Dell PowerVault NX1950 Operating manual

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Dell ™ PowerVault™ NX1950
Systems
Important Information

Notes and Notices
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you
make better use of your computer.
NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to
hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2006 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of
Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarksusedinthistext:Dell,theDELLlogo,OpenManage,andPowerVault
are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Microsoft, Windows,and Windows Server are
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Othertrademarksandtradenamesmaybeusedinthisdocumenttorefertoeither
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.
December 2006 Rev. A00

Contents 3
Contents
Known Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Firewall Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Backup Exec Issue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Dell OpenManage Server Assistant Restore Issues . . . . . . . . 14
Restoring Dell OpenManage Server
Assistant Locally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Restoring the Storage Array Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Installing Additional Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Knowledge Base Articles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Single Instance Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

4Contents

Important Information 5
This document provides important information about Microsoft®
Windows®Unified Data Storage Server 2003 operating system that is
installed on your Dell™ PowerVault™ NX1950 storage solution.
The following topics are discussed in this document:
• Known issues
• Restoring Dell OpenManage™ Server Assistant locally
• Knowledge Base articles
• Single instance server (SIS)
Known Issues
• The diagnostic report for the Distributed File System (DFS)
replication group generates an error.
When you create a diagnostic report for a replication group, the
following error message appears:
The health report cannot be generated. Error
HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to
a COM component
.
Microsoft addresses this issue with Microsoft Knowledge Base
article 912154, which is available on the Microsoft Support website
at
support.microsoft.com .
•
Internet Information Services (IIS) is installed by default through the
Dell PowerEdge™ Installation and Server Management CD .
While installing Microsoft Windows
Unified Data Storage Server 2003 x64
using the
Dell PowerEdge Installation and Server Management CD,
the
IIS component is not selected in the Advanced tab. After the
installation is complete, all the IIS components are installed on the
system even when the
IIS component is not selected.

6Important Information
• Users with administrative privileges can create logical unit
numbers (LUNs).
All users with administrator rights can successfully perform operations
in the
Storage Manager for SANs and in the Storage Provision wizard
even though they are not a part of the privileged user’s list. This issue
also occurs when invalid users are added to the privileged user’s list on
both storage processors.
•
The Provision a Shared Folder wizard allows the creation of quota on
the same path multiple times
.
The
Provision a Shared Folder wizard allows the creation of quota and
File Screen on the same path multiple times if a different share name is
used. When the user provides a different share name to the same
physical location in the
Share Provision wizard, creation of quota is
enabled even when the
Apply Quota check box is not selected in the
Quota Policy window. The existing quota and File Screen get
overwritten without a warning.
•
Sorting operation on size does not work as expected .
In the PowerVault NX1950 console, the columns are sorted based on
the character value instead of the numeric value. This issue occurs in
the following wizards:
– Create LUN wizard — Subsystem and Type
– Provision a Shared Folder wizard — Shared Folder Location
– Provision Storage wizard — LUN Type
For example, the rows are sorted depending on the string value such as
1, 10, 100, 2, 20, 200, and so on instead of 1, 2, 10, 20, 100, 200.
•
Files to include and files to exclude in a File Screen have the same file
extensions
.
In the
Files Group Properties window, the Files to include and Files to
exclude
lists can have the same file extensions. During the File
Screening operation, the files in the
Files to include list have higher
precedence over the files in the
Files to exclude list.

Important Information 7
• Displays product name as PowerVault NX instead of PowerVault
NX1950
.
In Server Assistant, IT Assistant, and Dell Remote Access Controller
(DRAC) the product name is displayed as PowerVault NX instead of
PowerVault NX1950.
•
Cannot restore Java remote desktop controller (RDP) after it is
minimized
.
It is not possible to restore a Java RDP session to the full screen mode
after it has been minimized. Attempting to restore the session appears
unrecoverable.
To work around this issue, close and relaunch the browser to establish
the session with the remote system.
•
Specify Credentials for the administrator account states that the
account name can be changed
.
In the
PowerVault NX1950 Configuration Tasks wizard, Specify
Credentials
for the administrator’s account incorrectly states that the
user can change the account name of the system. This information is
incorrect as the user can only change the password. Attempting to
change the administrator account errors out.
•
Storage Provision wizard fails when formatting a volume less than
8MB
.
When a user creates a LUN and a volume of less than 8 MB using the
Storage Provision wizard, the volume cannot be formatted. This is a
known issue
•
The PowerVault NX1950-specific video driver is not present on the
Dell PowerEdge Installation and Server Management CD .
The standard Windows video driver is present on the
Dell PowerEdge
Installation and Server Management
CD. If the operating system is
reinstalled, you can download the PowerVault-specific video driver
from the Dell Support website at
support.dell.com .

