Violin Memory 6000 Series User manual

Violin
MEMORY
Document Number: 535-0148-00 Rev 01
June 2014
Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array
Installation Guide
For Release V6.3.1

ii Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array Installation Guide 535-0148-00 Rev 01
LEGAL NOTICE
Copyright 2010-2014 Violin Memory, Inc. All rights reserved.
Violin Memory, Violin, vSHARE, vCACHE, Flash Forward, and the Violin logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Violin Memory, Inc. (“Violin”) in the United States and other countries.
All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks, and service marks are the properties of their respective
owners.
Licenses of Violin’s software are subject to the terms and conditions set forth in Violin’s End User License Agreement.
Sales of Violin’s hardware are subject to Violin’s Terms and Conditions applicable to sales of hardware.
Violin Memory, Inc.
4555 Great America Parkway
Santa Clara, CA 95054
USA

535-0148-00 Rev 01 Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array Installation Guide iii
Table of Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CHAPTER 1. Memory Array Hardware Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Installation and Configuration Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Unpacking the 6000 Series All Flash Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Installation Tools and Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Standard System Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
SAN-attached Storage Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Direct-attached Storage Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installing the 6000 Series All Flash Array. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Managing Thermal Heat Impact Within the Equipment Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Installing the Slide Rails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Installing the Cage Nuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Mounting the array in the Equipment Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Connecting the Cable Management Arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Attaching the Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Grounding the Memory Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Connecting AC Power Cords to the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Powering up the Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Connecting the 6000 Series All Flash Array to a Host or Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Connecting Network Interface Cables to the Array. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Connecting Management Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Securing the Array to the Equipment Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
CHAPTER 2. Array Setup and Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Completing the Configuration Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Configuration Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Completing the Configuration Wizard for a New System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
System Verification and Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Cluster Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Configuring the PCIe Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Verifying ACM PCIe Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Verifying the Memory Gateway Network Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Verifying the Memory Gateway Power State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Verifying Memory Gateway Addresses and Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Verifying the NTB Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Initializing the Array. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Determining IP Addresses of Internal Memory Gateways (One Known, One Unknown) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Determining IP Addresses of Internal Memory Gateways (Both Unknown) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Error Messages When Logging in to Memory Gateways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Next Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

iv Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array Installation Guide 535-0148-00 Rev 01
APPENDIX A. InfiniBand Client Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Process Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
HCA Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
InfiniBand Client Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
InfiniBand Gateway Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
iSER Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Host System Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Flash Array Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
APPENDIX B. Multipath Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Multipath Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Multipath Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Setting Up DM Multipath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
System Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Memory Array System Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Fibre Channel Adapter Card Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
InfiniBand Adapter Card Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
PCIe Host Adapter Card Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Ethernet/iSCSI Adapter Card Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Compliance Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
FCC Class A Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Regulatory Model Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Installation Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Network Connected Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Precautions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Lithium Battery Caution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Cabinet Safety Precautions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Disposal of Waste Equipment by Users in Private Households in the European Union . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Perchlorate Material - Special Handling May Apply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
European Union RFI Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
USA Radio Frequency Interference FCC Notice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Japan Radio Frequency Interference VCCI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Korea RFI Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Canada RFI Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
CISPR 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Australia C-Tick Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Taiwan BSMI Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Four-in-One Recycling Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Product Information for People’s Republic of China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

535-0148-00 Rev 01 Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array Installation Guide 1
Preface
This preface outlines the organization of this book, describes document
conventions, and provides information about additional resources.
•Intended Audience on page 1
•Document Organization on page 2
•Reference Documents on page 2
•Document Conventions on page 3
•Contacting Violin Memory on page 4
Intended Audience
This guide is intended for experienced systems administrators. Violin Memory
assumes that you are experienced in installing and servicing high-performance
storage systems.
Contact Violin Memory Customer Support for any assistance with installing and
servicing this system. See Contacting Violin Memory on page 4 for contact
information.
About This Guide
This guide describes the hardware installation and first-time setup of a 6000 Series
All Flash Array in various configurations. For other Violin Memory installation
guides, see the Violin Memory Support site at http://www.violin-memory.com/
support/
Note: Not all configurations are supported by every Violin Memory software
release. See the latest Release Notes for supported configurations, as well as
software installation and upgrade instructions.

2 Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array Installation Guide 535-0148-00 Rev 01
Document Organization
This guide is organized into the following sections:
•Chapter 1, Memory Array Hardware Installation—Describes how to install a 6000 Series All
Flash Array.
•Chapter 2, Array Setup and Configuration—Describes how to configure a 6000 Series All
Flash Array for the first time.
•Appendix A, InfiniBand Client Configuration—Describes establishing InfiniBand initiators for
use with the Memory Gateways internal to a 6000 Series All Flash Array.
•Appendix B, Multipath Configuration—Provides examples of client-side multipath setup for a
Violin Memory Gateway.
Reference Documents
In addition to this guide, the following Violin Memory documents comprise the documentation suite
that will assist you with setting up, using and servicing a 6000 Series All Flash Array. These guides
are available for download from the Violin Memory Support site at http://www.violin-memory.com/
support/
This document... Provides this information...
Release Notes This document describes the new features, resolved
issues, known limitations and software upgrade
instructions for the current release.
Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array User’s Guide This guide provides instructions for managing,
monitoring, and maintaining a 6000 Series All Flash
Array using the Violin Web interface and Command
Line Interface (CLI).
Violin 6000 Series Web Interface Guide This task-based guide provides instructions for
managing, monitoring and configuring Violin Memory
devices using the Web interface.
Violin Array Controller Driver for Windows Installation
Guide
This guide provides instructions on installing the
driver for Windows.
Violin 6000 Series Memory Array Slide Rail
Installation Guide
This guide provides instructions for installing the
array slide rails in an equipment rack.
Violin 6000 Series Memory Array Cable Management
Installation Guide
This guide provides instructions for installing the
cable management arm on a array. It is included in
the 6000 Series All Flash Array shipping box.
Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array Service Guide This guide describes how to safely replace the
system components in a array.
Violin Memory Interoperability Best Practices Guide This guide is a collection of best practices to follow
when connecting a host to a Violin Memory Array
using the supported interconnect protocols.
Reference Documents

