Page 1: Storage Arrays
Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3200i and MD3220i Storage Arrays Owner’s Manual Regulatory Model: E03J Series and E04J Series Regulatory Type: E03J001 and E04J001...
Page 2 Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
Page 3: Table Of Contents
About This Document ....Inside the box of the Dell PowerVault MD3200i Series Storage Array ....
Page 4 Planning: RAID Controller Modules ..RAID Controller Modules ....RAID Controller Module Connectors and Features . . . RAID Controller Module—Additional Features .
Page 5 Consistency Check ....Media Verification ....Cycle Time .
Page 6 Configuration: Overview ... . User Interface ..... . Enterprise Management Window .
Page 7 Setting the Storage Array RAID Controller Module Clocks ....Configuration: Using iSCSI ... Changing the iSCSI Target Authentication .
Page 8 Configuration: About Your Host ..Configuring Host Access ....Using the Mappings Tab ....Defining a Host .
Page 9 Creating a Security Key ....Changing a Security Key ....Saving a Security Key .
Page 10 Using Unconfigured Capacity ... Disk Group Migration ....Export Disk Group ....Exporting a Disk Group .
Page 11 Disabling a Snapshot Virtual Disk ... . Preparing Host Servers to Re-create a Snapshot Virtual Disk ....Re-creating a Snapshot Virtual Disk .
Page 12 Preparing Host Servers to Recopy a Virtual Disk ....Recopying the Virtual Disk ... . Removing Copy Pairs .
Page 13 Downloading MD1200 Series Expansion Module EMM Firmware ....Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) ... . . Media Errors and Unreadable Sectors .
Page 14 Removing the RAID Controller Module Backup Battery Unit ... Installing the RAID Controller Module Backup Battery Unit ... Power Supply/Cooling Fan Module .
Page 15 Device Health Conditions ....Storage Array Support Data ....Automatically Collect the Support Bundle Data .
Page 16 20 Troubleshooting: Your Array ..Safety First—For you and Your Array ..Troubleshooting Storage Array Startup Failure ..Troubleshooting Loss of Communication .
Page 17 ..... . Contacting Dell .....
Page 18 Contents...
Page 19: Introduction
Troubleshooting—Tasks that you must complete to resolve problems that may occur with the storage array. Additional information on these and other topics can be found in the Dell PowerVault MD3200i and MD3220i Storage Array Deployment Guide, available at support.dell.com/manuals.
Page 20: Dell Powervault Md3200I Series Storage Array
Dell PowerVault MD3200i Series Storage Array The Dell PowerVault MD3200i Series is a 2U rack-mounted external redundant array of independent disks (RAID) storage array capable of accommodating up to 12 3.5-inch or 24 2.5-inch 6.0-Gbps Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) disks.
Page 21 • This document as well as Dell PowerVault MD 1200 series installation guide is available at support.dell.com/manuals for users who incorporate MD1200 expansion enclosures.
Page 22 Introduction...
Page 23: Planning: About Your Storage Array
It features support for both single and dual RAID controller configuration. The Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3200i storage array provides 1.0-Gbps 1000 BaseT connectivity to the host server and enables access to 32 physical hosts. The MD3200i Series storage array includes: •...
Page 24: Hardware Features
Hardware Features Front-Panel Features and Indicators Figure 2-1. Front-Panel Features and Indicators—Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3200i Figure 2-2. Front-Panel Features and Indicators—Dell PowerVault MD3220i Planning: About Your Storage Array...
Page 25 Figure 2-3. Front-Bezel Features and Indicators Item Indicator, Button, or Icon Description Connector Enclosure status LED The enclosure status LED lights when the enclosure power is on. Lights blue during normal operation. Blinks blue when a host server is identifying the enclosure or when the system identification button is pressed.
Page 26 RAID controller module(s) blink blue until the button is pushed again. Hard drives PowerVault MD3200i—Up to 12 3.5-inch SAS hot-swappable hard drives. PowerVault MD3220i—Up to 24 2.5-inch SAS hot-swappable hard drives.
Page 27: Back Panel Features And Indicators
Back Panel Features and Indicators Figure 2-4. Back-Panel Features and Indicators—Dell PowerVault MD3200i Series 600W Power supply/cooling fan RAID Controller Module 0 module RAID Controller Module 1 600W Power supply/cooling fan module Planning: About Your Storage Array...
Page 28: Hard-Drive Indicator Patterns
Hard-Drive Indicator Patterns Figure 2-5. Hard Drive Indicators hard-drive activity indicator (green) hard-drive status indicator (green and amber) Planning: About Your Storage Array...
Page 29: Power Supply And Cooling Fan Features
Drive-Status Indicator Pattern Condition The physical disk is: • not yet discovered by the host server • has been spun down for removal • not supported for the RAID controller module or is not in the physical disk slot NOTE: The drive status indicator remains off until all hard drives are initialized after system power is turned on.
Page 30: Power Indicator Codes
Power Indicator Codes Figure 2-6. Power Indicator Codes Item LED Type Icon Description DC power The LED lights green when the DC output voltage is within the limit. If this LED is off, it indicates that the DC output voltage are not within the limit. Power supply/cooling The LED lights amber when the DC output fan fault...
Page 31: Planning: Raid Controller Modules
Planning: RAID Controller Modules RAID Controller Modules The RAID controller modules provide high-performance, advanced virtual disk configuration, and fault-tolerant disk subsystem management. Each RAID controller module contains 2 GB of cache that is mirrored with the other controller's cache for high availability and is protected by a battery- powered cache offload mechanism.
Page 32: Raid Controller Module Connectors And Features
Provides host-to-controller iSCSI 1Gbps Ethernet connection. iSCSI IN port 3 Provides host-to-controller iSCSI 1Gbps Ethernet connection. Management port Provides a 100/1000 Mbps Ethernet connection for ethernet connector out-of-band management of the enclosure. Debug port Dell support only. Planning: RAID Controller Modules...
Page 33 Item Component Function SAS OUT port Lights green when all four links are connected. link/fault LED Lights amber when one to three links are disconnected. Off when all links in the port are disconnected or cable is disconnected. iSCSI IN port link Lights green when ethernet connection at 1Gbps established.
Page 34: Raid Controller Module-Additional Features
Item Component Function Management port Lights green when ethernet connection is operating at speed LED 1000 Mbps. Lights amber when ethernet connection is operating at 100 Mbps. Off when ethernet connection is operating at 10 Mbps or is not active. Management port Lights green when ethernet connection is active.
Page 35: System Password Reset
Table 3-1. Shutdown Threshold Type Threshold Temperature Exceeding Event Description Nominal failure threshold A critical event is set Maximum failure threshold Shutdown of the system power supplies occurs within three minutes Shutdown threshold Shutdown of the system power supplies occurs within five seconds System Password Reset The storage array system password can be reset if it is forgotten.
Page 36: Write-Through Cache
mirrored to the cache of the second controller before completion status is issued to the host initiator. Write-Back Cache is enabled by default unless cache mirroring is disabled. Write-Through Cache In write-through cache, data is written to the physical disk before completion status is returned to the host operating system.
Page 37: Planning: Md3200I Series Storage
Number (LUN) that is recognized by the host operating system. Physical Disks Only Dell™ supported 6.0-Gbps SAS physical disks are supported in the storage array. If the storage array detects unsupported physical disks, it marks the disk as unsupported and the physical disk becomes unavailable for all operations.
Page 38: Physical Disk States
NOTE: The MD3200i storage enclosure must contain at least two physical disks for proper operation. This is necessary because the physical disks are used to store configuration information. Physical Disk States The storage array recognizes the physical disk states. Mode and status of physical disks are reported in the MDSM application.
Page 39: Self-Monitoring Analysis And Reporting Technology
(continued) Table 4-1. RAID Controller Physical Disk States Status Mode Description Physical Disk Status LED Offline Not applicable The physical disk has either been spun Flashing Green down or had a rebuild aborted by user (3000 ms), Amber request. (3000 ms), and off(3000ms) Identify Assigned,...
Page 40: Virtual Disk States
Disk groups are always created in the unconfigured capacity of a storage array. Unconfigured capacity is the available physical disk space not already assigned in the storage array. Virtual disks are created within the free capacity of a disk group. Free capacity is the space in a disk group that has not been assigned to a virtual disk.
Page 41: Raid Level Usage
Each RAID level provides different performance and protection. You should select a RAID level based on the type of application, access, fault tolerance, and data you are storing. The storage array supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10. The maximum number of physical disks that can be used in a disk group depends on the RAID level: •...
Page 42: Segment Size
RAID 1 is recommended for small databases or other applications that do not require large capacity for example accounting, payroll, or financial applications. RAID 1 provides full data redundancy. RAID 5 RAID 5 uses parity and striping data across all physical disks (distributed parity) to provide high data throughput and data redundancy, especially for small random access.
Page 43: Virtual Disk Operations
The segment size or stripe element size specifies the size of data in a stripe written to a single disk. The storage array supports stripe element sizes of 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, and 512 KB. The default stripe element size is 128 KB. Stripe width, or depth, refers to the number of disks involved in an array where striping is implemented.
