Compaq StorageWorks HSG60 ACS Solution Software V8.6 for Sun Solaris Installation and Configuration Guide

6–6 HSG60 ACS Solution Software Version 8.6 for Sun Solaris Installation and Configuration Guide
Sun Solaris Implementation
of Loop and Fabric
Bindings
In general, bindings for drivers may be either dynamic or persistent. The drawbacks to
dynamic bindings are threefold: 1) indiscriminate selection of Targets, 2) usage of system
resources, and 3) long scanning delays while booting a server.
To remedy these three shortcomings, the StorageWorks’ Solaris implementation uses a
persistent set of bindings for both the loop and switch implementations.
Loop Bindings
Loop bindings rely on the ALPAs of the controller ports to define the SCSI Targets that
Solaris binds to. The StorageWorks Solution software installation process (or the
Config.sh utility) will create entries in the /kernel/drv/sd.conf file that allow the driver
to have a direct entry/path for that Target. Additionally, modifications are made to the
driver configuration files per adapter. The driver files are: FCA.CONF for the 32-bit, JNI
SBUS adapter, fcaw.conf for the 64-bit, JNI SBUS adapter and the fca-pci.conf for the JNI
PCI adapter.
Fabric Bindings
Fabric bindings rely on the Worldwide Names and the StorageWorks’ implementation
uses the more specific relationship, the Worldwide Port Names(WWPN). Similar to the
loop implementation, these WWPNs are the basis for the /KERNEL/DRV/SD.CONF
entries that identify a specific fabric access. WWPNs are derived from the WWNN as
follows:
If a WWNN is FFFF-SSSS-TTTT-LLL0 the corresponding Port Names are:
FFFF-SSSS-TTTT-LLL1 for Port 1
FFFF-SSSS-TTTT-LLL2 for Port 2
With the WWPN, the user has complete control over the mappings (and subsequently the
system binding) from a server to a port in the fabric. By enabling the Port Names, we have
the flexibility of mapping a server to a specific port of a fabric array or to multiple ports of
a fabric array.