HP Array Configuration Utility CLI for Integrity Linux environments
Version 8.70.8.0
12/01/2010


Description
-----------

  The Array Configuration Utility CLI is a command line-based disk 
  configuration program for Smart Array Controllers and 
  RAID Array Controllers.
  
  * All other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their 
  respective companies.


Supported Configurations (NEW indicates additions since the last release)
------------------------

  HP ACU-CLI provides support for a number of configurations. Please 
  consult the following HP website for the latest information about 
  supported configurations:

  http://www.hp.com/products1/serverconnectivity/support_matrices.html#linux


Installing & Running the Array Configuration Utility CLI
--------------------------------------------------------------

  Installation:

    ACU CLI is distributed using Red Hat Package Manager (RPM) packages. 

    If there is an older version of ACU CLI installed on the system, 
	please use "rpm -e hpacucli" to remove it first. Use "rpm -i <file name>" 
	to install the application.

    Please type "man rpm" for other details regarding RPM.

    The software resides in /opt/compaq/hpacucli and the executable 
    name is hpacucli which is located in /usr/sbin.
    
  Running ACU CLI:
  
    Make sure that you have gone through the following checklist:
    . You run hpacucli as root.

    To start the application:
    If /usr/sbin is already added in your path, just type:
    "hpacucli".

    More options can be found by "hpacucli help".

  Exiting ACU CLI:

    1. To exit the ACU CLI, type "exit" while at the CLI command console.


System Requirements and Dependencies
------------------------------------

  ACU CLI requires HP Management Base to be installed on the system.  HP Management Base 
  is a package of tools, scripts, and binaries that ensure proper system manageability 
  functionality by providing access to the management processor via the Open IPMI driver.

  HP management base packages are distribution specific.  They can normally be found on 
  the HP Integrity Essentials Foundations Pack for Linux media.  Go to hp.com and search for 
  your particular server under download drivers & software.

  HP recommends using the most updated versions of HP supported device drivers for the
  Smart Array controllers and fibre channel HBAs.


Known Issues and Limitations
----------------------------

  The following issues have not been resolved in this release of the HP Array
  Configuration Utility Command Line Interface.

  1. Migration of logical volume using an unsupported stripe size does not work.
     Attempt to migrate the stripe size of a logical volume to unsupported sizes
     results in no error message.
     Workaround: Should only migrate existing striping to supported sizes.
  2. SSP presented information is lost after SSP state toggles.
     SSP-related information such as unmask or mask is lost after SSP state is 
     changed from off to on state.
     Workaround: None at this time; this issue will be fixed in future release. 

         
Problems Resolved
-----------------

  The following issues have been resolved in this release of the HP Array
  Configuration Utility Command Line Interface.

  1. Rebuild issue when Smart Array 6402 controller is installed in an rx4640 
     connected to internal volumes.
     THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN FIXED IN THE 7.65 RELEASE.
     ACU-CLI should perform a rescan of the SCSI bus as a result of running "rescan"
     or "pd show all" commands. This in turn should initiate a rebuild of an array
     after replacement of a failed drive. The rebuild does not take place as a result
     of running these commands with the released version.
     Workaround: Customer can initiate a rescan by exiting and then rerunning ACU CLI,
     or by rebooting the system.

  2. CCISS interface/driver reports inaccurate information on logical volumes.
     THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN FIXED IN THE 7.65 RELEASE.
     Under some circumstances, the CCISS driver can show devices that havent actually
     been created. When this happens, a number of different devices are reported to
     the OS, but there is actually only one logical volume.
     Workaround: Customers should reboot the system after creating a new logical
     volume.

  3. Using ACU-CLI from two clients at the same time will result in warning messages 
     upon exiting from one of the clients.
     THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN FIXED IN THE 7.65 RELEASE.
     Workaround: Use only one instance of ACU-CLI at a time.

  4. Unexpected LED behavior under some circumstances.
     THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN FIXED IN THE 7.65 RELEASE.
     All LEDs will go off if customer performs the following steps:
     ACUCLI> modify led=on
     ACUCLI> pd xxx modify led=off
     Workaround: There is no workaround. This will be fixed in a future release.

