Feature Requests: Alias for WWPN in System Manager GUI

[NETAPPNOS]

Hi,

While I'm aware its possible to add an alias to WWPN via CLI, it is very frustrating and also a mgmt nightmare not being able to assign an Alias to individual initators via the System Manager GUI.

We are a heavily invested FCP customer, and the mgmt overhead tracking the WWPN initiators solely by their numbers, or being forced to use the CLI for such a routine administration task is a burden on resources.

I hereby request the following features be added to System Manager:

1. Ability to Add Alias to individual WWPN & IQNs in the System Manager GUI.

2. Ability to have the System Manager GUI display/discover,  available / un-used WWPNs that have been zoned on the SAN fabric to see NetApp arrays.  This would avoid extra requirement to cut & paste individual WWPNs from our SAN Switch Zoning config. into the System Manager 'Add Initiator' window.

3. Can the iGroups be made global between clustered FAS controllers. Or atleast have the ability to easily copy all the initators of an existing iGroup to another controller from withing the System Manager GUI?

This would avoid the clerical overhead in having to recreate the same iGroup entry multiple times across controllers?

All of the above are standard on HP EVA CommandView, and Brocade & HP SAN Switches (DCFM Console) which we also  use in our environment.

While I am happy with many features & design of the current SystemManager 2.0 R1, I believe that the feature request  above will go a long way to enhance the daily operational usability & mgmt within the GUI.

regards,

[aborzenkov]

3. Can the iGroups be made global between clustered FAS controllers.

I am not sure about it. There is no requirement that igroups be identical between controllers. Different controllers may have  LUNs presented to different hosts. Forcing identical igroups will create dummy entries that are not used at all.

Or atleast have the ability to easily copy all the initators of an existing iGroup to another controller from withing the System Manager GUI?

I agree, that would be useful. If LUN has to be presented to the same set of hosts it is really better to name igroup identically. OCSM could also logically merge both igroups to provide flat LUN ID space.

Probably the most user friendly way would be asking user for LUN on controller and "host group" (to avoid confusion) and automatically creating/duplicating igroup on all controllers that contain LUNs presented to this "host group".

[NETAPPNOS]

Even after creating an Alias for the wwn in the CLI using the  fcp wwpn-alias set command, why doesn't the Alias then show in System Manager GUI?

This too seems to defeat part of the purpose of an alias, enhancing usability & ease of management. Our environment has hundreds of hosts & luns.

Any feedback on the release cycle for System Manager to incorporate my suggestions above.

I could easily list many more suggestion, to enhance functionality, usability, worflow etc...

[JIMBROWNELL]

I agree that it seem very primitive that the System Manager GUI does not use the alias - even if you create them through CLI.  I too have a large number of FC connections and not being able to manage them through the GUI and the alias name adds risk to our environment. 

[russ_witt]

Please make WWPN Alias visible in the System Manager GUI! 

I recently introduced the concept of FCP alias to a FC customer and was shocked to discover that the alias was not exposed in the System Manager UI.

Thanks!

[LEE_HOUGH]

Hi we are looking at the same issue coming form an EMC world with an alias for each server that can then be added from the GUI

We are thinking of doing the following

for each server create an igroup

add multiple igroups against different LUNS

why would an alias be required if this aproach was taken are we missing something