HP ProLiant Network Adapter Scripting Utility User Manual

HP ProLiant Network Adapter Scripting Utility

Part Number: 515635-006

User Guide

Abstract

This document is for the person who installs, administers, and troubleshoots servers and storage systems. HP assumes you are qualified in the servicing of computer equipment and trained in recognizing hazards in products with hazardous energy levels.

September 2013 Edition: 6

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Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 4

Network Configuration Utility and Scripting .................................................................................................. 4

Scripting functionality ................................................................................................................................ 4

Scripting ...................................................................................................................................... 5

Preliminary scripting information ................................................................................................................. 5

Target MAC address based team member assignment ......................................................................... 5

Multifunction parameters on target systems ......................................................................................... 5

Teams on target systems ................................................................................................................... 6

Script conversion ....................................................................................................................................... 7

Scripting application (CQNICCMD) ............................................................................................................ 7

Command line syntax ...................................................................................................................... 8

Command line arguments ................................................................................................................. 8

Command line examples .................................................................................................................. 9

Configuration properties .............................................................................................................. 10

Adapter configuration properties for Windows Server 2008 ......................................................................... 10

Team configuration properties ................................................................................................................... 12

XML data file .............................................................................................................................. 14

XML elements and typical adapter teaming script ........................................................................................ 14

Error handling and reporting .................................................................................................................... 17

Error checking and completion code ................................................................................................ 17

Acronyms and abbreviations ........................................................................................................ 18

Documentation feedback ............................................................................................................. 19

Index ......................................................................................................................................... 20

Contents 3

Overview

Network Configuration Utility and Scripting

The HP Network Configuration Utility (NCU) enables configuration of network adapters and teams of network adapters. The scripting feature of the utility provides the ability to perform adapter configuration using a batch process.

This guide provides information about using the HP Network Adapter Scripting Utility to configure HP

Scripting functionality

adapters.

Scripting functionality provides the capability to configure a target system based on configuration information saved from a source server. The target system is not required to be identical to the source server. The configuration of the source server may not be duplicated in its entirety on the target system.

Both adapters and teams of adapters can be configured on the target system. When scripting is run, the adapter properties specified in the data file from the source server are used to modify the configuration of the adapters on the target system (see "Preliminary scripting information (on page 5)" for details about running the scripting utility).

Overview 4

Scripting

Preliminary scripting information

When using scripting to configure target systems, adapters are identified by their relative order in the system. The relative order is determined by the following properties.

• Slot and port order for adapters in non-HP BladeSystem configurations

• Enclosure switch bay number and switch port order for adapters in HP BladeSystem configurations

Adapters embedded on the system board are assigned the lowest numbers, followed by adapters ordered by their slot or switch bay number with the lowest slot or switch bay number first. Multiport adapters are ordered

Target MAC address based team member assignment

by ascending port or switch port number within each slot.

If you do not use the logical ordering assignment, you can create teams by specifying the MAC addresses of target team members.

• The MAC address of each team member is specified in the NIC section of the configuration file.

• The NIC assignment of the team members remains in the team section of the configuration file.

• The target MAC address based team member assignment is applied using the /M<configfile>

option.

• This feature is only supported on Windows 2008 (all versions).

Multifunction parameters on target systems

To transfer multifunction (TCP/IP Offload Engine and iSCSI) parameters the following conditions apply:

• The multifunction adapter must be located in the same relative position on the target server as on the

source server.

• If these multifunction parameters are assigned to an adapter that does not support iSCSI or TOE, they

are ignored.

• If an adapter supports multifunction parameters but the parameters are not assigned, the existing

settings are left unchanged.

• Some properties are not configurable if an adapter has FlexNIC enabled.

Multifunction adapter limitations

• TOE and RSS are incompatible on NetXen adapters. If RSS is already enabled and then you enable

TOE, RSS is automatically disabled even though it may appear to be enabled. Likewise, if you enable TOE after RSS, RSS becomes disabled.

• Some HP NC-Series NetXen adapters require a TOE license. See the NCDE Release Notes for

installation instructions and a list of adapters that require a TOE license.

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• Some properties are not configurable if an adapter has FlexNIC enabled.

Teams on target systems

The target system is configured with the same number of teams that were present on the source server.

• Teams are created on the target system consisting of the same relative adapters that were teamed on the

source server. For example, if adapters 3 and 5 were teamed on the source server, then that teaming information is saved in the data file, and adapters 3 and 5 are teamed on the target system.

• In general, the adapters on the team on the target system do not have to be the same type of adapters

that were teamed on the source server. However, some adapters cannot be teamed and if an attempt is made to form a team with invalid combinations of adapters an error occurs. For example, teams with different speed capabilities cannot be teamed on a load balancing team.

• An error occurs in the configuration if the adapters forming the team on the source server are not present

on the target system. For example, if adapters 3 and 5 are teamed on the source server, but the target system has only four adapters, an error is reported and the configuration is not applied.

• When teams are configured on the target system, the team properties are set to the values read from the

data file for the corresponding team on the source server. Properties not specified in the data file (and properties specified with invalid data values) are configured using their default settings.

