Dell PowerVault NX3500 System Administrator’s Guide
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Contents 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . About This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 . . . . . . . . . . . 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 PowerVault NX3500 Architecture . Key Features PowerVault NX3500 Views System Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 NAS Controller Pair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PowerVault MD Storage BPS 25 . . . . . . . . . . .
NAS System Setup Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . Preparing Your Management Station . Installing the Solution in the Rack . . . . . . . 45 . . . . . . . . . . . 45 . . . . . . . 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Setting Up Your MD Storage Solution Creating Disk Groups Creating Virtual Disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Creating a Host Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 . . . . . . 52 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Capacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Current Performance . Load Balancing . 76 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Network Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Operations Per Second . 78 . . . 78 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Client Network Throughput—Read or Write . . . . . . . . . . 78 Load Balancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Over Time . . . .
Using Volumes, Shares, and Quotas NAS Volumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 93 Solution 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Solution 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Solution 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Managing NAS Volumes Adding a NAS Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Modifying a NAS Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Protecting Data on PowerVault NX3500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Replication . . . . . . . 107 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NAS Replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activating Replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting Up a Replication Partner . Adding a Replication Policy 108 109 . . . . . . . . . 110 . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 . . . . . . . . . . 110 . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Managing Replication Policies . Deleting a Replication Policy .
Supported Applications . Adding Antivirus Hosts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Enabling Antivirus Support Per CIFS Share 8 . . . 120 . . . . 121 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Managing the PowerVault NX3500 Managing the System Managing Client Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Modifying a Subnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Removing a Subnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Viewing the Defined Subnets . . . .
Enabling User Authentication Through an NIS Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Enabling User Authentication Through an LDAP Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Disabling the Use of an External UNIX Identity Management Database . . . . . . . . . . 132 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Active Directory Synchronizing PowerVault NX3500 With the Active Directory Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 . . . . . . . . . . . 133 . . . . . . . . . . .
Manually Configuring the Current Date and Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Removing an NTP Server . . . . . 140 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Synchronizing PowerVault NX3500 With a Local NTP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . Maintaining the PowerVault NX3500 . . . 143 . . . 143 . . . . . 144 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Shutting Down the PowerVault NX3500 System .
10 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troubleshooting CIFS Issues 155 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 . . . . . . . . . 155 CIFS Access Denied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 CIFS ACL Corruption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Clients Cannot Access CIFS Files CIFS Client Clock Skew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CIFS Client Disconnection on File Read 156 . . . . . . 157 . . . . . . . . 157 CIFS Client Login Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Troubleshooting Replication Issues . . . . . . . . . . 169 Replication Configuration Error . . . . . . . . . . 169 Replication Destination Cluster is Busy . . . . . 169 . . . . . . . . 170 . . . . . . . . . 170 Replication Destination FS is Busy Replication Destination is Down Replication Destination is Not Optimal . . . . . . 170 Replication Destination Volume is Busy Reclaiming Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 . . . . . . . . . 171 . . . . . . . . . . . .
BPS LED Is Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troubleshooting NAS File Access and Permissions Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cannot Change the Ownership of a File or a Folder . . . . . . . . . . . Cannot Modify NAS Files . 178 178 . . . . . . . . 178 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Mixed File Ownership Denied . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Problematic SMB Access From a Linux Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Multiple Errors Received During File System Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Associating LUN Names to Virtual Disks . Identifying Controllers . . . . 191 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Troubleshooting NAS Configuration Utility Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Error Received While Running the PowerVault NASCU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cannot Launch PowerVault NX3500 NAS Configuration Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13 Frequently Asked Questions NDMP . . . . . . . . . 205 205 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Replication . A BPS Alarms 206 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Cabling Recommendation . . . . . . . . . . .
Contents
1 Introduction The Dell PowerVault NX3500 clustered network attached storage (NAS) system is a high-availability storage solution. The solution aggregates multiple NAS controllers in a cluster and presents them to UNIX, Linux, and Microsoft Windows clients as one virtual file server. About This Document This document provides information on the features available to the storage administrator. It is organized as follows.
Chapter Description Managing the PowerVault NX3500 Provides procedures and descriptions about the initial configuration, system information, users management, license management, system time, networking, protocols, authentication, monitoring configuration, and maintenance. Maintaining the PowerVault NX3500 Provides procedures for shutting down, powering up, upgrading, and running diagnostics. Troubleshooting Provides information on troubleshooting your NAS storage solution.
Terms Used in the Document Table 1-1. PowerVault NAS System Terms Term Description Backup Power Supply Provides back up battery power in the event of a power loss. Client access VIP Virtual IP addresses that clients use to access CIFS shares and NFS exports hosted by a PowerVault NAS system. The PowerVault NAS system supports multiple client access Virtual IPs (VIPs). Controller (NAS controller or nodes) NAS appliance installed with the Dell Fluid File System (FluidFS) software.
Table 1-1. PowerVault NAS System Terms (continued) Term Description LAN or client network (primary network) The network through which clients access NAS shares or exports. The PowerVault NAS system is connected to customer’s IT environment and its NAS clients using this network. NAS storage pool Virtual disks created on the PowerVault MD32x0i or MD36x0i storage arrays dedicated to the PowerVault NX3500 system.
Table 1-1. PowerVault NAS System Terms (continued) Term Description Standby controller A NAS appliance that is installed with the FluidFS software but not part of a cluster. For example, a new or replacement controller from the Dell factory is considered as a standby controller. SAN network (iSCSI The network that carries the block level (iSCSI) traffic and to network) which the storage subsystem is connected. NOTE: It is recommended that this network be isolated from the LAN or client network.
Figure 1-1.
Key Features The PowerVault NX3500: • Helps administrators expand existing capacity and improve performance when needed, without impacting the applications or users. • Provides administrative functions for storage administrators who perform day-to-day system operations and storage management. • Has a distributed file system, which creates a single interface to the data. • Uses a quad core processor per controller. • Is capable of storing terabytes in a single file system.
Figure 1-2.
System Components The PowerVault NX3500 system consists of: • • Hardware – NAS controller pair – MD PowerVault storage – Backup power supply Network – SAN network – Internal network – LAN or client network NAS Controller Pair The PowerVault NX3500 clustered NAS solution consists of two NAS controllers configured as a pair. This redundant configuration ensures that there is no single point of failure.
PowerVault MD Storage The controllers connect to the PowerVault MD iSCSI storage array, which is a RAID subsystem. RAID storage subsystems are designed to eliminate single points of failure. Each active component in the storage subsystem is redundant and hot-swappable. The solution supports typical RAID configurations including RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, and RAID 10. BPS The BPS provides continuous power to the controllers.
Internal Network A PowerVault NX3500's internal network A is comprised of two independent Gigabit Ethernet ports. The internal network is the infrastructure for the PowerVault NX3500 clustering, and includes heartbeat monitoring, data transfer, and mirroring of information between the controllers' caches. The internal network also distributes data evenly across all LUNs in the system. NOTE: Internal network A is also referred to as peer-to-peer connections. The network uses point-to-point cable connections.
Introduction
2 Setting Up Your PowerVault NX3500 Solution This chapter describes the procedure to configure the Dell PowerVault NX3500 NAS cluster solution and integrate it into your environment. A successful configuration of the PowerVault NX3500 involves: • Setting up the environment (see "Setting Up the Environment" on page 30). • Installing the solution in a rack. • Setting up the MD storage solution (see "Setting Up Your MD Storage Solution" on page 45).
Figure 2-1.
MD Topology Your MD array is equipped with eight ports across two controllers.
Figure 2-2.
Choosing the Switch Topology NOTE: The two subnets option would also be used for the MD36xxi. The PowerVault NX3500 supports four switch topologies. The topologies are listed in Table 2-1 with their benefits and challenges. Choose the ideal topology for your environment and cable the solution accordingly. Table 2-1.
Figure 2-3. NX3500 Node NIC Cabling NOTE: See Figure 2-3 to connect the PowerVault NX3500 and MD ports to the appropriate switch in the for the best practice solution in the HA option. Best Practice Solution in the HA Option The best practice solution is to isolate the SAN traffic from the LAN or client traffic with redundant switches for HA. All the client cables are split between the redundant client switches, and the SAN or internal network cables are split between the redundant SAN switches.
Figure 2-4.
Dedicated SAN Solution in the Non-Redundant Option The second configuration option is to isolate the SAN traffic from the client traffic, but without redundant switches. All the client cables are connected to the client switch and the SAN or internal network cables are connected to the SAN switch. Peer connections are always back to back. In this configuration, the switches become a single point of failure. It is recommended that you separate the SAN subnets using virtual LANs.
Figure 2-5.
