Book.book Page 1 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Dell™ PowerVault™ NX1950 Cluster Systems With Dell|EqualLogic PS Series Storage Array Installation and Troubleshooting Guide w w w. d e l l . c o m | s u p p o r t . d e l l .
Book.book Page 2 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Notes, Notices, and Cautions NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death. ____________________ Information in this document is subject to change without notice. © 2008 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Book.book Page 3 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Contents 1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using a PS Series SAN as Shared Storage 2 . . . . . . . . Planning the Network Configuration . 13 . . . . . . 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Planning Network Redundancy . Setting Up the Cluster . Pre-Installation Requirements Installing the Cluster. 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Book.book Page 4 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM 5 Configuring Shared Storage on Your Dell|EqualLogic PS Series Storage Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Aligning the Disk Sectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Configuring a Basic Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Connecting Nodes to Volumes . Assigning a Drive Letter and Formatting a Partition . . . . 6 Setting Up MSCS Creating the Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Book.book Page 5 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM 8 Strategies for Backup and Recovery Protecting Cluster Data . . . 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Choosing a Backup Method . Restoring Data . 9 Upgrading your SAN and Network . . . . . 49 . . . . . . . . 49 10 Maintaining Your Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Replacing the Quorum Resource . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Book.book Page 7 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Overview The Dell™ PowerVault™ NX1950 cluster solution with Dell|EqualLogic storage array combines Microsoft® Windows® Unified Data Storage Server 2003 clustering with a highly available and scalable Dell|Equallogic PS Series storage array. Server clusters based on Microsoft® Cluster Service (MSCS) provide availability for applications through failover.
Book.book Page 8 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Figure 1-1. Node A Fails Over to Node B public network cluster heartbeat SAN network PS Series array shared storage NOTE: Although most clustered services run on only one node at a time, a cluster can run many services simultaneously to optimize hardware utilization.
Book.book Page 9 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Using a PS Series SAN as Shared Storage The PS Series storage array overcomes the challenges of DAS and traditional SANs by providing a familiar technology for connecting servers to storage – Ethernet. An iSCSI (Internet SCSI) SAN provides an affordable and easy-to-manage shared storage solution for your cluster nodes.
Book.book Page 10 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM • Easy and inexpensive management — The PS Series storage array has offers centralized storage which enables you to manage more storage efficiently. You can use a simple setup utility to configure an array on the network and create a PS Series group and a functioning iSCSI SAN. You can easily manage automation of complex operations like RAID configuration, disk sparing, data provisioning, and load balancing to ensure effectively managing the SAN.
Book.book Page 11 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Figure 1-2.
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Book.book Page 13 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Planning the Network Configuration The following sections provide different possible network configurations and help you plan for the implementation of Dell™ PowerVault™ NX1950 cluster solution with Dell|EqualLogic PS Series storage. Considering the Network Design Structure Implementing the correct networking infrastructure is essential to trouble-free operation of your PowerVault NX1950 cluster solution.
Book.book Page 14 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM The following SAN network guidelines are recommended for optimal performance and high availability: • Use a switched, Gigabit Ethernet network. Connect storage arrays and hosts to a switched network and ensure that all network connections between hosts and arrays are Gigabit Ethernet. An array can operate at 10 and 100 Mbits, but performance is significantly degraded. • Utilize fast convergence/fast spanning tree.
Book.book Page 15 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM • Configure multiple network interfaces on an array. Connect the network interfaces to different switches. • For a multi-subnet PS Series group, provide access to the subnet on which the group IP address for all enabled network interfaces on the group members. • Use redundant paths between iSCSI initiators and storage arrays. Multipath I/O ensures that no single point of failure exists between initiators and arrays.
Book.book Page 16 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM The following table shows an example of planning IP addresses for a cluster. Table 2-1. Cluster Name and IP Assignment Interface IP Address Subnet Mask Gateway Note SAN 192.168.0.11 255.255.255.0 Gateway optional Using MPIO SAN 192.168.0.12 255.255.255.0 Gateway optional Using MPIO Public 172.16.100.212 255.255.255.0 172.16.12.1 Teamed/virtual values Private 10.10.10.1 255.255.255.0 N/A Do not assign gateway SAN 192.168.0.
