Dell PowerVault MD3200i Series User manual

Dell PowerVault MD3200i and
MD3220i Storage Arrays With
Microsoft Windows Server
Failover Clusters
Hardware Installation
and
Troubleshooting Guide
book.book Page 1 Monday, June 21, 2010 1:45 PM

Notes and Cautions
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of
your computer.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss of data if
instructions are not followed.
__________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2008–2010 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc.
is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell™, the DELL logo, PowerEdge™, and PowerVault™ are trademarks
of Dell Inc. Microsoft®, Active Directory®, Windows®, and Windows Server®are either trademarks
or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
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.
June 2010 Rev. A00
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Contents 3
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Cluster Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Cluster Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Cluster Nodes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Cluster Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Cluster Storage Management Software . . . . . . . 9
Supported Cluster Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Other Documents You May Need . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2 Cabling Your Cluster Hardware . . . . . . . . 15
Cabling the Mouse, Keyboard, and Monitor . . . . . . 15
Cabling the Power Supplies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Cabling Your Public and Private Networks . . . . . . . 18
Cabling Your Public Network . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Cabling Your Private Network . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Using Dual-Port Network Adapters
for Your Private Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
NIC Teaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Cabling the Storage Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Cabling the Cluster in Direct-Attached
Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
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4Contents
Cabling the Cluster in Network-Attached
Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Connecting a PowerEdge Cluster to
Multiple PowerVault MD3200i or
MD3220i Storage Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3 Preparing Your Systems for
Clustering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Cluster Configuration Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Installing the iSCSI NICs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Installing the Microsoft iSCSI
Software Initiator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Installing and Configuring the Storage
Management Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Installing the Storage Management Software . . . 35
Configuring the Shared Storage System . . . . . . 37
Troubleshooting Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Configuring a Failover Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 63
A Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
B Cluster Data Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
C iSCSI Configuration Worksheet . . . . . . . 73
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
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Introduction 5
1
Introduction
This document provides information for installing and managing your
Cluster solution using Dell PowerVault MD3200i and MD3220i storage
systems. It is intended for experienced IT professionals who need to configure
the cluster solution, and for trained service technicians who perform upgrade
and maintenance procedures. This document also addresses readers who are
new to clustering.
Overview
A Microsoft Windows Server Failover Clustering combines specific hardware
and software components to provide enhanced availability for applications
and services that are run on the cluster. A failover cluster is designed to reduce
the possibility of any single point of failure within the system that can cause
the clustered applications or services to become unavailable. It is
recommended that you use redundant components like system and storage
power supplies, connections between the nodes and the storage array(s),
connections to client systems, or other systems in the multi-tier enterprise
application architecture in your cluster.
This guide addresses the configuration of your Dell MD3200i and MD3220i
iSCSI storage arrays for use with one or more Windows Server failover
clusters. It provides information and specific configuration tasks that enable
you to deploy the shared storage for your cluster.
For more information on deploying your cluster, see the Dell Failover Clusters
with Microsoft Windows Server Installation and Troubleshooting Guide at
support.dell.com/manuals.
NOTE: Throughout this document, Windows Server 2008 refers to Windows Server
2008 x64 Enterprise Edition or Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 Enterprise Edition.
For a list of recommended operating systems, hardware components, and
driver or firmware versions for your Dell Windows Server Failover Cluster, see
the Dell Cluster Configuration Support Matrices at dell.com/ha.
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6Introduction
Cluster Solution
Your iSCSI cluster implements a minimum of two-node clustering and a
maximum of sixteen-node clustering and provides the following features:
• Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) technology
• High availability of system services and resources to network clients
• Redundant paths to the shared storage
• Failure recovery for applications and services
• Flexible maintenance capabilities, allowing you to repair, maintain, or
upgrade a cluster node without taking the entire cluster offline
Implementing iSCSI technology in a cluster provides the following
advantages:
• Flexibility —as iSCSI is based on TCP/IP, it allows cluster nodes and
storage systems to be located at different sites.
•
Availability —iSCSI components use redundant connections, providing
multiple data paths and greater availability for clients.
•
Connectivity —iSCSI allows more device connections than SCSI. Because
iSCSI devices are hot-swappable, you can add or remove devices from the
nodes without bringing down the cluster.
