Tips for buying used 3PAR equipment

[canoas]

Hi, I'm new to this and already bought a rig of used 3PAR parts (7400). Soon discovered that a password-less OS with 3.2.2 is a brick without a support contract. Asked for professional support and an HP assessment was "just" 5k eur and that is just a check my home basement (aka. the data center). Then they will decide the cost of activating a contract. Since that is way more that the cost of this trash, I simple give up on HPE. I just needed to rebirth this thing

Anyway, found many comments in this User Group but one thing is missing here: How to hack 3PAR. Apparently everyone here is very careful about not to breaking support. Well, many of these equipment are already out-of-support life-cycle anyway.

Found an alternative to my problem using this as a JBOD cage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVcLegTqQ50&t=28s. I've already ordered a pair of P800 SAS controllers on ebay.

But before giving up on 3PAR forever, can someone here point me to "re-image" tips to downgrade my controllers to 3.2.1 (before the rolling passwords)?

For example, overriding the internal SSD with an pristine 3.2.1 OS?

[MammaGutt]

Just asking.

You bought a used 7400 and the seller didn't provide any passwords, the default 3paradm/3pardata didn't work, nor did console/cmp43pd which is default for uninitialized systems... and you've asked HPE support to provide a time-based console password for you to reset/uninitialize your system? (Keep in mind the the last one is only active for the remaining part of the hour and assumes that the local set time and timezone is correct)

[Richard Siemers]

When decommissioning a 3PAR, there is a "back in the box" process to wipe the previous owners data and reset the unit back to factory default. No need to downgrade, the time based enhanced security can be removed when you re-initialize the array. The call this start the "Out of the box" process.

Test the console password Mammagut provided above via the serial console connection to the controller. If that doesn't work call support while you have the serial connected and ready for login. Instead of asking for professional services, ask for the Back in the Box procedure to redeploy your asset into a non-production lab. Once you prove physical ownership/possession they should give you 1 time password too to get the BITB process completed.

Did you get a physical service processor with it too?

Good luck!

[canoas]

Those passwords did not work and I have no idea how to get that kind of support for the Back-In-The-Box password. I don't believe there is support number that would accept my request without an active Support Contract.

I did ask for help to a local HPE partner and explicitly asked for "LAB" rebuilt and a way to do a "re-birth" from zero. The only proposal I got was to the the "parts assessment" (5k eur)!! Maybe they also don't know how to get to that BITB process.

Also discovered only one of the controllers is working. On the one that was booting, I did use the whack> prompt to edit the serial number to match the same on the box 1629547-0->1629549-0. but after q.uit the Inform OS login prompt still displaying the old serial. Maybe I need to run some PROM "save" command.

[canoas]

Did you get a physical service processor with it too?

no, I'm trying to use a VSP (old ones) but could not get a way to connect yet. I'm assuming the VSP just needs to be on the same Ethernet independently of the old IP on the controller.
maybe I need to make it both Ethernet + Serial for the VSP to take over the controller remotely.

Anyway, I still believe the best way to unlock this box is to clone copy a node drive using a Linux box.
the problem is: where would we find the initial boot image for a brand new replacement SSD SATA drive?

[MammaGutt]

Did you get a physical service processor with it too?

no, I'm trying to use a VSP (old ones) but could not get a way to connect yet. I'm assuming the VSP just needs to be on the same Ethernet independently of the old IP on the controller.
maybe I need to make it both Ethernet + Serial for the VSP to take over the controller remotely.

Anyway, I still believe the best way to unlock this box is to clone copy a node drive using a Linux box.
the problem is: where would we find the initial boot image for a brand new replacement SSD SATA drive?

I think you are screwed in multiple ways.

If you only working node came with incorrect serial number, and you've changed that without image of the node I doubt any generated passwords will work.

As you don't have other nodes in the system, a newer 3PAR OS and no physical SP connect I think you're gonna have a hard time getting it reimaged because it either needs to reimage from another node in the system or a physical SP (with probably old code).

So if you have a bad node I would try and get another one so you can reimage. But without any working passwords that's also going to be a challenge.

I'm guessing getting a refund is too late?

[canoas]

can't I delete the OS using whack prompt and use a VSP to load a new OS into the controller?

[MammaGutt]

can't I delete the OS using whack prompt and use a VSP to load a new OS into the controller?

Don't think so. I think that feature require another node in the system to push the update.