All-in-One High-Availability Option In an all-in-one high availability option, the redundant switches host both SAN or internal and client network traffic. The SAN or internal and client cables are split between the redundant switches. Peer connections are always back to back. It is recommended that you separate the SAN subnets using virtual LANs.
Figure 2-6.
All-in-One Non-Redundant Option In an all-in-one non redundant option, both the SAN or internal and client cables are connected to the same switch. In this configuration, the switch is a single point of failure. It is recommended that you separate the SAN subnets using virtual LANs.
Figure 2-7.
Completing the NAS System Setup Worksheet The NAS System Setup Worksheet will assist you in the overall setup and configuration of your solution. NAS System Setup Worksheet PowerVault NAS Configuration Utility Information Requested Value NAS Cluster IP Allocation IP Function IPs Allocated Sample IPs Physical Connections . 10.10.1.200 Client . . 10.10.1.100 Client . . 10.10.1.201 Client . . . 10.10.1.202 Client Subnet mask . . . 255.255.255.0 Client Gateway . . . 10.10.1.
PowerVault NAS Configuration Utility NAS Cluster IP Allocation Environment Setup Checklist Subnet 3—Internal or Private Network Group 1 Management station: Internal IP b0 . . . 172.168.2.1 Internal or Peer • Verify IPv6 enabled Internal IP b1 . . . 172.168.2.2 Internal or Peer Internal IP b2 . . . 172.168.2.3 Internal or Peer Internal IP b3 . . . 172.168.2.4 Internal or Peer Subnet mask . . . 255.255.255.0 Internal or Peer . . 192.168.10.20 SAN (to Switch A) . .
Power Vault MD Configuration IP Function IPs Allocated . Sample IPs Physical Connections Controller 0 Port 0 IP . . 192.168.10.100 SAN (to Switch A) Controller 0 Port 1 IP . . . 192.168.11.100 SAN (to Switch B) Controller 0 Port 2 IP . . . 192.168.12.100 Controller 0 Port 3 IP . . . 192.168.13.100 Controller 1 Port 0 IP . . . 192.168.10.101 SAN (to Switch A) Controller 1 Port 1 IP . . . 192.168.11.101 SAN (to Switch B) Controller 1 Port 2 IP . . . 192.168.12.
Preparing Your Management Station A management station is required to manage and configure the PowerVault NX3500. The solution can be accessed using either the CLI or the Dell PowerVault NAS Manager. NOTE: You can log on to either the CLI or the NAS Manager at a time. It is highly recommended that you do not attempt to log on to both the CLI and NAS Manager at the same time. The minimum requirements for the management station are: • It has IPv6 enabled. • The PowerVault NASCU is installed.
Complete the following tasks using PowerVault MDSM. NOTE: PowerVault MDSM is available on the Resource media that shipped with your storage array. 1 Create a disk group for each virtual disk. 2 Create a virtual disk in each disk group. 3 Create a host group. 4 Map the virtual disks to the host group. NOTE: See the MD storage array documentation at support.dell.com/manuals. NOTE: Additional configuration is required after completing the steps in the PowerVault Configuration Utility.
b Select Disk Group Create. Alternatively, you can right-click the unassigned physical disks, and select Create Disk Group from the pop-up menu. – To create a secure disk group: a On the Physical tab, select one or more unassigned security capable physical disks of the same physical disk type. b Select Disk Group Create. Alternatively, you can right-click the unassigned security capable physical disks, and select Create Disk Group from the pop-up menu.
If you have selected Manual configuration, proceed to step 10. 10 In the Manual Physical Disk Selection window, select the appropriate RAID level in Select RAID Level. You can select RAID levels 0, 1/10, 6, and 5. Depending on the RAID level chosen, the physical disks available for the selected RAID level is displayed in Unselected Physical Disks table. 11 In the Unselected Physical Disks table, select the appropriate physical disks and click Add.
Figure 2-8. Host Group and Virtual Disks Creating Virtual Disks NOTE: Before creating virtual disks, organize the physical disks into disk groups and then create a virtual disk within each disk group. Create a minimum of two virtual disks dedicated for NAS storage. The NAS storage capacity can be expanded up to 16 virtual disks. The number of virtual disks must increment in pairs. NOTE: Minimum virtual disk size required for the PowerVault NX3500 is 125 GB.
Table 2-2. Creating Virtual Disks Item Supported Not supported Number of VDs or LUNs 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 LUN sizes 125 GB, up to 15 TB Up to 125 GB, greater than 15 TB NOTE: LUN pairs VD1: 125 GB VD1:125 GB should be of the same size. Pair 1 VD2: 125 GB VD3: 759 GB Pair 2 VD4: 759 GB VD5: 1.33 TB Pair 3 VD6: 1.33 TB Host group Single host group VD2: 130 GB VD3: 759 GB VD4: 650 GB VD5: 1.33 TB VD6: 1.
NOTE: The virtual disk name should not exceed 30 characters. 7 In Advanced Virtual Disk Parameters, select one of the following options: • Use Recommended Settings • Customize Settings 8 Click Next. 9 In the Customize Advanced Virtual Disk Parameters window, select the appropriate Virtual Disk I/O characteristics type.
NOTE: Since the controllers are not configured yet, no hosts are available at this time. No host other than the NX3500 controllers should be added to this host group. 6 Click OK. The host group is added to the storage array. Creating Host-to-Virtual Disk Mappings To create host-to-virtual disk mappings: 1 Launch PowerVault MDSM and target the MD storage array you plan to use for your NAS storage. 2 In the Topology pane, expand Default Group and select the host group you created in the previous steps.
The mappings are saved. The Topology pane and the Defined Mappings pane in the Mappings tab are updated to reflect the mappings. Running the PowerVault NASCU The PowerVault NAS Configuration Utility (NASCU) walks you through the steps necessary to set up the network configuration and pair the PowerVault NX3500 controllers together. It also starts the process of pairing the system to the PowerVault MD3xx0i storage appliance.
4 Open StartHere.htm. 5 Follow the prompts in the installer to complete the installation. For Linux-based admin stations: Graphical Installation 1 Insert the PowerVault NX3500 Resource Media into the optical drive. 2 Point the file-system explorer to the mounted optical drive. 3 Run StartHere.htm. This launches an internet browser. 4 Follow the prompts in the installer to complete the installation. Command-Line Installation 1 Insert the PowerVault NX3500 Resource Media into the optical drive.
To change the user to root: a At the prompt, type su and enter the root password at the prompt. b Navigate to the root home folder by typing cd ~/. c Execute the PowerVault NASCU by typing /bin/sh./Dell-PV-NASConfig-Utility. The welcome screen is displayed. The actual configuration is deferred until all settings are confirmed in the Configuration Summary screen. CAUTION: Use this utility only to configure two unconfigured controllers.
MD Discovery IP and subnet mask: This is one of the iSCSI Host port IPs configured on the MD array controller iSCSI ports. You can access this information from the MDSM. This IP address is used by the PowerVault NASCU to establish communication with the MD storage array. SAN MTU size: This is the MTU setting for the SAN network. Using jumbo frames on the SAN network (MTU: 9000) is mandatory for new installations.
Controller MAC addresses: These are used to establish communication with the PowerVault NX3500 controllers and perform initial configuration. This can be found on the System Identification slide out tab located underneath the front bezel of the controller. The back of the tab lists the “Embedded NIC 1 MAC address”. The connect button starts the co-click. 6 Click Connect to check if NAS controllers are connected and click Next. NOTE: The slide out tab has two MAC addresses.
IP address descriptions are as follows: • Client Access VIP: This is the IP address used to access CIFS and NFS shares. • NAS Management VIP: This is the IP address used to access the NAS Manager and command line administration interfaces. NOTE: Make a note of the NAS Management VIP address for use at a later stage. • Controller IPs: Private maintenance IP addresses for each controller and should not be accessed by clients directly.
10 Type in the required parameters in the Internal Network Configuration window and click Next. Internal IPs: These are used for internal communication between the controller pair. IP addresses specified must be grouped in two different subnets and be completely isolated from any other system on the network. The PowerVault NASCU requests for these IP addresses to ensure that there are no IP address clashes with other systems on your network. The SAN Network Configuration window is displayed.
NOTE: The MD storage array best practices recommend different subnets to be configured on each port of the MD controllers. For MD device such as the MD3200i with four ethernet ports per controller, the NAS cluster establishes iSCSI connections on two of the ports. The other two ports can be used to provision block storage to other iSCSI clients. The Configuration Summary window is displayed. All settings are applied to your controllers after this point.
The Configuration Results window is displayed. Upon successful configuration, the PowerVault NASCU presents you with the NAS controller IQNs required to complete the pairing to the backend MD storage device. Copy the IQNs for both controllers to a notepad, which is entered into MDSM. NOTE: Do not copy trailing white spaces along with the IQN, as this is interpreted as part of the IQN and causes an iSCSI login failure at a later part in the configuration. NOTE: MDSM refers to IQNs as host port identifiers.