Cluster Requirements
Your cluster requires the following components:
• Servers (cluster nodes)
• Storage and storage management software
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Introduction 7
Cluster Nodes
Table 1-1 lists hardware requirements for the cluster nodes.
Table 1-1. Cluster Node Requirements
Component Minimum Requirement
Processor At least one processor for each cluster node.
Cluster Nodes A minimum of two identical PowerEdge systems.
RAM At least 1 GB RAM on each cluster node.
iSCSI Initiator Complete installation of the iSCSI port driver, Initiator Service,
and Software Initiator on each node.
NOTE: Microsoft Multipath I/O (MPIO) Multipathing Support for
iSCSI is not installed.
Network
Interface Cards
(NICs) for iSCSI
access
Two iSCSI NICs or NIC ports per node. Place the NICs on
separate PCI buses to improve availability and performance.
TCP/IP Offload Engine (TOE) NICs are also supported for iSCSI
traffic. For a list of recommended operating systems, hardware
components, and driver or firmware versions for your Dell
Windows Server Failover Cluster, see the Dell Cluster
Configuration Support Matrices at dell.com/ha.
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8Introduction
Cluster Storage
Table 1-2 provides the configuration requirements for the shared storage
system.
NOTE: RAID 0 and independent disks are possible but are not recommended for a
high-availability system because they do not offer data redundancy if a disk
failure occurs.
NICs (public and
private)
At least two NICs: one NIC for the public network and another
NIC for the private network.
NOTE: It is recommended that the NICs on each public network are
identical and that the NICs on each private network are identical.
Internal Disk
Controller
One controller connected to internal disks for each node. Use any
supported Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID)
controller or disk controller.
Two physical disks are required for mirroring (RAID 1) and at least
three are required for disk striping with parity (RAID 5).
NOTE: It is recommended that you use hardware-based RAID or
software-based disk-fault tolerance for the internal drives.
Table 1-2. Cluster Storage Requirements
Hardware
Components
Minimum Requirement
Supported storage
systems
One Dell PowerVault MD3200i or MD3220i RAID enclosure.
Up to seven Dell PowerVault MD1200 and MD1220 expansion
enclosures with a maximum of 96 disks.
Power and cooling
requirements
Two integrated hot-swappable power supply/cooling fan
modules.
Physical disks At least two physical disks in the PowerVault MD3200i or
MD3220i RAID enclosure.
Multiple clusters and
stand-alone systems
In a switch-attached configuration, clusters and stand-alone
systems can share one or more PowerVault MD3200i or
MD3220i systems.
Table 1-1. Cluster Node Requirements (continued)
Component Minimum Requirement
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Introduction 9
Cluster Storage Management Software
Dell PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager
The software runs on the management station or any host attached to the
array to centrally manage the PowerVault MD3200i and MD3220i RAID
enclosures. You can use Dell PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager
(MDSM) to perform tasks such as creating or managing RAID arrays, binding
virtual disks, and downloading firmware.
MDSM is a graphical user interface (GUI) with wizard-guided tools and a
task-based structure. MDSM is designed to:
• Reduce the complexity of installation, configuration, management, and
performing diagnostic tasks for the storage arrays.
• Contain an event monitoring service that is used to send alerts when a
critical problem with the storage array occurs.
• Provide a command line interface (CLI) to run commands from an
operating system prompt.
Modular Disk Storage Manager Agent
This software resides on each cluster node to collect system-based topology
data that can be managed by the MDSM.
Multipath Software
Multipath I/O software (also referred to as the failover driver) is a software
residing on each cluster node that provides management of the redundant
data path between the system and the RAID enclosure. For the multipath
software to correctly manage a redundant path, the configuration must
provide for redundant NICs and cabling.
The multipath software identifies the existence of multiple paths to a virtual
disk and establishes a preferred path to that disk. If any component in the
preferred path fails, the multipath software automatically re-routes I/O
requests to the alternate path so that the storage array continues to operate
without interruption.
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10 Introduction
Advanced Features
Advanced features for the PowerVault MD3200i and MD3220i RAID storage
systems include:
• Snapshot Virtual Disk —Captures point-in-time images of a virtual disk
for backup, testing, or data processing without affecting the contents of
the source virtual disk.
