1/28/2017 IBMHowtoOverrideVirtualFibreChannelClientWWPNUnitedStates

How to Override Virtual Fibre Channel Client WWPN

Technote (troubleshooting) Document

information
Problem(Abstract) More support
for: IBM i
The HMC allows an administrator to override the client virtual bre channel adapter WWPNs. This
Internals
can be useful if the client partition must be re-created. By keeping the same WWPN, no changes
are required to the switch zoning or SAN Host Port Identiers. Software
version: 6.1.0,
Resolving the problem
6.1.1, 7.1.0
The HMC allows an administrator to override the client virtual bre channel adapter WWPNs. This
Operating
can be useful if the client partition must be re-created. By keeping the same WWPNs, no changes
system(s): IBM
are required to the switch zoning or the SAN Host Port Identiers. The override option is available
only by using CLI by issuing the mksyscfg, chsyscfg, chhwres commands. While these i

commands are useful for recovering a WWPN that had been used, they should be used with Reference #:
extreme caution as they can easily result in a duplicate WWPN being generated. N1011009

To view a prole's current settings, you should use the following command: Modied date:
lssyscfg -m <system> -r prof --lter "lpar_names=<partition name>,prole_names=<prole 25 June 2013
name>"
where
<system> Name of the managed system
<partition name> Name of the lpar or partition
<prole name> Name of the prole to view

Example to view prole "lanconsole" on partition "i-Dilling" on system "MTSLPMMB":

lssyscfg -m MTSLPMMB -r prof --lter "lpar_names=i-Dilling,prole_names=lanconsole"
name=lanconsole,lpar_name=i-
Dilling,lpar_id=41,lpar_env=os400,all_resources=0,min_mem=256,desired_mem=1024,max_mem=4096,mem_mode=ded,hpt_ratio=1:64,proc_mode=shar
Dilling/6/1,4/client/20/VIOS1-
Dilling/4/0","virtual_eth_adapters=3/0/1//0/0/Dilling//all/0,5/0/1//0/1/Dilling//all/0",virtual_eth_vsi_proles=none,virtual_opti_pool_id=0,hsl_pool_id=0,vtpm_a
Dilling/5/c0507602f9ac00a0,c0507602f9ac00a1/1"",""10/client/20/VIOS1-
Dilling/34/c0507602f9ac00aa,c0507602f9ac00ab/0""",conn_monitoring=0,auto_start=0,power_ctrl_lpar_ids=none,work_group_id=none,redundant_err_p

To change the prole use the command chsyscfg:

chsyscfg -m <system> -r prof -i "name=<prole name>,lpar_name=<partition
name>,\"virtual_fc_adapters=\"\"<adapter id>/client/<remote-lpar-ID>/<remote-lpar-
name>/<remote-slot-number>/<wwpns>/<is-required>\"\"\""
where
<system> Name of the managed system
<prole name> Name of the prole to change
<partition name> Name of the partition to change
virtual_fc_adapters Comma separated list of virtual bre channel adapters, with each adapter
having the following format: virtual-slot-number/client-or-server/[remote-lpar-ID]/[remote-lpar-
name]/remote-slot-number/[wwpns]/is-required
For further information on the syntax, see the man page of the command (for example: man
chsyscfg).

Note:
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You may want to back up the original prole by copying the prole before attempting any
modications.
When the prole has multiple virtual bre channel adapters, you must specify all adapters on the
command even if no data has changed. Omitting an adapter will result in it being deleted.

Example 1: This example changes the WWPN for virtual adapter 10; however, it keeps the same
data for adapter 8:

chsyscfg -m MTSLPMMB -r prof -i "name=lanconsole,lpar_name=i-

Dilling,\"virtual_fc_adapters=\"\"10/client/20/VIOS1-
Dilling/34/c0507602f9ac000a,c0507602f9ac000b/1\"\",\"\"8/client/20/VIOS1-
Dilling/5/c0507602f9ac00a0,c0507602f9ac00a1/1\"\"\""

Example 2: This example changes the prole so that it has only one virtual fc adapter with the
desired WWPN:

chsyscfg -m MTSLPMMB -r prof -i "name=lanconsole,lpar_name=i-

Dilling,\"virtual_fc_adapters=\"\"10/client/20/VIOS1-
Dilling/34/c0507602f9ac000a,c0507602f9ac000b/1\"\"\""

Background
A WWPN is a unique 8-byte identier that is assigned to a bre channel node port, called an
N_port. The bre channel standards allows N_Port virtualization, called NPIV, so that one N_port
can be shared. This requires the generation of a unique worldwide port name for each virtual bre
channel adapter,

The WWPN is a 8-byte hexadecimal number. It is made up of a 6-byte prex (highlighted below in
blue) and a 2-byte sufx.
C050760003EC0000.

Each IBM POWER server is assigned a unique prex that is then used to generate WWPNs for
virtual bre adapters. The 6-byte prex can be further broken apart. The rst three bytes are the
IEEE Organizationally Unique Identier (OUI). Power servers will typically start with C0:50:76 as
XX:50:76 is an IBM registered OUI. The remaining 3 bytes, 00:03:EC, in this example, are part of the
vendor-specic extension identier. To maintain uniqueness, IBM uses a combination of model,
machine type, and serial number to help generate the vendor specic extension identier
portion of the WWPN. The prex is stored and activated in the server's Vital Product Data (VPD).
New prexes can be requested/viewed at this URL:
https://www-912.ibm.com/supporthome.nsf/document/51455410

The server rmware maintains a count of which WWPNs have been given out as virtual bre
channel adapters are created. Once a WWPN pair has been generated, server rmware will not re-
use that WWPN. This gives 65,536 (216) unique WWPNs or 32,768 pairs of WWPNs that can be
generated before one would need to request a new prex.

Crossreferenceinformation

Segment Product Component Platform Version

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OperatingSystem IBMi6.1

OperatingSystem IBMi7.1

Historical Number

632506607

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