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Dell EMC AX4-5I Hardware Installation Manual
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Dell EMC AX4-5I Hardware Installation Manual

Storage arrays with microsoft windows server failover clusters
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Dell|EMC AX4-5i iSCSI Storage Arrays
®
®
With Microsoft
Windows Server
Failover Clusters
Hardware 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 . c o m

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Summary of Contents for Dell EMC AX4-5I

  • Page 1: Troubleshooting Guide

    Dell|EMC AX4-5i iSCSI Storage Arrays ® ® With Microsoft Windows Server Failover Clusters Hardware 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 . c o m...
  • Page 2 Information in this document is subject to change without notice. © 2008 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden. Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, PowerEdge, PowerVault, and OpenManage are trademarks of Dell Inc.;...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Contents Introduction Cluster Solution Cluster Hardware Requirements Cluster Nodes Cluster Storage NICs Dedicated to iSCSI Ethernet Switches Dedicated to iSCSI Supported Cluster Configurations Direct-Attached Cluster iSCSI SAN-Attached Cluster Other Documents You May Need Cabling Your Cluster Hardware Cabling the Mouse, Keyboard, and Monitor Cabling the Power Supplies Cabling Your Cluster for Public and Private Networks...
  • Page 4 Preparing Your Systems for Clustering Cluster Configuration Overview Installation Overview Installing the iSCSI NICs Installing the Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator Modifying the TCP Registry Settings Installing EMC Configuring the Shared Storage System Installing and Configuring a Failover Cluster A Troubleshooting B Cluster Data Form C iSCSI Configuration Worksheet Index...

  • Page 5: Introduction

    Troubleshooting Guide located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. For a list of recommended operating systems, hardware components, and driver or firmware versions for your Failover Cluster, see the Dell Cluster Configuration Support Matrices located on the Dell High Availability Clustering website at www.dell.com/ha.

  • Page 6: Cluster Solution

    Cluster Solution Your cluster supports a minimum of two nodes to a maximum of either eight nodes (with Windows Server 2003 operating systems) or sixteen nodes (with Windows Server 2008 operating systems) and provides the following features: • Gigabit Ethernet technology for iSCSI clusters •...

  • Page 7: Cluster Nodes

    A minimum of two identical PowerEdge servers are required. The maximum number of nodes that is supported depends on the variant of the Windows Server operating system used in your cluster, and on the physical topology in which the storage system and nodes are interconnected.

  • Page 8: Cluster Storage

    Table 1-2. Cluster Storage Requirements Hardware Components Requirement Supported storage One to four supported Dell|EMC storage systems. systems For specific storage system requirements, see Table 1-3. Cluster nodes All nodes must be directly attached to a single storage system or attached to one or more storage systems through a SAN.

  • Page 9: Nics Dedicated To Iscsi

    NOTE: Ensure that the core software version running on the storage system is supported. For specific version requirements, see the Dell Cluster Configuration Support Matrices located on the Dell High Availability Cluster website at www.dell.com/ha. NICs Dedicated to iSCSI The NIC controlled by iSCSI Software Initiator acts as an I/O adapter to connect the system's expansion bus and the storage components.

  • Page 10: Iscsi San-Attached Cluster

    EMC PowerPath provides failover capabilities and multiple path detection as well as dynamic load balancing between multiple ports on the same storage processor. However, direct-attached clusters supported by Dell connect to a single port on each storage processor in the storage system. Because of the single port limitation, PowerPath can provide only failover protection, not load balancing, in a direct-attached configuration.

  • Page 11: Other Documents You May Need

    NOTE: To configure Dell blade server modules in a Dell PowerEdge cluster, see the Using Dell Blade Servers in a Dell PowerEdge High Availability Cluster document located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
  • Page 12 The Dell Failover Clusters with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Installation • and Troubleshooting Guide provides more information on deploying your cluster with the Windows Server 2008 operating system. • The Dell Cluster Configuration Support Matrices provides a list of recommended operating systems, hardware components, and driver or firmware versions for your Failover Cluster.

