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Complete adding a host interface card

You complete the process of adding a host interface card (HIC) by checking the controller LEDs and seven-segment display, and then confirming that the controller's status is Optimal.

Before you begin

  1. Turn on the two power switches at the back of the controller shelf.
    • Do not turn off the power switches during the power-on process, which typically takes 90 seconds or less to complete.
    • The fans in each shelf are very loud when they first start up. The loud noise during start-up is normal.
  2. As the controller boots, check the controller LEDs and seven-segment display.
    • The seven-segment display shows the repeating sequence OS, Sd, blank to indicate that the controller is performing Start-of-day (SOD) processing. After a controller has successfully booted up, its seven-segment display should show the tray ID.
    • The amber Attention LED on the controller turns on and then turns off, unless there is an error.
    • The green Host Link LEDs remain off until you connect the host cables.
    Note
    The figure shows an example controller canister. Your controller might have a different number and a different type of host ports.
    Attention LED (amber) Seven-segment display
    Host Link LEDs 
  3. From ThinkSystem System Manager, confirm that the controller's status is Optimal.
    If the status is not Optimal or if any of the Attention LEDs are on, confirm that all cables are correctly seated, and check that the HIC and the controller canister are installed correctly. If necessary, remove and reinstall the controller canister and the HIC.
    Note
    If you cannot resolve the problem, contact technical support.
  4. If the new HIC ports require SFP+ transceivers, install these SFPs.
  5. If you installed a HIC with SFP+ (optical) ports, confirm the new ports have the host protocol you expect.
    1. From ThinkSystem System Manager, select Hardware.
    2. If the graphic shows the drives, click Show back of shelf.
    3. Select the graphic for either Controller A or Controller B.
    4. Select View settings from the context menu.
    5. Select the Host Interfaces tab.
    6. Click Show more settings.
    7. Review the details shown for the HIC ports (the ports labelled e0x or 0x in HIC Location slot 1) to determine if you are ready to connect the host ports to the data hosts:

      If the new HIC ports have the protocol you expect:

      You are ready to connect the new HIC ports to the data hosts; go to the step below.

      If the new HIC ports do not have the protocol you expect:

      You must apply a software feature pack before you can connect the new HIC ports to the data hosts. See Converting the Protocol of Host Ports. Then, use the instructions in that document to connect the host ports to the data hosts and to resume operations.

  6. Connect the cables from the controller's host ports to the correct switch or data hosts.
Before you resume normal operations, ensure that you have completed the following steps:
  • For iSCSI HIC adding or replacement:

    1. Ensure that the iSCSI SFPs or dual-protocol SFPs are installed.

    2. Attach cables to the SFPs, and confirm they are connected to the correct iSCSI switch or host.

    3. Power on the hosts.

    4. Configure the ISCSI hosts.

    5. Edit the host partition to update the iSCSI host port IDs.

    6. After the new iSCSI hosts reboot, use the applicable procedures on the hosts to register the volumes and to make them available to your operating system.

  • For FC HIC adding or replacement.

    1. Ensure that the FC SFPs or dual-protocol SFPs are installed.

    2. Attach cables to the SFPs, and confirm they are connected to the correct FC switch or host.

    3. Power on the hosts.

    4. Configure the FC hosts.

    5. Edit the host partition to update the FC host port IDs.

    6. After the new FC hosts reboot, use the applicable procedures on the hosts to register the volumes and to make them available to your operating system. Depending on your operating system, two utilities are included with the storage management software (hot_add and SMdevices). These utilities help register the volumes with the hosts and also show the applicable device names for the volumes.

    7. You might need to use specific tools and options that are provided with your operating system to make the volumes available (that is, assign drive letters, create mount points, and so on). Refer to your host operating system documentation for details.