Gridstore GS-1000-1 Service manual

Gridstore AdministrAtor’s Guide

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Table of Contents
Welcome to the Gridstore Online Administrator's Guide............................................................. 5
Before You Start............................................................................................................................. 5
Reviewing Gridstore Terminology.............................................................................................. 5
Checking Operating Systems Supported.................................................................................. 5
Checking Network and Other Requirements............................................................................ 6
Checking Box Contents.............................................................................................................. 6
Setting Up the Grid......................................................................................................................... 7
Step 1: Set Up Gridstore Storage Nodes.................................................................................. 7
Step 2: Install Gridstore Software.............................................................................................8
Step 3: Configure Gridstore Storage Nodes...........................................................................10
Next Steps ................................................................................................................................13
Creating and Managing vPools ...................................................................................................14
Creating a vPool .......................................................................................................................14
Adding Gridstore Storage Nodes to a vPool ...........................................................................16
Renaming a vPool ....................................................................................................................17
Removing a vPool.....................................................................................................................17
Moving a Gridstore Storage Node to Another vPool or to the Unallocated Area .................18
Managing Gridstore Storage Nodes in a vPool ......................................................................18
Viewing vPool Information .......................................................................................................18
Viewing a List of vPools in the Grid.....................................................................................18
Viewing a List of Standby Nodes.........................................................................................19
Viewing Detailed Information for a Specific vPool.............................................................21
Creating and Managing vStores..................................................................................................23
Creating a vStore......................................................................................................................23
Restoring a vStore....................................................................................................................29
Stopping I/O to a vStore ..........................................................................................................29
Starting I/O to a vStore............................................................................................................30
Renaming a vStore ..................................................................................................................31
Modifying vStore Properties ....................................................................................................32
Moving a vStore to Another vPool...........................................................................................34
Expanding or Shrinking a vStore.............................................................................................34
Removing a vStore...................................................................................................................37
Managing Gridstore Storage Nodes in a vStore ....................................................................39
Stopping a Gridstore Storage Node in a vStore.................................................................39
Starting a Gridstore Storage Node in a vStore...................................................................39
Swapping or Replacing a Gridstore Storage Node in a vStore .........................................40
Viewing vStore Information .....................................................................................................42
Viewing Information on All vStores in a vPool....................................................................42
Viewing Detailed Information for a Specific vStore ...........................................................43

GRIDSTORE ADMINISTRATOR’S GUIDE 3
Managing Access to vStores .......................................................................................................46
Mapping Workgroups to a vStore ...........................................................................................46
Connecting the Local Computer as the Client ...................................................................46
Adding Clients to a vStore ...................................................................................................48
Viewing All Clients Mapped to a vStore ..............................................................................50
Mapping Active Directory Objects to a vStore........................................................................51
Viewing All Active Directory Object Mappings to a vStore .....................................................55
Removing Mappings from a vStore.........................................................................................56
Disconnecting the Local Computer as the Client...............................................................56
Removing Client Access to a vStore ...................................................................................56
Removing Active Directory Object Mappings from a vStore..............................................58
Changing the Drive Map Letter to a vStore............................................................................58
Installing Gridstore Software.......................................................................................................60
Installing Software via Group Policy........................................................................................60
Installing Software Locally.......................................................................................................60
Installing Software Remotely...................................................................................................63
Managing Clients .........................................................................................................................64
Adding Clients to the Grid........................................................................................................64
Removing Clients from the Grid ..............................................................................................68
Repairing Software on a Client ...............................................................................................69
Uninstalling Software from a Client ........................................................................................70
Upgrading vController Software for a Client...........................................................................72
Selecting a Network Adapter for a Client ...............................................................................72
Stopping Communication between a vStore and a Client.....................................................74
Re-establishing Communication between a vStore and a Client..........................................74
Restarting the Core Service on a Client..................................................................................75
Viewing Client Information.......................................................................................................76
Viewing a List of Clients on the Grid ...................................................................................76
Viewing All Clients Mapped to a vStore ..............................................................................77
Checking Client Membership Status in the Grid................................................................78
Managing Gridstore Storage Nodes ...........................................................................................80
Configuring Gridstore Storage Nodes.....................................................................................80
Modifying Properties of a Gridstore Storage Node ................................................................83
Viewing General Properties of a Gridstore Storage Node .................................................83
Modifying the Name of a Gridstore Storage Node.............................................................85
Modifying IP Addresses for a Gridstore Storage Node ......................................................86
Modifying IP Addresses for All Gridstore Storage Nodes in the Grid................................89
Modifying Remote Settings .................................................................................................90
Modifying Firewall Settings..................................................................................................91
Turning Beacon On or Off for a Gridstore Storage Node.......................................................93
Turning Beacon On or Off for All Gridstore Storage Nodes in a vPool..................................94
Restarting a Gridstore Storage Node......................................................................................94
Shutting Down a Gridstore Storage Node ..............................................................................95
Waking Up a Gridstore Storage Node that Is Offline .............................................................97
Repairing Software on a Gridstore Storage Node..................................................................98
Uninstalling Software from a Gridstore Storage Node ..........................................................99

