Re: cpqfc gone - all compay RA4X00 Array now useless in linux?

[Rolf Eike Beer <eike-kernel@sf-tec.de>]

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Am Montag, 6. Februar 2006 19:38 schrieben Sie:
>Hello Rolf,
>
>>> _only_ one which supported the now very cheap Compaq FiberChannel Array
>>> RA4X00.
>>>
>>> With all other FC HBA's the logical volumes (LUN's) are not visible.
>>> ---snip---
>>> 5. Compaq RA4x00 firmware version 2.54 and later supports SSP (Selective
>>> Storage Presentation), which maps LUNs to a WWN.  If RA4x00 firmware
>>> prior 2.54 (e.g. older controller) is used, or the FC HBA is replaced
>>> (another WWN is used), logical volumes on the RA4x00 will no longer be
>>> visible. ---snap---
>>>
>>> So... there are 3 possibilities:
>>> 1. Repair the cpqfc driver and but it again into linux?
>>
>> The driver is a horrible hack lacking too many of really needed error
>> handling.
>>
>>> 2. Find out, how to get the RA4x00 arrays with othet HBA's running; I
>>> 	searched about 1 week in Google, no way..
>>
>> We're working on it. The RA4x00 do things normal arrays don't or so.
>
>What means, "We're working on it"?

Martin K. Petersen is working on a new driver for the Controller that also 
supports additional cards. I'm playing a bit around with a completely new 
driver for myself (as I still don't have seen MKP's one) but I have no access 
to any FC equipment beyond my HBA.

>> I'm not
>> yet familiar enough with this to know exactly what is needed to beat this
>> to work again.
>
>The only thing I have found, why the RA4X00 arrays are different:
>http://mail-index.netbsd.org/tech-kern/2005/01/06/0013.html
>---sip---
>Its been years time since I checked the T10/T11 drafts, but as best I
>recall, there's some SCSI level (SCSI-3? The last ANSI level?)  where
>any device claiming that level is required(?) to implement
>REPORT_LUNS.
>
>I've also seen devices just below that level which just won't talk
>happily to an initiator unless the initiator sends them a REPORT_LUNS.
>(The Compaq RA4000 RAID array was infamous for that. IIRC, the Linux
>driver for the recommended Compaq/Aglient controller sent a REPORT
>LUNs from inside the driver, then remapped the native LUNs to 8-bit
>LUNS for upper layers; or something equally distaseful.)
>---snap---
>
>and the work around seems to be hardcoded in the cpqfc driver.
>perhaps its that part of code....

Yes, but that's not the whole story. It also uses other type of disc 
representation or sort of stuff.

You may find some additional information in thread "Booting from or using a 
Compaq RA4100 Array" beginning on 2005-12-28.

>>> 3. Aeh.. use... 2.4, use... other OS?
>>
>> The 2.4 might work. And I might have some patches for you to make it a bit
>> less broken. But don't expect too much from it.
>>
>>> Hope to find a way... and not only kicking a working driver because of
>>> not as nice code and to much stack memory.
>>
>> It was not really working, at least not when I (remotely via IRC) tested
>> it last time (some month ago).
>
>I would like to give it a try.
>What have been the latest parts of code?

Subversion repository can be found on

http://opensource.sf-tec.de/repos/cpqfc

I need to make a branch for the 2.6 code. Patches can be found at 
http://opensource.sf-tec.de/kernel/

Eike

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