Dell™ PowerVault™ NX1950 Cluster Systems 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 .
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. © 2007 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Contents 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Overview of MSCS . Nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Cluster Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Resource Group Quorum Resource Shared Versus Private Storage Firewall Port Exceptions Configuration Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . . . .
Cabling Your Gateway Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . PowerVault NX1950 Initial Configuration Tasks Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating the Cluster 3 17 . . . . . . . . 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Managing Your Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Creating a Highly Available File Server Instance . Creating a Highly Available iSCSI Target Using Microsoft iSCSI Target 3.0 . . . . . . . . 25 . . . . .
If a Node is Configured With iSCSI LUNs Before Joining the Cluster, the iSCSI Target MMC Snap-in Crashes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 . . . . . . 40 . . . . . . . 41 Connection to the iSCSI LUN is Lost When a Cluster Failover Occurs . . . . . . . . . . . Limitations While Creating a Shared LUN . Dell Storage Initialization Wizard Does Not Register the Cluster Node to the PowerVault MD3000 Storage Array if a Dummy Host is Registered . . . . . . 42 . . . . . . . . 42 . . . . . . .
Contents
1 Introduction This document provides you with information required for configuring the Dell™ PowerVault™ NX1950 storage system as a cluster solution and offers troubleshooting tips. The PowerVault NX1950 cluster solution enables two PowerVault NX1950 nodes to provide highly-available system and data.
The following list includes basic features of MSCS: • Highly-available and server consolidation • Deployable on a single network • Multiple-node cluster support NOTE: The multiple-node cluster is supported on PowerVault NX1950 cluster solution with Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition operating system only. For more information about MSCS features and functionality, see the Microsoft Support website at support.microsoft.com.
Quorum Resource MSCS uses quorum resource to maintain state and configuration information of the individual nodes and to enforce cluster unity. The quorum-device resource stores critical information about the cluster nodes and the resources in the cluster to ensure and manage consistency across both nodes. There are two types of quorum resources namely: quorum-device and majority-of-nodes cluster. The quorum-device resource requires a storage class device that is accessible by the other node in the cluster.
If the Windows Firewall settings are restored to the default values either due to user action or because of a system restore, you must reset the firewall port exceptions for the cluster setup to be successful. Dell provides a batch file that sets the required port exceptions to deploy, manage, and use the PowerVault NX1950 cluster solution. For instructions to download and execute the batch file, see the Dell PowerVault NX1950 Systems Deployment Guide.
Supported Operating System The PowerVault NX1950 cluster solution supports the Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition operating system. NOTE: The Microsoft Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition is supported on the PowerVault NX1950 storage system as a stand-alone solution only. You can purchase an upgrade kit from Dell to upgrade to the Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition.
Other Documents You May Need You can refer to the following documents located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. See the: 12 • Dell PowerVault NX1950 Systems Hardware Owner’s Manual for physical, firmware, software interface features, and troubleshooting for your PowerVault NX1950 storage system. • Dell PowerVault NX1950 Systems Getting Started Guide for system features, installation, and configuration of your PowerVault NX1950 storage system.
Setting Up Your Cluster 2 This section provides information about the prerequisites and the procedure to set up your Dell™ PowerVault™ NX1950 cluster solution. NOTE: For known issues and fixes regarding configuring and managing your cluster, see "Important Information" on page 39.
Table 2-1. Steps to Create the Cluster Solution Step/Phase Recommended Sequence Node 1 Node 2-8 Storage Array/ Network 1 Cable the solution 1 2 2 Turn on 5 6 3 4 NOTE: This step may take a few minutes to complete.
Before setting up a cluster, you must complete several initial tasks of connecting to the array, naming the array, and setting up the preliminary items. For more information regarding the initial tasks to perform, see "Prerequisites for Cabling Your Cluster" on page 15. Prerequisites for Cabling Your Cluster You must set up at least two LAN connections to enable your storage solution as a cluster.
Cabling Your Integrated Solution Figure 2-2 shows the supported cable configuration for the PowerVault NX1950 cluster solution. You must connect the SAS 5/E Adapters on both the PowerVault NX1950 storage systems to the PowerVault MD3000 storage array to enable the storage systems as cluster nodes. For your Ethernet port connection, It is recommended that you use the on-board connections for the public network. These on-board NIC connections support TCP/IP Offload Engine (TOE).
1 NIC port A to Gb Ethernet switch (optional) for MSCS heartbeat 5 Port 1 on PowerVault NX1950 storage system 1 SAS HBA to In-1 on controller 1 2 NIC port B to Gb Ethernet switch (optional) 6 Port 0 on PowerVault NX1950 storage system 1 SAS HBA to In-1 on controller 0 3 On-board Gb1 and Gb2 to Gb Ethernet switch(es) 7 Port 0 on PowerVault NX1950 storage system 0 SAS HBA to In-0 on controller 0 4 Port 1 on PowerVault NX1950 storage system 0 SAS HBA to In-0 on controller 1 8 DRAC port to Ethern
Figure 2-3.
