What does this mean: "SATP VMW_SATP_LOCAL does not support device configuration"?

Question

Can anyone tell me what this means in ESXi 5.1?:

SATP VMW_SATP_LOCAL does not support device configuration

I've googled it and I get a lot of results, but as yet all the pages that contain the string are discussing other matters.

The storage array is a HDS HUS-VM and the hosts are HP b460c G8 blades with flex fabric and flex fabric VCs which I am in the process of commissioning and would like to get it started on the right foot - i.e. error and warning free!

naa.600508b1001c56ee3d70da65f071da23
   Device Display Name: HP Serial Attached SCSI Disk (naa.600508b1001c56ee3d70da65f071da23)
   Storage Array Type: VMW_SATP_LOCAL
   Storage Array Type Device Config: SATP VMW_SATP_LOCAL does not support device configuration.
   Path Selection Policy: VMW_PSP_FIXED
   Path Selection Policy Device Config: {preferred=vmhba0:C0:T0:L1;current=vmhba0:C0:T0:L1}
   Path Selection Policy Device Custom Config: 
   Working Paths: vmhba0:C0:T0:L1
   Is Local SAS Device: true
   Is Boot USB Device: false

This is the same LUN:

~ # esxcli storage core  device list -d naa.60060e80132757005020275700000016
naa.60060e80132757005020275700000016
   Display Name: HITACHI Fibre Channel Disk (naa.60060e80132757005020275700000016)
   Has Settable Display Name: true
   Size: 204800
   Device Type: Direct-Access 
   Multipath Plugin: NMP
   Devfs Path: /vmfs/devices/disks/naa.60060e80132757005020275700000016
   Vendor: HITACHI 
   Model: OPEN-V          
   Revision: 5001
   SCSI Level: 2
   Is Pseudo: false
   Status: degraded
   Is RDM Capable: true
   Is Local: false
   Is Removable: false
   Is SSD: false
   Is Offline: false
   Is Perennially Reserved: false
   Queue Full Sample Size: 0
   Queue Full Threshold: 0
   Thin Provisioning Status: unknown
   Attached Filters: VAAI_FILTER
   VAAI Status: supported
   Other UIDs: vml.020001000060060e801327570050202757000000164f50454e2d56
   Is Local SAS Device: false
   Is Boot USB Device: false
~ # 

As requested a description of our cabling:

HUS-VM with 16 ports CL1A CL3A CL5A CL7A CL1B CL3B CL5B CL7B CL2A CL4A CL6A CL8A CL2B CL4B CL6B CL8B.

There are two SAN fabrics, A and B. Ports with the suffix A are on SAN A, ports with the suffix B are on SANB. I.e.

The Flex Fabric module in interconnect bay 1 (left hand side as you face the rear) is patched into n FC switch on SAN A, via local ports X1,X2,X3.

The Flex Fabric module in interconnect bay 2 (right hand side as you face the rear) is patched into n FC switch on SAN B, via local ports X1,X2,X3.

The ESXi blade has two FCOE (FlexFabric) ports Port 1 is on mapped to port 2 on the FF module in interconnect bay 1 (SAN A). Port 2 is on mapped to port 2 on the FF module in interconnect bay 2 (SAN B).

There is a zone configured with port 1A and Port 1 on the blade. There is a zone configured with port 2A and Port 2 on the blade.

Solution

This is happening because you have more than one path to the same disk, but ESXi doesn't support that using LOCAL. ESXi only supports other methods such as ALUA.

If your array supports ALUA (for instance), you can manually tell ESXi just that:

esxcli nmp satp addrule --satp="VMW_SATP_ALUA" --vendor="SCST_BIO" --model="^r*" \
   --description="SCST with ALUA support" --claim-option=tpgs_on

Where model= is regex of the SCSI model name, and vendor would be, in your case, HITACHI.

Then the simple way to get it to apply is to reboot.

Comments

[ewwhite]

Any luck with this? What did you find?

[trevorj]

Care to mark this as answered?