NOTE: Before running the NAS Manager Configuration Wizard, create two hosts (one per controller) in the host group you created earlier. Enter the IQNs provided in the configuration results into the Host Port Identifier field for each controller. See "Define Two Hosts" on page 62. After defining hosts, proceed to the NAS Manager Configuration Wizard.
The Specify Host Group window is displayed. 8 Select the host group you created (see “Creating a Host Group” on page 51), and click Next. The Preview window is displayed. 9 Click Finish and repeat step 1 to step 9 for Controller1. Proceed to the NAS Manager Configuration Wizard that was launched in your web browser. Figure 2-9.
NAS Manager Configuration Wizard The NAS Manager Configuration Wizard helps complete the PowerVault NX3500 configuration and integrate the solution into the environment. It lets you set up the DNS, time management, user identification, and authentication parameters, and monitoring options as well as formatting and starting the file system. You can leave the wizard at any time by selecting another page from the Navigation pane.
7 Click Yes. A Certificate Import Wizard message is displayed: "The import was successful". 8 Click OK. 9 Click OK in the certificate window. 10 Access the NAS Manager. The PowerVault License file window is displayed. NOTE: This window is displayed only if the license has not been installed. 11 Browse to the License file and click Install. The PowerVault NAS Manager Login window is displayed. 12 Type the username and password and click Log in. NOTE: Use admin as the username.
PowerVault NAS Manager Configuration Wizard Table 2-3 describes the options available on the PowerVault NAS Manager Configuration Wizard. Table 2-3. The PowerVault NAS Manager Configuration Wizard Options Option Description Solution Integration DNS Configuration Enables you to configure DNS parameters. Time Configuration Enables you to configure time zone parameters and synchronize the time zone with NTP servers.
Table 2-3. The PowerVault NAS Manager Configuration Wizard Options (continued) Option Description NAS Volumes Configuration Enables you to configure NAS volumes. CIFS Shares Enables you to configure CIFS shares. NFS Exports Enables you to configure NFS exports.
Setting Up Your PowerVault NX3500 Solution
Accessing the Dell PowerVault NAS Manager 3 The NAS Manager is a web-based user interface that enables you to configure and monitor your PowerVault NX3500 storage system. Browser Requirements • Firefox 3.6 • Internet Explorer 7, 8 The NAS Manager can be displayed at resolutions of 1024 x 768 pixels or above. It is recommended to display the web interface at High Color, 16-bit resolution.
NAS Manager Overview The NAS Manager web interface comprises of the Admin tabs, Admin tree, Pages, Action bar, Search bar, and Toolbar. Figure 3-1.
Action Bar The Action bar, consists of additional functionality relevant to the current page displayed. For more information on the menus, see the Online Help. Admin Tabs The Admin tabs divide the administration tasks into functional groups. When you select a different tab, the options displayed in the Administration tree changes. For more information on the Admin tabs and their functionality, see the Online Help.
NOTE: The functionality and actions in NAS Manager are dynamic and are available as determined by the permissions allocated to each user. NOTE: You can log on to either the CLI or the NAS Manager at a time. It is highly recommended that you do not attempt to log on to both the CLI and NAS Manager at the same time. Search Bar When a page contains a table of items, the Search bar is displayed and allows you to quickly find the relevant lines. Each table displays up to 50 lines at a time.
Monitoring PowerVault NX3500 4 NOTE: The information in this chapter refers to file management using the Dell PowerVault NAS Manager. Block management and monitoring is done using Dell PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Management (MDSM). You can monitor the status of the Dell PowerVault NX3500 NAS clustered system using the Monitor tab in the NAS Manager. Here, you can view the overall status of the system on the Dashboard page, see the quotas usage report, and receive remote replication job status reports.
Table 4-1. Monitor Tab Options (continued) Field Description Component Status Allows you to see the connectivity, power, and hardware status of each controller. Capacity Space Utilization Allows you to see free space, non-snapshot used space, and snapshot used space for each NAS volume for last day, last week, last month, and last year. Quota Usage Allows you to see the quota usage for each NAS volume for users and groups.
Table 4-2. Status Section Options Item Status Description Overall State On The file system is started. Off The file system is stopped. Stopping The file system is stopping. Full Service The system is fully operational and can be accessed by all clients. The system is in mirroring mode, that is, the write-back cache is protected by peer controller. Partial Service The system may provide partial services to all clients.
Table 4-2. Status Section Options (continued) Item Status Description Some Detached One controller is detached, but the system provides service in a degraded mode. The controller will require manual intervention to recover (re-attach). Fault Peer controllers are unable to provide service, and therefore the system does not provide service. This can happen if controllers are down or have lost access to the storage sub system. Capacity Table 4-3.
Table 4-4. Recent Performance Indicators Color * Operation Description Dark Purple Read Data read from the system (MBps). Light Blue Data written to the system (MBps). Write * See Table 4-5. Load Balancing The Load Balancing section displays a table with real-time information about the PowerVault NX3500 status, processor utilization, and the number of connections for each controller. Table 4-5 provides a broad view of the system's load balancing.
Network Performance The Network Performance page displays PowerVault NX3500 performance over time. This page contains four tabs, each provides a different period. For example, last day, last week, last month, and last year. Table 4-6.
Load Balancing Over Time The Load Balancing Over Time page displays the balance in load between PowerVault NX3500 controllers over time. The screen includes four tabs, each tab presents a different period, for example, last day, last week, last month, and last year. CPU Load The top left side of the screen displays the processor load graph. This graph displays the average processor utilization in percentage for each of the selected controllers.
Displaying Client Distribution The client's distribution page displays only clients that belong to the same subnet as the system (local clients). Clients that access the system through a router (or layer 3 switches) are not displayed in this page; instead, the router is displayed. By default, the Clients tab displays a list of all the client connections. You can narrow the list down and display connections for specific Protocol, Controller, and Network.
Usage Considerations Migrating Clients to Another Controller If there is an imbalance in the network load, the system can rebalance the load by migrating clients between controllers, either automatically or manually. Choose whether the clients or routers in the list may be migrated to other controllers. Select the connections you want to migrate from the list and click Assign Interface. The Assign Interface page displays, and lists the selected connections for approval.
Clients that use NFS are stateless and are not affected during fail-back. Clients that use connection-based protocols (CIFS), may be disconnected during fail-back. To optimize the fail-back operation, the system provides you with the following policies for migration on recovery, which affect the loadbalance and disconnections: • Migrate Immediately—Always keep the system well balanced, at the cost of possibly disconnecting CIFS clients during work time.
Table 4-9. CIFS Connections Field Description Process ID The Client Connection ID. User Name The domain and name of the user. Client The client computer name. Controller Name The controller that the client is connected to. Login Time The connection time. To disconnect a client from the CIFS protocol: 1 Select the check box beside the specific client. 2 Click Disconnect in the Action bar.
Component Status Viewing Detailed Status To view additional details on the status of a specific controller, click the controller whose information you want to view. The Controller Status page is displayed. The following information is displayed for each controller. Table 4-10. Controller Status Page Field Description Controller Displays the name of the selected controller. Local IPMI Status Displays the status of the IPMI on the selected controller.
Capacity Space Utilization The Space Utilization page displays the current space utilization and space utilization over time. The screen shows five tabs, including the current and four over time tabs: last day, last week, last month, and last year. Current Tab The Current tab displays a list of NAS volumes. Table 4-11. Current Tab Field Description NAS Volume The name of the NAS volume. Allocated Space The space allocated for this NAS volume (GB).
Quota Usage The Quota Usage page displays the quotas and usage of all users including users for which no quota has been defined. It includes users that have been removed from the system but still have usage. To display the quotas usage, choose MonitorCapacityQuota Usage. The Quota Usage page is displayed. Replication Active Remote Replication Jobs The Active Remote Replication Jobs page enables you to monitor all active tasks (jobs) in the cluster.
Monitoring PowerVault NX3500 Events 5 You can monitor your Dell PowerVault NX3500 system by detecting normal and abnormal events within your system using the Event Viewer utility. You can use predefined queries to search for specific types of events such as Current, Major-Critical, and Remote Replication. To open the Event Viewer tab: 1 Click Event Viewer in the Admin tabs to access the Event Viewer page. 2 Choose an existing query, or create a query by clicking Filter in the Action bar.
Table 5-1. Event Viewer Field Description Event ID The identification of event. Severity The level of importance of the event. Date The date when the event occurred. Microseconds The time in microseconds the event occurred after service start. Subsystem The name of the subsystem on which the event occurred. Module The module which is involved in the event. PID The process ID. Cleared The event clear flag. Context The context of the event. Description A brief description about the event.
