Just as an FYI, all pSeries servers from IBM use a rebranded Emulex HBA with IBM's special firmware on it.
From my past experience, when you plug in an HBA from an AIX host to a Cisco switch (my experience was solely with the 9500 series switches) and opened the port (either GUI or by doing a NO SHUT via CLI), the server would not do a FLOGI. I always had to ask the AIX system admins to run a CFGMGR on their side to have their HBA's power up and perform the FLOGI. If they did this step before the port was turned on and I turned on the port at a later time, the port wouldn't come up.
Here are the steps I always followed to get an AIX server to perform a FLOGI for a new install:
1.) Make sure the VSAN has persistent FCID's set. Someone stated this earlier but is only required for AIX 5.2 or lower. In AIX 5.3, you can change it so the the FCID wasn't stored in the ODM on AIX.
2.) Assign port to correct VSAN
3.) GUI: Enable port CLI: NO SHUT the port
4.) Ask your AIX system admin to run CFGMGR to have your HBA's turned on and perform a FLOGI.
5.) Make sure port comes online as an F port and not as an FL port. If it's an FL port, the AIX system admin needs to fix this on their end. Do not try and hard set your port on the switch to F as the HBA will never login until the AIX is fixed.
6.) Perform zoning tasks.
7.) Assign disk and ask AIX system admin to run CFGMGR again to perform a PLOGI to see it's disk.
Moving an AIX servers port is a whole other ordeal and if desired, I'm happy to detail the steps needed if anyone desires this.