Book.book Page 17 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Setting Up the Cluster This section outlines the basic steps required to configure a Dell|EqualLogic PS Series SAN as the shared storage for a Microsoft® Windows® Unified Data Storage Server 2003 cluster. The steps assume that you have already completed the hardware installation and setup of your group as described in the PS Series QuickStart.
Book.book Page 18 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM c Add the following values: UsePersistentReservation REG_DWORD d Setting this value to 1 enables Persistent Reservation. PersistentReservation KeyREG_BINARY . This is an 8-byte binary value that is unique to the cluster. The same binary value must be used on all nodes in the cluster. 3 Set the disk time out to 60. Set the value of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\dis k\TimeOutValue to 60 seconds.
Book.book Page 19 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM 7 On the first node, use the iSCSI initiator to connect to the shared volumes and format the volumes. a Start the iSCSI initiator and log in to the iSCSI targets associated with the volumes you set up in step 1. Use the group IP address as the target portal or discovery address. b Ensure that you have established a persistent connection to the volume and bound the volume so it is available when needed.
Book.book Page 20 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM 12 Modify the cluster network configuration. For more information on modifying cluster network configuration, see "Modifying the Cluster Network Configuration" on page 34. 13 On the second node, use the iSCSI initiator to connect to the shared PS Series volumes. Start the iSCSI initiator and log in to the iSCSI targets associated with the volumes you set up in step 1. Use the group IP address as the target portal or discovery address.
Book.book Page 21 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Setting Up the Dell|EqualLogic PS Series SAN The following sections describe how to create a Dell|EqualLogic PS Series group, create volumes, and restrict access to the volumes. Creating the Group Use the Group Manager GUI or CLI to manage a group. Access the GUI from a web browser by connecting to the group IP address. Access the CLI from a telnet or ssh connection to the group IP address or a serial connection to a group member.
Book.book Page 22 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM When creating a group and configuring arrays as group members, ensure the you have: • Choose the group RAID level that is optimal for your application performance. Before creating a PS Series group, you should determine which RAID level. To configure on the group members (storage arrays) you can choose from RAID 5, RAID10 and RAID 50. NOTE: Both the RAID levels provide adequate performance and fault tolerance for data volumes.
Book.book Page 23 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Figure 4-1. Group Manager - Group Summary window Create the following shared volumes: • One volume that is dedicated for use as the cluster quorum resource. Microsoft requires that you configure the quorum disk with a size of 512 MB. • One or more volumes for application data (that is, service data). • Optionally, a VSS control volume if using Auto-Snapshot Manager, or volumes for disk backup media.
Book.book Page 24 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM To create a volume: 1 Click Create Volume in the Group Summary window. The Create Volume window appears, as shown in Figure . Enter a unique volume name and the volume size. Optionally, reserve snapshot space for the volume. The Space Utilization table shows the current group capacity and the capacity with the new volume. Figure 4-2.
Book.book Page 25 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM 2 Click Next to display the window that enables you to set up an access control record for the volume, as described in "Restricting Access to Volumes" on page 25. NOTE: You can create and modify access control records for a volume at any time. 3 After you specify the access control information, click Next, confirm the volume configuration, and then click Finish to create the volume.
Book.book Page 26 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Figure 4-3. Modify Access Control Record 3 The most secure way to control access to your volumes is to use a combination of IP address and CHAP, as shown in Figure 4-3. For example, if a record includes both an IP address and a CHAP user name, the PowerVault NX1950 cluster solution must present the IP address, the CHAP user name, and its associated password (using the iSCSI initiator) to match the record.
Book.book Page 27 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM NOTE: You must configure CHAP in the group to use CHAP to restrict host access to volumes. For more information, see the PS Series Group Administration manual. 4 After you specify the access control information, click OK to create the record. Verify that the record appears in the Group Manager Volume Access window, as shown in Figure 4-4. Figure 4-4.
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Book.book Page 29 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Configuring Shared Storage on Your Dell|EqualLogic PS Series Storage Array The following sections describe how to connect nodes to the Dell|EqualLogic PS Series volumes, align disk sectors for optimal performance, create a basic disk, and assign a drive letter. Although all cluster nodes must be connected to the shared volumes, you only have to align disk sections and format the disks on the first node in the cluster.