Page 44: Media Verification
NOTE: Dell recommends that you run data consistency checks on a redundant array at least once a month. This allows detection and automatic replacement of unreadable sectors. Finding an unreadable sector during a rebuild of a failed physical disk is a serious problem, because the system does not have the redundancy to recover the data.
Page 45: Disk Group Operations
• Foreground initialization • Consistency check • Rebuild • Copy back. If a redundant RAID controller module fails with existing virtual disk processes, the processes on the failed controller are transferred to the peer controller. A transferred process is placed in a suspended state if there are four active processes on the peer controller.
Page 46: Virtual Disk Capacity Expansion
• If I/O activity stretches beyond the segment size, you can increase it to reduce the number of disks required for a single I/O. Using a single physical disk for a single request frees disks to service other requests, especially when you have multiple users accessing a database or storage environment.
Page 47: Raid Background Operations Priority
• Virtual disk RAID level migration • Segment size migration • Virtual disk capacity expansion • Disk group expansion • Disk group defragmentation. If a redundant RAID controller module fails with an existing disk group process, the process on the failed controller is transferred to the peer controller.
Page 48: Virtual Disk Migration And Disk Roaming
NOTE: Setting a high priority level impacts storage array performance. It is not advisable to set priority levels at the maximum level. Priority should also be assessed in terms of impact to host server access and time to complete an operation.
Page 49 Use either of the following methods to move disk groups and virtual disks: • Hot virtual disk migration—Disk migration with the destination storage array power turned on. • Cold virtual disk migration—Disk migration with the destination storage array power turned off. NOTE: To ensure that the migrating disk groups and virtual disks are correctly recognized when the target storage array has an existing physical disk, use hot...
Page 50: Disk Roaming
• Enabling premium features before migration—Before migrating disk groups and virtual disks, enable the required premium features on the destination storage array. If a disk group is migrated from a MD3200i storage array that has a premium feature enabled and the destination array does not have this feature enabled, an Out of Compliance error message can be generated.
Page 51: Host Types
• Host server-to-virtual disk mappings are shared between RAID controller modules in the storage array. • A unique LUN must be used by a host group or host server to access a virtual disk. • Not every operating system has the same number of LUNs available for use.
Page 52: Snapshot Repository Virtual Disk
For details on mapping the snapshot virtual disk to the secondary node, refer to the Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3200i and MD3220i Storage Arrays With Microsoft® Windows Server® Failover Clusters on support.dell.com/manuals. Virtual Disk Copy Virtual disk copy is a premium feature you can use to: •...
Page 53: Virtual Disk Recovery
Source Virtual Disk When you create a virtual disk copy, a copy pair consisting of a source virtual disk and a target virtual disk is created on the same storage array. When a virtual disk copy is started, data from the source virtual disk is copied completely to the target virtual disk.
Page 54: Multi-Path Software
You can copy data from a virtual disk in one of two ways: • By taking a point-in-time snapshot of the data • By copying the data to another virtual disk using a virtual disk copy You can select a snapshot virtual disk as the source virtual disk for a virtual disk copy.
Page 55: Virtual Disk Ownership
• Physically removed • Updating firmware • Involved in an event that caused failover to the alternate controller Paths used by the preferred RAID controller module to access either the disks or the host server are called the preferred paths; redundant paths are called the alternate paths.
Page 56: Monitoring Md3200I Series System Performance
paths to the RAID controller module that owns the virtual disk equally for I/O activity. Paths to the secondary RAID controller module are ignored until ownership changes. The basic assumption for the round-robin policy is that the data paths are equal. With mixed host support, the data paths might have different bandwidths or different data transfer speeds.
Page 57 • If the storage array you are monitoring begins in or transitions to an unresponsive state, an informational dialog appears. The dialog informs you that the Performance Monitor cannot poll the storage array for performance data. To monitor the performance of the arrays: 1 Open MDSM and select the appropriate storage array.
Page 58 10 Type a file name in the File name text box. NOTE: The .perf extension is the default. 11 Select a file type from the Files of type list. • Use the Report format (ASCII text) file type if you want to save the data to a report form for viewing or printing.
Page 59: Configuration: Overview
Configuration: Overview Dell™ PowerVault™ Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM) online help contains information on the how to use the MDSM application to perform the configuration and management tasks described in this document. You can access online help by clicking Help located at the top right corner of MDSM interface.
Page 60: Enterprise Management Window
Enterprise Management Window The EMW provides high-level management of storage arrays. When you start MDSM, the EMW opens. The EMW has these tabs: • Devices tab—Provides information about the storage arrays. Setup tab—Presents the initial setup tasks that guide you through adding •...
Page 61: Array Management Window
Inheriting the System Settings Use the Inherit System Settings option to import the operating system theme settings into the MDSM. Importing system theme settings affects such features as font type, font size, color, and contrast in the MDSM. 1 Open the Inherit System Settings window in one of these ways: •...
Page 62 • Logical tab—You can view the organization of the storage array by virtual disks, disk groups, free capacity nodes, and any unconfigured capacity for the storage array. • Physical tab—You can view the organization of the storage array by RAID controller modules, physical disks, and other hardware components.
Page 63: Configuration: About Your Storage Array
Configuration: About Your Storage Array Out-of-Band and In-Band Management You can manage a storage array in two ways: • Out-of-band management • In-band management Out-of-Band Management Using the out-of-band management method, data is separate from commands and events. Data travels through the host-to-controller interface, while commands and events travel through the management port Ethernet cables.
Page 64: Storage Arrays
Some operating systems can be used only as storage management stations. For more information about the operating system that you are using, refer to the MD PowerVault Support Matrix at support.dell.com/manuals. For more information, see the PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager online help topics.
Page 65 NOTE: For Linux, set the default gateway so that broadcast packets are sent to 255.255.255.0. For Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®, if no gateway exists on the network, set the default gateway to the IP address of the NIC. NOTE: MDSM uses TCP/UDP port 2463 for communication to the MD Storage Array.
Page 66: Setting Up Your Storage Array
NOTE: When adding a storage array using in-band management with iSCSI, a session must first be established between the initiator on the host server and the storage array. For more information, see "Configuration: Using iSCSI" on page 81. NOTE: The host agent must be restarted before in-band management communication can be established.
Page 67: Locating Storage Arrays
• Configure the storage array—Create disk groups, virtual disks, and hot spare physical disks by using the Automatic configuration method or the Manual configuration method. For more information, see the PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager online help topics. • Map virtual disks—Map virtual disks to hosts or host groups. •...
Page 68: Naming Or Renaming Storage Arrays
• In the AMW, select Storage ArrayBlinkStorage Array. The LEDs blink on the physical disks in the storage array. 2 After locating the storage array, click OK. The LEDs stop blinking. 3 If the LEDs do not stop blinking, select Storage ArrayBlink Stop All Indications.
Page 69: Setting A Password
5 Click Yes. The new storage array name appears in the Select storage array table. 6 Repeat step 2 through step 4 to name or rename additional storage arrays. NOTE: Avoid arbitrary names or names that might lose meaning in the future. Setting a Password You can configure each storage array with a password to protect it from unauthorized access.
Page 70: Viewing Storage Array Connections
6 Click OK. NOTE: You are not prompted for a password when you attempt to change the storage array configuration in the current management session. Password Guidelines Follow these guidelines when you create a password: • Use secure passwords for your storage array. A password should be easy for you to remember but difficult for others to determine.
Page 71: Adding/Editing A Comment To An Existing Storage Array
Adding/Editing a Comment to an Existing Storage Array A descriptive comment, with an applicable storage array name, is a helpful identification tool. You can add or edit a comment for a storage array in the EMW only. To add or edit a comment: 1 In the EMW, select the Devices tab and select the relevant managed storage array.
Page 72: Enabling Premium Features
Enabling Premium Features You can enable premium features on the storage array. To enable the premium features, you must obtain a feature key file specific to the premium feature that you want to enable from your storage supplier. To enable premium features: 1 From the toolbar in AMW, select Storage Array...
Page 73: Changing Expansion Enclosure Id Numbers
