HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 6.3.3d Release Notes (5697-0493, May 2010 - includes all 6.3.0x versions)

Virtual Fabrics
• On VF-capable platforms, the VF feature (initially supported with Fabric OS 6.2.0a) must be enabled
in order to utilize the related capabilities, including logical switches and logical fabrics.
• When creating logical fabrics that include switches that are not VF-capable, it is possible to have
two logical switches with different FIDs in the same fabric. Be sure to verify that the FIDs match
for all switches in the same logical fabric.
• In order to support nondisruptive HCL on an 8/40 SAN Switch with VF enabled, the total zoning
DB size for the entire chassis should not exceed 1 MB. Otherwise, ports may be re-initialized,
causing frame drops during an HCL if the switch has a zoning database that is 1 MB or larger.
• A switch with VF enabled cannot participate in a fabric that uses IP filter or password database
distribution or administrative domains. You must disable the VF feature before deploying it in a
fabric that uses these features.
• VF is not supported on the 1606 Extension SAN switch.
• VF-dedicated ISLs are supported on the DC SAN Director Switch Multiprotocol Extension Blade.
XISLs are not supported.
• On an HP StorageWorks 8/40 SAN switch with Virtual Fabrics enabled, ports may be re-initialized
causing frame drops during a hot code load if the switch has a zoning database that is 1MB or
larger in size. To prevent this from occurring, ensure the zoning database is less than 1MB when
activating new firmware.
Licensing behavior
When operating a switch with Fabric OS 6.3.x, some licenses may be displayed as Unknown. This
is due to changes in licensing requirements for some features that no longer require a license key and
may still be installed on a switch.
Adaptive Networking/flow-based QoS prioritization
• When using QoS in a fabric with 4-Gb ports or switches, Fabric OS 6.0 or later must be installed
on all products in order to pass QoS information. E_Ports from the DC SAN Backbone Director
or DC04 SAN Director to other switches must come up after 6.0 is running on those switches.
• Flow-based QoS is not supported on any 8-Gb Fibre Channel blades in the 4/256 SAN Director.
• Any products that cannot operate with Fabric OS 6.0 cannot exist in a fabric with flow-based
QoS. Major problems occur if previous-generation 2-Gb products exist in the fabric.
• Beginning with the Fabric OS 6.2.1 firmware, the default behavior of the Adaptive Networking
QoS feature was changed as follows:
• Default QoS behavior is disabled on 4-Gb platforms.
• Default QoS behavior is disabled on the Extended Fabrics E_Ports on both 4-Gb and 8-Gb
platforms.
These changes addressed the following unexpected behaviors that occurred when the Adaptive
Networking QoS feature was enabled by default in earlier Fabric OS releases:
• Splitting of a single trunk group into multiple trunk groups upon port toggle, since the toggled
ports come online with QoS enabled, while the remaining ports in the trunk group have QoS
disabled.
• Fewer buffer credits being made available to normal E_Ports after a port toggle, even when
QoS is not being utilized.
• An unexpected change to a fill-word configuration on an Extended Fabrics E_Port after a port
toggle. If an Extended Fabrics E_Port is using IDLE primitives as fill words, and if that port
toggles, the fill-word configuration is changed to use ARB primitives.
HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 6.3.0d Release Notes 29