The search utility highlights the first event that matches the case within the current page. If the query has more than one page, the search utility will search only the active page. When you click on a specific entry (row) in the Event list, an Event Details window opens providing you with more information about this entry. 6 Click the Find Next button to find the next item in the Event Viewer list, or click Cancel to exit the search utility.
Monitoring PowerVault NX3500 Events
6 Using Volumes, Shares, and Quotas The User Access tab enables you to define and manage the PowerVault NX3500 from the client perspective. To access the User Access parameters, in the Admin tree, click the User Access tab. Table 6-1. User Access Parameters Field Description NAS Volumes Configuration Allows you to add and delete NAS volumes. Shares NFS Exports Displays the NFS exports for each NAS volume. CIFS Shares Displays the CIFS shares for each NAS volume.
Figure 6-1.
Usage Considerations Choosing to define multiple NAS volumes enables administrators to apply different management policies such as, Backup, Snapshots, Quotas, and Security Style to their data. Without regard to the strategy used, the storage is managed as one storage pool and free space can easily be migrated between NAS volumes, by changing the NAS volume's allocated space.
• Quotas—Quotas are also defined per NAS volume. Different quota policies can be applied to different NAS volumes, allowing the administrator to focus on managing quotas when it is appropriate. Some of the usage examples are copy operations, list operations, and move operations. Table 6-2 provides an example of an organization that has various departments and how NAS volumes can be created.
This solution provides the following advantages: • It is logically easy to manage the NAS volumes. • The NAS volumes are created to match the exact needs of the department. The disadvantage of this option is that the NAS volumes become difficult to manage if the number of departments in the organization increases. Solution 2 Group departments that have similar security requirements into NAS volumes. The administrator creates three NAS volumes, one for NFS, one for CIFS, and another for mixed.
Adding a NAS Volume To add a NAS volume: 1 Click Add in the Action bar above the NAS volumes list. The Add NAS Volume page is displayed. 2 Enter the new NAS volume parameters and click Save Changes to create the NAS volume. NOTE: Click Revert to restore default properties. Modifying a NAS Volume To modify the parameters of a specific NAS volume: 1 Click a specific NAS volume in the NAS volume list. The properties of the selected NAS volume are displayed.
Shares and Exports User access to volume space is done by sharing directories using NFS exports and CIFS shares. Managing NFS Exports NFS exports provide an effective way of sharing files and data across UNIX/Linux networks. NFS clients can only mount directories that have been exported. To manage the NFS exports list, from the User Access tab, under Shares, select NFS Exports. The NFS Exports page is displayed, and displays the list of currently defined NFS exports.
Removing an NFS Export To remove an NFS Export do the following: 1 Select the check box next to the NFS Export you want to remove. 2 Click Delete in the Action bar. Access Using NFS From a shell on a client system, use the su command to log in as root and type the following command: mount -o rw,bg,hard,nointr,tcp,vers=3,timeo= 2,retrans=10,rsize=32768,wsize=32768 :/ local_folder NOTE: The above parameters are the recommended parameters.
Managing CIFS Shares CIFS shares provide an effective way of sharing files and data across a Windows network. Viewing the Properties and Status of CIFS Shares To view information on the existing CIFS shares: 1 Click User Access Shares CIFS Shares. 2 Select a specific NAS volume or all NAS volumes from the Show CIFS Shares for NAS Volumes list. Adding a CIFS Share To add a CIFS share: 1 Click User Access Shares CIFS Shares. 2 On the CIFS Share page, click Add.
3 Click Advanced to modify advanced CIFS share parameters. 4 In the General tab, if you have selected the option Files should be checked for viruses, click Antivirus and modify antivirus policy. 5 Click Save Changes to save the share parameters or click Revert to restore the previous parameters. Setting Access Control Lists and Share Level Permissions on FluidFS This section provides information about setting up access control lists (ACLs) and share level permissions (SLP) on Fluid File System (FluidFS).
• Mapping a network drive to the CIFS share where ACLs are intended to be set. To use an Active Directory domain account that has its primary group set as the Domain Admins group: 1 Open Windows Explorer. In the address bar type, \\\C$. This gives you complete access to all NAS volumes and their CIFS shares. The NAS volume is represented as a folder. 2 Navigate to this folder and a list of all CIFS shares for this NAS volume is displayed as folders.
2 Follow the previous set of instructions to set the owner of the CIFS share to either a domain admin user account or the Domain Admins group. 3 After the owner is set, unmap the network drive. 4 Remap the network drive using an account that is a part of the domain administrators user group that ownership was set to previously. Follow Microsoft best practices and assign ACL permissions to users and groups accordingly.
Option 3 1 Open Windows Explorer, choose ToolsMap Network Drive. The Map Network Drive dialog box is displayed. 2 From the Drive drop-down list, select any available drive. 3 Type the path in the Folder field or browse to the shared folder. 4 Click Finish. Option 4 NOTE: This option lets you connect to the share but not map to it. 1 On Windows Desktop, click on Network neighborhood, and locate the PowerVault NX3500 server. 2 Select the PowerVault NX3500 server, double click on it.
If there are no predefined MMC files: 1 Click StartRun. 2 Type mmc and click OK. 3 Click FileAdd/Remove Snap-in. 4 Select Shared Folders and click Add. 5 In the Shared Folders window, choose Another computer and type your PowerVault NX3500 system name (as configured in the DNS). Alternatively, you can use the Client Access VIP address. 6 Click Finish. The new shares tree is displayed in the Console Root window. 7 Right-click on the required share, and choose properties to set share level permissions.
Quotas This section details managing PowerVault NX3500 Quotas for a user, or a group on a specific volume. Quota values always relate to a specific volume and are specified in units of MB. Default Quotas To manage the default quotas of a volume, choose User AccessQuota Default. The Default Quota page is displayed with a drop down dialog for each volume. The following information is provided for each entry: Table 6-3.
Quota Types • User—Per user quota. • All of group—Total quota of the entire group. • Any user in group—Per user quota for any user that belongs to the group. Adding a Quota To add a quota: 1 Click Add in the Action bar to add a user or group quota. The Create Quota page is displayed. 2 Select the volume and quota type and fill in the relevant entries where required. 3 Click Save Changes to save the new quota definition. 4 Click Revert to restore the default parameters.
Protecting Data on PowerVault NX3500 7 Data protection is an important and integral part of any storage infrastructure. The data on your PowerVault NX3500 can be protected in a number of ways such as replication, backing up of data using a Data Management Application (DMA) and so on. This chapter explains how to set up and manage replication on a Dell PowerVault NX3500 system or multiple PowerVault NX3500 systems.
Field Description Antivirus Antivirus Hosts Allows you to add and delete anti-virus hosts and corresponding ICAP port. Replication Replication is used in various scenarios to achieve different levels of data protection. Some of these include: • Fast backup and restore: Maintain full copies of data for protection against data loss, corruption, or user mistakes. • Disaster recovery: Mirror data to remote locations for failover.
Figure 7-1. Local Replication Source Volume (RW) Target Volume (RO) Figure 7-2.
Setting Up a Replication Partner From the NAS Manager, navigate to Data ProtectionReplication Replication Partners. From the Action bar, click Add and enter the NAS management VIP for the remote partner you would like to replicate to. Add the credentials of an admin on the remote system to add the partner. On the remote system, the source system now becomes a partner as well. This is a bi-directional replication trust. Source volumes and target volumes can be located on either system.
NOTE: If the replication policy is deleted from the target volume’s system, a warning is issued and the policy must be deleted from the source system as well. From the NAS Manager, navigate to Data ProtectionReplicationNAS Replication. Click on the hyperlink on the source system to modify a replication policy. Removing a Replication Partner When deleting a replication partner, make sure both systems are up and running. If one of the systems is down or unreachable, a warning message is displayed.
Activating Snapshots Snapshots are a licensed feature. Customers are provided a key to activate snapshots using the CLI. The syntax is as follows: system general licensing set snapshots XXXXXXX Creating a Snapshot (Without a Policy) To create a snapshot: 1 In the NAS Manager, navigate to Data ProtectionSnapshotsList. 2 Create a snapshot by clicking the Create button. 3 Choose the NAS volume from the drop-down menu and give the snapshot a unique name.
Snapshots retain the same security style as the Active file system. Therefore, even using Snapshots, users can access only their own files based on existing permissions. The data available when accessing a specific Snapshot is at the level of the specific share and its subdirectories, ensuring that users cannot access other parts of the file system.
Backing Up and Restoring Data It is recommended that you back up your data in regular intervals. The PowerVault NX3500 system supports backup and restore using Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP). An NDMP agent installed on the PowerVault NX3500 ensures that stored data can be backed up and restored using an industry-standard Data Management Application (DMA) that supports NDMP protocol, without needing to install vendor-specific agents on the NAS appliance.
