Emulex Adapters - Manual (Page 4)

Troubleshooting and Maintenance Manual Page 1
Overview
Be Informed, Stay Informed, Stay Current
In addition to staying informed and current, these actions are a great first defense when troubleshooting
any Emulex adapter software and hardware issue:
• Read the documentation on the Emulex Web site. From the main Emulex Web site, click
Downloads. Each adapter, driver, firmware and boot code has documentation posted to the
Web site.
• Use the Emulex knowledgebase. From the main Emulex Web site, click Support, then click
Knowledgebase.
• Check for known issues. In addition to the Emulex Web site, the README.txt file included in the
distribution kit contains information describing what is included, how to install it, how to get
started, a change history and any known issues.
• Verify that the current adapter driver is installed. Check with your account vendor for the current
supported version since it may vary from the Emulex current version.
• Check the status indicator light emitting diodes (LEDs). See “Common LED States” on page 18.
• Verify that the adapter firmware version is up-to-date per the original equipment manufacturer
(OEM) or storage vendor. If necessary, load and update firmware using the Emulex Offline utility;
(see the Offline Utility Manual for Emulex offline utilities).
• Verify that you have current switch firmware.
• Verify that cluster software and other storage and third-party applications are up-to-date.
• Check with disk and tape vendors for known issues.
The Importance of Compatibility, Driver Updates and Firmware Updates
Emulex works very closely with storage and system providers to ensure optimal performance of
supported systems. As part of that work, both Emulex and the storage and system providers test specific
hardware configurations and specific versions of firmware, drivers and other software for all the
components of a storage area network (SAN). This testing ensures that each supported configuration
performs as indicated and operates successfully in an enterprise installation. Compatibility matrices are
available on the Emulex Web site (http://www.emulex.com/partners/interoperability.html) that provide
information on which configurations, firmware, drivers, applications, servers, storage, adapters, switches
and other components properly function together.
Driver Updates
To update your driver, download the latest Emulex driver and utilities from the Emulex Web site. From
the main Emulex Web site, click Downloads, click your vendor and then click the link for your operating
system (OS).
Drivers for Windows
• The drivers for Windows include support for Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008,
Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000 Server and Windows NT (No future versions of drivers for
Windows 2000 Server or Windows NT are planned.)
Note: It is critical to verify that all the components of the SAN, including hardware and
firmware, drivers and applications for each component are supported. Storage and
system providers’ web sites are the best sources for this information.