DMX4: speed of FA

Doof FA flags have a great impact on how FA works .. Changing FA flags online is usually available. However some changes can't simply be done online. EMC is trying to offer as many features as possible in "symconfigure" however due to some restrictions in code some flags simply can't be changed via symconfigure. Please note that I'm talking about safety restrictions.
Since symconfigure simply tells symwin what to change, it's technically possible to ask (via symconfigure) to change any symwin FA flag. However since some of those changes may give deep (and dangerous) effects, some changes are simply forbidden without proper qualification and planning of change and of its impacts.
That's why you have to ask EMC to change some flags (and pay for the change).

Having that said, please considere that almost any flag can be changed via either symconfigure or even via "symmask set hba_flag" command. EAN is a special flag since it affects the whole port. Thus you can't change it only for selected hosts (via symmask set hba_flag command) and you need also to put director offline (via symcfg command) before changing the flag and back online after change is committed (again via symcfg command) to force a logout/login process to the fabric.

Please note that setting an FA offline WILL give impact to your hosts (you loose a path) and hopefully all your hosts should have PowerPath and at least a couple of paths to the storage. If you have a single path, setting FA offline may bring down your host. I'm pretty sure you know all those things however it's better (and safer) to say "the same things" again 'coz others may read this thread and be tempted to play with symconfigure.

It's a powerful tool thus it may be dangerous. A tool is a tool. But a fool with a tool is still a fool. A tool in a fool's hands is a weapon.

Message was edited by:
Stefano Del Corno

replaced "fool" with "tool" in last sentence.