•
Virtual Disk Copy —generates a full copy of data from the source virtual
disk to the target virtual disk in a storage array. You can use Virtual Disk
Copy to back up data, copy data from disk groups that use smaller-capacity
physical disks to disk groups using greater capacity physical disks, or restore
snapshot virtual disk data to the source virtual disk.
NOTE: For instructions on deploying the correct options in the cluster
environment, see "Using Advanced (Premium) PowerVault Modular Disk
Storage Manager Features" on page 61.
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Introduction 11
Supported Cluster Configurations
Figure 1-1. Direct-Attached Cluster Configuration
NOTE: The configuration can have up to four nodes (N is either 2, 3, or 4). The
nodes can be:
•one cluster
•two different clusters
•one cluster and stand-alone server(s)
Node N
Node 1 ....................
corporate, public, or
private network
MD32 xx i RAID
controller module 0
MD32
xx i RAID
controller module 1
storage array
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12 Introduction
Figure 1-2. Redundant Network-Attached Cluster Configuration
NOTE: The configuration can have up to 32 nodes. The nodes can be:
•one cluster (up to 16 nodes)
•multiple clusters
•multiple cluster(s) and stand-alone server(s)
corporate, public,
or private network
storage array
GigabitEthernet
switch1
MD32 xx i RAID
controller module 0
MD32 xx i RAID
controller module 1
GigabitEthernet
switch2
up to 32 hosts
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Introduction 13
Other Documents You May Need
CAUTION: The safety information that shipped with your computer provides
important safety and regulatory information. Warranty information may be
included within this document or as a separate document.
NOTE: To configure Dell blade system modules in a Dell PowerEdge Cluster,
see the Using Dell Blade Servers in a Dell PowerEdge High Availability Cluster
document at support.dell.com/manuals.
•The Rack Installation Guide included with your rack solution describes
how to install your system into a rack.
•The
Getting Started Guide provides an overview to initially set up
your system.
•The
Dell Failover Clusters with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Installation
and Troubleshooting Guide
provides more information about deploying
your cluster.
•The
Dell Cluster Configuration Support Matrices provides a list of
recommended operating systems, hardware components, and driver or
firmware versions for your Dell Windows Server Failover Cluster.
• The operating system documentation describes how to install (if
necessary), configure, and use the operating system software.
•The
Dell PowerVault MD3200i and MD3220i RAID Enclosures Owner’s
Manual
provides instructions for using the array management software to
configure RAID systems.
• Documentation for any components you purchased separately provides
information to configure and install those options.
• The Dell PowerVault tape library documentation provides information for
installing, troubleshooting, and upgrading the tape library.
• Updates are sometimes included with the system to describe changes to
the system, software, and/or documentation.
• The User's Guide for your PowerEdge system describes system features
and technical specifications, the System Setup program (if applicable),
software support, and the system configuration utility.
•The
Dell PowerVault MD3200i and MD3220i Owner's Manual provides
information about the hardware enclosure.
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14 Introduction
•The PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager CLI Guide provides
information about using the CLI.
•The
Dell PowerVault MD3200i and MD3220i Resource DVD provides
documentation for configuration and management tools, as well as the full
documentation set included here.
•The
Dell PowerVault MD Getting Started Guide provides an overview of
setting up and cabling your storage array.
•The
Dell PowerVault MD3200i and MD3220i Storage Arrays Deployment
Guide
provides installation and configuration instructions to configure the
storage system for initial use.
•The
Dell PowerVault MD Systems Support Matrix provides information on
supported software and hardware for PowerVault MD systems.
NOTE: Always read the updates first because they often supersede
information in other documents.
• Release notes or readme files may be included to provide last-minute
updates to the system documentation or advance technical reference
material intended for experienced users or technicians.
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Cabling Your Cluster Hardware 15
2
Cabling Your Cluster Hardware
The following sections provide information on how to cable various
components of your cluster.
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. See the
documentation included with your rack for instructions on cabling each
node's connections to the switch box.
Cabling the Power Supplies
To ensure that the specific power requirements are satisfied, see the
documentation for each component in your cluster solution.
It is recommended that you adhere to the following guidelines to protect your
cluster solution from power-related failures:
• For nodes with multiple power supplies, plug each power supply into a
separate AC circuit.
• Use uninterruptible power supplies (UPS).