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Removing a Gridstore Storage Node from the Grid............................................................ 100
Managing Gridstore Storage Nodes in a vStore ................................................................. 102
Checking the LED Lights on a Gridstore Storage Node...................................................... 102
Power Light........................................................................................................................ 102
Alert Light........................................................................................................................... 102
HDD Light........................................................................................................................... 102
Viewing Status Information on All Gridstore Storage Nodes in the Grid ........................... 103
Managing the Grid .................................................................................................................... 105
Adding Gridstore Storage Nodes to an Existing Grid .......................................................... 105
Setting Up Gridstore Storage Nodes in Your Datacenter ............................................... 105
Configuring Gridstore Storage Nodes.............................................................................. 106
Modifying IP Addresses for All Gridstore Storage Nodes in the Grid................................. 109
Shutting Down the Grid ........................................................................................................ 110
Starting Up the Grid .............................................................................................................. 111
Upgrading Software for the Grid .......................................................................................... 112
Removing Software from the Grid........................................................................................ 113
Restarting the Management Service................................................................................... 116
Checking Status Information for the Entire Grid................................................................. 116
Navigating the Grid Dashboard........................................................................................ 116
Health Status Icons........................................................................................................... 120
Statistics............................................................................................................................ 120
Additional Features................................................................................................................... 122
Modifying Alerting Details..................................................................................................... 122
Running System Reports ...................................................................................................... 123
Viewing Performance Information ....................................................................................... 124
Viewing Performance Information for Gridstore Storage Nodes in the vPool............... 125
Viewing Performance Information for Gridstore Storage Nodes in the vStore ............. 126
Viewing Performance Information for Clients mapped to a vStore ............................... 128
Troubleshooting Features..................................................................................................... 130
Modifying DNS Settings for SRV Records........................................................................ 130
Features for Technical Support........................................................................................ 132
Glossary ..................................................................................................................................... 133
Index .......................................................................................................................................... 135
Copyright, Safety and Warranty Information ........................................................................... 137

GRIDSTORE ADMINISTRATOR’S GUIDE 5
Welcome to the Gridstore Online Administrator's Guide
Congratulations on your new Grid! This Online Administrator's Guide will help you get your Grid set up
and running in just three easy steps. It will also guide you through managing and maintaining your
Grid.
Before You Start
Before you start, it’s a good idea to check system, network and other important requirements.
This section covers the following topics:
Reviewing Gridstore Terminology
Checking Operating Systems Supported
Checking Network and Other Requirements
Checking Box Contents
Reviewing Gridstore Terminology
Terms used in this Administrator's Guide include the following.
•Gridstore Storage Node – a 1U, rack-mountable storage appliance that is used as a simple
building block of storage. Combined with the vController software, Gridstore Storage Nodes
create a powerful storage solution called the Grid.
•The Grid™ – a new model of storage called software-defined storage, which virtualizes the
entire storage stack and distributes it across a powerful grid architecture.
•vController™ – a small footprint driver that loads on any supported Microsoft Windows host
and provides the intelligence of how to find and access data on the Grid.
•GridControl™ – a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in used to configure and
manage the Grid.
•vPool™ – a logical container for Gridstore Storage Nodes and vStores.
•vStore™ – a logical container of allocated capacity, across Gridstore Storage Nodes, within a
vPool.
Checking Operating Systems Supported
Operating systems supported for the vController include the following.
•Windows 2008 R1, 7, Vista, 2003 R1 and R2, XP for 32-bit
•Windows 2008 R1 and R2, 7, Vista for 64-bit
Note: All Windows clients must have Windows .NET framework 3.5 service pack 1.