Figure 7-3.
NDMP backups on PowerVault NX3500 are performed using the LAN or client network. The DMA should be configured to access one of the client VIPs (or a DNS name) of the PowerVault NX3500 cluster. The PowerVault NX3500 does not support a dedicated backup IP address configured on LAN or client network. All Virtual IPs configured on the LAN or client network can be used by backup software to take backups and perform restores.
Changing NDMP Password User name and password are required when configuring an NDMP server in the DMA. The username is backup_user and cannot be changed. To change the NDMP password: 1 Click Data ProtectionNDMPNDMP Configuration. 2 Click Change Backup User Password. 3 Enter admin password and the new password for backup_user. 4 Click Save Changes.
Specifying NAS Volume for Backup Most Backup Applications automatically list the available volumes to backup. In Symantec NetBackup 7.0 you can manually type in the volume path. The PowerVault NX3500 system exposes backup volumes at the following path: /mnt/backup/ where is the exact name as it appears in the user interface.
NDMP Design Considerations • Use DNS name for the NDMP server when setting up backup in DMAs, so that load-balancing is used. • Limit the number of concurrent backup jobs to one per controller to make data transfer quick. • Your solution supports only a three-way backup, wherein the DMA server mediates the data transfer between NAS appliance and storage device. Make sure the DMA server has enough bandwidth.
Enabling Antivirus Support Per CIFS Share Antivirus support is available on per-CIFS share basis. 1 Click User AccessSharesCIFS Shares. 2 Click on the CIFS share you would like to enable AV support for. 3 Select Files should be checked for viruses at the bottom of the page. 4 Click the Antivirus link that is displayed on top of the page next to General and Advanced. 5 Configure the behavior for handling virus-infected files (Optional). 6 Configure which files should be checked for viruses (Optional).
8 Managing the PowerVault NX3500 You can view and set general system information, configure the file system and network parameters and set the required protocols through the System Management tab. In addition, you can also configure the authentication settings. To access the System Management options, launch the Dell PowerVault NAS Manager. Click the System Management tab. The General Information page is displayed. Table 8-1.
Table 8-1. System Management Options (continued) Field Description Authentication Identity Management Database Allows you to define the UNIX identity database, the NIS domain, the NIS servers, or LDAP configuration. System Identity Allows you to define the system name, the netbios name, the fully qualified domain name, domain controller or workgroup name. Local Users Allows you to add, edit, and delete local users. Local Groups Allows you to add, edit, and delete local groups.
Managing the System You can perform management operations on the cluster using the NAS Manager. A NAS Management virtual IP address is required in order to access the NAS Manager. This IP address allows you to manage the cluster as a single entity. Additional IP addresses are required for both the individual controllers in the system and for the system. These IP addresses must not be accessed by clients directly.
NOTE: If you choose LACP, ensure you configure the LACP bond in client switches. Create an LACP bond for the switch ports to which the two client interfaces of a node are connected and repeat this procedure for each node. Viewing the Defined Subnets To view the defined subnets, click System ManagementNetwork Subnets. Modifying a Subnet To modify a subnet: 1 Select a specific subnet in the subnets list. The properties of the selected subnet are displayed. 2 Change the parameters as required.
Managing Administrator Users To manage administrator users: 1 In the NAS Manager, select System ManagementGeneral Administrators. The Administrators page is displayed, displaying the list of currently defined administrators. 2 Click on an administrator listed in the User Name column to view the properties of that specific administrator. Adding an Administrator When defining an administrator, you specify the administrator permission level. Permission levels are predefined in the system.
2 Click Change Password in the Action bar. The Change Password window is displayed. 3 Follow the instructions to change the password. Modifying an Administrator To modify an administrator: 1 Click on an administrator listed in the User Name column in the Administrator list. The properties of the selected administrator are displayed. 2 Modify the properties as required, except for the user name.
Managing Local Users This section is intended for sites that use the PowerVault NX3500 system to manage local users. If your site is configured with an external NIS/LDAP database, you can skip this section. After local users are configured, they can access the cluster even when an external NIS is introduced. For local users, access to the file system is determined by volumes, shares, and exports.
Modifying Local Users To modify local users: 1 Click the specific User Name in the Local Users list. The Edit User page is displayed. 2 Modify the properties as required, except for the user name. Deleting Local Users To define local users: 1 Select the check box next to the specific local user. 2 Click Delete in the Action bar. The selected Local User is deleted from the list. Changing the Password The Change Password option is accessed from the Edit User page.
To manage the Local Groups list, select System Management Authentication Local Groups. The Local Groups page is displayed with the list of currently defined groups. Adding a Local Group To add a local group: 1 Click Add in the Action bar to add a group to the Local Groups list. The Add Group page is displayed. 2 Fill in the relevant entries where required. 3 Click Save Changes to save the new group which is then displayed in the Local Groups list.
Authentication The Authentication entry allows you to configure the authentication authorities, such as Network Information Services (NIS), Active Directory (AD), and Light-weight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). In addition, you can manage local users and groups and map user names from Windows SIDs to UNIX UIDs.
Enabling User Authentication Through an NIS Database To enable user authentication: 1 Click System ManagementAuthenticationIdentity Management Database. 2 Click Users and groups are defined in a NIS database and set the NIS database properties. 3 Type the domain name of the NIS database in the Domain name field. 4 Type the name or IP address of the NIS server in the NIS server field.
Disabling the Use of an External UNIX Identity Management Database To disable the use of an external UNIX identity management database: 1 Click System ManagementAuthenticationIdentity Management Database. The Identity Management Database page is displayed. 2 Click Users are not defined in an external user database. 3 Click Save Changes to save the configuration. NOTE: Click Revert to restore the previous configuration settings.
Configuring the Active Directory Service To configure the active directory service: 1 Select System ManagementAuthenticationSystem Identity. The PowerVault NX3500 Identity page is displayed. This page shows the current configuration and whether PowerVault NX3500 is already joined to an Active Directory domain. 2 Click Save Changes to save the active directory parameters. NOTE: Click the Revert button to restore previously saved parameters.
Client users access the system through a variety of network topologies. Depending on the physical capabilities of the network infrastructure, the PowerVault NX3500: • Belongs to all LAN or client subnets. From a performance perspective, this is the most optimal configuration. In such network configurations, it is sufficient to define one client access virtual IP address (VIP) for each subnet. For more information, see "Accessing the System" on page 133.
Figure 8-1. Network Configuration Subnet X Subnet Y Subnet Z Router X Router Y Router Z Switch PowerVault NX3500 Controllers Dell BPS MD Storage Arrays Consider the above network, there can be only one default gateway for the system. Let us assume you select router X.
Packets that are sent to clients in subnet Y would be routed to router X, which would then be sent back (through the switch) to router Y. This means these packets travel through router X needlessly, reducing the throughput to all subnets in your network. The solution is to define, in addition to a default gateway, a specific gateway for certain subnets–configuring static routes. To do this you would have to describe each subnet in your network and identify the most suitable gateway to access that subnet.
Adding DNS Domains To add DNS domains, click Add DNS Suffix in the Action bar. A new empty row is added to the list of suffixes. Deleting DNS Domains To delete DNS domains: 1 Select the required domain. 2 Click Delete in the Action bar. 3 Click Save Changes to save changes to the DNS parameters. NOTE: Click Revert to restore the previously saved parameters.
Deleting a Static Route Select the required static route and click Delete in the Action bar. The selected static route is deleted from the list. Defining File System Protocols File system protocols are networking protocols that provide file system sharing services. The PowerVault NX3500 acts as a file system server by complying with the following protocols: • CIFS: The Common Internet File System is for Microsoft Windows users or other CIFS clients. Directories are shared using CIFS shares.
5 Select Authenticate users' identity via Active Directory and local user database. 6 Click Save Changes to save the CIFS configuration parameters. This restarts all user connections. To authenticate users using an internal user database: 1 Select System ManagementProtocolsCIFS Configuration. 2 Click General. 3 Select Allow clients to access files via the CIFS protocol to enable the CIFS file sharing protocol. 4 Type a short description of the server in the System description field.
Configuring System Time Parameters You can configure the system's time clock, determine how to automatically update time using an NTP server, and configure the time zone for your system on this page. Synchronizing the time clock is critical for the proper functioning of the system. This enables: • Windows clients to mount the system. • Scheduled activities, such as snapshot and replication tasks, to occur at the appropriate time. • The correct time to be recorded in the system log.
Removing an NTP Server If an NTP server is no longer in the LAN or client network, remove the NTP server. To remove an NTP server: 1 Select the NTP server you want to remove. 2 Click Delete NTP server(s). 3 Click Save Changes. Synchronizing PowerVault NX3500 With a Local NTP Server Network Time Protocol (NTP) helps in synchronizing and coordinating time distribution. The NTP server helps in synchronizing the clocks over the network.