2 Select or enter the percentage of unwritten data in the cache to trigger a cache flush in Start flushing. 3 Select or enter the percentage of unwritten data in the cache to stop a cache flush in progress in Stop flushing. 4 Select the appropriate Cache block size.
Page 74: Configuring Alert Notifications
3 Click OK. 4 If you have set a password for the selected storage array, the Enter Password dialog appears. Type the current password for the storage array. 5 Click OK. Configuring Alert Notifications MDSM can send an alert for any condition on the storage array that requires your attention.
Page 75 • In the Tree view or the Table view on the Devices tab in the EMW, select a node, and then select Edit Configure Alerts. Go to step 3. • In the Setup tab in the EMW, select Configure Alerts. Go to step 2. 2 Select one of the following radio buttons to specify an alert level: •...
Page 76 • Replacing an e-mail address—In the Configured email addresses area, select the e-mail address to be replaced, type the replacement e-mail address in Email address, and click Replace. • Deleting an e-mail address—In the Configured email addresses area, select the e-mail address, and click Delete. •...
Page 77: Configuring Snmp Alerts
“public”. The trap destination is the IP address or the host name of a computer running an SNMP management application. An example of a SNMP enabled management application is the Dell Management Console. Please see dell.com for more information on the Dell Management Console. Configuration: About Your Storage Array...
Page 78: Battery Settings
Configured SNMP addresses area. • The SNMP Community Name is determined by the system administrator and configured within the a management application, such as the Dell Management Console. More information about the Dell Management Console is available at dell.com. •...
Page 79: Setting The Storage Array Raid Controller Module Clocks
A learn cycle starts automatically when you install a new battery module. Learn cycles for batteries in both RAID controller modules in a duplex system occur simultaneously. Learn cycles are scheduled to start automatically at regular intervals, at the same time and on the same day of the week. The interval between cycles is described in weeks.
Page 80 1 In the AMW, select Storage Array Synchronize RAID Controller Module Clocks. 2 If a password is set, in the Enter Password dialog, type the current password for the storage array, and click Synchronize. The RAID controller module clocks are synchronized with the storage management station.
Page 81: Configuration: Using Iscsi
Configuration: Using iSCSI Changing the iSCSI Target Authentication To change the iSCSI target authentication: 1 In the AMW, select the Setup tab. 2 Select Manage iSCSI Settings. The Manage iSCSI Settings window is displayed and by default, the Target Authentication tab is selected. To change the authentication settings, select: •...
Page 82: Entering Mutual Authentication Permissions
Entering Mutual Authentication Permissions Mutual authentication or two-way authentication is a way for a client or a user to verify themselves to a host server, and for the host server to validate itself to the user. This validation is accomplished in such a way that both parties are sure of the other’s identity.
Page 83: Initiator Chap Secret
Initiator CHAP Secret The initiator CHAP secret is set on the host using the iSCSI initiator configuration program provided with the host operating system. If you are using the mutual authentication method, you must define the initiator CHAP secret when you set up the host. This must be the same CHAP secret that is defined for the target when defining mutual authentication settings.
Page 84: Changing The Iscsi Target Identification
Changing the iSCSI Target Identification You cannot change the iSCSI target name, but you can associate an alias with the target for simpler identification. Aliases are useful because the iSCSI target names are not intuitive. You should provide an iSCSI target alias that is meaningful and easy to remember.
Page 85: Configuring The Iscsi Host Ports
• Select Specify Configuration, and type the IPv4 address to activate the target discovery. Type the iSNS server IP address in the IPv6 settings area to activate • the target discovery. After you manually enter an IP address, you can also click Advanced to configure the customized TCP listening ports.
Page 86 4 To use the IPv4 settings for the iSCSI host port, select Enable IPv4 and select the IPv4 Settings tab. 5 To use the IPv6 settings for the iSCSI host port, select Enable IPv6 and select the IPv6 Settings tab. 6 To configure the IPv4 and IPv6 settings: To automatically configure the settings, select Obtain configuration •...
Page 87: Advanced Iscsi Host Ports Settings
Advanced iSCSI Host Ports Settings NOTE: Configuring the advanced iSCSI host ports settings is optional. Use the advanced settings for the individual iSCSI host ports to specify the TCP frame size, the virtual LAN, and the network priority. Table 7-2. Advanced iSCSI Host Port Settings Setting Description Virtual LAN (VLAN) A method of creating independent logical networks within a...
Page 88: Viewing Or Ending An Iscsi Session
Viewing or Ending an iSCSI Session You might want to end an iSCSI session for the following reasons: • Unauthorized access—If an initiator is logged on whom you consider to not have access, you can end the iSCSI session. Ending the iSCSI session forces the initiator to log off the storage array.
Page 89: Viewing Iscsi Statistics And Setting Baseline Statistics
Viewing iSCSI Statistics and Setting Baseline Statistics To view iSCSI statistics and set baseline statistics: 1 In the AMW toolbar, select Storage Array iSCSI Statistics. The View iSCSI Statistics window is displayed. 2 Select the iSCSI statistic type you want to view in the iSCSI Statistics Type area.
Page 90: Edit, Remove, Or Rename Host Topology
Edit, Remove, or Rename Host Topology If you give access to the wrong host or the wrong host group, you can remove or edit the host topology. To correct the host topology: Table 7-3. Host Topology Actions Desired Action Steps to Complete Action Click the Mappings tab.
Page 91: Configuration: Event Monitor
Configuration: Event Monitor An event monitor is provided with Dell™ PowerVault™ Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM). The event monitor runs continuously in the background and monitors activity on the managed storage arrays. If the event monitor detects any critical problems, it can notify a host or remote system using e- mail, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) trap messages, or both.
Page 92: Windows
NOTE: It is recommended that you configure the event monitor to start by default on a management station that runs 24 hours a day. Windows To enable or disable the event monitor: 1 Click Start Settings Control Panel Administrative Tools Services.
Page 93: Configuration: About Your Host
If the host context agent is running on a host, that host and the host ports connected from it to the storage array are automatically detected by Dell™ PowerVault™ Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM) and appear on the Mappings tab in the Array Management Window (AMW).
Page 94: Using The Mappings Tab
• Create a host and assign an alias or user label. • Add or associate a new host port identifier to a particular host. • Change the host port identifier alias or user label. • Move or associate a host port identifier to a different host. •...
Page 95: Click Next
• Select the Mappings tab. Right-click the root node (storage array name), Default Group node, or Host Group node in the Topology pane to which you want to add the host, and select Define Host from the pop-up menu. The Specify Host Name window is displayed. 3 In Host name, enter an up to 30 character alphanumeric name.
Page 96: Removing Host Access
The Preview window is displayed. 11 Click Finish. Removing Host Access To remove host access: 1 In the AMW, select the Mappings tab, select the host node in the Topology pane. 2 Perform one of these actions: • Select Mappings Remove. •...
Page 97: Moving A Host To A Different Host Group
• Right-click the storage array or the Default Group, and select Define Host Group from the pop-up menu. 4 Type the name of the new host group in Enter new host group name. 5 Select the appropriate hosts in the Select hosts to add area. 6 Click Add.
Page 98: Removing A Host Group
4 Click Yes. The host is moved to the selected host group with the following mappings: • The host retains the specific virtual disk mappings assigned to it. • The host inherits the virtual disk mappings assigned to the host group to which it is moved.
Page 99: Starting Or Stopping The Host Context Agent
• Changing a host type MDSM automatically detects these changes for any host running the host agent software. Starting or Stopping the Host Context Agent The host context agent discovers the host topology. The host context agent starts and stops with the host. The topology discovered by the host context agent can be viewed by clicking Configure Host Access (Automatic) in the Configure tab in the MDSM.
Page 100: I/O Data Path Protection
4 Click Action Start. I/O Data Path Protection You can have multiple host-to- array connections for a host. Ensure that you select all the connections to the array when configuring host access to the storage array. NOTE: See the Deployment Guide for more information on cabling configurations. NOTE: For more information on configuring hosts see "Configuration: About Your Host"...
Page 101: Managing Host Port Identifiers
Managing Host Port Identifiers You can manage the host port identifiers that are added to the storage array. You can: • Add—Add or associate a new host port identifier to a particular host. • Edit—Change the host port identifier alias or user label. You can move (associate) the host port identifier to a new host.
Page 102 • Add by creating a new host port identifier—In New host port identifier, enter the name of the new host port identifier. 6 In User label, enter up to 30 character alphanumeric name. 7 In Associated with host, select the appropriate host or host group. 8 Select the host port identifier that you would like to manage from the list of host port identifiers in the Host port identifier information area.
Page 103: Configuration: Disk Groups And Virtual Disks