8Important Information
• Displays Unspecified user error message when a user with no
administrator privileges starts/stops the network file system (NFS)
.
When a user tries to start or stop the
User Name Mapping/Client for
NFS/Server for NFS
service from the Microsoft Service for NFS , the
following error message is displayed:
Unspecified user
This issue is behaving as designed because the user is trying to perform
an operation that requires administrator privileges.
•
iSCSI target allows multiple initiators to access a single virtual disk .
If the same virtual disk is added to different targets or a target with
multiple clients from the initiator machine, the user can overwrite the
data that belongs to other users. The addition of a new file or a folder
will not be transparent unless the user restarts the initiator service.
This issue results in loss of data as the user on one initiator will be
overwriting data that belongs to other users.
•
Multiple attempts to configure the array reports the array type as
Unknown in a storage array setup
.
While running the
Dell Storage Initialization wizard during the initial
configuration, multiple attempts to the initial wizard in the
Array log
in
page reports the array type as Unknown and is behaving as
designed. It is not possible to read the array type unless the privileged
user list on the array is empty or if the privileged user list is manually
set up.
To work around this issue, configure the array completely using the
Dell Storage Initialization wizard at least once.
•
Uninstalling and reinstalling File Server Resource Manager (FSRM)
shows two snap-ins in the PowerVault NX1950 console
.
One snap-in is displayed under
Share and Storage Management and
the other snap-in is displayed under
PowerVault NX1950
Management
. This is a known issue.

Important Information 9
• Launching the Share Provision wizard after uninstalling FSRM
results in a Storagemgmt.dll snap-in error
.
If the
Share Provision wizard is run from Share and Storage
Management
snap-in after uninstalling the File Server Resource
Manager
using Add or Remove programs , a Storagemgmt.dll snap-in
error occurs. If the user clicks
OK , the following error is displayed and
Share and Storage Management snap-in is removed from the
PowerVault NX1950 console:
Unmanaged Exception in Managed code Snap-in .
• PowerVault NX1950 console is limited to 26 drives.
Only 26 drives are available when using the PowerVault NX1950
console. If the number of drives are exceeded, the PowerVault NX1950
console crashes when the user tries to launch the
Create LUN wizard
from the
Storage Manager for SANs snap-in. The PowerVault NX1950
console continues to operate only if the user selects
Unload snap-in
and continue running
with the exception that the Storage Manager
for SANs
snap-in is unloaded. If the user continues to run PowerVault
NX1950 console, the console will crash.
To work around this issue, create LUNs using DISKRAID.
• More Actions displayed instead of List of Actions.
The Action pane in the PowerVault NX1950 console displays More
Actions
instead of List of Actions . More Actions displays the menu.
This issue is observed in the following snap-ins:
– Microsoft Services for NFS
– iSCSI Software target
– Indexing Service
– Local User and Groups
– Event Viewer
– Performance Logs and Alerts

10 Important Information
• The help links in the Dell Management Tools snap-in point to the
PowerVault NX1950 console 3.0 help.
The help links listed in the Dell Management Tools snap-in point to
the help page for the PowerVault NX1950 console 3.0. This issue
occurs as help pages are not available for the tools listed in the
Dell Management Tools snap-in.
• Assign LUN wizard shows the option, Don't assign LUN at this time.
When using the Assign LUN wizard the Don't assign LUN at this time
option is displayed in addition to the assign LUN options. This issue is
working as designed.
• Virtual disk service (VDS) operations fail when the password is set on
an array managed through the Dell Storage Initialization wizard.
VDS operations on a Dell PowerVault MD3000 array fail unless the
password is set using the
SMRegTool . The SMRegTool is a part of the
VDS provider and is located in the installation directory.
• The Share and Storage Manager does not indicate a shared volume
for File Screen.
The shared volume for File Screen is usually shown with a check mark
in the
Share and Storage Manager window. This issue occurs due to a
display problem but File Screen is active.
•
The Storage Manager for SANs snap-in does not remove the available
driver letters assigned to a volume
.
When two
Create LUN operations are performed in rapid succession,
the
Storage Manager for SANs snap-in does not remove the available
driver letters. This issue is indicated by an error message related
to volume creation failure. To work around this issue, use the
Disk Management snap-in to create volumes manually.
•
Deleted drives under the Disk Management snap-in causes the
PowerVault NX1950 console to crash
.
After a drive has been deleted using the
Storage Manager for SANs ,
the drive continues to display under the
Disk Management snap-in.
If the user clicks the deleted drive, the PowerVault NX1950 console
crashes. To work around this issue, use the
Share and Storage
Manager
snap-in to delete the drive.