Book.book Page 30 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM 4 Select the desired iSCSI target and click Log On. In the Log On to Target window, check the box next to Automatically restore this connection when the system reboots. 5 Perform step 4 on all the nodes in the cluster. 6 If you want to use multipath I/O, in the Log On to Target window, check the box Enable multi-path and then click Advanced. This enables you to specify multiple physical paths to the same target.
Book.book Page 31 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Figure 5-2. Advanced Settings Window 8 In the Log On to Target window, click OK to complete the login. 9 Confirm the connection by clicking the Targets tab in the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator Properties window. The target should appear in the list with the status Connected. 10 In the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator Properties window, click the Bound Volumes/Devices tab.
Book.book Page 32 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Aligning the Disk Sectors For optimal performance with PS Series volumes, it is recommended that you configure the volume disk partitions to begin on sector boundaries that are divisible by 64K (that is, evenly divisible by 65536 bytes or 128 sectors). This makes the sectors match the default PS Series storage array RAID stripe segment size and improve volume and overall group performance.
Book.book Page 33 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Setting Up MSCS The following sections describe how to implement a two-node cluster that uses Dell|EqualLogic PS Series storage. Before you begin, ensure that: • You have the PS Series group and volumes setup; the Microsoft® Windows® Unified Data Storage Server 2003 operating system configured on the cluster nodes; and the nodes connected to the shared volumes.
Book.book Page 34 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM 9 In the Cluster Configuration Quorum window, specify the iSCSI disk associated with the PS Series volume you configured for the quorum resource and click OK. When the Proposed Cluster Configuration window appears again, click Next. 10 The PowerVault NX1950 cluster system is created on the node you specified in Step 4. If the Cluster Wizard finds any errors, a condition is flagged.
Book.book Page 35 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM 2 Right-click each network object in the right panel and select Properties. 3 Select the network option button that describes the function of the network adapter. If an adapter does not participate in the cluster, Ensure that you have unchecked the box Enable this network for cluster use as shown in Figure 6-2. If the adapter fails, the cluster treats it as cluster failure and fails over the services to another node.
Book.book Page 36 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Figure 6-3. Advanced Settings Window 5 If you are using multipath I/O, in the Cluster Administrator, right-click the network name that represents your SAN network and select Properties.If you are not using multipath I/O, you have completed the network configuration modifications. In the Network Properties window, uncheck Enable this network for cluster use option. This allows multipath I/O to control the link failover for the SAN interfaces.
Book.book Page 37 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Adding a Node to the Cluster After you complete the initial cluster setup on the first node (Node A) and modify the cluster network configuration, you must add at least one other node (Node B) to the cluster to create a failover partner. Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003 allows you to have up to eight nodes in one cluster, when using iSCSI disks for shared storage.
Book.book Page 38 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Figure 6-4. Add Nodes Wizard 5 In the Cluster Service Account window, enter the password for the cluster service account that you specified for the first node in step 7 of "Creating the Cluster" on page 33. The User name field is populated and cannot be changed. Click Next to continue. 6 The Proposed Cluster Configuration window appears. Review the configuration. Click Next to continue. 7 The wizard begins to add the node to the cluster.
Book.book Page 39 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM 8 After the wizard completes the new cluster node configuration, the wizard notifies you that the addition was successful and give you the option to view the log. To exit, click Finish. 9 As described in step 4 of Modifying the Cluster Network Configuration, reorder the bind preference for the new cluster node’s network adapters.
Book.book Page 40 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Figure 6-5. Cluster Administrator - Move Group If the failover succeeds, the Cluster Administrator displays the change of owner in the right panel, as shown inFigure 6-6. Figure 6-6. Cluster Administrator 4 Repeat step 1 to step 3 for each group object. You can also verify your cluster setup with the Cluster Diagnostics and Verification Tool ClusDiag.exe available on the Microsoft website at www.microsoft.com/downloads/.
Book.book Page 41 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Expanding Your SAN Storage You can easily expand individual Dell|EqualLogic PS Series volumes and SAN capacity, online and without disruption. You can increase the size of a PS Series group volume by using the Group Manager GUI or CLI. You must then enable Microsoft® Windows® operating system to recognize the size change. The following section gives you information about increasing SAN capacity to accommodate new volumes or expanded volumes.
