NPIV enabled on vm image, but OS wont see HBA (including SANsurfer) -- Also HP Virtual Connect wont log-in NPIV ports (TR ports) from FC switch

[mujmuj]

As the title says, I have:

HP SVSP storage virtualization

EVA 8000

C7000 enclosure with BL490c blades booting ESX

8/20q FC switches x 2

I am successfully running ESX with boot from SAN and all is working great.

I decided to start to migrate over large file servers. This requires presented LUNs to the vm image. I enabled NPIV in vsphere 4, but when windows 2k8 boots up it wont see any hbas, even in sansurfer.

Also if I enable NPIV (TR) on a switch port thats connected to virtual connect inside the blade, it logs off and wont log back in (including switch port light off).

Any ideas whats going on or what I am missing?

Additionally - I have read that you cannot see NPIV enabled in vmware unless the lun is presented and ready. The issue with this is I see no way to manually add WWNs into HP Storage Virtualization, which means I have to see the WWN on the switch before I can even allow the lun to be presented...

Ideas on any of it?

[RParker]

Ideas on any of it?

I have been working on this, and the first step is you need to enable NPIV for the VM. Assign NEW WWN/WWP. If you click ok, then edit the VM configuration, you will see the WWN created under NPIV.

There is your WWN config to use on the switch.

So you assign and zone that WWN to your LUN, now that VM and only that VM (hopefully) will see it. So when you boot the VM that LUN is present and the VM can see the drive. You can't treat a VM like a physical machine with HBA (at least not that I have been able to work) because there isn't an HBA present, its another way to configure a VM with direct access, and you don't have to zone / configure a LUN each time, you can do it ad hoc on a VM.