normal ports (NL_Ports) attached to the loop, an entire loop initialization may take a few milliseconds. A loop initialization can be triggered by a number of causes, the most common being the introduction of a new device. The new device could actually be a former device that has been powered on, or an active device that has been moved from one hub port to another.

A number of ordered sets have been defined to cover the various conditions that an NL_port may sense as it launches the initialization process. These ordered sets, called loop initialization primitive sequences, are referred to collectively as LIPs. An NL_Port issues atleast 12 LIPs to start loop initialization. During loop initialization, each downstream device that are part of the loop receives the LIP stream and enters a state known as Open-init, which suspends any current operations and prepares the device for the loop initialization procedure. The LIPs are forwarded along the loop until all NL_ports, including the originator of the loop, are in Open-init state. At this point, a temporary loop master is selected for conducting the rest of the initialization procedure. The first task of the temporary loop master is to issue a series of four frames that will allow each device on the loop to select a unique AL_PA. A LIP reset is used to perform a vendor specific reset at the loop port specified by this AL-PA value. These LIP resets are used to temporarily cure connectivity issues. Prolonged resets should be noted and the underlying actual connectivity issues should be resolved.

Total CRC errors

Indicates the number of Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) errors that occurred during data trafficking in the FC ports of this HBA, during the last measurement period.

Number

CRC or Cyclic Redundancy Check is a process that helps in identifying any errors that might occur during the data transmission process. Data is usually transmitted in small blocks, and a CRC value is assigned to each block and transmitted along with it. This CRC value is verified at the destination to ensure that it matches the CRC value transmitted from the source. A CRC error occurs when the two values (source and destination) do not match and the test fails. The main benefit of CRC is that it helps you ensure that data you have received or downloaded is not damaged or corrupt.

By comparing the value of this measure across all FC ports, you can accurately identify the most error-prone FC ports.

Discarded frames

Indicates the number of frames that were discarded during the last measurement period.

Number

Ideally, the value of this measure should be 0.

Initiators connected

Indicates the number of initiators that were connected to this HBA during the last measurement period.

Number

 

Link breaks

Indicates the number of times the link failed (broke) during the last measurement period.

Number

Ideally, the value of this measure should be 0.

Spurious interrupts

Indicates the number of spurious signals in the cable during the last measurement period.

Number

 

Protocol errors

Indicates the number of Fiber Channel Protocol (FCP) errors that occurred during the last measurement period.

Number

Ideally, the value of this measure should be 0.

Dropped SCSI requests

Indicates the number of SCSI requests that were dropped since the last measurement period.

Number

 

Total logins

Indicates the total number of logins during the last measurement period.

Number

 

Logouts

Indicates the total number of logouts during the last measurement period.

Number