Important Information 11
• VDS errors are reported in the Win Application log while creating
or deleting LUNs
.
While creating or deleting LUNs, the following error message displays
in the Win Application log:
Storage Manager for SANs encountered the
following error(s) while loading information
from Virtual Disk Service (VDS) or VDS hardware
provider(s). Some of the functionality may not
be available on the hardware provider(s).
Lun - 'www‘ IVdsDisk.QueryExtents
'System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException -
'Exception from HRESULT: 0x80042444
This issue occurs because the password on the array is not set using the
SMRegToo l. To work around this issue, set the password manually
using the
SMRegTool .
•
With two disks of different sizes, the Storage Manager for SANs
snap-in does not support striped or mirrored LUNs
.
The VDS provider for the Dell PowerVault MD3000 does not support
mixed capacity drives. If the system has two disks with different sizes,
the
Storage Manager for SANs snap-in does not support the drives to
be used for striped or mirrored LUNs. There is no workaround for
this issue.
•
VDS/volume shadow copy service (VSS) combo installer does not
prompt the user to reboot the system
.
While installing VDS/VSS provider on the PowerVault NX1950 and
PowerVault MD3000 integrated solution, the installer does not prompt
the user to reboot the system and causes the
Storage Management
snap-in to behave unexpectedly. To workaround this issue, reboot the
system after installing the VDS/VSS provider.
• The domain name is not validated in the Microsoft Services for
NFS Properties window.
The Active Directory Domain field in the Microsoft Services for
NFS Properties
window can take any value. The value in this field is
not validated to ensure that the domain name exists. This issue causes

12 Important Information
problems for users trying to access NFS with this domain. To work
around this issue, use the
Identity Mapping wizard to validate the
domain. This wizard can be launched from the
Microsoft Services for
NFS
snap-in.
•
The Dell PowerVault MD3000 subsystem array is labeled as Fiber
Channel in the Storage Provision wizard
.
In the
Storage Provision wizard, the Dell PowerVault MD3000
subsystem array is labeled as Fiber Channel even though it is not a
Fiber Channel connection. This issue is due to a limitation with the
provider types that are available.
•
Mounting shared volumes using NFS gives an error in a Linux client .
The following error message is displayed while mounting a Windows
volume from a Linux client using NFS:
mount: NASServer:/ShareName: can't read super
block
To work around this issue, create a directory or a folder on the volume
and mount the volume to that directory.
•
Cannot set the value for Schedule Task When Idle .
The value for
Schedule Task When Idle cannot be set even when the
user enters a value. The value that the user enters is not retained and
the default value(10 minutes) is used.
•
Long failover time when redundant paths are connected from the
same Storage Attached SCSI (SAS) host bus adapter (HBA) to the
PowerVault MD3000 storage array
.
The PowerVault NX1950 supports redundant paths through a single or
dual SAS HBA controllers. When it is configured to support a
redundant path through a single controller, the failover time is
unpredictable. However there is no loss of data in this failover scenario.

Important Information 13
Firewall Issues
When the Windows firewall is enabled, several ports which prevent the
software components from working properly are blocked.
NOTE: Ensure that adequate security precautions are in place before
proceeding with the workaround for this issue.
To work around this issue, disable the firewall if the user does not want to
open individual ports.
The following ports are required to be open:
• UDP port = 80: http
• UDP port = 111: Portmap UDP
• UDP port = 1048: NFS MountUDP
• UDP port = 2049: NFS Server UDP
• UDP port = 1047: NFS Lock UDP
• UDP port = 1039: NSM UDP
• UDP port = 162: SNMP
• UDP port = 2162: Array Init 1
• UDP port = 2163: Array Init 2
• UDP port = 137: NetBIOS Name Service
• UDP port = 138: NetBIOS Datagram Service
• TCP port = 80: IIS
• TCP port = 135: RPC
• TCP port = 3260: ISCSI
• TCP port = 111: Portmap TCP
• TCP port = 1048: NFS Mount
• TCP port = 2049: NFS Server TCP
• TCP port = 1047: NFS Lock
• TCP port = 1039: NSM
• TCP port = 25: Storage Processor
• TCP port = 443: Java CLI/Secure
• TCP port = 137: NetBIOS TCP