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Checking Network and Other Requirements
Network and other requirements for the Grid include the following.
•All Gridstore Storage Nodes participating in a vStore must be connected to the same physical
Ethernet switch and within the same VLAN. If you are using modular or blade switches, all
Gridstore Storage Nodes participating in a vStore should be connected to the same module
or card.
•The switch should be configured to allow multicast at least within the same segment of the
network where the Gridstore Storage Nodes are connected.
•DHCP is not required but highly recommended in the network segment. Without DHCP
enabled, an administrator would have to connect a laptop to the same network segment for
initial configuration unless multicasts are allowed to cross the segments.
•There should be no firewall between the Gridstore Storage Nodes and the clients. If there is,
please ensure that ports 11000-11002 and 231-331 are open. The Grid will add exceptions
for Gridstore services on Windows firewall.
•Switch enhancement features, such as rate limiting, traffic shaping or policies and Storm
Control, should be turned off.
•Turning on IEEE 802.3X Flow Control on your switch is highly recommended.
•Standardized features, such as QoS, IEEE 802.1p, 802.1Q, class based queuing and traffic
shaping, are fully supported.
•Clients are recommended to be physically connected (aka “wired”) to the LAN as opposed to
wireless.
Checking Box Contents
Check the box of your Gridstore Storage Node to ensure it contains all components in the list below.
•A GS-1000-2 Gridstore Storage Node, which includes a built-in 2TB drive and comes ready to
rack mount
•Alternative rack mount ears and parts
•7 ft. Ethernet cable
•7 ft. power cord
•Getting Started Guide

GRIDSTORE ADMINISTRATOR’S GUIDE 7
Setting Up the Grid
In this section, you will set up a Grid—which consists of at least three Gridstore Storage Nodes—in
just three easy steps.
This section covers the following topics:
Step 1: Set Up Gridstore Storage Nodes
Step 2: Install Gridstore Software
Step 3: Configure Gridstore Storage Nodes
Next Steps
Note: If you are adding Gridstore Storage Nodes to an existing Grid, see Adding Gridstore Storage
Nodes to an Existing Grid on pg. 105 instead.
Step 1: Set Up Gridstore Storage Nodes
In this first step, you will rack mount, connect and power on the Gridstore Storage Nodes for your
Grid. Note that each Gridstore Storage Node comes ready to rack mount.
Note: You need at least three Gridstore Storage Nodes in a Grid.
As you follow the steps, refer to the images below.

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1. Rack mount the Gridstore Storage Nodes in the appropriate location in your datacenter.
2. For each Gridstore Storage Node, connect one end of the supplied Ethernet cable into the
back of the unit, and the other end of the Ethernet cable into a switch.
3. For each Gridstore Storage Node, connect the appropriate end of the power cord into the
power connection at the back of the Gridstore Storage Node, and connect the other end into
a power source.
4. Press the power button on the front of each Gridstore Storage Node to power it on.
All Gridstore Storage Nodes display a solid green light. You are now ready to install the
Gridstore software, which will enable you to configure, manage and connect to the Grid.
Step 2: Install Gridstore Software
With three or more Gridstore Storage Nodes connected to the network and powered on, you are
ready to install Gridstore software. The installation file (.MSI file) for this software includes the
vController software, which enables any supported host to access storage on the Grid, and
GridControl, which is an MMC snap-in used to configure and manage the Grid.
Notes:
—The vController automatically self-installs on the Gridstore Storage Nodes to the latest version
installed on the host in a network.
—GridControl uses the default view of the MMC.
1. Obtain the installation file (.MSI) by doing the following:
•Send an email to [email protected].
•In the subject line, enter vController Software Request.
•In the body of the email, enter the serial number(s) for your Gridstore Storage Node(s).
Warning! Do not rename the Gridstore installation file (.msi file). If you rename this file, it will
fail to install.
2. After you receive the installation file, double-click on it to install it on an administrative
workstation.

GRIDSTORE ADMINISTRATOR’S GUIDE 9
The InstallShield Wizard opens.
3. Click the Next button and follow the installation instructions, clicking the Next button after
each window until you reach the Install Setup Type window.
This window displays options for a complete or custom installation.
4. Select the Complete option.
Note: This option installs both the vController and GridControl MMC snap-in, which you need
to configure and manage the Grid.
5. Click the Next button until you reach the Ready to Install window, and then click the Install
button.
Upon completion, you are ready to configure the Grid.