Managing the PowerVault NX3500
9 Maintaining the PowerVault NX3500 This chapter provides information on shutting down and turning on the system in the event of a planned outage or for moving the system to another location. This chapter also discusses the procedure for upgrading the software and running diagnostics. NOTE: See the Dell PowerVault NX3500 Hardware Owner's Manual on support.dell.com, for information on hardware service and maintenance.
Turning On the PowerVault NX3500 Solution Before turning on the system, ensure that all the cables are connected between the controllers in the rack, and the components are connected to the facility's electrical power. Turn on the components in the following order: 1 MD expansion enclosures • Turn on all the expansion enclosures by pressing the ON/OFF switches on the two power supplies located at the back of the storage arrays.
Installing the Service Pack The PowerVault NX3500 system uses a service pack methodology to update to a later version of the software. NOTE: To update your system with the latest service pack, see support.dell.com. NOTE: It is recommended that you use “binary mode FTP transfer”. If the service pack is transferred using an FTP program that is set to auto, the service pack file is recognized as text and is transferred in ascii mode.
• CIFS being stateful protocol, all CIFS clients will disconnect and reconnect during the controller restart. • NFS clients will pause intermittently but I/O will resume without any manual intervention. 4 Run mass rebalance to rebalance the CIFS clients between NX3500 controllers. From the GUI, select Loadbalancing Client connections Mass rebalance. The service pack is successfully updated and you can resume all NAS management and I/O operations.
2 Create an even number of Virtual Disks ensuring that the total number of virtual disks that are assigned (including those already assigned) to the PowerVault NX3500 does not exceed 16. See "Creating Virtual Disks" on page 49. NOTE: The virtual disk pairs must be of the same size. 3 Map the virtual disks to the Host Group created for the PowerVault NX3500 controllers. See "Creating Host-to-Virtual Disk Mappings" on page 52. 4 Add LUNs to PowerVault NX3500.
Running Diagnostics on PowerVault Running diagnostics helps you troubleshoot issues before seeking help from Dell. The diagnostics options available on your solution are: • Online Diagnostics • Offline Diagnostics Online Diagnostics Online diagnostics can be run while the system is still online and serving data.
Offline Diagnostics NOTE: Connect a keyboard, mouse and monitor before you perform the following procedure. Offline diagnostics requires your solution to be offline, which means out of production and not serving data. This is generally helpful to troubleshoot low-level hardware issues. It uses the following Dell native tools: • MP Memory • Dell Diagnostics MP Memory MP Memory is a Dell-developed, MS DOS-based memory test tool. This tool is efficient for large (greater than 4 GB) memory configurations.
a Mpmemory diagnostic (supports console-redirection in output log only). • Press key to stop testing. • Displaying (the end) of test result log: memory.txt (Press any key when ready). b Delldiag text-based diagnostic (full console-redirection support). c Loop Mpmemory and diagnostic in batch mode. d Select Quit. 3 Choose the appropriate option. CAUTION: Do not choose File System Reinstall. This reinstalls the image on your controller and may cause loss of data.
NOTE: The PowerVault NX3500 software will not install on unsupported hardware. If the PowerVault NX3500 media is inserted into a system other than a PowerVault NX3500, the user is prompted with a message and the system will fail to install the software. Replacing a PowerVault NX3500 Controller You may have to replace the PowerVault NX3500: • In the event of a catastrophic failure where the existing controller cannot be brought back online. • When an administrator wishes to replace the hardware.
To detach a controller: 1 Log in to the CLI using the management access VIP address. To obtain this address, in the NAS Manager, go to the System Management tab and click NetworkSubnetsPrimaryManagement Console VIP. 2 Execute the following command: system maintenance controllers detach start -nosaveConf NOTE: Depending on the configuration and the controller being detached, you may have to disconnect and reboot the system.
6 After completing the Firmware reset stage, select the File System Reinstall option from the boot menu. The reinstall process takes around 20–40 minutes to complete depending on the configuration. Attaching the PowerVault NX3500 Controller Before completing this procedure, verify that the controller being attached is in standby mode and powered up.
Maintaining the PowerVault NX3500
Troubleshooting 10 Troubleshooting CIFS Issues Clients Cannot Access CIFS Files Description The Dell PowerVault NX3500 system supports antivirus scans on a per CIFS share basis. When a file on a share is opened by a client application the PowerVault NX3500 system sends the file to an antivirus host to be scanned. NOTE: Microsoft Windows Explorer is also an application, similar to the DOS command, moreover, it implicitly opens some file types, such as Microsoft Office files.
CIFS ACL Corruption Description CIFS ACL corruption. Cause • ACLs were accidently changed by a user or script. • ACL is corrupted after an antivirus application accidently quarantined corresponding files. • ACL got corrupted after data recovery by backup application due to compatibility issues. • ACL got corrupted after migrating data from different location by using 3rd party application, for example, RoboCopy. Workaround Check the current ACL setting in the Windows client.
CIFS Client Disconnection on File Read Description CIFS client disconnection on file read. Cause Extreme CIFS workload during controller failover. Workaround Client needs to reconnect and open the file again. CIFS Client General Disconnection Description CIFS client disconnection. Cause In case the system identified a general issue with the CIFS service, it automatically recovers but the failure causes all users to be disconnected and the above event to be triggered.
CIFS Delete-On-Close Denial Description Files are deleted while they are in use. Cause If a file is deleted when it is open, it is marked for deletion, and is deleted after it is closed. Until then, the file appears in its original location but the system denies any attempt to open it. Workaround Notify the user who tried to open the file that the file has been deleted. CIFS File Access Denied Description CIFS file access denied.
CIFS Guest Account Invalid Description CIFS service cannot start. Cause A valid CIFS guest account is required for CIFS functionality. Workaround Configure the system guest account with a valid account. CIFS Locking Inconsistency Description CIFS service is interrupted due to CIFS interlocking issues. Cause CIFS client interlocking scenarios. Workaround System recovers itself automatically, issuing the above event when recovered.
CIFS Share Does Not Exist Description Client attempts to connect to an inexistent share. Cause • Spelling mistake on client side. • Accessing the wrong server. Workaround List the available NAS shares and verify that all shares are displayed and nothing has changed unintentionally. Verify that you can access the problematic share using a Windows client: 1 Click Run. 2 Enter the NAS service IP and share name: \\\.
CIFS Write to Read Only Volume Description Client tries to modify a file on read-only volume. Cause A NAS volume is set to read-only when it is the target of a replication. The most frequent reason for this event is either: • The user meant to access the target system for read purposes, but also tries to modify a file by mistake. • The user accesses the wrong system due to similarity in name/IP. • The user is accessing a NAS container, which was made a replication target without his knowledge.
Cause • The client connects using NFS/UDP and there is a firewall in the way. • The client is not in the export list, the server could not recognize the client system through NIS, or the server does not accept the identity you provided. • The PowerVault NX3500 system is down or has internal file system problems. • The mount command got through to the port mapper, but the rpc.mountd NFS mount daemon was not registered.
Workaround If the issue is due to NFS/UDP and firewall, check if the client mounts using UDP (this is usually the default) and there is a firewall in the path. If a firewall exists, add an appropriate exception to the firewall. If the issue is due to permissions: • Verify the path you provided is correct. • Check that you are trying to mount as root. • Check that the system's IP address, IP range, domain name or netgroup is in the exports list.
NFS Export Does Not Exist Description Attempted to mount an export that does not exist. Cause This failure is commonly caused by spelling mistakes on the client system or when accessing the wrong server. Workaround 1 Check the available exports on the NAS; verify that all the required exports exist. 2 On the problematic client, verify that the relevant export is available to this client: % showmount -e Export list for : /abc 10.10.10.0 /xyz 10.10.10.
NFS Insecure Access to Secure Export Description User tries to access a secure export from an insecure port. Cause Secure export requirement means that the accessing clients must use a well-known port (below 1024), which usually means that they must be root (uid=0) on the client. Workaround • Identify the relevant export and verify that it is set as secure (requires secure client port).
NFS Mount Fails Due to Netgroup Failure Description This event is issued when client fails to mount an NFS export because the required netgroup information cannot be attained. Cause This error is usually the outcome of a communication error between the NAS system and the NIS/LDAP server. It can be a result of network issue, directory server overload, or a software malfunction.
NFS Mount Path Does Not Exist Description Client tries to mount an unexisting mount path on a NAS container. Cause This error usually occurs in one of the following scenarios: • When accessing a system which is being restored from backup or remote replication. The full directory structure is available only when the restore is complete. • When a client with an authorization to access a higher directory in the same path deletes or alters a directory which is being mounted by another client.