  • Page 13: Cabling Your Cluster Hardware

    Cabling Your Cluster Hardware NOTE: To configure Dell blade server modules in a Dell™ PowerEdge™ cluster, see the Using Dell Blade Servers in a Dell PowerEdge High Availability Cluster document located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. Cabling the Mouse, Keyboard, and Monitor When installing a cluster configuration in a rack, you must include a switch box to connect the mouse, keyboard, and monitor to the nodes.
  • Page 14 Figure 2-1. Power Cabling Example With One Power Supply in the PowerEdge Systems and One SPS in the AX4-5i Storage Array primary power supplies on one AC power strip (or on one AC PDU [not shown]) NOTE: This illustration is intended only to demonstrate the power distribution of the components.

  • Page 15: Cabling Your Cluster For Public And Private Networks

    Table 2-1. NOTE: To configure Dell blade server modules in a Dell PowerEdge cluster, see the Using Dell Blade Servers in a Dell PowerEdge High Availability Cluster document located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

  • Page 16: Cabling The Public Network

    Table 2-1. Network Connections Network Connection Public network Private network Figure 2-3 shows an example of cabling in which dedicated network adapters in each node are connected to each other (for the private network) and the remaining network adapters are connected to the public network. Figure 2-3.

  • Page 17: Cabling The Private Network

    Cabling the Private Network The private network connection to the nodes is provided by a different network adapter in each node. This network is used for intra-cluster communications. Table 2-2 describes three possible private network configurations. Table 2-2. Private Network Hardware Components and Connections Method Hardware Components Network...

  • Page 18: Cabling The Storage Systems

    Cabling Storage for Your Direct-Attached Cluster A direct-attached cluster configuration consists of redundant iSCSI NIC ports cabled directly to a Dell|EMC storage system. Direct-attached configurations are self-contained and do not share any physical resources with other cluster nodes or storage systems outside of the cluster.
  • Page 19 Each cluster node attaches to the storage system using CAT5e or CAT6 LAN cables with RJ45 connectors that attach to Gigabit Ethernet NICs in the cluster nodes and the Gigabit iSCSI storage processor (SP) ports in the Dell|EMC storage system. NOTE: The connections listed in this section are representative of one proven method of ensuring redundancy in the connections between the cluster nodes and the storage system.

  • Page 20: Cabling Storage For Your Iscsi San-Attached Cluster

    Figure 2-5. Cabling the Cluster Nodes to an AX4-5i Storage System cluster node 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports (2) Cabling Storage for Your iSCSI SAN-Attached Cluster An iSCSI SAN-attached cluster is a cluster configuration where all cluster nodes are attached to a single storage system or to multiple storage systems through a network using a redundant switch fabric.
  • Page 21 Figure 2-6. Two-Node iSCSI SAN-Attached Cluster cluster node iSCSI connections Gigabit Ethernet switch public network private network storage system Cabling Your Cluster Hardware cluster node iSCSI connections Gigabit Ethernet switch...
  • Page 22 Figure 2-7. Eight-Node iSCSI SAN-Attached Cluster Gigabit Ethernet switch Cabling Your Cluster Hardware public network private network cluster nodes (2-8) storage system Gigabit Ethernet switch...
  • Page 23 Cabling One iSCSI SAN-Attached Cluster to a Dell|EMC AX4-5i Storage System 1 Connect cluster node 1 to the iSCSI network. Connect a network cable from iSCSI NIC 0 (or NIC port 0) to the network switch 0 (sw0). Connect a network cable from iSCSI NIC 1 (or NIC port 1) to the network switch 1 (sw1).
  • Page 24 Figure 2-8. Cabling an iSCSI SAN-Attached Cluster to the Dell|EMC AX4-5i cluster node 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports (2) Cabling Your Cluster Hardware Gigabit Ethernet ports (2) SP-B AX4-5i storage system cluster node 2 SP-A...
  • Page 25 For rules and guidelines for iSCSI SAN-attached clusters, see the Dell Cluster Configuration Support Matrices located on the Dell High Availability Cluster website at www.dell.com/ha.
  • Page 26 • Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 support mount points, allowing greater than 22 drives per cluster. For more information, see Dell™ Failover Clusters With Microsoft Installation and Troubleshooting Guide or Dell™ Failover Clusters With ® Microsoft Windows Server located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