535-0148-00 Rev 01 Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array Installation Guide 3
Document Conventions
Safety Icons
The table below summarizes warning, caution, and note icons used in this document and includes
sample text.
Typographical Conventions
The following typographic conventions are used in this guide:
Safety Icons
Icon Sample Text
WARNING! WARNING! Only authorized, qualified, and trained
personnel should attempt to work on this equipment.
Caution: Caution: Follow the listed safety precautions when
working on the Violin 6264 All Flash Array.
Note: Note: Read through this entire chapter and plan your
installation according to your location before installing
the equipment. The following procedures and the order
in which they appear are general installation guidelines
only.
Format Meaning
Bold User Interface text.
Italic Provides emphasis and identifies variables and
document titles.
Courier Command names, examples, and output.
Courier bold Input you must type exactly as shown.
<Courier italic> Information for which you must supply a value.
[] Optional command parameters are enclosed within
square brackets.
|Separates a set of command choices from which only
one may be chosen.
{} Required command parameters that must be specified
are enclosed within curly brackets.
Typographical Conventions

4 Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array Installation Guide 535-0148-00 Rev 01
Security
Violin Memory, Inc., cannot be responsible for unauthorized use of equipment and will not make
allowance or credit for unauthorized use or access.
Contacting Violin Memory
To obtain additional information or technical support for Violin Memory products, contact us at:
Phone: 1-855-VIOLIN-5 (1-855-846-5465)
International: [phone] Extension 3
Web site: http://www.violin-memory.com
When contacting Violin Memory Customer Support, please have the following information available:
•Model and serial number of the system for which you are requesting support.
•Software version.
•A brief description of the problem.
•Command Line Interface or Web interface access to the affected system.

535-0148-00 Rev 01 Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array Installation Guide 5
CHAPTER 1 Memory Array Hardware Installation
This chapter describes the hardware installation of a 6000 Series All Flash Array in
the following sections:
•Installation and Configuration Overview on page 6
•Unpacking the 6000 Series All Flash Array on page 7
•Standard System Configurations on page 8
•Installing the 6000 Series All Flash Array on page 13
•Attaching the Cables on page 19
•Securing the Array to the Equipment Rack on page 28
Note: This chapter provides instructions for installing the 6000 Series All Flash
Array in various configurations. Not all configurations are supported by every Violin
Memory software release. See the latest Release Notes for supported
configurations, as well as software installation and upgrade instructions.

6 Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array Installation Guide 535-0148-00 Rev 01
Installation and Configuration Overview
The 6000 Series All Flash Array installation and configuration occurs in four distinct phases:
•Phase 1: Hardware Installation and Cabling
•Phase 2: First-time Memory Array Configuration
•Phase 3: Driver Installation and Configuration (if direct-attached connection is used)
•Phase 3: Create LUNs on the array
Note: Instructions for installing drivers and configuring the Memory Gateways to manage block
storage are provided in the Violin 6000 Series Memory Array User’s Guide.
This chapter describes the first phase of a 6000 Series All Flash Array implementation: the
installation of the array hardware and network cabling.
Hardware Installation is a five-step process consisting of the following procedures:
•Unpacking the 6000 Series All Flash Array: In this step, unpack the array shipping box,
inspect the system components, and verify that you have the tools required to install the
hardware.
•Rack-mounting the 6000 Series All Flash Array Chassis: In this step, mount the array
chassis in the equipment rack using the slide-out rails and ground the equipment racks.
•Attaching the Cable Management Arm (if used): In this step, attach the cable management
arm to the array and the equipment rack.
•Connecting Power: In this step, connect the AC power cords to the array power supplies and
connect to a power source.
•Connecting the Interface Cables: In this step, connect the interface cables (Fibre Channel,
InfiniBand, 10GBe iSCSI or PCIe) to the array chassis and to the client network.
The order of the procedures described in this chapter are offered as general guidelines only.
Depending on your installation environment, you may find it easier to perform the procedures in a
different order than they are presented here. For example, it may be easier to connect the network
management cables to the array chassis before you install the chassis in the equipment rack.
Read through this entire chapter and plan your installation according to your location before
installing the 6000 Series All Flash Array hardware.