Dell EMC PowerVault MD3400 and MD3420 Series Storage Arrays Deployment Guide
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Contents 1 Introduction....................................................................................................................................................4 System requirements......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Management station requirements............................................................................................................................
1 Introduction This document provides information about deploying Dell PowerVault MD3400 and Dell PowerVault MD3420 storage arrays. The deployment process includes: • Hardware installation • Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM) software installation • Initial system configuration Other information includes system requirements, storage array organization, and utilities. NOTE: For more information on product documentation, see the Related Documentation section.
• Host server — On a host server system, MDSM and the storage array communicate management requests and event information using in-band or out-of band-connections. • Management station — On a management station, MDSM communicates with the storage array either through an Ethernet connection to the storage array management port or through an Ethernet connection to a host server. The Ethernet connection passes management information between the management station and the storage array connectivity.
2 Hardware installation Before using this guide, ensure that you review the instructions in the documents: • Getting Started Guide — The Getting Started Guide shipped with the storage array provides information to configure the initial setup of the system. • Owner’s Manual — The Owner’s Manual provides information about important concepts to set up your storage solution. See the Owner’s Manual at Dell.com/support/manuals.
Table 1. RAID controller module Item Number Name Description 1 12 gbps SAS Host Ports (2) Allows you to connect host servers to the storage array. 2 7–segment display Displays status of the RAID controller. 3 1G Ethernet Management (MGMT) Port (1) Allows for out of band management of storage array. 4 Reserved Ethernet Port (1) This is a reserved port. 5 12 gbps SAS Host Ports (2) Allows you to connect host servers to the storage array.
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Figure 5. Four hosts connected to a single RAID controller Dual RAID controller configurations The following figures show two and four hosts, each connected to two RAID controller modules. Since each host has redundant paths, loss of a single path still allows access to the storage array through the alternate path.
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Figure 8. Four hosts connected to two RAID controllers using one HBA The following figure shows eight hosts, each connected to only one RAID controller module. This configuration allows the maximum number of hosts that can be connected, but provides no redundancy.
Figure 9. Eight hosts connected to two RAID controllers The following figures show up to four cluster nodes connected to two RAID controller modules. Since each cluster node has redundant paths, loss of a single path would still allow access to the storage array through the alternate path.
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Figure 11. Four cluster nodes connected to two RAID controllers Cabling PowerVault MD1200 series expansion enclosures You can expand the capacity of your PowerVault MD3400 and MD3420 storage array by adding PowerVault MD1200 series expansion enclosures. You can expand the physical disk pool to a maximum of 120 slots (or 192, if enabled using Premium Feature activation) using a maximum of seven expansion enclosures.
Figure 12. Single expansion cabling diagram Figure 13.
To connect an MD1200 series expansion enclosure to your MD3400 series array: 1 Connect the supported SAS cable (MiniSAS HD end) to the SAS OUT Port 0 on the MD3400 series storage array. 2 Connect the other end of the SAS cable to the IN port on one of the MD1200 series Enclosure Management Modules (EMM). 3 To add more MD1200 expansion enclosures, daisy chain them to the first expansion enclosure.
Expanding with new PowerVault MD1200 series expansion enclosures Perform the following steps to attach new PowerVault MD1200 series expansion enclosures to a PowerVault MD3400 or PowerVault MD3420 storage array: 1 Before adding the expansion enclosure(s), ensure that the storage array software is installed and is up to date. For more information, see the Dell PowerVault MD34xx/38xx Series Support Matrix at Dell.com/support/manuals.
3 Installing PowerVault MD storage software The Dell EMC PowerVault MD series resource media contains software and drivers for both Linux and Microsoft Windows operating systems. The root of the media contains a readme.txt file covering changes to the software, updates, fixes, patches, and other important data applicable to both Linux and Windows operating systems. The readme.
Graphical installation (recommended) The PowerVault MD Storage Manager software configures, manages, and monitors the storage array. To install the MD storage software: 1 Insert the PowerVault MD series resource media. Depending on your operating system, the installer may launch automatically. If the installer does not launch automatically, navigate to the root directory of the installation media (or downloaded installer image) and run the md_launcher.exe file.
Silent installation Silent installation on Windows systems To run silent installation on a Windows system: 1 Copy the custom_silent.properties file in the /windows folder of the installation media or image to a writable location on the host server. 2 Modify the custom_silent.properties file to reflect the features, models, and installation options to be used. Then, save the file. 3 Once the custom_silent.
4 Uninstalling MD storage software Uninstalling MD storage software from Windows 1 From the Control Panel, double-click Add or Remove Programs. 2 Select MD Storage Software from the list of programs. 3 Click Change/Remove. The Uninstall Complete window is displayed. 4 Follow the instructions on screen. 5 Select Yes to restart the system, and then click Done. Uninstalling MD storage software from Windows Server GUI versions 1 From the Control Panel, double-click Programs and Features.
5 Load balancing Load balance policy Multi-path drivers select the I/O path to a virtual disk through a specific RAID controller module. When the multi-path driver receives a new I/O to process, the driver tries to find a path to the current RAID controller module that owns the virtual disk. If the path to the current RAID controller module that owns the virtual disk cannot be found, the multi-path driver migrates the virtual disk ownership to the secondary RAID controller module.
Changing load balance policies on the Windows Server operating system Load balancing with the PowerVault MD series storage array can be done from the default round robin with subset by using either the: • Device manager • Disk management Changing load balance policies using Windows Server device manager Follow the steps to change the load balance policy using Windows Server device manager: 1 Right-click My Computer and select Manage to open the Computer Management dialog box.
6 Getting help Topics: • Contacting Dell • Locating service tag of your system Contacting Dell Dell provides several online and telephone based support and service options. If you do not have an active internet connection, you can find contact information about your purchase invoice, packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog. Availability varies by country and product, and some services may not be available in your area.
