This may point you in the right direction:
http://forums13.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?admit=109447627+1263982812391+28353475&threadId=760337
Looks like you might need to update the card's firmware, try it in another PCI-X
slot, or remove all the other PCI/X cards to see if there is a conflict. I
don't have any direct experience with FC cards and Linux, only VMware ESX. I
have seen situations where drivers fail when the card is not attached to a
switch. Way back in the day I've seen SCSI drivers fail during boot if there
were no drives attached. Goofy stuff.
I'm betting you're in a similar goofy situation. That card and driver combo
appear to be finicky.