  5. Logical volume status abnormal after powering down OS on some cell-based systems.
     THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN FIXED IN THE 7.65 RELEASE.
     After a cell-based system is powered off using the Linux command poweroff or
     halt, the status of logical volumes that have been previously created may show
     as FAILED. Also you may be unable to delete the logical volume in question.
     Workaround: Need to use the management processor to power off the HW partition,
     then power on again.

  6. Logical volume created on rx2620 doesn't appear on rx7620.
     THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN FIXED IN THE 7.65 RELEASE.
     In some circumstances, logical volumes created on one system do not appear on
     another system, even after a system reset.
     Workaround: Need to totally power off the HW partition and then power on again in
     order to see the logical volume.

  7. Cannot query the logical volume size using the create command.
     THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN FIXED IN THE 7.65 RELEASE.
     The logical volume size cannot be successfully queried using the create
     command.
     Workaround: None at this time; this issue will be fixed in a future release.

  8. OS fails to recognize configuration changes.
     THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN FIXED IN THE 7.65 RELEASE.
     When existing volumes are modified or deleted, or when new volumes are created
     using HP ACU-CLI, the operating system will not always be aware of the changes
     unless the system is rebooted.
     Workaround: Customers should reboot the system after making changes to existing
     volumes.





Additional Notes
----------------

  1.  After creating or deleting logical drives with ACU CLI, under some special 
      circumstances, the device name mapping might change after you first reboot
      the system. Also, Linux might see previously not visible logical drives after 
      rebooting. This name mapping problem is common to all SCSI devices on 
      linux. 
  2.  Do not insert or remove a controller driver module when hpacucli is running.
  3.  Please stop the HP Storage Agents when deleting logical drives
      since HP Storage Agents keeps all logical drives open.
  4.  If all physical drives on a controller fail or are removed, software keys will 
      not be saved to the controller.  
  5.  ACU CLI may appear unresponsive during heavy array controller I/O conditions, such as
      during a partition format or a logical drive rebuild.
  6.  ACU CLI will not disallow the deletion of logical drives on fibre controllers
      that have mounted partitions.
  7.  On RHEL5 systems, for this version of the ACUCLI, version 3.6.18-10 or newer of the 
      HP ProLiant Smart Array Controller Driver for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 (x86, x86-64)
      is required. Drivers may be obtained by clicking on Support & Drivers from HPs 
      website at:  http://www.hp.com



Notes for ACU Scripting
-----------------------
* ACU scripting now uses a new engine to auto configure volumes. When using the AUTO mode,
  it will attempt to configure two volumes; an OS volume and a Data volume. The OS volume 
  will be RAID1, while the Data volume will be the highest possible RAID up to 6, depending
  on the number of disks and RAID modes supported by the controller. Spares may be automatically
  allocated. All user input in the input config file is ignored in AUTO mode. The actual 
  volumes created will depend on the controller, the number and size of disks and the status 
  of license keys in the controller.
* In scripting input/output, 2 disk mirrors are considered RAID1, 4 disk and higher mirrors 
  are RAID10. For compatibility, input scripts still accept RAID1 for 4+ disk mirrors, 
  however we recommend moving to the new argument terminology as soon as possible.
* ARRAY and VOLUME arguments in configure mode can be specified as "Next", which will use
  the next available ID.
* DRIVE arguments can be a number or wildcard, e.g. "*" or "2". In the first example, all
  available drives will be used, in the second two drives will be used.
* The CONTROLLER argument can be FIRST. Controllers are sorted after discovery, the order 
  being: internal before external, in ascending slot order. This ensures that the input
  CONTROLLER=FIRST will target an internal controller (SLOT=0) or the controller in the lowest 
  PCI slot.
* To improve performance, use the REPEAT keyword when creating multiple identical logical drives.


Feedback
--------

  For support for ACU CLI or Smart Array controllers, please visit the web at 
    http://support.hp.com.

  For feedback or suggestions on ACU CLI, please send comments to acu@hp.com.
    Please note that support cannot be provided through this address.
