NetApp Mailbox disk

So called "mailbox disk" is used for clustering interconnection and communication between two
cluster "heads".
"Mailbox disk" it's a special area at a two of disk (by default one data and one parity, or one parity
and one dparity disks), and usually resides at a first aggregate.
It's consume a very small amount of space (around KB or two)
Actuallly, it's just a flag area, one "head" can raise the flag - "I'm alive! Everything is OK!" for another
one, partner "head", and vice-versa. It looks like e-mailing between heads, it's a reason why they
calling it "mailbox".
To identify the mailbox disk:Login to => Priv set advanced => cf monitor all
------netapp1> cf monitor all
cf: Current monitor status (19Jun2013 14:40:29):
partner 'netapp2', VIA Interconnect is up (link 0 up, link 1 up)
state UP, time 49476116655, event CHECK_FSM, elem ChkMbValid (12)
mirrorConsistencyRequired TRUE
takeoverByPartner 0x12000 <TAKEOVER_ON_PANIC>
mirrorEnabled TRUE, lowMemory FALSE, memio UNINIT, killPackets TRUE
degraded FALSE, reservePolicy ALWAYS_AFTER_TAKEOVER, resetDisks TRUE
timeouts:
fast 1000, slow 2500, mailbox 10000, connect 5000
operator 600000, firmware 10000 (recvd 49476116655), dumpcore 60000
booting 300000 (recvd 0)
transit timer enabled TRUE, transit 600000 (last 73383)
mailbox disks:
Disk 0a.17 is a local mailbox disk
Disk 0c.21 is a local mailbox disk
Disk 0a.22 is a local mailbox disk
Disk 0c.22 is a local mailbox disk
Disk 0b.17 is a partner mailbox disk
Disk 0d.22 is a partner mailbox disk
Disk 0b.16 is a partner mailbox disk

Disk 0d.16 is a partner mailbox disk

------Know issue with mailbox disk:When we perform disk firmware upgrade for all disk, these disk in most cases would not be
upgraded.
Solution:
Perform single disk upgrade for mailbox disk.
Copy downloaded fw to etc/disk_fw on both,(clustered),monitor console for disk upgrade proces.
any Issues::
raid.background_disk_fw_update.enable off.
Fallback for disk,
disable raid.background_disk_fw_update.enable off
>"disk_fw_update "hba-id.shelf-id.disk-number"
eg:
> disk_fw_update 1d.02.8