  • Page 27: Preparing Your Systems For Clustering

    NOTE: For more information on step 3 to step 7 and step 10 to step 13, see the "Preparing your systems for clustering" section of Dell Failover Clusters with Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide or Dell Failover Clusters with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
  • Page 28 NOTE: You can configure the cluster nodes as Domain Controllers. For more information, see the “Selecting a Domain Model” section of Dell Failover Clusters with Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide or Dell Failover Clusters with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

  • Page 29: Installation Overview

    For a list of Dell PowerEdge systems, iSCSI NICs, recommended list of operating system variants, and specific driver and firmware revisions, see the Dell Cluster Configuration Support Matrices located on the Dell High Availability Cluster website at www.dell.com/ha.

  • Page 30: Installing The Iscsi Nics

    The following sub-sections describe steps that enable you to establish communication between the cluster nodes and your shared Dell|EMC AX4-5i storage array, and to present disks from the storage array to the cluster. The following installation procedures are discussed in the subsequent sections: •...

  • Page 31: Modifying The Tcp Registry Settings

    6 Read and accept the license agreement and click Next to install the software. 7 At the completion screen, click Finish to complete the installation. 8 Select the Do not restart now option to reboot the system after modifying the TCP/IP registry settings in the section "Configuring the Shared Storage System"...

  • Page 32: Configuring The Shared Storage System

    7 Click Yes to reboot the system. Configuring the Shared Storage System To install and configure the Dell|EMC storage system in your cluster: 1 Install and use Navisphere Storage System Initialization Utility from a node or management station to initialize your AX4-5i storage system.
  • Page 33 Each storage system in the cluster is centrally managed by one host system (also called a management station) running EMC centralized storage management application used to configure Dell|EMC storage systems. If you have an expansion pack option for the storage system and it has not been installed, install it at this time: 1 From the management host, open a web browser.
  • Page 34 Configuring the Navisphere Server Utility The Navisphere Server Utility registers the cluster node NICs with the storage systems, allowing the nodes to access the cluster storage data. The tool is also used for cluster node maintenance procedures, such as: •...
  • Page 35 Configuring the iSCSI Initiator using iSNS iSNS includes an iSNS server component and iSNS client component. The iSNS server must reside within the IP storage network on a host or in the switch firmware. An iSNS client resides on both the iSCSI storage system and any iSCSI systems connected to the storage system.
  • Page 36 Windows operating system in an iSCSI network configuration. To configure iSNS client, login to Navisphere Express. For each iSNS server to which you want the storage system to connect: 1 In the Manage iSCSI window, click iSNS.
  • Page 37 3 Select Configure iSCSI Connections and click Next. 4 In the iSCSI Targets and Connections window, select Discover iSCSI targets using this iSNS server to send a request to the iSNS server for all connected iSCSI storage-system targets, and click Next.
  • Page 38 High Availability (recommended) if the peer iSCSI target is listed. If you selected Also login to peer iSCSI target for High Availability (recommended) in step b, leave the Server Network Adapter IP set to Default to allow the iSCSI initiator to automatically fail over to an available NIC in the event of a failure.
  • Page 39 Click Virtual Disks, select the virtual disks that you want to assign to the cluster node, and then click Assign Server. 5 In Virtual Disk - Assign Server screen, select the cluster nodes that you want to assign to the virtual disk and click Apply.
  • Page 40 Advanced Storage Features (Optional) Your Dell|EMC AX4-5i storage array may be configured to provide advanced features that can be used with your cluster. These features include Snapshot Management, SANCopy, Navisphere Manager, and MirrorView. The following sections describe these features. Snapshot Management Snapshot Management captures images of a virtual disk and retains the image independently of subsequent changes to the files.

