EMC VNX2 storage arrays (VNX5200, VNX5400, VNX5600, VNX5800, VNX7600, and VNX8000) rely on dual Storage Processors (SPA and SPB) to handle block-level and file-level I/O services. When SP firmware encounters bugs, it can lead to unexpected reboots, performance issues, or even data unavailability. Below is a chronological list of key Storage Processor (SP) issues and fixes from the EMC VNX Release Notes. This page highlights the most common or impactful SP-related bugs so administrators can quickly see which firmware levels address them.
Note: These fixes apply exclusively to VNX2 models. The original VNX series (VNX5100, 5300, 5500, 5700, 7500) have separate firmware and hardware specifications, so the details below may not apply to those systems.
Terminology:
- Storage Processor (SP): The main controller that handles I/O. Each VNX2 array typically has two (SPA and SPB) for redundancy/failover.
- Bug Check / Panic: A forced reboot triggered by a critical SP-level error.
- Data Unavailability (DU): A scenario where hosts cannot access data (e.g., if both SPs are offline).
| Software Update | Date | Issue | Fix / Workaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| VNX Block OE 05.33.021.5.322 | Aug 2022 | Abrupt shutdown of one SP, followed by the second SP shortly after, causing Data Unavailable (DU) and potential Data Loss (DL). | Patched a race condition leading to dual-SP crash scenarios. |
| VNX Block OE 05.33.021.5.303 | Mar 2022 | Single SP panic during heavy I/O, occasionally triggering the second SP to go offline under failover scenarios. | Improved error handling in SP failover logic so one SP crash doesn’t cascade. |
| VNX Block OE 05.33.021.5.266 | Jan 2021 | One SP rebooted during slicing or chunk movement (e.g., LUN expansions), sometimes freezing the peer SP. | Refined synchronization between SPs to handle reconfig tasks more gracefully. |
| VNX Block OE 05.33.021.5.256 | Nov 2020 | Data unavailability if one SP was down and the second SP panicked under heavy load conditions. | Fixed queue-management to prevent resource locks when the peer SP is offline. |
| VNX Block OE 05.33.009.5.236 | Jan 2019 | Various single-SP reboots (0x05900000, etc.) under heavy I/O or with drives reporting numerous errors. Sometimes the peer SP also panicked. | Hardened partial-write error handling, keeping the second SP online during the first SP’s bug check. |
| VNX Block OE 05.33.009.5.184 | Sep 2016 | SP bug checks triggered by transient SAS backend faults. In certain conditions, both SPs panicked if failover processes stalled. | Enhanced SAS firmware error recovery to avoid simultaneous SP faults. |
| VNX Block OE 05.33.009.5.155 | Mar 2016 | Single SP reboots during data movement (FAST Cache, migration) when host I/O was canceled at a specific transition point. | Reworked the I/O cancellation path to prevent SP crashes on partial or aborted host requests. |
| VNX Block OE 05.33.006.5.096 | Mar 2015 | Frequent SP reboots when performing pool expansions, RAID group reconfig, or LUN migrations with high concurrency. | Improved concurrency code and added additional checks for safe reboots mid-expansion. |
| VNX Block OE 05.33.000.5.051 | Feb 2014 | Under certain call-home or SNMP triggers, the SP might fail to initialize properly after hardware events, causing reboots. | Fixed call-home system so it doesn’t block normal SP ops if hardware degrade events occur simultaneously. |
| VNX Block OE 05.33.000.5.034 | Oct 2013 | One SP occasionally crashed if the peer SP was in the middle of upgrading or rebooting. Left some LUNs offline if failover didn’t complete. | Corrected failover logic to ensure stable LUN ownership transitions while an SP is down. |
Replacement SP Part Numbers (VNX2 Only)
If you suspect physical SP hardware is faulty—or if firmware updates alone don’t resolve repeated bug checks—consider a replacement Storage Processor assembly.
| VNX2 Model | CPU | Memory | Part # |
|---|---|---|---|
| VNX5200 / 5400 | Intel Xeon Quad Core E5-2603 (~1.8 GHz) | 16 GB | 110-201-006D / 303-201-006D-05 |
| VNX5600 | Intel Xeon Quad Core E5-2609 (~2.4 GHz) | 24 GB | 110-201-002D-05 / 303-201-005D |
| VNX5800 | Intel Xeon Six Core E5-2620 (~2.0 GHz) | 32 GB | 110-201-008D-05 |
| VNX7600 | Intel Xeon Eight Core E5-2660 (~2.2 GHz) | 64 GB | 110-201-001D-05 / 110-201-11B-02 |
| VNX8000 | Intel Xeon Eight Core E5-2680 (~2.7 GHz) | 128 GB | 110-188-104C / 110-188-200C-02 |
Further Reading & Related Topics
- VNX BBU Issues & Fixes – Dedicated post addressing Battery Backup Unit problems.
- VNX Networking & Connectivity Fixes – Summaries of SMB, NFS, LDAP, and port-related solutions.
- VNX RAID Integrity Issues – Information on RAID consistency checks and expansions.
Keeping your VNX2 Storage Processors on the latest stable revision is essential for preventing Data Unavailability (DU) and performance bottlenecks.
If you run into repeated SP bug checks, it may be time to upgrade firmware or even replace the hardware.
For additional guidance, refer to the official Dell EMC Release Notes or consult your support representative.
