Violin Memory 7700 User manual

Violin
MEMORY
Document Number: 535-0209-00 Rev 01
September 2015
7700 Flash Storage Platform
Installation Guide
for Release 7.5.5

ii 7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 535-0209-00 Rev 01
LEGAL NOTICE
Copyright © 2010-2015 Violin Memory, Inc. All rights reserved.
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trademarks and registered trademarks is available at www.violin-memory.com/company/trademarks/
All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks, and service marks are the properties of their
respective owners.
Violin Memory, Inc.
4555 Great America Parkway
Santa Clara, CA 95054
USA

535-0209-00 Rev 01 7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide iii
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CHAPTER 1. Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
7700 Flash Storage Platform Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
7700 Flash Storage Platform Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7700 FSP Component Reference Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
7700 Flash Storage Platform Setup and Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Setup and Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Hardware Pre-Installation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Pre-Installation Checklists and Site Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installation and Configuration Task Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
CHAPTER 2. Connecting the 7700 Flash Storage Platform Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Connectivity Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Installing Violin Symphony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Connecting Cables to the Fibre Channel Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Connecting Cables to a Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
About the Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Understanding Port Numbering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Connecting Management Cables to 7700 Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Connecting Cables to the Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Support for Controller-to-Controller Replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Connecting 7700 FSP Cluster Storage Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Connecting 7700 FSP Cluster Southbound Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Connecting Northbound Fibre Channel Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Connecting Northbound iSCSI Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Powering on the 7700 FSP Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Powering on a 7300/6000 Series Shelf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Powering on the FC Switches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Powering on 7700 Controllers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
CHAPTER 3. 7700 Flash Storage Platform Device Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Device Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Configuring 7700 FSP Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Configuring 7700 FSP Storage Shelves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Upgrading 7700 Controllers and Shelves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Configuring a 6000 Series Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Configuring a 7300 Series Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Using Symphony to Configure and Manage 7700 FSP Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Adding Local Network Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Adding Stretch Cluster Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Creating and Managing Storage Pools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Creating and Managing LUNs on a Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Creating and Managing SAN Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Contents
iv 7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 535-0209-00 Rev 01
Configuring the 7700 Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Default IP Addresses for the 7700 Controller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Setting Up Management Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Configuring 7700 Controllers at Initial Power On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Configuring 7700 Controller Management Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Configuring Brocade 6510 for a 7700 FSP System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Configuring the Brocade 6510 FC Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Setting Up Replication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Testing iDRAC Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Next Steps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
CHAPTER 4. Southbound Fibre Channel Switch Zone Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Understanding a Fibre Channel Switch Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Example Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Managing the Zoning Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Confirming Southbound HBA Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Transferring the Zone Configuration to FC Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Copying a Zone Configuration into a Replacement FC Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
CHAPTER 5. Configuring for Northbound, Stretch Cluster, and HA Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Configuring Northbound Switches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Configuring iSCSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Configuring 7700 Controllers for iSCSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Configuring iSCSI Clients, Targets, and LUNs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Configuring FC Ports in the FC Switches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Configuring the 7700 Controller Target and Initiator Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Overview: Stretch Cluster Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Stretch Cluster Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Configuring a Stretch Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Identifying Front-End Ports and Back-End Ports on 7700 Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Disabling Target Mode on the Back-End Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Gathering Information about the Exposed LUNs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Renaming LUNs and Minimum Stretch Cluster LUN Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Creating Local and Remote Storage Pools on Site-A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Creating a Configuration Repository and Mirror on Site-A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Creating Local and Remote Storage Pools on Site-B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Creating a Configuration Repository and Mirror on Site-B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Enabling HA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Checking Failover Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Enabling a Stretch Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Installing and Configuring Tiebreaker for Stretch Clusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Tiebreaker Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Prepare the 7700 Controller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Install Tiebreaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Configure Tiebreaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Manage Tiebreaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Tiebreaker Status Field Definitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Tiebreaker Configuration Field Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Modifying a Tiebreaker Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Resume Tiebreaker Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Sample Traps Sent by Tiebreaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Setting Up Tiebreaker Using the CLI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Upgrading Tiebreaker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Enabling and Disabling HA Using CLI Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Verifying the Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Troubleshooting HA Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Contents
535-0209-00 Rev 01 7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide v
APPENDIX A. System Reference . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .111
Configuring the 7300 Flash Storage Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Configuring the Memory Gateways. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Enabling Callhome and Email Alert Setting for Memory Gateways and 7700 Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Completing the ACM Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Configuring Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Allocating the Storage Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Creating the Storage Pools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Enabling the Configuration Repositories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Verifying Storage Pools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Rescanning all Memory Gateway Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Setting up High Availability (HA) and Failover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Configuring High Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Completing the HA Configuration File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
Enabling High Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Enabling Dedup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Troubleshooting Memory Gateways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Determining IP Addresses of Internal Memory Gateways (One Known, One Unknown) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Determining IP Addresses of Internal Memory Gateways (Both Unknown) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Error Messages When Logging in to Memory Gateways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Overview: 7700 Controller Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Monitoring 7700 Controllers Using iDRAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Inspecting 7700 Controller Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
Setting Up DNS and Domain Names in iDRAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Setting Up Time Zones and NTP in iDRAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Setting Up SNMP Email Alerts in iDRAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
Configuring Network Interfaces for Replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Replication Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
7700 Controller Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Replication Network Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Configuring Interfaces Using CLI Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Using Symphony to Configure Replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Replication in an HA Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
APPENDIX B. Compliance Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
FCC Class A Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Regulatory Model Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Installation Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Network Connected Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Lithium Battery Caution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Cabinet Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Disposal of Waste Equipment by Users in Private Households in the European Union . . . . . . . . . 156
Perchlorate Material - Special Handling May Apply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
European Union RFI Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
USA Radio Frequency Interference FCC Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Japan Radio Frequency Interference VCCI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Korea RFI Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Canada RFI Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
CISPR 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Australia C-Tick Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Taiwan BSMI Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Four-in-One Recycling Symbol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Product Information for People’s Republic of China. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Contents
vi 7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 535-0209-00 Rev 01
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

