Hitachi - Unable to see Fibre Storage on ESXi host

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Affected Fibre Channel: Hitachi

Unable to see Fibre Channel LUN being presented from Hitachi array.
The same LUN presented to a physical Windows machine, could be detected by the Windows.

No errors reported in host logs. 
Several different Fibre Channel Controller Driver and Firmware versions were tried without success

 

/var/log/boot.gz is showing that the affected Host can login to the array target port:
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.ZZ cpu26:2097751)qlnativefc: (12:0.0): qlnativefcAsyncLogin:6230: Async-login - ##:##:##:##:##:##:##:## hdl=10, loopid=1 portid=###### retries=8.
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.ZZ cpu15:2097940)qlnativefc: (12:0.0): qlnativefcLogioEntry:2381: Async-login complete - ##:##:##:##:##:##:##:##  hdl=10 portid=###### iop0=12.
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.ZZ cpu26:2097751)qlnativefc: (12:0.0): qlnativefcUpdateFcport:3014: WWPN ##:##:##:##:##:##:##:##, targetId 0, port Id ######:1 ONLINE

 

After performing a patch update or rebooting an ESXi host, Fibre Channel LUNs or Raw Device Mapping (RDM) devices presented from a Hitachi VSP array (e.g., VSP5200) are no longer visible. This occurs even when zoning and host group presentation remain unchanged.

Environment

• ESXi 7.x / 8.x
• Hitachi VSP Series (VSP5200, E790, etc.)
• Fibre Channel Connectivity

Cause

• Hitachi Arrays has a feature to configure LUN mapping based on the operating system.
• If the host mode is configured with anything other than VMware/VMware EX, the LUN will not be visible to ESXi hosts.
• To view the current 'host mode' for a LUN, check the LUN settings on Hitachi Ops Center Administrator UI.
• This feature is introduced by Hitachi to potentially avoid a LUN being over written by another operating system.
• For more details on Host modes and host mode options contact Hitachi Support.
  
  
• Host Mode Mismatch: Hitachi arrays require specific "Host Mode" settings (VMware or VMware EX) for LUN visibility.
• Pending Parameter Application: A configuration or parameter change made on the storage array (sometimes months prior) may only take effect on the ESXi host once the host is rebooted.

 

Resolution

Map the LUN from Hitachi array using host mode set to either VMware Ex or VMware. 

• Verify the "Host Mode" for the LUN on the Hitachi array using Hitachi Ops Center Administrator. Ensure it is set to VMware or VMware EX.
• Review the storage array for any legacy parameter modifications or non-standard settings changed since the last host reboot.
• Revert any identified parameter changes to their default or recommended values for VMware environments.
• Perform a manual storage rescan on the ESXi host: esxcli storage core adapter rescan --all
• If devices remain missing, consider forcing a Fabric Login (FLOGI) reset: esxcli storage san fc reset -A vmhba#### (Replace #### with the appropriate HBA identifier).

 

 

Additional Information

 

• For further assistance with Hitachi-specific array settings, contact Hitachi Support.
• See Contact Support for Broadcom assistance.