Figure 2-4. PowerVault NX1950 Initial Configuration Tasks NOTE: You can also access the PowerVault NX1950 Initial Configuration Tasks wizard from the PowerVault NX1950 Management Console. To launch this wizard, click Edit server configuration located in the right pane of the window as highlighted in the Figure 2-1 below. Creating the Cluster The PowerVault NX1950 Initial Configuration Tasks wizard can be used to create the cluster. Table 2-2 summarizes the steps for creating a cluster using this wizard.
Table 2-2. Phases in Creating a Cluster (continued) Step/Phase Node 1 Supply Administrative Information ✓ Verify Configuration ✓ Start Creation Process ✓ Verify Completion ✓ Add remaining nodes ✓ Join Cluster Nodes 2-8 ✓ Configure Highly-Available File Server ✓ Instance (optional) ✓ indicates that the step is applicable to the respective cluster component. NOTE: You can initiate the "Create or Join Cluster" from any node.
4 After the quorum disk is created, the New Server Cluster Wizard appears. This wizard takes you though the process of cluster creation. Click Next to begin the process. 5 The Analyzing Configuration window appears and the system configuration is analyzed. If a cluster configuration already exists, this step fails. For information about correcting this error, see "Troubleshooting" on page 35. If no error is reported after the analysis is completed, click Next.
Figure 2-6. New Server Cluster Wizard NOTE: The cautions in the Creating the Cluster window in Figure 2-6 are reported as a result of the firewall being enabled. This does not impact successful cluster creation. For more information about firewall port exceptions, see "Firewall Port Exceptions" on page 9. 11 The cluster creation process is complete. If any errors have occurred during the cluster creation, the color of the progress bar appears red. Click Next.
14 The Welcome to the Add Nodes screen appears. Click Next to continue. 15 The Cluster Name and Domain screen appears. Enter the cluster name and domain of the cluster that you want to join and click Next. 16 The Select Computers screen appears. This dialog box allows you to add additional nodes to the cluster. Perform the steps below to choose and configure the additional node(s): a In the Select Computers screen, click Browse and locate the additional node(s).
20 If the node is successfully added, the progress bar is green. If there are any errors, the progress bar is red. Click Back to fix any configuration errors that caused the failure. After the errors are corrected and the progress bar is green, click Next. 21 The Completing the Add Nodes Wizard screen appears indicating that the second node has been added successfully. You can view the log of events by clicking View Log.... 22 Click Finish to complete the process.
Managing Your Cluster 3 Creating a Highly Available File Server Instance In the Dell™ PowerVault™ NX1950 cluster solution, all cluster nodes must be configured with a Highly-Available File Server Instance to access the resources of the cluster. This creates a cluster resource group that includes a network name and IP address allowing the file shares that are provisioned on the Highly-Available Server Instance to failover between nodes.
Creating a Highly Available iSCSI Target Using Microsoft iSCSI Target 3.0 1 Click Start→Administrative Tools→Services→Microsoft iSCSI Software Target→(right-click) Stop, to stop the iSCSI service. 2 Stop the Microsoft® iSCSI service on each cluster node and set it to Manual. 3 On the Active node, go to Start→Administrative Tools→Cluster Administrator→Groups→Cluster Group (right-click)→New Resource.
Creating a Highly Available iSCSI Server Instance Using Microsoft iSCSI Target 3.1 To create Targets and assign the .vhd files, the following steps need to be performed: Create Highly Available iSCSI Instance 1 Right-click the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target icon in the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and click Create high availability instance for iSCSI. 2 Type the desired name into the field for Resource Group Name and click Add.
Target Side 1 Right-click the Target icon in the MMC and click Create iSCSI Target. 2 Type the Target name, Target description, and click Next. 3 Browse for the desired IQN identifier of the initiator or click Advanced→ Add IP address and enter the IP address of the initiator, and then click Next. 4 Select the desired Highly-Available iSCSI instance from the drop-down menu and click Next. 5 Click Finish. The Target should be successfully created.
Virtual Disk/Target Associations 1 Right-click the Target and select Add existing virtual disk. 2 Select the desired virtual disk and click OK. The virtual disk is associated to the Target and ready for use. Creating a Shared Storage Disk 1 Click Start→Administrative Tools→Windows unified Data Storage Server PowerVault NX1950 Management Console→Share and Storage Management→Run Provision Storage. 2 Follow the on-screen instructions.
Table 3-1. Adding a Node Manually Step/Phase New Node(s) Existing Node(s) 1 Add the cluster to the Server Connections ✓ ✓ 2 Edit the Cluster Connection to include all nodes ✓ ✓ 3 Assign the Quorum Disk to the Cluster ✓ ✓ 4 Configure the RPC Locator Service as Automatic ✓ ✓ and start the service ✓ indicates that the step is applicable to the respective cluster component. You must perform the actions in the table on each additional node for the cluster to function properly.