• For some environments, consider having backup generators and power
from separate electrical substations.
Figure 2-1 and Figure 2-2 illustrate recommended methods for power cabling
of a cluster solution consisting of two Dell PowerEdge systems and one
storage system. To ensure redundancy, the primary power supplies of all the
components are grouped onto one or two circuits and the redundant power
supplies are grouped onto a different circuit.
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16 Cabling Your Cluster Hardware
Figure 2-1. Power Cabling Examples With One Power Supply in the PowerEdge
Systems
NOTE: This illustration is intended only to demonstrate the power distribution of the
components.
primary power supplies on one
AC power strip (or one AC PDU
[not shown])
redundant power supplies on one
AC power strip (or one AC PDU
[not shown])
MD32 xx i
RAID
controller
module 1
MD32
xx i
RAID
controller
module 0
MD32 xx i
RAID
controller
module 1
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Cabling Your Cluster Hardware 17
Figure 2-2. Power Cabling Example With Two Power Supplies in the PowerEdge
Systems
NOTE: This illustration is intended only to demonstrate the power distribution of the
components.
primary power supplies on one
AC power strip (or one AC PDU
[not shown])
redundant power supplies on one
AC power strip (or one AC PDU
[not shown])
MD32 xx i
RAID
controller
module 0
MD32 xx i
RAID
controller
module 1
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18 Cabling Your Cluster Hardware
Cabling Your Public and Private Networks
The network adapters in the cluster nodes provide at least two network
connections for each node. These connections are described in Table 2-1.
Figure 2-3 shows an example of network adapter cabling in which dedicated
network adapters in each node are connected to the public network and the
remaining network adapters are connected to each other (for the private
network).
Table 2-1. Network Connections
Network Connection Description
Public Network All connections to the client LAN.
At least one public network must be configured for
mixed mode (public mode and private mode) for
private network failover.
Private Network A dedicated connection for sharing cluster health and
status information between the cluster nodes.
Network adapters connected to the LAN can also
provide redundancy at the communications level in
case the cluster interconnect fails.
See your Microsoft Failover Clustering
documentation for more information on private
network redundancy.
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Cabling Your Cluster Hardware 19
Figure 2-3. Example of Network Cabling Connection
Cabling Your Public Network
Any network adapter supported by a system running TCP/IP may be used to
connect to the public network segments. You can install additional network
adapters to support additional public network segments or to provide
redundancy in the event of a faulty primary network adapter or switch port.
Cabling Your Private Network
The private network connection to the cluster nodes is provided by a second
or subsequent network adapter that is installed in each node. This network is
used for intra-cluster communications.
Table 2-2 lists the required hardware components and connection method for
three possible private network configurations.
public network
publicnetwork
adapter
private network
adapter
cluster node 1 cluster node 2
private network
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20 Cabling Your Cluster Hardware
NOTE: Throughout this document, Ethernet refers to either Gigabit Ethernet or
10 Gigabit Ethernet.
Using Dual-Port Network Adapters for Your Private Network
You can configure your cluster to use the public network as a failover for
private network communications. However, if dual-port network adapters are
used, do not use two ports simultaneously to support both the public and
private networks.
NIC Teaming
Network Interface Card (NIC) teaming combines two or more NICs to
provide load balancing and/or fault tolerance. Your cluster supports NIC
teaming, but only in a public network; NIC teaming is not supported in a
private network.
Table 2-2. Private Network Hardware Components and Connections
Method Hardware Components Connection
Network switch Gigabit or 10 Gigabit
Ethernet network
adapters and switches.
Depending on the hardware,
connect the CAT5e or CAT6
cables, the multimode optical
cables with Local Connectors
(LCs), or the twinax cables
from the network adapters in
the nodes to a switch.
Point-to-Point (two node
cluster only)
Copper Gigabit or 10
Gigabit Ethernet network
adapters with RJ-45
connectors.
Connect a standard CAT5e or
CAT6 Ethernet cable between
the network adapters in both
nodes.
Copper 10 Gigabit
Ethernet network
adapters with SFP+
connectors
Connect a twinax cable
between the network adapters
in both nodes.
Optical Gigabit or 10
Gigabit Ethernet network
adapters with LC
connectors
Connect a multi-mode optical
cable between the network
adapters in both nodes.
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