14 Important Information
• TCP port = 139: NetBIOS Session Service
• TCP port = 445: SMB over TCP
• TCP port = 3389: Remote Desktop
Backup Exec Issue
While protecting Windows 2003 x64 storage servers with Backup Exec
10.x for Windows Server®, BERemote.exe terminates unexpectedly.
Symantec addresses this issue with Knowledge Base article 285187, which
is available on the Veritas Support website located at support.veritas.com.
Dell OpenManage Server Assistant Restore Issues
• Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 MUI packs are not installed during
a Server Assistant restore
.
To work around this issue, install the MUI packs manually. You must
install the Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 MUI packs located at
C:\WINDOWS\amd64\cmpnents\mui directory,
where
C: \ is the local drive.
•
0c0a_r2.msi (Spanish)
•
040c_r2.msi (French)
•
0404_r2.msi (Traditional Chinese)
•
0407_r2.msi (German)
•
0411_r2.msi (Japanese)
•
0412_r2.msi (Korean)
•
0804_r2.msi (Simplified Chinese)
•
iscsitarget_db_x64.exe (Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese,
Korean, and Japanese)
•
iscsitarget_sb_x64.exe (German, French, and Spanish)
•
windowsserver2003-kb922298-x64-enu.exe (Traditional Chinese,
Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Japanese)
•
windowsserver2003-kb920697-x64-enu.exe (German, French, and
Spanish)

Important Information 15
• The Server Assistant restore text string is in English in all the
language settings
.
While restoring Server Assistant in a language other than English, the
following text string is displayed in English:
A configuration error on your PowerVault NX1950
has been detected. This NX1950 node is missing
one or more critical software components. Please
consult your Microsoft Windows Unified Data
Storage Server 2003 Installation Guide for more
information about reinstalling this required
software
.
•
iSCSI targets are not rediscovered after a Server Assistant restore
process
.
To work around this issue, import the original iSCSI information using
the
iSCSI Target snap-in provided with the PowerVault NX1950
Management
console.
•
The Dell Storage Initialization wizard does not launch after a Server
Assistant restore
.
To work around this issue, log out and log in back to the system.
Restoring Dell OpenManage Server
Assistant Locally
To restore Server Assistant locally, perform the following steps:
1
Connect a keyboard, mouse, and monitor to your system.
2 Turn on your system.
3 Insert the Dell PowerEdge Installation and Server Management CD into
the system.
NOTE: Dell recommends that you use the Dell PowerEdge Installation
and Server Management CD version 5.1.

16 Important Information
4 If you are not using the Dell PowerEdge Installation and Server
Management
CD for the first time, the Welcome to Dell OpenManage
Server Assistant
window appears. Go to step 5.
If you are using the
Dell PowerEdge Installation and Server
Management
CD on your system for the first time, perform the
following steps:
a When prompted, click the appropriate language for your system.
The
Dell Software License Agreement window appears. Read the
information carefully.
b If you agree with all of the information, click Accept to continue.
If you
do not agree with all the information, click Decline . Your
system restarts, and you will not able to complete the operating
system installation.
5 Click Server Setup to install the operating system.
The
Set the Date and Time window appears.
6 Select the appropriate date, time, and time zone, and click Continue .
7 Select Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition .
NOTE: Server Administrator does not provide an option for the Windows
Unified Data Storage Server 2003 x64 operating system. Selecting
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition is the correct option.
NOTE: Since the product ID (PID) is included on the operating system
DVD, providing your PID is not required. You are prompted to enter
a PID during the Server Administrator installation if you use
Dell OpenManage 5.0 or later.
8 Click Continue .
The
Configure the Hard Drive for Microsoft window appears.