Configuration: Disk Groups and Virtual Disks Creating Disk Groups and Virtual Disks Disk groups are created in the unconfigured capacity of a storage array, and virtual disks are created in the free capacity of a disk group. The maximum number of physical disks supported in a disk group is 30. The hosts attached to the storage array read and write data to the virtual disks.
Page 104: Creating Disk Groups
A disk group should be organized according to its related tasks and subtasks. For example, if you create a disk group for the Accounting Department, you can create virtual disks that match the different types of accounting performed in the department: Accounts Receivable (AR), Accounts Payable (AP), internal billing, and so forth.
Page 105 3 Type up to 30-character name of the disk group in Disk group name. 4 Select the appropriate Physical Disk selection choices, you can select: • Automatic, see step 6 • Manual, see step 9 5 Click Next. 6 For Automatic configuration, The RAID Level and Capacity window is displayed.
Page 106: Locating A Disk Group
Locating a Disk Group You can physically locate and identify all of the physical disks that comprise a selected disk group. An LED blinks on each physical disk in the disk group. To locate a disk group: 1 In the AMW, select the Logical tab. 2 Select the appropriate disk group and from the toolbar select Disk Group...
Page 107 To create virtual disks: 1 Choose one of these methods to start the Create Virtual Disk Wizard: • To create a virtual disk from unconfigured capacity in the storage array—On the Logical tab, select an Unconfigured Capacity node, and select Virtual Disk Create. Alternatively, you can right-click the Unconfigured Capacity node, and select Create Virtual Disk from the pop-up menu.
Page 108: Changing The Virtual Disk Modification Priority
• Customize settings. 6 Click Next. 7 In the Customize Advanced Virtual Disk Parameters window, select the appropriate Virtual Disk I/O characteristics type. You can select: • File system (typical) • Database • Multimedia • Custom NOTE: If you select Custom, you must select an appropriate segment size. 8 Select the appropriate Preferred RAID controller module ownership and click Next.
Page 109: Changing The Virtual Disk Cache Settings
3 In the toolbar, select Virtual Disk Change Modification Priority. The Change Modification Priority window is displayed. 4 Select one or more virtual disks. To select nonadjacent virtual disks, press <Ctrl> click. To select adjacent virtual disks, press <Shift> click. To select all of the available virtual disks, click Select All.
Page 110 The Change Cache Settings window is displayed. 3 Select one or more virtual disks. To select nonadjacent virtual disks, press <Ctrl> click. To select adjacent virtual disks, press <Shift> click. To select all of the available virtual disks, click Select All. 4 In the Select cache properties area, you can select: •...
Page 111: Changing The Segment Size Of A Virtual Disk
Changing the Segment Size of a Virtual Disk You can change the segment size on a selected virtual disk. During this operation, I/O performance is affected, but your data remains available. Guidelines to proceed with changing the segment size: • You cannot cancel this operation after it starts.
Page 112: Changing The I/O Type
The segment size modification operation begins. The virtual disk icon in the Logical pane shows an Operation in Progress status while the operation is taking place. NOTE: To view the progress or change the priority of the modification operation, select a virtual disk in the disk group, and select Virtual Disk Change Modification Priority.
Page 113: Choosing An Appropriate Physical Disk Type
NOTE: If you selected the Custom option, select your preferred dynamic cache read prefetch setting (enabled/disabled) and segment size (8KB to 512KB). 2 Click OK. Choosing an Appropriate Physical Disk Type You can create disk groups and virtual disks in the storage array. You must select the capacity that you want to allocate for the virtual disk from either unconfigured capacity or free capacity available in the storage array.
Page 114 Whenever the power is turned off and turned on again, all of the security- enabled physical disks change to a security locked state. In this state, the data is inaccessible until the correct security key is provided by a RAID controller module.
Page 115 NOTE: If you have not created a security key for the storage array, the Create Security Key option is active. If you have created a security key for the storage array, the Create Security Key option is inactive with a check mark to the left. The Change Security Key option, the Save Security Key option, and the Validate Security Key option are now active.
Page 116: Creating A Security Key
Creating a Security Key When you create a security key, it is generated by and securely stored by the array. You cannot read or view the security key. A copy of the security key must be kept on some other storage medium for backup in case of system failure or for transfer to another storage array.
Page 117: Changing A Security Key
The pass phrase that you enter is masked. NOTE: Create Key is active only if the pass phrase meets the above mentioned criterion. 5 In Confirm pass phrase, re-enter the exact string that you entered in Pass phrase. Make a record of the pass phrase that you entered and the security key identifier that is associated with the pass phrase.
Page 118 To change the security key: 1 In the AMW toolbar, select Storage ArrayPhysical Disk Security Change Security Key. The Confirm Change Security Key window is displayed. 2 Type yes in the text field, and click OK. The Change Security Key window is displayed. 3 In Secure key identifier, enter a string that become part of the secure key identifier.
Page 119: Saving A Security Key
Saving a Security Key You save an externally storable copy of the security key when the security key is first created and each time it is changed. You can create additional storable copies at any time. To save a new copy of the security key, you must provide a pass phrase.
Page 120: Unlocking Secure Physical Disks
Unlocking Secure Physical Disks You can export a security-enabled disk group to move the associated physical disks to a different storage array. After you install those physical disks in the new storage array, you must unlock the physical disks before data can be read from or written to the physical disks.
Page 121: Configuring Hot Spare Physical Disks
Configuring Hot Spare Physical Disks Guidelines to configure host spare physical disks: • You can use only unassigned physical disks with Optimal status as hot spare physical disks. • You can unassign only hot spare physical disks with Optimal, or Standby status.
Page 122 • Right-click the physical disk and select Hot Spare Coverage from the pop-up menu. The Hot Spare Physical Disk Options window is displayed. 4 Select the appropriate option, you can select: • View/change current hot spare coverage—to review hot spare coverage and to assign or unassign hot spare physical disks, if necessary.
Page 123: Hot Spares And Rebuild
Hot Spares and Rebuild A valuable strategy to protect data is to assign available physical disks in the storage array as hot spares. A hot spare adds another level of fault tolerance to the storage array. A hot spare is an idle, powered-on, stand-by physical disk ready for immediate use in case of disk failure.
Page 124: Enclosure Loss Protection
the failed physical disk to the hot spare physical disk. When you have physically replaced the failed physical disk, a copyback operation occurs from the hot spare physical disk to the replaced physical disk. If there are secure disk groups and security capable disk groups in the storage array, the hot spare physical disk must match the security capability of the disk group.
Page 125 Enclosure loss protection is achieved when you create a disk group where all of the physical disks that comprise the disk group are located in different expansion enclosures. This distinction depends on the RAID level. If you choose to create a disk group by using the Automatic method, the software attempts to choose physical disks that provide enclosure loss protection.
Page 126: Host-To-Virtual Disk Mapping
Host-to-Virtual Disk Mapping After you create virtual disks, you must map them to the host(s) connected to the array. Guidelines to configure host-to-virtual disk mapping: • Each virtual disk in the storage array can be mapped to only one host or host group.
Page 127 1 In the AMW, select the Mappings tab. 2 In the Topology pane, select: • Default Group • Undefined mappings node Individual defined mapping • • Host group • Host 3 In the toolbar, select Mappings Define Additional Mapping. The Define Additional Mapping window is displayed. 4 In Host group or host, select the appropriate host group or host.
Page 128: Modifying And Removing Host-To-Virtual Disk Mapping
Modifying and Removing Host-to-Virtual Disk Mapping You can modify or remove a host-to-virtual disk mapping for several reasons, such as an incorrect mapping or reconfiguration of the storage array. Modifying or removing a host-to-virtual disk mapping applies to both hosts and host groups.
Page 129: Changing Controller Ownership Of The Virtual Disk
8 Restart the host applications. Changing Controller Ownership of the Virtual Disk If the host has a single data-path to the MD storage array, the virtual disk must be owned by the controller to which the host is connected. You must configure this storage array before you start I/O operations and after the virtual disk is created.
Page 130: Changing The Raid Controller Module Ownership Of A Disk Group
3 Perform one of these actions: • Select Mappings Remove. • Right-click the virtual disk, and select Remove Mapping from the pop-up menu. 4 Click Yes to remove the mapping. Changing the RAID Controller Module Ownership of a Disk Group You can change the RAID controller module ownership of a a disk group.
Page 131: Changing The Raid Level Of A Disk Group
The ownership of the disk group is changed. I/O to the disk group is now directed through this I/O path. You are finished with this procedure. NOTE: The disk group might not use the new I/O path until the multi-path driver reconfigures and recognizes the new path.
Page 132: Restricted Mappings