Book.book Page 42 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Figure 7-1. Modify Volume Settings To enable Microsoft Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003 to recognize the volume size increase, you must re-scan the disks in the Disk Management utility and then use the DiskPart utility. For more information, see the technical report Microsoft Windows: Expanding Basic Disk Volumes on the EqualLogic Customer Support website at www.equallogic.com.
Book.book Page 43 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Increasing PS Series Group Capacity If additional PS Series group storage capacity is needed in order to create more volumes or expand volumes, you can add more members (arrays) to the group: 1 Set up the hardware for the new PS Series storage array. 2 Run setup. When prompted for the PS Series group to join, specify the group name and IP address.
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Book.book Page 45 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Strategies for Backup and Recovery You can use the backup and recovery solutions available with the Dell|Equallogic to ensure high availability for your Dell™ PowerVault™ NX1950 cluster solution. The following sections address these areas and present possible solutions. Protecting Cluster Data There are four specific areas to protect with backups to ensure high availability for your cluster nodes: • Cluster disk signatures and partitions.
Book.book Page 46 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Choosing a Backup Method There are many ways to backup cluster data. For example, you can follow the steps in the Microsoft TechNet article Backing up and restoring server clusters to backup cluster data using the Microsoft Backup utility, NTBackup. For more information, see Microsoft documentation. Alternately, to backup cluster data, you can use a backup application from the vendor of your choice.
Book.book Page 47 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Restoring Data When restoring cluster data, focus on the following components: • Cluster database—If the signature of the quorum disk has changed since you last backed up data, instead of restoring the System State only, use Automated System Recovery in the Backup or Restore Wizard to restore the quorum disk signature along with the System State.
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Book.book Page 49 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Upgrading your SAN and Network A properly configured cluster does not have shared hardware components. This enables you to recover from the failure of almost any component in your cluster configuration. However, you may encounter a situation where you have to upgrade some component of your cluster like a cluster node, a component in a node, or a segment of a network.
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Book.book Page 51 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Maintaining Your Cluster The following sections describe two common cluster maintenance issues, how to replace a quorum disk that has failed and how to remove a node from your Dell™ PowerVault™ NX1950 cluster solution. Replacing the Quorum Resource If access to the shared quorum resource fails or if the Dell|Equallogic PS Series volume associated with the quorum resource fails, the cluster crashes.
Book.book Page 52 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM 7 After the cluster service has started on Node A, launch the Cluster Administrator and connect to Node A. Do not connect to the cluster alias name. Open the Cluster Administrator and click File→ Close. Performing this action disconnects you from the cluster virtual name. 8 Connect to Node A by clicking File→ Open Connection. 9 In the Open Connection to Cluster window, enter the node name in the Cluster or server name field.
Book.book Page 53 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM To remove the last node from a cluster: 1 Right-click the node you want to remove and click Evict Node, as shown in Figure 10-1. This returns the cluster to its original state. You can add it again later to the same cluster or to a different cluster. Figure 10-1.
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Book.book Page 55 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Using WSRM and Scripts to Manage Clusters Microsoft® released the Microsoft Windows Server® Resource Manager (WSRM) as a feature in Microsoft Windows® Unified Data Storage Server 2003 operating system. By using WSRM to manage a cluster deployment, you gain more control over node resource usage during failover.
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Book.book Page 57 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM Migrating an Existing Cluster to Dell|Equallogic PS Series Storage If you are modifying your existing Dell™ PowerVault™ NX1950 cluster implementation with the Dell|Equallogic PS Series storage array, you must migrate data from an e-mail store, relational database, or file share to a new shared storage device. When moving an existing cluster: 1 Create a back-out plan—The first step in any migration is to have a back-out plan in place.
Book.book Page 58 Monday, February 4, 2008 1:26 PM 5 Test the cluster by performing the following steps: a Test the application that is running on the cluster. This may include sending and receiving e-mail, writing transactions into a database, or reading and writing files to a network share. Verify that you can perform the same tasks using the data in the PS Series group as you did using the data in the previous location. b Perform a failover test of the cluster from one node to another.
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