Important Information 17
9 The Configure or Skip RAID window appears. Perform the following
steps:
a Select one of the following options, and then click Continue:
• Configure RAID
• Skip RAID configuration
NOTE: Your system was pre-configured with hardware RAID1 using
both the internal hard disk drives, and this is the supported
hardware configuration for your system.
b
If you selected Skip RAID configuration, go to step 10.
c If you selected Configure RAID , configure RAID with one of the
following options:
•Click
Go to Advanced Wizard at the top left of the page and
follow the prompts.
• Select a RAID level and click
Continue .
NOTE: Select RAID1 to ensure adequate redundancy for the
boot disk.
The RAID configuration summary appears.
d Click Continue .
The following message appears:
All existing virtual disk(s) on this
controller will be deleted and all data will
be lost
.
e Click OK to continue.
The
Select an Operating System to Install window appears.
10 To set up a new boot partition, select the appropriate file system and
size for your partition and click
Continue .
NOTICE: If the hard drive has a partition, the Confirm to delete partition
window appears. Click Continue. Server Assistant deletes all existing
partitions on the hard drive.
NOTE: For maximum system security, Dell recommends selecting
NTFS-NT file system.
The Network Adapter(s) configuration window appears.

18 Important Information
11 Select one of the following options and click Continue :
• Obtain IP address from the DHCP server.
• Specify an IP address.
The
Enter Configuration Information: Microsoft Windows
Server 2003 x64 Edition
window appears.
12 Enter your system information in the appropriate fields, and
click
Continue .
NOTE: If you leave any field blank, Windows Setup prompts you later for
this information.
NOTE: To provide more configuration information, click the Advanced tab
in the top-right corner.
NOTE: Internet Information Services (IIS) is a required component for
Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003. Although this is not selected
in the Advanced tab, this component is installed as part of the operating
system installation. No additional user interaction is required.
The Operating System Installation Summary window appears.
13 If the configuration settings are correct, click Continue .
The
Microsoft Windows Installation Wizard window appears and the
file copy process starts.
If the configuration settings are not correct, perform the following steps:
a Click Back until the appropriate screen appears.
b Enter the correct information.
c Click Continue until the Microsoft Windows Installation Wizard
window appears.
14 When prompted, insert the Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003
x64
DVD into the DVD drive. The Server Assistant automatically
detects the DVD and begins copying the operating system files.
NOTE: When the process of copying the operating system files is about
95% complete, the next phase may take several minutes to begin.

Important Information 19
15 When prompted, remove the Windows Unified Data Storage Server
2003 x64
DVD from the DVD drive, and click Finish .
Your system automatically restarts, Windows Setup appears in text
mode, and the installation continues.
NOTE: If console redirection is enabled in the System Setup program, you
are prompted for an administrator password in the text mode of Windows
Setup. Enter an administrator password and press <Enter> to continue.
The EMS window appears. Click OK to continue.
Windows Setup automatically restarts your system, and the Windows
Setup appears.
Windows Setup completes the installation and restarts your system.
16 In the Log On window, type your administrator password, and click OK .
The operating system installation continues.
NOTE: The installation procedure may take several minutes to complete.
17 When the installation is completed, the system automatically reboots.
18 When prompted, log on as Administrator .
The Windows Storage Server script starts, and requires no user
intervention.
When completed, the system automatically reboots.
NOTE: During the installation process the system will reboot several
times. Dell recommends that you do not interrupt the installation process.
19 The Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003 x64 components are
installed and configured, along with the Dell customization. No user
intervention is required. After the customization is complete, the
system reboots and the installation procedure is completed.
NOTICE: To prevent a virus from infecting your system, Dell recommends that
you download and install patches, hotfixes, and service packs from the
Microsoft Support website at support.microsoft.com.

20 Important Information
Restoring the Storage Array Software
After installing the operating system, the Dell Storage Initialization
wizard is installed on your system and runs automatically on every system
reboot. Until the software required to support the storage array is installed
on your system, the following message appears at powerup:
A configuration error on your PowerVault NX1950 has
been detected. This NX1950 node is missing one or
more critical software components. Please consult
your Microsoft Windows Unified Data Storage Server
2003 Installation Guide for more information about
reinstalling this required software.
After you have installed the operating system using Server Assistant, the
following components are installed:
• Dell Storage Initialization wizard
• Drivers
NOTE: The SAS 5/E adapter driver is not restored during the operating system
restore process. You must install the driver from the Dell PowerVault MD3000
Resource CD.
You must restore the software required to support the storage arrays
connected to the PowerVault NX1950 storage systems. The software
requirements vary depending on the solution that you have purchased.
PowerVault NX1950 Storage Solution With PowerVault MD3000 Storage Arrays
The Dell PowerVault MD3000 Resource CD contains the following
components:
• StorPort hotfix
• VDS/VSS provider
• Storage manager software