  • Page 41: Installing And Configuring A Failover Cluster

    Server 2003 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. For more information on deploying your cluster with Windows Server 2008 operating systems, see the Dell Failover Clusters with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
  • Page 42 Preparing Your Systems for Clustering...

  • Page 43: A Troubleshooting

    Troubleshooting This appendix provides troubleshooting information for your cluster configuration. Table A-1 describes general cluster problems you may encounter and the probable causes and solutions for each problem. Table A-1. General Cluster Troubleshooting Problem Probable Cause The nodes cannot The storage system is access the storage not cabled properly to system, or the cluster...
  • Page 44 Table A-1. General Cluster Troubleshooting (continued) Problem Attempts to connect to a cluster using Cluster Administrator fail. Troubleshooting Probable Cause Corrective Action One or more nodes Configure the Internet may have the Internet Connection Firewall to allow Connection Firewall communications that are required enabled, blocking by the Microsoft Remote Procedure...
  • Page 45 NICs in disconnected. the private network are available. Normal. Some Dell strongly recommends that resources in Windows you use Windows XP Server 2003 are not Professional or Windows Server supported in 2003 for remote administration Windows NT 4.0.
  • Page 46 Microsoft Support website at support.microsoft.com. This situation is No action required. normal if you stopped the Cluster Service. If you are running Windows Server 2003, this situation is normal if the cluster node does not own the cluster disk. Minimum value...
  • Page 47 Windows Internet Connection Firewall enabled, see Microsoft Base (KB) articles 258469 and 883398 at the Microsoft Support website at support.microsoft.com and the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Technet website at www.microsoft.com/technet. On the Windows desktop, right-click My Computer and click Manage.
  • Page 48 Table A-1. General Cluster Troubleshooting (continued) Problem Public network clients cannot access the applications or services that are provided by the cluster. Troubleshooting Probable Cause Corrective Action One or more nodes Configure the Internet may have the Internet Connection Firewall to allow Connection Firewall communications that are enabled, blocking...

  • Page 49: B Cluster Data Form

    Use the form when you call for technical support. Table B-1. Cluster Configuration Information Cluster Information Cluster Solution Cluster name and IP address Server type Installer Date installed Applications Location Notes Table B-2. Cluster Node Configuration Information...
  • Page 50 Table B-3. Additional Network Information Additional Networks Table B-4. Storage Array Configuration Information Array Array Service Tag IP Address Cluster Data Form Number of Attached DAEs Virtual Disks...

  • Page 51: C Iscsi Configuration Worksheet

    Configuration Worksheet If you need additional space for more than one host server, use an additional sheet. Server 1, iSCSI NIC port 0 Server 1, iSCSI NIC port 1 Server 2, iSCSI NIC port 0 Server 2, iSCSI NIC port 1...
  • Page 52 iSCSI Configuration Worksheet...

  • Page 53: Index

    9 direct-attached, 9, 18 iSCSI SAN-attached, 10 cluster storage requirements, 8 clustering overview, 5 Dell | EMC AX4-5i Cabling a two-node cluster, 19 Dell|EMC AX4-5i Cabling a two-node cluster, 19 cabling the cluster nodes in an iSCSI SAN-attached environment, 23...
  • Page 54 13 MSCS installing and configuring, 41 network adapters cabling the private network, 16-17 cabling the public network, 16 operating system Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition installing, 29 Index power supplies cabling, 13 private network cabling, 15, 17 hardware components, 17...

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