Linux Storage - systool fc_host

category: solutionz · date: 2013-12-31 · updated: 2026-10-03 · author: LALA

Linux Storage Solution · Config document · referenced from Linux HBA and SCSI inventory

The systool command set over the fc_host class on HV01: seven runs of systool -c fc_host -A <attribute>, which print one attribute for both HBA ports at once, and the full systool -c fc_host -v, which prints every attribute of both ports. systool reads the same sysfs attributes as the cat commands in HBA sysfs attributes, only formatted and for every port in one go. Everything ran as root on HV01 and reads only.

Item	Value
Class	`fc_host`, the class devices `host1` and `host2` under `/sys/class/fc_host/`
On which host	`HV01`, the first blade (HP BL660c Gen8)
Run as	`root`
Tool	`systool` from the sysfsutils package; the notes do not give its version
HBA	QLogic QMH2572, PCI functions `0000:03:00.0` (`host1`) and `0000:03:00.1` (`host2`), driver `qla2xxx` 8.05.00.03.55.6-k, firmware 5.09.00

The commands

The state of both ports.

bash

$ systool -c fc_host -A port_state

output 7 lines

Class = "fc_host"
  Class Device = "host1"
    port_state          = "Online"
    Device = "host1"
  Class Device = "host2"
    port_state          = "Online"
    Device = "host2"

The type of both ports.

bash

$ systool -c fc_host -A port_type

output 7 lines

Class = "fc_host"
  Class Device = "host1"
    port_type           = "NPort (fabric via point-to-point)"
    Device = "host1"
  Class Device = "host2"
    port_type           = "NPort (fabric via point-to-point)"
    Device = "host2"

The addresses of both FC ports. The author's note beside it gives the colon form: 0x50014380123456c0 is 50:01:43:80:12:34:56:c0.

bash

$ systool -c fc_host -A port_name

output 7 lines

Class = "fc_host"
  Class Device = "host1"
    port_name           = "0x50014380123456c0"
    Device = "host1"
  Class Device = "host2"
    port_name           = "0x50014380123456c2"
    Device = "host2"

The speed of both ports.

bash

$ systool -c fc_host -A speed

output 7 lines

Class = "fc_host"
  Class Device = "host1"
    speed               = "8 Gbit"
    Device = "host1"
  Class Device = "host2"
    speed               = "8 Gbit"
    Device = "host2"

The FC classes both ports support.

bash

$ systool -c fc_host -A supported_classes

output 7 lines

Class = "fc_host"
  Class Device = "host1"
    supported_classes   = "Class 3"
    Device = "host1"
  Class Device = "host2"
    supported_classes   = "Class 3"
    Device = "host2"

The speeds both ports support.

bash

$ systool -c fc_host -A supported_speeds

output 7 lines

Class = "fc_host"
  Class Device = "host1"
    supported_speeds    = "1 Gbit, 2 Gbit, 4 Gbit, 8 Gbit"
    Device = "host1"
  Class Device = "host2"
    supported_speeds    = "1 Gbit, 2 Gbit, 4 Gbit, 8 Gbit"
    Device = "host2"

The card type and firmware version of both ports.

bash

$ systool -c fc_host -A symbolic_name

output 7 lines

Class = "fc_host"
  Class Device = "host1"
    symbolic_name       = "QMH2572 FW:v5.09.00 DVR:v8.05.00.03.55.6-k"
    Device = "host1"
  Class Device = "host2"
    symbolic_name       = "QMH2572 FW:v5.09.00 DVR:v8.05.00.03.55.6-k"
    Device = "host2"

The full listing

Every attribute of both FC hosts. This is the second of the three examples at the end of the notes, the one the section on the HBA refers to for the details.

bash

$ systool -c fc_host -v

output 67 lines

Class = "fc_host"

  Class Device = "host1"
  Class Device path = "/sys/class/fc_host/host1"
    fabric_name         = "0x200b547feeabcd19"
    issue_lip           = <store method only>
    max_npiv_vports     = "254"
    node_name           = "0x50014380123456c1"
    npiv_vports_inuse   = "0"
    port_id             = "0x2a0000"
    port_name           = "0x50014380123456c0"
    port_state          = "Online"
    port_type           = "NPort (fabric via point-to-point)"
    speed               = "8 Gbit"
    supported_classes   = "Class 3"
    supported_speeds    = "1 Gbit, 2 Gbit, 4 Gbit, 8 Gbit"
    symbolic_name       = "QMH2572 FW:v5.09.00 DVR:v8.05.00.03.55.6-k"
    system_hostname     = ""
    tgtid_bind_type     = "wwpn (World Wide Port Name)"
    uevent              = "PHYSDEVPATH=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.0/0000:03:00.0
PHYSDEVBUS=pci
PHYSDEVDRIVER=qla2xxx"
    vport_create        = <store method only>
    vport_delete        = <store method only>