NFS Write to Read-Only Export Description NFS client tries to perform modifications on a read-only export. Cause An NFS export can be defined as a read-only export. A client accessing a read-only export cannot perform write operations or modify included files. Workaround This event, by itself, does not require any administrative intervention. NFS Write to Read-Only Volume Description An NFS user tries to modify a file on a read-only volume.
Workaround A possible way to verify this problem is to use newgrp to temporarily change the primary group of the user and thus ensure it is passed to the server. The simple workaround, although not always feasible, is to remove the user from unnecessary groups, leaving only 16 groups or less.
Replication Destination FS is Busy Description Replication between the source NAS volume and the destination NAS volume fails because the destination cluster file system is temporarily unavailable to serve the required replication. Cause Replication task fails because the destination cluster is temporarily unavailable to serve the required replication. Workaround The replication continues automatically when the file system releases part of the resources.
Replication Destination Volume is Busy Reclaiming Space Description Replication between the NAS source volume and the NAS destination volume fails because the destination NAS volume is busy freeing up space. Cause Replication task fails because the destination NAS volume is busy freeing up space. Workaround The replication continues automatically when the space is available. The administrators should verify that the replication automatically continues after a period of time (an hour).
Replication Incompatible Versions Description Replication between the NAS source volume and the NAS destination volume fails because the system version of the source NAS cluster is higher than the system version of the destination cluster. Cause Replication task fails since the system version of the NAS source volume is higher than the system version of the destination cluster.
Replication Source is Busy Description Replication between the NAS source volume and the NAS destination volume fails because the file system of the source NAS volume is busy replicating other NAS volumes. Cause Replication task fails because the file system of the source NAS volume is busy replicating other NAS volumes. Workaround The replication continues automatically when the file system releases part of the resources.
Replication Source Volume is Busy Reclaiming Space Description Replication between the NAS source volume and the NAS destination volume fails because the source NAS volume is busy reclaiming space. Cause Replication task failed since the source NAS volume is busy reclaiming space. Workaround The replication continues automatically when space is available. Administrators should verify that the replication is automatically continues after a period of time (an hour).
Active Directory Authentication Description A valid Active Directory user fails to authenticate. Cause Probable causes may be: • The user is trying to authenticate using a wrong password. • The user is locked or disabled in Active Directory. • Active Directory domain controllers are offline or unreachable. • System clock and Active Directory clock are out of sync. Workaround 1 Check the PowerVault NX3500 system event log in the NAS Manager for errors.
Workaround When configuring the system to connect to an Active Directory domain: 1 Ensure that you use FQDN and not the NETBIOS name of the domain or IP address of the domain controller. 2 Ensure that the user has permissions to add systems to the domain. 3 Use the correct password. 4 See DNS Configuration tab and enter the correct information. 5 Configure the NTP information and ensure that the system time matches the domain time.
Backup Power Supply LED Flashes Green and Amber Description BPS LED displays green and amber, with or without an audible alarm.
BPS LED Is Off Description BPS LED is off and does not turn on when the power button is pressed. Cause This issue occurs either because the battery is not installed correctly, there is no power to the BPS, or there is a hardware failure. Workaround 1 Remove the BPS module bezel. Ensure that the battery is installed properly and turn on the BPS by pressing the BPS power button. 2 Verify if the BPS cables are connected properly and that the utility power matches the BPS specifications.
Cannot Modify NAS Files Description Cause A user or an application cannot modify a file. • The client cannot modify a file due to lack of permissions on the file. • The NAS volume has reached full capacity and the file system denies any write requests, including overwrites. • The NAS volume is a target in a replication relationship and is read only. Workaround 1 If the problem appears only on some files, this is a permission issue.
Workaround It is recommended that you use the NFS protocol interfaces to access the PowerVault NX3500 FluidFS systems from Linux/UNIX clients. To workaround this issue: 1 Ensure that your admin creates NFS exports to same locations that you use to access using CIFS and connect to them using mount command from Linux/UNIX clients. 2 Use NFS based interfaces to access the PowerVault NX3500.
Troubleshooting Networking Issues Name Server Unresponsive Description All NIS, LDAP, or DNS servers are unreachable or not responding. Workaround For each server: 1 Ping the server from a client on PowerVault NX3500 subnet and verify it responds. 2 Issue a request to the server from a client on the PowerVault NX3500 subnet and verify it responds. 3 Check server logs to see what causes the server not to respond to requests.
Troubleshooting DNS Configurations Description Unable to connect to the PowerVault NX3500 using the system name and/or unable to resolve host names. Cause Probable causes may be: • Unable to ping system using Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). • Unable to connect to the NAS Manager using system name. Workaround 1 Verify that the client IP information is set correctly. 2 Verify that the PowerVault NX3500 controller is configured to the correct DNS server.
Troubleshooting NAS Manager Issues NAS Dashboard is Delayed Description NAS dashboard metrics is delayed and does not show the updated values as soon as it updated. Cause The NAS Manager view is refreshed every 40 seconds but the information regarding specific metrics is collected in different intervals, due to which there is no correlation between screen refresh to actual metrics refresh. Workaround Use the process in FluidFS that collects information regarding various matrices in the system.
Workaround 1 Identify the NAS NTP server from the System Configuration/ Time Configuration page. Record the host name(s) or IP address(es) for further reference. 2 If no NTP server is defined, define one. It is recommended synchronizing the NAS system clock with the NTP server used by the Active Directory Domain Controller (ADDC). This avoids time difference issues and possible authentication problems. In many cases the ADDC is also the NTP server.
Blank Login Screen Description Unable to connect to the NAS Manager and the login screen is blank. Cause Probable causes may be: • Java script is disabled. • IE SEC is enabled. Workaround • If Java script is disabled, enable Java script. For information about enabling Java script, see the browser's help. • If IE SEC is enabled, disable it. Troubleshooting Backup Issues Troubleshooting Snapshots Description Taking and deleting snapshots fail.
Workaround • For a manual request failure, retry taking or deleting the snapshot after a minute or two. • If the request originated from the snapshot scheduler, wait another cycle or two. If the failure persists, try taking or deleting the snapshot manually on the same volume. • Check the dashboard if the system is under heavy workload. If the system is under a heavy workload, wait until the workload decreases and reissue the snapshot request. • Check the snapshot schedule.
Troubleshooting an NDMP Internal Error Description Backup or restore fails with an internal error. Cause NDMP internal errors are indicators of a file system not being accessible or a NAS volume not being available. Workaround If the backup application cannot connect to a NAS appliance: 1 Log in to the NAS Manager or open a remote terminal to the appliance. 2 On the NAS Manager, go to Data ProtectionNDMPNDMP Configuration page. In NAS CLI, go to Data ProtectionNDMPConfiguration menu.
To change the password: 1 Log in to the NAS Manager or open remote terminal to the appliance. 2 In the NAS Manager, go to Data ProtectionNDMPNDMP Configuration page. In NAS CLI, go to Data Protection NDMPConfiguration menu. 3 In the NAS Manager, click Change Password. In the NAS CLI, run the set -Password "pwd" command. If the backup application can log into the NAS appliance, but if no volumes are available for backup, verify that the NAS appliance has NAS volumes created on it.
NAS Container Security Violation Description NAS container security violation. Cause Selecting security style for a NAS container dictates the dominant protocol to be used to set permissions on files in this volume. NFS for UNIX security style volumes and CIFS for NTFS security style volumes. Consequently, this makes some operations invalid: • Setting UNIX permissions for a file in an NTFS Security style container. • Setting UID/GID ownership for a file in an NTFS Security style container.
Workaround If wrong SAN IPs are used while running the PowerVault NASCU: 1 Verify that the MD discovery IP used while running the PowerVault NASCU is on the same subnet as one of the two SAN IPs configured on your controllers. 2 To verify MD discovery IP, log in to your NAS Manger IP using CLI and run the following command: Kjd This command shows the MD discovery IP.
If the LUN count is below the minimum requirements: 1 Verify that more than one LUN is mapped to the host group. The minimum number of LUNs required is 2. 2 If the number of LUNs is less than 2, add LUNs to meet the required minimum LUN count of 2. 3 Try to format the system. Associating LUN Names to Virtual Disks Description Determining which LUNs in the PowerVault NAS Manager are virtual disks in the Modular Disk Storage Manager.
Troubleshooting NAS Configuration Utility Issues Error Received While Running the PowerVault NASCU Description Error occurred while running the PowerVault NX3500 NAS Configuration Utility. Cause The error could be caused by either hardware setup, network switch configuration, or cluster system configurations. Workaround If the discovery page displays a connection failure: 1 Check the MAC addresses for cluster controllers.