535-0209-00 Rev 02 7700 Flash Storage Platform 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
•Replacement Procedures on page 3
•Document Conventions on page 4
•Contacting Violin Memory on page 5
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 5 for contact
information.
About This Guide
This guide describes the hardware installation and first-time system configuration
of a 7700 Flash Storage Platform system.
For other Violin Memory installation guides, see the Violin Memory Support site at
http://www.violin-memory.com/support/

Preface
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7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 535-0209-00 Rev 02
Document Organization
This guide is organized into the following sections:
•Chapter 1, Overview—Describes the 7700 Flash Storage Platform system components and
configuration process.
•Chapter 2, Connecting the 7700 Flash Storage Platform Hardware—Describes how to install a
7700 Flash Storage Platform system, including Violin Symphony, 7300 Flash Storage
Platforms (FSPs) and 6000 Series storage shelves, 7700 Controllers, and Fibre Channel (FC)
switches.
•Chapter 3, 7700 Flash Storage Platform Device Configuration—Describes the process for
performing an initial configuration of the 7700 Flash Storage Platform.
•Chapter 4, Southbound Fibre Channel Switch Zone Configuration—Describes and provides
an example of the fabric switch zone configuration that represents the southbound path from
the 7700 Controllers to the shelf choices in your system.
•Chapter 5, Configuring for Northbound, Stretch Cluster, and HA Operations—Describes how
to configure and manage the 7700 Flash Storage Platform system devices using Violin
Symphony and CLI commands, configure northbound client network switches, and configure
the 7700 Flash Storage Platform system for use in a stretch cluster environment.
•Appendix A, System Reference—Provides reference information and procedures for
performing a manual configuration of the Memory Gateways on the 7300 Flash Storage
Platform, other key settings for the 7700 Flash Storage Platform system, and also provides a
description of the key components of the 7700 Controller, and provides procedures for using
iDRAC to inspect, monitor, and modify management settings and email alerts.
•Appendix B, Compliance Information—Provides compliance information that supports both the
Violin 7700 Flash Storage Platform.
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 an array and 7700 Controllers. These guides
are available for download from the Violin Memory Support site at http://www.violin-memory.com/
support/
This document... Provides this information...
Violin 7700/7300 Flash Storage Platform Release
Notes
This document describes the new features, resolved
issues, known limitations and software upgrade
instructions for the current release of the 7700 and
7300 Flash Storage Platform.
Violin 7700/7300 Flash Storage Platform User’s Guide This guide provides instructions for managing,
monitoring, and maintaining both 7700 and 7300
Flash Storage Platform (FSP) in a 7700 FSP
environment.
Violin 7300 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide This guide provides instructions for performing a
hardware installation and first-time setup of the 7300
FSP in various configurations.
Reference Documents