Restricted Mappings Many hosts are able to map up to 256 logical unit numbers (LUNs) (0 to 255) per storage partition. However, the maximum number of mappings differs because of operating system variables, failover driver issues, and potential data problems. The hosts listed in the table have these mapping restrictions. If you try to map a virtual disk to a LUN that exceeds the restriction on these operating systems, the host is unable to access the virtual disk.
Page 133: Changing The Raid Controller Module Ownership Of A Virtual Disk Or A Disk Group
• You cannot move a host with a restricted host type into a storage partition that already has LUNs mapped that are greater than what is allowed by the restricted host type. For example, if you have a restricted host type that allows only LUNs up to 31, you cannot move that restricted host type into a storage partition that has LUNs greater than 31 already mapped.
Page 134 1 Do you want to change the RAID controller module ownership of a virtual disk or a disk group? • Change the RAID controller module ownership of a virtual disk – Go to step 2. • Change the RAID controller module ownership of a disk group – Go to step 3.
Page 135: Changing The Raid Level Of A Disk Group
CAUTION: Possible loss of data access– Changing ownership at the disk group level causes every virtual disk in that disk group to transfer to the other RAID controller module and use the new I/O path. If you do not want to set every virtual disk to the new path, change ownership at the virtual disk level instead.
Page 136: Storage Partitioning
Storage Partitioning A storage partition is a logical entity consisting of one or more virtual disks that can be accessed by a single host or shared among hosts that are part of a host group. The first time you map a virtual disk to a specific host or host group, a storage partition is created.
Page 137: Disk Group And Virtual Disk Expansion
NOTE: You can include a secondary virtual disk in a storage partition. However, any hosts that are mapped to the secondary virtual disk has read-only access until the virtual disk is promoted to a primary virtual disk, or the mirror relationship is removed.
Page 138: Virtual Disk Expansion
5 Click Add. A message prompts you to confirm your selection. 6 To add the capacity to the disk group, click Yes. You can also use the Command Line Interface (CLI) on both Windows and Linux hosts to add free capacity to a disk group. See the CLI Guide for more information.
Page 139: Disk Group Migration
For more information, see the PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager online help topics. Disk Group Migration Disk group migration allows to you export a disk group so that you can import the disk group to a different storage array. You can also export a disk group so that you can store the data offline.
Page 140: Exporting A Disk Group
2 Stop all I/O, and unmount or disconnect the file systems on the virtual disks in the disk group. 3 Back up the data on the virtual disks in the disk group. 4 Locate the disk group, and label the physical disks. 5 Place the disk group offline.
Page 141: Storage Array Media Scan
NOTE: Some settings cannot be imported during the import disk group procedure. The following settings are removed/cleared during the procedure: • Persistent reservations • Host-to-virtual disk mappings • Virtual disk copy pairs • Snapshot virtual disks and snapshot repository virtual disks •...
Page 142: Changing Media Scan Settings
• Recovered media error—Data could not be read by the physical disk on the first attempt but was successfully read on a subsequent attempt. Data is rewritten to the physical disk and verified and the error is reported to the event log.
Page 143: Suspending The Media Scan
8 Click OK. Suspending the Media Scan You cannot perform a media scan while performing another long-running operation on the disk drive such as reconstruction, copy-back, reconfiguration, virtual disk initialization, or immediate availability formatting. If you want to perform another long-running operation, you should suspend the media scan.
Page 144 Configuration: Disk Groups and Virtual Disks...
Page 145: Configuration: Premium Feature
If you ordered this feature, you received a Premium Feature Activation card shipped in the same box as your Dell PowerVault MD storage array. Follow the directions on the card to obtain a key file and to enable the feature.
Page 146: Creating A Snapshot Virtual Disk Using The Simple Path
repository uses less disk space than a full physical copy, because the only data blocks that are stored in the snapshot repository virtual disk are those that have changed since the time of the snapshot. When you create a snapshot virtual disk, you specify its location, capacity, and other parameters.
Page 147: Preparing Host Servers To Create The Snapshot Using The Simple Path
NOTE: For details on mapping the snapshot virtual disk to the secondary node, refer to the Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3200i and MD3220i Storage Arrays With Microsoft® Windows Server® Failover Clusters on support.dell.com/manuals. NOTE: You can create concurrent snapshots of a source virtual disk on both the source disk group and on another disk group.
Page 148 • Snapshot repository virtual disks • Snapshot virtual disks • Target virtual disks that are participating in a virtual disk copy. NOTE: Virtual Disk Copy is an Advanced (Premium) feature. • You cannot create a snapshot of a virtual disk that contains unreadable sectors.
Page 149: Using The Advanced Path
6 Enter the snapshot repository virtual disks capacity as a percentage of the source virtual disks capacity and click Next. The Preview window containing the summary of the snapshot virtual disk is displayed. 7 Click Finish. The Completed window is displayed. 8 Click OK.
Page 150 Use unconfigured capacity and create a new disk group for the snapshot repository virtual disk. – Dell recommends placing the snapshot repository virtual disk within the disk group of the source virtual disk. This ensures that if drives associated with the disk group are moved to another storage array, all the virtual disks associated with the snapshot virtual disk remain in the same group.
Page 151: Preparing Host Servers To Create The Snapshot Using The Advanced Path
NOTE: For details on mapping the snapshot virtual disk to the secondary node, refer to the Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3200i and MD3220i Storage Arrays With Microsoft® Windows Server® Failover Clusters on support.dell.com/manuals. The destination of a snapshot repository virtual disk is determined based on the free capacity available in the disk group.
Page 152 • You must satisfy the requirements of your host operating system for creating snapshot virtual disks. Failure to meet the requirements of your host operating system results in an inaccurate snapshot of the source virtual disk or the target virtual disk in a virtual disk copy. NOTE: Before you create a new snapshot of a source virtual disk, stop any data access (I/O) activity or suspend data transfer to the source virtual disk to ensure...
Page 153: Creating The Snapshot Using The Advanced Path
If you want to use a snapshot regularly, such as for backups, use the Disable Snapshot and Re-create Snapshot options to reuse the snapshot. Disabling and re-creating snapshots preserves the existing virtual disk-to-host mappings to the snapshot virtual disk. Creating the Snapshot Using the Advanced Path NOTE: Removing the drive letter of the associated virtual disk in Windows or unmounting the virtual drive in Linux helps to guarantee a stable copy of the drive...
Page 154: Specifying Snapshot Virtual Disk Names
8 In the Snapshot virtual disk parameters area, select the relevant mapping option, you can select: Automatic • • Map later with Storage Partition 9 In the Snapshot repository virtual disk parameters area, enter the system behavior when: • The snapshot repository virtual disk is full to the selected percentage level.
Page 155 The default name for the associated snapshot repository virtual disk that is shown in the Snapshot repository virtual disk field is: <source-virtual disk-name>—R<sequence-number> For example, if you are creating the first snapshot virtual disk for a source virtual disk called Accounting, the default snapshot virtual disk is Accounting-1, and the associated snapshot repository virtual disk default name is Accounting-R1.
Page 156: Snapshot Repository Capacity
Snapshot Repository Capacity If you receive a warning that the capacity for the snapshot repository virtual disk is approaching its threshold, you can increase the capacity of a snapshot repository virtual disk by using one of the following methods: • Use the free capacity available on the disk group of the snapshot repository virtual disk.
Page 157 capacity is available, the maximum free space appears in the Increase capacity by. If free capacity does not exist on the disk group, the free space that appears in the Increase capacity by spinner box is 0. You must add physical disks to create free capacity on the disk group.
Page 158 NOTE: The physical disks that appear has a capacity that is either the same size or larger than the capacity of the physical disks already being used by the disk group. 9 Select either a single physical disk to add or two physical disks to add. 10 Click Add.
Page 159: Re-Creating Snapshot Virtual Disks
Re-creating Snapshot Virtual Disks You can re-create a snapshot virtual disk that you have previously disabled. CAUTION: Possible loss of data redundancy – If the snapshot virtual disk is in Optimal status, it is first disabled prior to being re-created. This action invalidates the current snapshot.
Page 160: Preparing Host Servers To Re-Create A Snapshot Virtual Disk
NOTE: If you do not intend to re-create the snapshot virtual disk at a later time, in  the Logical pane, select the snapshot virtual disk, and select Virtual Disk Delete to remove it. The associated snapshot repository virtual disk is also removed. Refer to the PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager online help topics for more information on removing a snapshot virtual disk.
Page 161: Re-Creating A Snapshot Virtual Disk
3 Click the Summary tab, then click Disk Groups & Virtual Disks to ensure that the snapshot virtual disk is in Optimal or Disabled status. 4 Remove the drive letter(s) of the source and (if mounted) snapshot virtual disk in Windows or unmount the virtual drive(s) in Linux to help guarantee a stable copy of the drive for the Snapshot.