Adding an Additional Node After the cluster has been added to the server connections, the additional node must also be added to the list of server connections. 1 If you have already done so, click Manage Server Connections in the management console. 2 The Manage Server Connections window appears. Click Add. 3 The Add Server window appears. Click Browse. 4 In the Select Computer window, click Find Now, and enter the administrator user name and password. Click OK.
Configure the RPC Locator Service The last step in creating your cluster is to set the RPC Locator Service to Automatic. Perform the procedure below to change this setting: 1 Click Start→Programs→Administrative Tools→Services. 2 Locate the RPC Locator Service and double-click the icon. 3 The Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator Properties window launches. In the General tab, set the Startup type as Automatic. 4 Click Start to start the service.
To remove the cluster node using the cluster.exe tool, you must stop the cluster service and then evict the node by performing the following procedure: 1 Open an MS-DOS® prompt.
Removing the Cluster Removing the cluster is a destructive operation and may affect cluster functionality. NOTICE: Ensure that you back up all data on the cluster nodes before performing these actions to avoid loss of data. To remove cluster, remove all but one node and then remove the last node using the /forcecleanup option. After the last node has been removed, the cluster has been removed. To clear the history of the cluster: 1 Go to Storage Manager for SANs→Manage Clusters→Edit Cluster.
A Troubleshooting Microsoft® Windows® Unified Data Storage Server 2003 provides general cluster troubleshooting. To access this Help and Support content: 1 Click Start→Help and Support. 2 The Help and Support window appears. Search for content related to Cluster Troubleshooting. In the search results, locate and select the Troubleshooting: Server Cluster option. This section gives you information about general cluster troubleshooting.
Table A-1. General Cluster Troubleshooting (continued) Problem Area The PowerVault NX1950 cluster solution is unable to detect the PowerVault MD3000 storage array Probable Cause Corrective Action Firewall exceptions are closed. Execute the firewall exceptions script that is a part of the PowerVault NX1950 cluster solution software. This script restores the exceptions to factory settings and allows cluster operations to run.
Table A-1. General Cluster Troubleshooting (continued) Problem Area Probable Cause Replacing the SAS 5/E host bus adapter (HBA) Corrective Action To replace the HBA, perform the following steps: 1 Turn off the cluster node and remove the cabling. 2 Replace the HBA. 3 Cable and turn on the cluster node. 4 Exit from the Dell Storage Initialization Wizard when it attempts to run and launch the Dell Modular Disk Storage Manager. 5 Select Manual Discovery and type in local host.
Troubleshooting
B Important Information This section provides important information about Dell™ PowerVault™ NX1950 cluster solution.
• Use the Cluster Administrator to delete the LUN. Start the Cluster Administrator and then change the disk associated with the cluster to offline. NOTE: This action reports an error message from the PowerVault NX1950 Management Console, but the LUN has been deleted.
Limitations While Creating a Shared LUN In the Integrated Solution with the PowerVault MD3000 storage array, you can use the Provision Storage Wizard to create LUNs. In the Server Assignment window, you will be prompted to assign the LUN by choosing one of the options below as shown in Figure B-1. • This server only • All servers in this cluster • Other server or cluster Select the default option All servers in this cluster and follow the instructions on the screen to create the LUN. Figure B-1.
Dell Storage Initialization Wizard Does Not Register the Cluster Node to the PowerVault MD3000 Storage Array if a Dummy Host is Registered You can register a maximum of two hosts (or cluster nodes) with the PowerVault MD3000 storage array using the Dell Storage Initialization Wizard. The wizard does not register additional hosts after two hosts have been registered. You may encounter an error condition where you are not allowed to register an additional host even when a single physical host is registered.
6 Click Next. 7 Verify that all cluster nodes are listed in the Possible Owners window and click Next. 8 Select the following dependencies: – Cluster IP Address – Cluster Name – Physical Disk of Choice 9 Click Add and then click Next. 10 Follow the instructions on the screen and then click Finish. 11 Right-click on Resource and select Online. The disk is now part of the cluster. 12 Refresh the Volumes tab under Share and Storage Management.
Important Information
Glossary CD Compact Disk Cluster A configuration of two Dell™ PowerVault™ NX1950 storage systems and Storage Array that uses MSCS. DRAC Dell Remote Assistance Card GB Gigabyte Gb Gigabit HD Hard Drive Host Group A group of two or more hosts that share access to specific virtual disks on the storage array. All hosts in a host group must be running the same operating system.
NAS Solution A configuration that consists of at least one PowerVault NX1950 storage system with a PowerVault MD3000 storage array connected via SAS and Ethernet. NIC Network Interface Card Node A PowerVault NX1950 storage system that can be a member of a cluster configuration.
Index C P cluster nodes, 8 PowerVault NX1950 cluster system, 7 Cabling, 16 operating system, 11 Removing, 32 Setup, 19 Tools, 11 F Firewall Port Exception, 9 M MSCS, 7 Q Quorum resource, 9 Index 47
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