We’re not using MPIO. 

We have made the advanced tweaks to the driver  (jumbo, auto duplex, enable flow control) and tcpip configuration (disable netbios over tcp, no register of dns, no wins).  Usually we don’t adjust the priority of the iSCSI network interface unless it’s a cluster, but I suppose that is a good idea.  Our iSCSI network isn’t routed so it’d be pointless for the  box to send traffic that way anyways. 

Drivers are up to date.  I know iSCSI 2.06 came out lately, and Netapp’s policy is to use the latest MS install.  If the network (or filer even) were to have a blip, iSCSI usually is resilient enough to re-establish the connection automatically.   It’s the cases that it doesn’t re-establish gracefully that we would like to handle without a reboot. 

- Hadrian

From: Klise, Steve [mailto:klises@caminomedical.org]
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:26 PM
To: Hadrian Baron; Glenn Walker; toasters@mathworks.com
Subject: RE: Cleaning up Messy SW iSCSI connections

Are you using MPIO?  Also, do you have the advanced options setup properly (ISCSI is not set high in the priority list, and the networking services are not enabled).  I would make sure the drivers are up to date, and the network is not having any issues.. 

From: owner-toasters@mathworks.com [mailto:owner-toasters@mathworks.com] On Behalf Of Hadrian Baron
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 2:49 PM
To: 'Glenn Walker'; toasters@mathworks.com
Subject: RE: Cleaning up Messy SW iSCSI connections

It’s software based iSCSI, so the normal gigE NIC becomes the HBA.  It sounds like a similar issue though. 

- Hadrian

From: Glenn Walker [mailto:ggwalker@mindspring.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 2:46 PM
To: Hadrian Baron; toasters@mathworks.com
Subject: RE: Cleaning up Messy SW iSCSI connections

Not using an HBA are you?  We had similar problems with the QLogic 4050C HBAs.  The TCP session would drop on the HBA and a reset would be required to get it going again.

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From: owner-toasters@mathworks.com [mailto:owner-toasters@mathworks.com] On Behalf Of Hadrian Baron
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 1:28 PM
To: toasters@mathworks.com
Subject: Cleaning up Messy SW iSCSI connections

Hello Toasters,

We have Snapdrive + MS iSCSI on a few boxes.  I’ve noticed that once in awhile the iSCSI connection will become unavailable.  If you browse the iSCSI front-end in Snapdrive, it will show unavailable where it would show the IP addresses for target & portal.

If you browse the iSCSI control panel, it shows a target that is “reconnecting”, but you cannot disconnect it to properly re-establish the connection.

Does anyone have a way to properly clean up these connections?   Typically disabling iSCSI / Snapdrive services, bouncing the box, and turning them up will let me re-establish, but this is painful.

If anyone is wondering, it’s Snapdrive 4.2.1 + MS iSCSI 2.05.

Thanks all,

- Hadrian