Dell PowerVault MD Series VMware Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) Installation and Configuration Manual (Web Client)
Notes, cautions, and warnings NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death. Copyright © 2015 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws.
Contents 1 VMware Site Recovery Manager overview.......................................................................4 2 New features and changes.............................................................................................. 6 3 System requirements.......................................................................................................7 4 Storage recommendations.............................................................................................. 8 NVSRAM settings.....
1 VMware Site Recovery Manager overview VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager (SRM) interacts with the storage arrays by using the Storage Replicator Adaptor (SRA) to discover and replicate storage Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs), or virtual disks, between Disaster Recovery (DR) sites. Also, the SRA interacts with the storage array to provide failover and test failover capabilities to the SRM allowing automated failover between DR sites. SRAs are developed and provided by the storage array vendors. Figure 1.
1. Obtain the latest SRM software and any required patches. 2. Configure the SRM databases at each site. 3. Install SRM at the protected site. 4. Install SRM at the recovery site. 5. Pair sites. If you are using array-based replication, complete the following tasks at both sites: 1. Install SRAs 2. Configure array managers After you have established the required infrastructure, complete the following steps: 1. Configure inventory mappings. 2. Configure placeholder datastores. 3.
2 New features and changes The Dell Modular Disk (MD) SRA was updated to work with VMware’s vCenter Site Recovery Manager (SRM) 6.0. The new features of the 08.20 firmware make this version of the SRA work with vCenter Server 5.1, 5.5, and 6.0, with VMware SRM 5.1, 5.5, 5.8, and 6.0. This SRA does not work with prior versions of vCenter Server or SRM. Also, this version of the Dell SRA only works with the MD storage arrays. See the latest Support Matrix available at Dell.
3 System requirements The process of implementing Dell MD SRA is described in the following sections. For more information about the server operating systems (OSs), MD storage arrays, and SRM versions supported with the Dell MD SRA, see the latest Support Matrix available at Dell.com/support.
4 Storage recommendations For information about recommended storage array configurations and customized settings, see the Dell Modular Disk Storage Replication Adapter Best Practices Guide (Web Client). NVSRAM settings You must change the following nonvolatile random-access memory (NVSRAM) setting to allow the mapping of LUNs to multiple hosts or host groups to support test failover within SRM. During test failover, snapshots are created on the recovery site storage array.
5 Licensing requirements The Dell MD SRA uses either a Synchronous Replication premium feature or an Asynchronous Replication premium feature, or both, along with the Snapshot premium feature to facilitate failover and test Failover. Also, based on your environment, enable the storage partitioning, sufficient for the number of hosts connected to the storage array. VMware vCenter SRM and the Dell MD SRA do not operate without these features enabled on the MD storage array.
6 Configuration procedures The only configuration procedure required after the initial installation is to modify the SraConfigurationData.xml file, located in the config subdirectory of the SRA installation, if your environment uses storage array passwords. If the MD storage arrays do not use passwords, modifications are not required. To enable password prompting for MD storage arrays, edit the SraConfigurationData.xml file, in the /config directory of the SRA installation.
7 Installation procedure To install the Dell MD SRA, download the latest version from the VMware downloads SRM and verify the md5sum of the installation package. To install the SRA, perform the following: 1. Ensure that the SRM Server has been installed at both sites that are participating in DR. 2. At each site on the SRM server, run the SRAInstaller-xx.xx.xxxx.xxxx.exe package. 3. To accept the End User License Agreement and installation paths, follow the prompts through the installation wizard. 4.
Figure 3. SRM Resource Mappings 13. Select Advanced Settings, and then select Storage Provider. Click Edit and modify the following storage provider settings: • storageProvider.fixRecoveredDatastoreNames: Enabled • storageProvider.hostRescanDelaySec: 30 • storageProvider.hostRescanRepeatCnt: 2 • storageProvider.hostRescanTimeoutSec: 900 Figure 4. Advanced SRM Settings 14. Select the recovery site and repeat step 13. 15.
Figure 5. Site's Related Objects tab 2. Click the Add Array Manager icon. 3. In the Add Array Manager wizard, (Figure 6), click the Add a pair of array managers’ option button (default). 4. Verify the location information, and then click Next. 5. Select the Dell MD SRA, and then click Next. 6. Type the display name for the selected site MD storage array. Figure 6. Add Array Managers 7. Under Array Connections Params, type the IP addresses for the local site’s MD storage array. 8.
10. Ensure that the array was added successfully. 11. Click Next. 12. Repeat step 7 for the peer site’s storage array. 13. Ensure that the array pair check box is selected, and then click Next. 14. Verify the summary information, and then click Finish. Not all the SRM setup procedures are complete, just the SRA portion. Create Protection Groups and Recovery Plans for your environment to complete the process.
Figure 8. Protection Group Status 9. Ensure that protection group status is correct or resolve any mapping issues. Configuring recovery plans 1. From the Sites list, select one of the site names to configure. 2. On the Related Objects tab, click Recovery Plans, and then click the Create Recovery Plan icon. 3. In the Create Recovery Plan wizard, type a name for the new recovery plan, and then click Next. 4. Select the recovery site location option button for this recovery plan, and then click Next.
7. Type a description for the recovery plan, if necessary, and then click Next. 8. Review summary information, and then click Finish.
8 Upgrade procedure The Dell MD SRA version 05.xx.xxxx.xxxx is not compatible with the earlier LSI SRA version 01.01.xx.xx. If upgrading an SRM 4.1 environment to SRM 5.0, 5.1, 5.5, or 5.8, uninstall the LSI SRA adapter and install the Dell MD SRA version 05.60.3000.xxxx. SRM 5.8 and 6.0 use VMware vSphere Web Client to manage SRM.
9 Troubleshooting information All logging for the Dell MD SRA is output to the SRM log files at C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager \Logs along with SRA logs at C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager\storage\sra\ Dell MD Storage Replication Adapter \logs. Any errors encountered during any procedure are logged to these files.
Figure 11. Recovery Plan History Export Storage array support bundle from each storage array. Figure 12. Storage Array Support Bundle (Optional) A screen capture of a mapped volume showing path configuration.
Figure 13.
10 Flow diagram discoverArrays Figure 14. Discover Arrays Function discoverLUNs Figure 15.
testFailover (Start) Figure 16. testFailover (Start) Function testFailover (Stop) Figure 17.
SyncOnce Figure 18. SyncOnce Function Failover Figure 19.
11 Getting help Documentation matrix The documentation matrix provides information about documents that you can refer to for setting up and managing your system. Dell documentation • For all PowerEdge and PowerVault documentation, go to Dell.com/support and enter the system Service Tag to get your system documentation. • For all Virtualization documents, go to Dell.com/virtualizationsolutions. • For all operating system documents, go to Dell.com/operatingsystemmanuals.
The support page that lists the various support categories is displayed. 4. For general support: a. Select your product category. b. Select your product segment. c. Select your product. The support page that lists the various support categories is displayed. Locating your system Service Tag Your system is identified by a unique Express Service Code and Service Tag number. The Express Service Code and Service Tag are found on the front of the system by pulling out the information tag.