Page 162 Configuration: Premium Feature—Snapshot Virtual Disks...
Page 163: Configuration: Premium Feature
If you ordered this feature, you received a Premium Feature Activation card that shipped in the same box as your Dell PowerVault MD storage array. Follow the directions on the card to obtain a key file and to enable the feature.
Page 164: Creating A Virtual Disk Copy For An Mscs Shared Disk
• Copying data for improved access—As your storage requirements for a virtual disk change, you can use a virtual disk copy to copy data to a virtual disk in a disk group that uses drives with larger capacity within the same storage array.
Page 165: Virtual Disk Read/Write Permissions
Virtual Disk Read/Write Permissions After the virtual disk copy is complete, the target virtual disk automatically becomes read-only to the hosts. The target virtual disk rejects read and write requests while the virtual disk copy operation has a status of Pending or In Progress or if the operation fails before completing the copy.
Page 166: Creating A Virtual Disk Copy
• A virtual disk can be selected as a target virtual disk for only one virtual disk copy at a time. • A virtual disk copy for any virtual disk cannot be mounted on the same host as the source virtual disk. •...
Page 167: Before You Begin
• The Create Copy Wizard, which assists in creating a virtual disk copy • The Copy Manager, which monitors virtual disk copies after they have been created Before you Begin A virtual disk copy fails all snapshot virtual disks that are associated with the target virtual disk, if any exist.
Page 168: Failed Virtual Disk Copy
Failed Virtual Disk Copy A virtual disk copy can fail due to these conditions: • A read error from the source virtual disk • A write error to the target virtual disk • A failure in the storage array that affects the source virtual disk or the target virtual disk.
Page 169: Copy Manager
Copy Manager After you create a virtual disk copy by using the Create Copy Wizard, you can monitor the virtual disk copy through the Copy Manager. From the Copy Manager, a virtual disk copy may be re-copied, stopped, or removed. You can also modify the attributes, such as the copy priority and the target virtual disk Read-Only attribute.
Page 170: Storage Array Performance During Virtual Disk Copy
5 In the Select source virtual disk are, select the appropriate virtual disk and click Next. The Select Target Virtual Disk and Copy Priority window is displayed. 6 In the Select target virtual disk area, select the appropriate virtual disk 7 In the Select copy priority area, select the relevant copy priority and click Next.
Page 171: Stopping A Virtual Disk Copy
• Before the virtual disk copy begins • While the virtual disk copy has a status of In Progress • When you re-create a virtual disk copy To set copy priority: 1 In the AMW, select Virtual Disk Copy Copy Manager. The Copy Manager window is displayed.
Page 172: Recopying A Virtual Disk
Recopying a Virtual Disk You can recopy a virtual disk when you have stopped a virtual disk copy and you want to start it again or when a virtual disk copy has failed. The Recopy option overwrites existing data on the target virtual disk and makes the target virtual disk read-only to hosts.
Page 173: Recopying The Virtual Disk
5 Follow any additional instructions for your operating system. Failure to follow these additional instructions can create unusable virtual disk copies. NOTE: If your operating system requires additional instructions, you can find those instructions in your operating system documentation. Recopying the Virtual Disk You can use the Copy Manager to create a new virtual disk copy for a selected source virtual disk and a target virtual disk.
Page 174: Removing Copy Pairs
NOTE: There are five copy priority rates available: lowest, low, medium, high, and highest. If the copy priority is set at the lowest rate, I/O activity is prioritized, and the virtual disk copy takes longer. If the copy priority is set to the highest priority rate, the virtual disk copy is prioritized, but I/O activity for the storage array might be affected.
Page 175: Configuration: Premium Feature-Upgrading To High-Performance-Tier
To upgrade from a standard-performance-tier storage array to a high- performance-tier storage array, you enable the high-performance-tier premium feature, using the Dell™ PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Management (MDSM) software. When the high performance tier feature is enabled or disabled the array restarts.
Page 176 Configuration: Premium Feature—Upgrading to High-Performance-Tier...
Page 177: Configuration: Device Mapper
MD3200i Series resource media installation program on the server, and selecting either the Full or Host install option. For detailed installation procedures please refer to the Dell PowerVault MD3200i and MD3220i storage arrays Deployment Guide.
Page 178: Using Dm Multipathing Devices
Using DM Multipathing Devices NOTE: Using or modifying any nodes other than the multipathing device nodes can result in array or file system problems, including loss of communication with the array and corruption of the file system. Avoid accessing any device other than the multipathing device.
Page 179: Device Mapper Configuration Steps
NOTE: Any arrays configured with MDCU automatically adds to the list of Devices in the PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager Enterprise Management Window (EMW). Device Mapper Configuration Steps To complete the DM multipathing configuration and make storage available to the Linux host server: 1 Scan for virtual disks.
Page 180 It is located in the /dev/mapper directory. DELL is the vendor of the device MD3200i is the model of the device Sdc is the physical path to the owning controller for the device...
Page 181 It is located in the /dev/mapper directory. DELL is the vendor of the device MD3200i is the model of the device Sdx is the physical path to the owning controller for the device...
Page 182 # ls Below are some examples of the general mapping formats: On RHEL hosts a partition node has the format /dev/mapper/mpath<x>p<y>, where <x> is the alphabetic number for the multipathing device, <y> is the partition number for this device. On SLES 11.x hosts a partition node has the format /dev/mapper/mpath<x>-part<y>, where <x>...
Page 183: Linux Host Server Reboot Best Practices
NOTE: To ensure data integrity protection, reboot a Linux host server attached to an MD3200i Series storage array using the procedure given below. Linux Host Server Reboot Best Practices Its is recommended that you follow the procedures shown below when rebooting your Linux host server using Device Mapper multipathing with an MD3200i Series storage array.
Page 184: Limitations And Known Issues
–F Flushes out all unused multipathing device maps. rescan_dm_devs Dell provided script. Forces a rescan of the host SCSI bus and aggregates multipathing devices as needed. For use when: • LUNs are dynamically mapped to the hosts. • New targets are added to the host.
Page 185: Troubleshooting
• I/O may hang when a Device Mapper device is deleted before the volume is unmounted. • If the scsi_dh_rdac module is not included in initrd, slower device discovery may be seen and the syslog may become populated with buffer I/O error messages.
Page 186 Question Answer Why does the multipath –ll First verify if the devices are discovered or not. command output not show any The command #cat /proc/scsi/scsi devices? displays all the devices that are already discovered. Then verify the multipath.conf to ensure that it is been updated with proper settings.
Page 187: Management: Firmware Downloads
Management: Firmware Downloads Downloading RAID Controller and NVSRAM Packages A version number exists for each firmware file. The version number indicates whether the firmware is a major version or a minor version. You can use the Enterprise Management Window (EMW) to download and activate both the major firmware versions and the minor firmware versions.
Page 188: Downloading Both Raid Controller And Nvsram Firmware
I/O to the array can continue while you are upgrading RAID controller and NVSRAM firmware. NOTE: Dell recommends that the firmware and NVSRAM be upgraded during a maintenance period when the array is not being used for I/O. NOTE: The RAID enclosure must contain at least two disk drives in order to update the firmware on the controller.
Page 189 7 Click Transfer. Keep these guidelines in mind: – If the Transfer button is inactive, ensure that you either select an NVSRAM file or cleared the Transfer NVSRAM file with RAID controller module firmware. – If the file selected is not valid or is not compatible with the current storage array configuration, the File Selection Error dialog appears.
Page 190: Downloading Only Nvsram Firmware
The Select File dialog appears. 13 Select the file to download. 14 Click OK. 15 If you want to download the NVSRAM file with the RAID controller module firmware, select Download NVSRAM file with firmware in the Select files area. Any attributes of the firmware file appear in the Firmware file information area.
Page 191 2 Select Advanced Maintenance Download RAID Controller Module NVSRAM Select the Support tab, and click Download Firmware. In Select download task, select Download RAID controller module NVSRAM and click OK. An error message appears. Click OK to close it, and select a compatible file.
Page 192: Downloading Physical Disk Firmware
NOTE: The Details pane shows the details of only one storage array at a time. If you select more than one storage array in the Storage array pane, the details of the storage arrays are not shown in the Details pane. 9 Click NVSRAM in the Download area.
Page 193 disk called DACstore. DACstore and the physical disk firmware enable easier reconfiguration and migration of the physical disks. The physical disk firmware performs these functions: • The physical disk firmware records the location of the physical disk in an expansion enclosure. If you take a physical disk out of an expansion enclosure, you must insert it back into the same physical disk slot, or the physical disk firmware cannot communicate with the RAID controller module or other storage array components.