Preface
535-0209-00 Rev 02
7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 3
Also see the following for additional information about the hardware devices that accompany the
shelf in a 7700 Flash Storage Platform system:
•For additional information about the 7700 Controller hardware, see the documentation for the
Dell R720 appliance at http://www.Dell.com
•For additional information about the Brocade Fibre Channel switches, see the following
Brocade product documentation:
—Brocade 6510 Hardware Reference Manual, at http://www.brocade.com
—Fabric OS Administrators Guide, at http://www.brocade.com
Replacement Procedures
•See the Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array Service Guide and the Violin 7300 Flash Storage
Platform Service Guide for instructions on replacing modules in these devices.
•Contact Violin Memory Customer Support if a component within a 7700 Controller or a Fibre
Channel switch requires replacement.
Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array User’s Guide This guide provides instructions for managing,
monitoring, and maintaining an FSP or array using
the Violin Web interface and Command Line
Interface (CLI).
Violin 6000 Series All Flash Array Service Guide This guide describes how to safely replace the
system components in a Flash Array.
Violin 7300 Flash Storage Platform Service Guide This guide describes how to safely replace the
system components in the Violin 7300 Flash Storage
Platform.
Concerto Command Line Interface Reference This guide is a reference for the Concerto OS
software commands used to configure, manage, and
monitor the Memory Gateways.
Violin Symphony Installation Guide This guide provides instructions for installing,
configuring, and launching Violin Symphony.
Aria Command Line Interface Reference This guide provides all of the command modes, lists
syntax conventions, and abbreviations for the
commands available in the Aria command line
interface (CLI). These CLI commands allow you to
monitor, configure, and manage the Array Controller
Modules (ACMs).
This document... Provides this information...
Reference Documents

Preface
4
7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 535-0209-00 Rev 02
Document Conventions
This section explains the meanings of the safety icons used in this guide, as well as the typological
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 7300 Flash Storage Platform.
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.
Typographical Conventions

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535-0209-00 Rev 02
7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 5
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
Website: http://www.violin-memory.com
Support Email: [email protected]
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.
•The output of the show alarms and vdiag diagnostic commands.
|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.
Format Meaning
Typographical Conventions (Continued)

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6
7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 535-0209-00 Rev 02