    Device = "host1"
    Device path = "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.0/0000:03:00.0/host1"
      fw_dump             =
      nvram               = "ISP "
      optrom              =
      optrom_ctl          = <store method only>
      reset               = <store method only>
      uevent              =
      vpd                 = "-="

  Class Device = "host2"
  Class Device path = "/sys/class/fc_host/host2"
    fabric_name         = "0x2015547feeabcef1"
    issue_lip           = <store method only>
    max_npiv_vports     = "254"
    node_name           = "0x50014380123456c3"
    npiv_vports_inuse   = "0"
    port_id             = "0x580100"
    port_name           = "0x50014380123456c2"
    port_state          = "Online"
    port_type           = "NPort (fabric via point-to-point)"
    speed               = "8 Gbit"
    supported_classes   = "Class 3"
    supported_speeds    = "1 Gbit, 2 Gbit, 4 Gbit, 8 Gbit"
    symbolic_name       = "QMH2572 FW:v5.09.00 DVR:v8.05.00.03.55.6-k"
    system_hostname     = ""
    tgtid_bind_type     = "wwpn (World Wide Port Name)"
    uevent              = "PHYSDEVPATH=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.0/0000:03:00.1
PHYSDEVBUS=pci
PHYSDEVDRIVER=qla2xxx"
    vport_create        = <store method only>
    vport_delete        = <store method only>

    Device = "host2"
    Device path = "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.0/0000:03:00.1/host2"
      fw_dump             =
      nvram               = "ISP "
      optrom              =
      optrom_ctl          = <store method only>
      reset               = <store method only>
      uevent              =
      vpd                 = "-="

The attributes

The attributes that the cat series did not read, and the two ports side by side. The rest is explained in HBA sysfs attributes.

Attribute	`host1`	`host2`	What it tells
`fabric_name`	`0x200b547feeabcd19`	`0x2015547feeabcef1`	the WWN of the fabric the port logged into; the two ports are in two different fabrics, `SW1` and `SW2`. The third and fourth hex digits read `0b` and `15`, that is 11 and 21, which are the VSAN numbers of the schema; that the VSAN is encoded there is my inference, the notes do not say it
`node_name`	`0x50014380123456c1`	`0x50014380123456c3`	the World Wide Node Name (WWNN) of the port's node, the second name the switch's `flogi` database lists next to the port name
`port_id`	`0x2a0000`	`0x580100`	the FCID the fabric assigned at login; `0x2a0000` is the FCID of `bay1` in VSAN 11 in the switch's `flogi` database
`port_name`	`0x50014380123456c0`	`0x50014380123456c2`	the WWPN, the identity the zoning works with
`tgtid_bind_type`	`wwpn (World Wide Port Name)`	the same	SCSI target IDs are bound to the WWPN of the remote port, so a target keeps its ID across reboots as long as the array port keeps its WWPN; the binding types are my understanding of the FC transport class
`max_npiv_vports`, `npiv_vports_inuse`	`254`, `0`	the same	the port could create up to 254 NPIV virtual ports and none is in use
`system_hostname`	empty	empty	a hostname the host may register with the fabric; nothing was set
`issue_lip`, `vport_create`, `vport_delete`, `optrom_ctl`, `reset`	`<store method only>`	the same	write-only attributes: writing to them triggers an action (a loop initialisation, creating or deleting a virtual port, a reset) and they have nothing to read
`fw_dump`, `optrom`, `uevent` of the device	empty	empty	the firmware dump and option ROM are empty, and the `uevent` of the PCI device prints nothing in this listing
`nvram`, `vpd`	`ISP` , `-=`	the same	binary attributes that `systool` prints as the first readable bytes; they carry nothing a reader can use here

The uevent of the class device spans three lines inside one pair of quotes: systool prints the value as it is, with the embedded newlines.

Checked against sysfsutils 2.1.1, Linux 7.2 and RHEL 10.2

As built	Today
`systool` from sysfsutils	Still packaged (`sysfsutils` 2.1.1 in the RHEL AppStream repositories and in SLES 16.0, 2.1.0 in SLES 15 SP7), but upstream has been dormant since August 2022 with v2.1.1 as its last tag, and neither the RHEL 7 to 10 storage guides nor the SLES 15 SP7 Storage Administration Guide mention it; they read the sysfs files with `cat` and use `lsscsi`, `lsblk` and `multipath -ll`
the `fc_host` attributes in the listing	All still defined by the FC transport class under the same names, `fabric_name`, `tgtid_bind_type`, `max_npiv_vports`, `npiv_vports_inuse`, `vport_create`, `vport_delete`, `issue_lip` and `system_hostname` included
`tgtid_bind_type wwpn (World Wide Port Name)`	Still the default binding of the FC transport class
`issue_lip` as a store method	Still there; the RHEL 10 guide describes it as "Instructs the driver to rediscover remote ports"
NPIV, `max_npiv_vports 254`	Still part of the FC transport class; of interest today mostly for per-VM virtual ports and for NPV/NPIV uplinks on the switches

The listing itself would look the same today, with a longer attribute list; the tool that produced it is the part that has gone quiet.