Cannot Launch PowerVault NX3500 NAS Configuration Utility Description Cannot launch PowerVault NX3500 NAS Configuration Utility. Cause Probable causes maybe: • NAS Configuration Utility installer failed to install. • JAVA runtime environment is not properly installed. Workaround Perform the following: • Determine if the NAS Configuration Utility installer completed successfully. • Check to see if the minimum of JRE1.4x is installed successfully.
Troubleshooting
Command Line Interface 11 Overview The PowerVault NX3500 Command Line Interface (CLI) provides a convenient way to manage the PowerVault NX3500 system. It can be used to configure subsystems, manage administrative users, enable licensed features, and to monitor the system. The CLI contains a set of commands to view, edit, add, delete, enable, disable, and set PowerVault NX3500 entities, such as exports, shares, volumes, and accounts.
Accessing the CLI To access the CLI from an administrator workstation, use an SSH client, and connect to the NAS Management VIP address you specified during cluster setup. Figure 11-1. Accessing CLI via the NAS Management VIP In a Linux prompt, type: ssh admin@. A Welcome window is displayed, listing the installed software version and the available commands in the top level menu. NOTE: Tab completion is available: type the first few characters of the command or menu name and press the Tab key.
The authenticity of host '10.10.1.200 (10.10.1.200)’ can't be established. RSA key fingerprint is: 1b:13:7c:9d:12:e2:74:69:4e:8c:93:75:1a:93:94:b5. Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes Failed to add the host to the list of known hosts (/users/john/.ssh/known_hosts). admin@172.41.2.202's password: Stor@ge! Last login: Sun Dec 26 03:04:51 from 172.41.200.12 Welcome to "NX3500-sup3" (1.0.
Table 11-1. CLI Menu Options (continued) Menu Options system The system menu lets you configure various system-wide properties. It includes the following menu items: general: lets you view general system information, configure administrator users and manage system licensing. time-configuration: lets you configure the time zone and NTP server. monitoring-configuration: lets you configure e-mail support, syslog and SNMP.
Table 11-1. CLI Menu Options (continued) Menu Options monitor The monitor menu lets you monitor your PowerVault NX3500 system. It includes the following menu items: quota: lets you view the system quota usage. traffic-statistics: lets you view system various statistics, for example, CIFS/NFS IO read/write per second. replication: lets you view the status of previous and current remote replication tasks. connections: lets you view the connections to the system via CIFS protocol.
Command Line Interface
12 Internationalization Overview The PowerVault NX3500 system provides full Unicode support allowing support of various languages concurrently. Directories and file names are maintained and managed internally in Unicode format (UTF-8). Regardless of the encoding type used by the client who creates a file, the PowerVault NX3500 system stores its file name or directory name in Unicode format.
NFS Clients NFS clients may configure a different code page for different shares, while supporting concurrently non-Unicode clients that use different languages. For further information on configuring code pages see "Managing NFS Exports" on page 97. CIFS Clients CIFS users may configure a code page to be used for all non-Unicode Windows and DOS clients. NOTE: The web Interface provides full Unicode support. To display and use Unicode data using the CLI, a UTF-8 XTERM should be used.
Unicode Configuration Limitations Following are the Unicode configuration limitations: • File Size and Directory Name • Clients Compatibility Problems • Japanese Compatibility Issues File Size and Directory Name The size of the file and the directory names are limited to 255 bytes, which may be less than 255 characters when using Unicode, because each UTF-8 character occupies between one and six bytes.
Table 12-2. Japanese Incompatible Characters (continued) OVERLINE ( ￣ ) U+FFE3 (FULLWIDTH MICRON) U+FFE3 (FULLWIDTH MICRON) U+203E (OVERLINE) CENT SIGN (¢) U+00A2 (CENT SIGN) U+FFE0 (FULLWIDTH CENT SIGN) U+00A2 (CENT SIGN) POUND SIGN (#) U+00A3 (POUND U+FFE1 SIGN) (FULLWIDTH POUND SIGN) U+00A3(POUND SIGN) NOT SIGN (¬) U+00AC (NOT SIGN) U+00AC (NOT SIGN) U+FFE2 (FULLWIDTH NOT SIGN) The PowerVault NX3500 provides a special code page for the CIFS service, to support portability between protocols.
Frequently Asked Questions 13 NDMP 1 Is NDMP a High Availability (HA) protocol? What happens if a backup session is interrupted due to connection loss? NDMP is not HA. A session that is interrupted is terminated. 2 How does NDMP work? At the beginning of the NDMP session, a Fluid File System (FluidFS) snapshot is taken on the target NAS filesystem. This snapshot is then transferred over to the Data Management Application (DMA). At the end of the session the snapshot is deleted.
7 Can I restore a single file? Yes. 8 Can I restore old backup to another NAS appliance? Yes. 9 Can I restore backup to another NDMP appliance? Yes. The data from NDMP is sent in raw format, so the target appliance supports it. 10 Can I see which active backups are currently in progress? Yes, using NAS CLI you can see the active backups currently in progress, run data-protection ndmp active-jobs list.
4 Why can I not write to the target virtual volume with NFS or CIFS? Once a replication policy is set, the target virtual volume is read only. When the replication policy is detached, the target virtual volume will no longer be read only. 5 I am on the target system and I cannot trigger a replication for my destination virtual volume. Replication operations must be performed on the source virtual volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
A BPS Alarms This chapter provides information about the external alarm conditions of the Dell backup power supply (BPS). NOTE: The Dell BPS LED is solid amber with an audible alarm. Table A-1. External Alarm Conditions Alarm Description Audible Battery disconnected Battery voltage is lower Beeping than the batteries disconnected level defined for this UPS. This may be due to a blown fuse, intermittent battery connection, or battery cable being disconnected.
Table A-1. External Alarm Conditions (continued) Alarm Description Audible Site wiring problem Site Fault detection is Beeping supported on LV and HV models anytime there is a Neutral connection and it is an LV model or has been manually enabled on the HV model. Corrective Action Check the site wiring. Alarm triggers when the difference between ground and neutral voltage is >= 25Vrms. Output Load greater than level Beeping overload level 2 threshold and less L2 than level 3 threshold. Contact Dell.
Table A-1. External Alarm Conditions (continued) Alarm Description Audible Corrective Action Output short circuit Indicates that the UPS Beeping has detected abnormally low impedance placed on its output and considers it a short circuit. Contact Dell. Heatsink over The UPS has detected Beeping temperature that one of its heat sinks has exceeded the maximum operating temperature defined by Hardware. Contact Dell. Fatal EEPROM fault Set in parallel with Continuous Contact Dell.
Table A-2. External Alarm Conditions Alarm Description Audible Corrective Action Output overload Load levels are at or Slow Contact Dell. have exceeded the intermittent configurable threshold limit for a Level 1 Overload condition. (Default 100% of nominal watts rating but is configurable from the LCD to be 10–100%). Alarm clears when the load drops below 5% of the set point. Battery test failed A weak battery string was detected during the last battery test.
Cabling Recommendation B NOTE: The following cabling recommendation is applicable for existing MD-Series implementations. Figure B-1.
Cabling Recommendation
Index A D Administrator adding, 125 changing password, 125 modifying, 126 modifying email filter rules, 126 removing, 126 Data backing up and restoring, 114 replication, 108 Antivirus, 119 hosts, 119 Architecture , 21 B Browser Requirements, 69 C CIFS Parameters configuring, 139 CIFS Shares adding, 99 configuring level permissions, 103 managing, 99 modifying, 99 removing, 104 DMA Servers modifying list, 117 DNS Domains adding, 137 deleting, 137 DNS Server adding, 136 configuring, 136 removing, 136 E
L Local Groups adding, 129 deleting, 129 managing, 128 modifying, 129 Local Users adding, 127 deleting, 128 managing, 127 modifying, 128 M Managing client access, 123 system, 123 MD Storage Solution setting up, 45 Monitoring events, 87 N NAS Manager accessing, 69 action bar, 71 admin tabs, 71 admin tree, 71 configuration wizard, 64 overview, 70 search bar, 72 toolbar, 71 web interface, 64 NAS System Setup Worksheet completing, 42 NAS Volumes, 91 adding, 96 managing, 95 modifying, 96 removing, 96 usage co
Maintaining, 143 managing, 121 monitoring, 73 protecting data, 107 reinstalling, 150 replacing controller, 151 running diagnostics, 148 shutting down, 143 turning on, 144 views, 23 Q Queries defining, 89 R Replication activating, 109 adding a partner, 110 deleting a policy, 110 managing policies, 110 removing a partner, 111 setting up a partner, 110 S Snapshot adding or modifying policy, 112 creating without a policy, 112 deleting, 113 managing, 111 Static Route deleting, 138 Static Routes adding, 137 m
4 Index
