Forum Discussion

azuser's avatar
azuser
Novice I
2 months ago

Move controller connections

We’re planning to replace our old Nexus switch with a new Cisco 9500 switch. In this case, we’ll need to move the controller connections to the new switch. Since we have four paths from the client to the storage—each controller having two connections in separate subnets—we’re planning to move one subnet from each controller to the new switch and verify that the paths are established.

Could you please confirm if this is the correct approach, or suggest the recommended method for moving the controller connections to the new switch?

I’d really appreciate your guidance on this.

FLASHARRAY X

3 Replies

  • rquast's avatar
    rquast
    Puritan
    2 months ago

    that sounds very logical to me.  As you stated you can move 2 of the 4 interfaces from vlan a, do the same with the host and then verify the host connections on the array.  I would also recommend using purehost monitor via SSH to see that IOs are actually being issue over that vlan a after you move it so that when you repeat the process on vlan b you know the host's MPIO will failover.  Very similar to how we do controller upgrades.  Typically support gives at least 5-10 minutes for stabilization of the host stack, I wouldn't say there is a hard number just no reason to rush :)

  • Garry's avatar
    Garry
    Day Hiker III
    2 months ago

    That approach sounds good. Moving one subnet (one fabric) at a time is the right way to handle it.

    Just make sure you always leave at least one active path from each controller while you move the cables. Disable the old switch port, wait a bit to confirm the hosts still have active paths, then plug into the new 9500 and verify the paths come back up. Once that’s stable, repeat for the other subnet.

    Avoid moving both ports from the same controller or subnet at once — that’s what would cause temporary path loss.

    FlashArray’s multipathing will handle a single path drop fine, so you won’t see any disruption if you move methodically.