Page 194: Downloading Md1200 Series Expansion Module Emm Firmware
3 In the Selected Packages area, click Add. Navigate to the location of the packages and click OK. The selected package is added to the Packages to be transferred area. 4 Click Next. The Download Physical Disk Firmware - Select Physical Disks window is displayed.
Page 195 CAUTION: Risk of making expansion enclosure EMM unusable – Do not make any configuration changes to the storage array while downloading expansion enclosure EMM firmware. Doing so could cause the firmware download to fail and make the selected expansion enclosure unusable. 1 Perform one of these actions: In the AMW, select Advanced...
Page 196: Self-Monitoring Analysis And Reporting Technology (Smart)
• The download succeeded—The statuses of all the expansion enclosures show Complete. You can close the Download environmental (EMM) Card Firmware dialog by clicking Close. The expansion enclosure EMM cards are now operating with the new firmware. • The download failed—The status of one expansion enclosure shows Failed, and the remainder of the expansion enclosures show Canceled.
Page 197: Management: Installing Array Components
Management: Installing Array Components Recommended Tools You may need the following items to perform the procedures in this section: • Key to the system keylock • #2 Phillips screwdriver • Wrist grounding strap Management: Installing Array Components...
Page 198: Front Bezel (Optional)
Front Bezel (Optional) Removing the Front Bezel 1 Using the system key, unlock the front bezel (if locked). 2 Lift up the release latch next to the keylock. 3 Rotate the left end of the bezel away from the front panel. 4 Unhook the right end of the bezel and pull the bezel away from the system.
Page 199: Hard Drives
198. 2 Press the release tab and slide the drive blank out until it is free of the drive bay. See Figure 16-2 for PowerVault MD3200i and Figure 16-3 for PowerVault MD3220i. Figure 16-2. Removing and Installing a 3.5-Inch Hard-Drive Blank...
Page 200: Installing A Drive Blank
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 201 2 From the Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM) software, prepare the drive for removal. Wait until the hard-drive indicators on the drive carrier signal that the drive can be removed safely. For more information, see your controller documentation for information about hot-swap drive removal.
Page 202: Installing A Hard Drive
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 203 Figure 16-5. Removing and Installing a Hard Drive Into a 3.5-Inch Drive Carrier screws (4) drive carrier SAS screw hole hard drive Management: Installing Array Components...
Page 204 Figure 16-6. Removing and Installing a Hard Drive Into a 2.5-Inch Drive Carrier screws (4) drive carrier SAS screw hole hard drive Management: Installing Array Components...
Page 205: Installing A Hard Drive Into A Drive Carrier
Installing a Hard Drive Into a Drive Carrier 1 Insert the hard drive into the hard-drive carrier with the connector end of the drive at the back. See Figure 16-5. 2 Align the screw holes on the hard drive with the back set of holes on the hard-drive carrier.
Page 206: Installing A Raid Controller Module Blank
5 Connect all the power cables to the array. 6 Turn on the array and the host server. Figure 16-7. Removing and Installing a RAID controller module Blank release latch RAID controller module blank Installing a RAID Controller Module Blank To install a RAID controller module blank, align the blank with the RAID controller module bay and insert the blank into the chassis until it clicks into place.
Page 207: Removing A Raid Controller Module
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 208: Installing A Raid Controller Module
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 209: Closing The Raid Controller Module
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 210: Raid Controller Module Backup Battery Unit
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 211: Installing The Raid Controller Module Backup Battery Unit
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 212 Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product. NOTE: If you remove a fully functioning power supply/cooling fan module, the fan speed in the remaining module increases significantly to provide adequate cooling.
Page 213 Figure 16-11. Removing and Installing a Power Supply/Cooling Fan Module release tab power supply power supply handle Management: Installing Array Components...
Page 214: Installing A Power Supply/Cooling Fan Module
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 215: Control Panel
Pushing the release tab toward the front of the array in PowerVault MD3200i. See Figure 16-13. Pulling the release pin toward the front of the array in PowerVault – MD3220i. See Figure 16-14. Figure 16-13. Removing and Installing the Control Panel—PowerVault MD3200i control panel release tab Management: Installing Array Components...
Page 216: Installing The Control Panel
Installing the Control Panel 1 Align the control panel with the slot on the array. 2 Slide the control panel into the array until: The release tab clicks into place in PowerVault MD3200i. See – Figure 16-13. –...
Page 217: Backplane
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 218 Figure 16-15. Removing and Installing the RAID controller module /Power Supply Cage RAID controller module /power screws (6) supply cage Management: Installing Array Components...
Page 219 Figure 16-16. Removing and Installing the Backplane—PowerVault MD3200i screws (5) backplane captive screw Figure 16-17. Removing and Installing the Backplane—PowerVault MD3220i screws (4) backplane captive screw Management: Installing Array Components...
Page 220: Installing The Backplane
1 Align the holes on the backplane with the holes on the array. 2 Tighten the captive screw to secure the backplane to the chassis. See Figure 16-16 for PowerVault MD3200i or Figure 16-17 for PowerVault MD3220i. 3 Replace the screws that secure the backplane to the chassis.
Page 221: Management: Firmware Inventory
Management: Firmware Inventory A storage array is made up of many components, which might include RAID controller modules, physical disks, and enclosure management modules (EMMs). Each of these components contains firmware. Some versions of firmware are dependent on other versions of firmware. To capture information about all of the firmware versions in the storage array, view the firmware inventory.
Page 222 Management: Firmware Inventory...
Page 223: Management: System Interfaces
Management: System Interfaces Microsoft Services Virtual Disk Service ® ® The Microsoft Virtual Disk Service (VDS) is a component of the Windows operating system. The VDS component utilizes third-part vendor specific software modules, known as providers, to access and configure third-party storage resources, such as MD3200i storage arrays.
Page 224 VSS attaches to the service and uses it to coordinate the creation of snapshot virtual disks on the storage array. VSS-initiated snapshot virtual disks can be triggered through backup tools, known as requestors. The VSS Provider Configuration Tool makes available the following configuration options: •...
Page 225: Troubleshooting: Your Storage
At least two physical disks must be installed in the array. Device Health Conditions When you open the Enterprise Management Window (EMW), the Dell™ PowerVault™ Modular Disk Storage Management software (MDSM) establishes communication with each managed storage array and determines the current storage array status.
Page 226 • On the Devices tab, in either the Tree view or the Table view, double-click a storage array. Alternatively, you can right-click a storage array and select Manage Storage Array from the pop-up menu. • On the Setup tab, select Manage a Storage Array. After the AMW opens, select the Physical tab to see the components in the storage array.
Page 227 Hardware status can be Optimal, Needs Attention, or Fixing. If, however, all of the network management connections from the storage management station to the storage array shown in the Tree view are Unresponsive, the storage array status is represented as Unresponsive. In the EMW Status Bar and the AMW Status Bar, the icons also have these behaviors: •...
Page 228 Table 19-3. Additional Status Icons Status Icon Description Unsupported Alerts Setting an alert on a s storage array with a Needs with a Needs Upgrade status is not supported. In this case, the Upgrade Status storage array shows both a Needs Upgrade status and an Unsupported Alerts icon in the Tree view.
Page 229: Storage Array Support Data
NOTE: MDSM may take a few minutes to update a status change to Unresponsive or from Unresponsive. A status change from or to Unresponsive depends on the network link to the storage array. All other status change updates faster. Storage Array Support Data You can gather various types of inventory, status, and performance data that can help troubleshoot any problem with the storage array.
Page 230: Collecting The Physical Disk Data
WARNING: Use this option only under the guidance of your Technical Support representative. To automatically collect the support bundle data: 1 In the AMW, select Advanced Troubleshooting Support Data Automatic Settings. 2 Select Automatically collect support data for critical events. 3 To change the location of the saved support bundle, click Change.
Page 231: Event Log
The physical disk data collection is completed and saved at the location that you entered. 4 Click OK. Event Log You can use the Event Log Viewer to view a detailed list of events that occur in a storage array. The event log is stored on reserved areas on the storage array disks.
Page 232: Recovery Guru
Recovery Guru The Recovery Guru is a component of MDSM that diagnoses critical events on the storage array and recommends step-by-step recovery procedures for problem resolution. In the AMW, to display the Recovery Guru, perform one of these actions: • Click Recovery Guru In the Support tab, click the Recover from Failure link.
Page 233 • View detailed information – Go to step 3. • Search the storage array profile – Go to step 4. • Save the storage array profile – Go to step 5. • Close the storage array profile – Go to step 6. 3 Select one of the tabs, and use the horizontal scroll bar and the vertical scroll bar to view the storage array profile information.
