MetroCluster IP: HA Partner Missing during Tech refresh

• ONTAP 9
• MetroCluster IP
• NetApp AFF-A90
• MetroCluster expansion or Tech refresh (4-8-4 , 8-12-8)

• When adding new nodes to an existing MetroCluster IP, HA Partner is missing from MetroCluster configuration
• Unexpected metrocluster configuration-settings connection show and metrocluster configuration-settings interface show output

Example:

> metrocluster configuration-settings connection show

DR                    Source          Destination
Group Cluster Node    Network Address Network Address Partner Type Config State
----- ------- ------- --------------- --------------- ------------ ------------
2     cluster1   cluster1-02                (DR group number may vary, but issue is seen on DR group >1)
                Home Port: e5a
                      10.1.1.4        10.1.1.2        DR Partner   completed

Note:

No entry for  HA Partner exists here

> system ha interconnect status show

                       Node: cluster2-02
              Link 0 Status: up
              Link 1 Status: up
           Is Link 0 Active: true
           Is Link 1 Active: true
         IC RDMA Connection: up

                       Node: cluster2-03
              Link 0 Status: up
              Link 1 Status: up
           Is Link 0 Active: true
           Is Link 1 Active: true
         IC RDMA Connection: down

• Partner mailbox disks are not detected for the new nodes.