• If no teams are configured on the source server, no teaming information is written to the data file and

configuration of the target system consists only of configuring individual adapters.

Teaming limitations

• Only the following team types are supported on FlexNIC-enabled adapters:

o Network Fault Tolerance (NFT) o Network Fault Tolerance with Preference Order (NFT-PO) o Transmit Load Balancing with Fault Tolerance (TLB) o Transmit Load Balancing with Fault Tolerance and Preference Order (TLB-PO)

• The NCU supports two or more FlexNIC-enabled adapters on the same port as members of the same

team.

• Any change to a teaming configuration that has an iSCSI-booted device present requires a system

reboot.

• In Transmit Load Balancing, Switch-assisted Load Balancing, and 802.3ad with Fault Tolerance teams,

the adapters must be capable of a common speed. If you try to add an adapter to one of these existing team types and that adapter is not capable of a common speed with the other adapters in the team then the team option is disabled.

• All server adapters in a team must be on the same broadcast domain.

• To ensure proper network functioning, be sure the protocol information for each teamed server adapter

is complete. Do not depend on a DHCP server to assign an IP Address as the results may be undependable. Be sure that you have properly configured the protocols for the Virtual Miniport that represents the team. To do this on Windows systems, go to Network Connections to select the Virtual Miniport and then select File>Properties.

Scripting 6

• If the properties of the server adapters are not supported by all team members, those properties may be

disabled for all the adapters in the team. The NCU displays a message listing the properties that have been disabled.

iSCSI limitations for creating teams

• The following team types are not supported for iSCSI-enabled adapters. Disable iSCSI on the adapter

or team before changing to any of the incompatible team types.

o Automatic o 802.3ad Dynamic with Fault Tolerance o Switch-assisted Load Balancing with Fault Tolerance (SLB)

Script conversion

Scripts created with previous versions of the NCU are supported; however, HP recommends that you recreate the script using the latest version of the NCU.

Scripting application (CQNICCMD)

CQNICCMD is a Windows utility that processes a network adapter configuration script file to duplicate the adapter teaming configuration of a source ProLiant BL/ML/DL server on a target server.

The utility is supported on the following Windows operating systems:

• Windows Server 2008 SP2

• Windows Server 2008 R2

• Windows Server 2008

• Windows Server 2008 x64

Run the utility from the command line in a Command Prompt window, from the Run option on the Windows Start menu, or from a Windows command file. To execute the CQNICCMD utility from the command line, the HP NCU must be closed.

HP recommends using CQNICCMD as part of the SSST deployment. However, the application can be used outside of this environment.

To use the scripting application:

1. Configure adapter teaming on the source server.

2. Generate a script file on the source server by doing one of the following:

o Click Save in the HP NCU user interface. o Run CQNICCMD /S<filename> in the Command Line utility.

3. Modify the script file as necessary.

HP recommends running CQNICCMD/ P to check the syntax of the modified file. Check the log file for errors and warnings. The default location of the log file is

\cpqsystem\log\cpqteam.log on the system drive. The syntax of the /P option is cqniccmd /p<filename>.

4. Install the HP NCU on the target system.

5. Run the Command Line utility:

Scripting 7

cqniccmd /c<filename> For target MAC based team member assignment on Windows 2008 only, run the Command Line utility

with the following syntax: cqniccmd /M<filename>

6. Check the log file for errors and warnings. The default location of the log file is

\cpqsystem\log\cpqteam.log on the system drive. To use the utility with the SSST, see the documentation included with SSST on the HP website

(http://h18013.www1.hp.com/products/servers/management/toolkit/index.html).

Command line syntax

CQNICCMD [[/F] [/C<filename>] [/M<filename>]] [/D] [/L<filename>] [/P<filename>] [/S<filename>] [/?]

Only one of the following configuration options can be specified at a time:

• /S

• /D

• /C

• /P

• /M

The /L argument can be used with any of the configuration options. The /F argument can only be used with the /C configuration option.

Command line arguments

Argument Description

This configuration option causes the source server configuration to be saved. The name of the XML configuration data file must be specified and the path to the data file must exist. This option is identical to saving the source server configuration by clicking Save in the Network Teaming Configuration user interface.

This configuration option causes all teams on the target server to be dissolved, all VLANs to be removed, and 802.1p/q Packet Tagging to be disabled for all adapters that had no VLANs. No additional arguments are required or allowed with this option.

This configuration option applies the configuration specified in the data file to the target system. An existing XML configuration data file must be specified following the target switch. A space following the switch is optional. Any teams that exist on the target server will be dissolved before the configuration is applied, all VLANs will be removed, and 802.1p/q Packet Tagging will be disabled.

Windows 2008 only. This configuration option applies the configuration specified in the data file to the target system, using target team member MAC address based assignment. An existing XML configuration data file must be specified following the target switch. A space following the switch is optional. Any teams that exist on the target server are dissolved before the configuration is applied, all VLANs are removed, and 802.1p/q Packet Tagging is disabled.

This option is identical to the /C option, except that the configuration options are not applied to the target system. This option is useful for syntax checking the XML data file.

Scripting 8