Page 234: Viewing The Logical Associations
For more information, see the PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager online help topics. Viewing the Logical Associations You can use the Associated Logical Elements option to view the logical associations among different virtual disks in a storage array. To view the associations for source virtual disks, snapshot virtual disks, and snapshot repository virtual disks: 1 In the AMW, select the Logical tab or in the Topology pane of the Mappings tab.
Page 235: Finding Nodes
The View Associated Physical Components dialog appears with blue dots next to the physical components that are associated with the selected node. 3 To close the View Associated Physical Components dialog, click Close. Finding Nodes You can use the Find option to search for a particular node on the Logical tab, the Physical tab, or the Mappings tab of the Array Management Window.
Page 236: Using Go To
6 To search for all nodes based on their virtual disk capacity, perform these steps: Select Find all virtual disks with capacity. Type the capacity in the GB box. Specify that the capacity to be matched is less than, equal to, or greater than the capacity entered in the GB box.
Page 237: Recovering From An Unresponsive Storage Array Condition
1 On the Logical tab of the AMW, select one of these virtual disks, and go to the indicated step: • Snapshot virtual disk—Go to step 2. • Snapshot repository virtual disk—Go to step 3. • Source virtual disk—Go to step 4. •...
Page 238 2 If any storage arrays are unresponsive, check the storage management station network connection to make sure that it can reach the network. 3 Ensure that the RAID controller modules are installed and that there is power to the storage array. 4 If there a problem with the storage array, correct the problem.
Page 239 14 Remove the host with the Unresponsive status from the EMW, and select Add Storage Array to add the host again. 15 If the host does not return to Optimal status, go to step 16. 16 Ensure that the host is turned on and operational and that the host adapters have been installed.
Page 240: Locating A Physical Disk
(TCP/IP) connections that can be made to the RAID controller module before it stops responding to subsequent connection attempts. The type of management operations being performed and the number of management sessions taking place together determine the number of TCP/IP connections made to a RAID controller module.
Page 241: Locating An Expansion Enclosure
Locating an Expansion Enclosure You can use the Blink option to physically locate and identify an expansion enclosure in the storage array. The LED activation varies according to the type of expansion enclosure that you have. • If you have an expansion enclosure with a white LED, the Blink Expansion Enclosure operation causes the white LED on the expansion enclosure to come on.
Page 242: Capturing The State Information
Capturing the State Information Use the Troubleshooting Capture State Information option to capture information about the current state of your storage array and save the captured information to a text file. You can then send the captured information to your Technical Support representative for analysis. Potential to cause an unresponsive storage array –...
Page 243: Smrepassist Utility
You can also use this utility to resolve duplicate signature problems for snapshot virtual disks. From a command prompt window on a host running Windows, navigate to C:\Program Files\Dell\MD Storage Manager\util and run the following command: SMrepassist -f <filesystem-identifier> where -f flushes all the memory-resident data for the file system indicated by <filesystem-identifier>, and <filesystem-identifier>...
Page 244: Unidentified Devices
Unidentified Devices An unidentified node or device occurs when MDSM cannot access a new storage array. Causes for this error include network connection problems, the storage array is turned off, or the storage array does not exist. NOTE: Before beginning any recovery procedure, make sure that the host context agent software is installed and running.
Page 245 ping <host-name-or-IP-address-of-the-host>. If the network can access the host, continue to step c. If the network cannot access the host, skip to step d. Remove the host with the unresponsive status from the MDSM, and add that host again. If the host returns to optimal status, you have completed this procedure.
Page 246: Starting Or Restarting The Host Context Agent Software
If this problem exists, see the Dell support website at support.dell.com. 6 Look to see if there is too much network traffic to one or more controllers.
Page 247 Modular Disk Storage Manager Agent, Version 90.02.A6.14 Built Wed Feb 03 06:17:50 CST 2010 Copyright (C) 2009-2010 Dell, Inc. All rights reserved. Checking device <n/a> (/dev/sg10): Activating Checking device /dev/sdb (/dev/sg11): Skipping Checking device <n/a> (/dev/sg3): Activating Checking device <n/a>...
Page 248 Troubleshooting: Your Storage Array Software...
Page 249: Troubleshooting: Your Array
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 250: Troubleshooting Power Supply/Cooling Fan Module
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 251: Troubleshooting Array Cooling Problems
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 252 Reseat the EMM module and wait for 30 seconds. See Removing an EMM in the MD1200 and MD1220 Storage Enclosures Hardware Owner's Manual. Turn on the server. Check the EMM status LED. If the LED does not turn Green, replace the EMM. If the problem is not resolved, see "Getting Help"...
Page 253: Troubleshooting Raid Controller Modules
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 254: Troubleshooting Hard Drives
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 255: Troubleshooting Array And Expansion Enclosure Connections
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 256: Troubleshooting A Damaged Array
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 257: Troubleshooting Raid Controller Modules
Typical hard controller failures are detailed in the following sections. Invalid Storage Array The RAID controller module is supported only in a Dell-supported storage array. Upon installation in the storage array, the controller performs a set of validation checks. The array status LED is lit with a steady amber color while the RAID controller module completes these initial tests and the controllers are booted successfully.
Page 258: Pci Errors
PCI Errors The storage array firmware can detect and only recover from PCI errors when the RAID controller modules are configured for redundancy. If a virtual disk uses cache mirroring, it fails over to its peer RAID controller module, which initiates a flush of the dirty cache.
Page 259: Getting Help
NOTE: If you do not have an active Internet connection, you can find contact information on your purchase invoice, packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog. Dell provides several online and telephone-based support and service options. Availability varies by country and product, and some services may not be available in your area.
Page 260 Getting Help...
Page 261 Physical Disk Type, 113 removing, 217 Configuring Battery Settings, 78 Host Access, 93 Hot Spare Physical Disks, 121 the iSCSI Host Ports, 85 Configuring Alert Notifications Change SNMP , 77 Controller Ownership of the Contacting Dell, 259 Virtual Disk, 129 Index...
Page 262 Dell, 259 Physical Disk Firmware, 192 RAID Controller and NVSRAM control panel Firmware, 188 installing, 216 RAID Controller and NVSRAM removing, 215 Packages, 187 Copy Manager, 169 RAID controller module Firmware, 194 drive carrier hard drive, 202 Defining a Host, 94...
Page 263 Free Capacity, 138 Hot Spare Drive Protection, 123 front bezel Global Hot Spares, 123 installing, 198 Operation, 123 removing, 198 Hot Spares and Rebuild, 123 hard drive drive carrier, 202 I/O Data Path Protection, 100 installing, 202 Inside the box, 19 removing, 200 installing Hard-Drive Indicator...
Page 264 MDSM, 20 Physical Disk States, 38 Media Errors and Unreadable Physical Disks, 37 Sectors, 196 Erasing Secure, 120 Unlocking Secure, 120 Media Scan Changing settings, 142 Physical Disks, Virtual Disks, Suspending, 143 and Disk Groups, 37 Microsoft Power Indicator Codes, 30 Virtual Disk Service, 223 Power Supply and Cooling Fan Volume Shadow-Copy...
Page 265 Restricted Mappings, 132 Storage Arrays, 64 Automatic Discovery, 65 Manual Addition, 65 Safety, 19 Storage Partitioning, 136 safety, 249 support contacting Dell, 259 Security Key Changing, 117 Creating, 116 Saving, 119 telephone numbers, 259 Segment Size, 42 Troubleshooting Setting a Password, 69...
Page 266 Recovering from an Unresponsive Storage Array Condition, 237 Viewing iSCSI Statistics and Recovery Guru, 232 Setting Baseline Starting or Restarting the Statistics, 89 Host-Agent Software, 246 Viewing or Ending an iSCSI Start-Up Routine, 225 Session, 88 Storage Array Profile, 232 Storage Array Support Data, 229 Virtual Disk Unidentified Devices, 244...
Page 267 Virtual Disk Operations Limit, 44 Virtual Disk Ownership, 55 Virtual Disk States, 40 Virtual DiskCopy Target, 53 Virtual Disks and Disk Groups, 39 Index...
Page 268 Index...

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Powervault md3220i

Dell PowerVault MD3200i Owner's Manual

1 Introduction

2 Planning: about Your Storage Array

3 Planning: RAID Controller Modules

4 Planning: Md3200I Series Storage

5 Configuration: Overview

6 Configuration: about Your Storage Array

7 Configuration: Using Iscsi

8 Configuration: Event Monitor

9 Configuration: about Your Host

10 Configuration: Disk Groups and Virtual Disks

11 Configuration: Premium Feature

12 Configuration: Premium Feature

13 Configuration: Premium Feature-Upgrading to High-Performance-Tier

14 Configuration: Device Mapper

15 Management: Firmware Downloads

16 Management: Installing Array Components

17 Management: Firmware Inventory

18 Management: System Interfaces

19 Troubleshooting: Your Storage

20 Troubleshooting: Your Array

Quick Links

Storage Arrays

Troubleshooting

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Summary of Contents for Dell PowerVault MD3200i