535-0209-00 Rev 01 7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 7
CHAPTER 1 Overview
This chapter provides an overview of the supported 7700 Flash Storage Platform
configurations and the processes for installing and configuring 7700 Flash Storage
Platform (also referred to 7700 FSP) appliances on your network. The following
topics are covered:
•7700 Flash Storage Platform Terminology on page 7
•7700 Flash Storage Platform Components on page 8
•7700 Flash Storage Platform Setup and Configuration on page 10
7700 Flash Storage Platform Terminology
The table below introduces and describes the terminology used in the 7700 Flash
Storage Platform.
Term Description
7700 Flash Storage
Platform (FSP)
The 7700 FSP modular storage cluster consists of two 7700 Controllers, one (or
more) 7300/7300E FSPs or 6000 Series storage shelves, and two Brocade®6510
Fibre Channel (FC) switches (or four Brocade®6510 FC switches in a stretch
cluster).
7700 Controller Hardware appliance pre-installed with the Concerto 7.x Operating System (OS)
software, which manages the data stored in a 7700 FSP modular storage cluster. The
7700 Controller manages and communicates with the FC switches and each storage
shelf in the 7700 FSP.
7300 Series When 7300 Series units (7300/7300E) are configured as storage shelves in the
modular 7700 FSP, you can add or remove capacity at the storage shelf level. Each
7300 Series unit is a single, integrated storage device that runs Concerto OS 7.x and
Aria 7.x. When 7300 Series are single, standalone units, and not connected to a
controller, they are known as Flash Storage Platforms (FSPs).
Table 1.1 7700 Flash Storage Platform Terminology

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7700 Flash Storage Platform Components
The 7700 Flash Storage Platform (FSP) is an independent, switched fabric Fibre Channel storage
cluster managed and monitored by Violin Symphony.
7700 Flash Storage Platform—Two 7700 Controllers connect to one to 10 Violin Memory 7300
Series or 6000 Series storage shelves through two Brocade®6510 Fibre Channel (FC) switches
(or four Brocade®6510 FC switches in a stretch cluster).
The modular nature of the 7700 FSP allows you to add storage capacity as needed, and the 7700
Flash Storage Platform can consist of a mix of 7300 Series (7300/7300E) and 6000 Series (6600,
6200, 6100) storage shelves.
6000 Series When 6000 Series units (6600/6200/6100) are configured as storage shelves in the
modular 7700 FSP, you can add or remove capacity at the storage shelf level. Each
6000 Series unit is a single, integrated storage device that runs vMOS 5.x or vMOS
6.x. When 6000 Series are single, standalone units, and not connected to a
controller, they are known as storage arrays.
Dedup Violin Memory’s in-line storage deduplication and compression feature. Compression
is data encoding so that it requires less space for storage and less time to transmit.
Deduplication is a specialized form of compression that eliminates the storage of
redundant data, improves storage utilization, and in SAN data transfers, reduces the
number of bytes needing to be transferred. Deduplication identifies unique chunks of
data or byte patterns when analyzed and stored. When further data analysis is done,
new data is compared with the stored dedup data, and if a match is made, this makes
the data redundant and eliminates the need to store or transfer it.
Northbound
Connections
Northbound connections refer to cable connections made between the 7700
Controllers in the 7700 FSP cluster and the network switches in the client network
(also known as upstream connections). For inter-cluster cable connections, see
Southbound Connections.
Southbound
Connections
Southbound connections refer to cable connections made between the 7700
Controllers, the Brocade 6510 Fibre Channel switches, and the storage shelves in the
7700 FSP cluster (also known as downstream connections). For client network-facing
cable connections, see Northbound Connections.
Stretch Cluster 7700 FSP modular storage clusters that are configured in multiple locations, which
allow one 7700 Controller to fail over to a partner 7700 Controller located at a remote
site that can be located on a different floor in the same building or in a remote building
located across town.
Switch Brocade 6510 Fibre Channel switch used in the 7700 FSP cluster to perform internal
storage area networking.
Symphony Violin Memory’s GUI-based management platform for configuring, managing, and
monitoring any of the installed 7700 FSP components (shelves and controllers) over
a standard Web browser console. The browser and computer from which you run
Symphony needs connectivity to the network segment where the shelves and
controllers are running, because it communicates directly with the server and clients.
Term Description
Table 1.1 7700 Flash Storage Platform Terminology

7700 Flash Storage Platform Components
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7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 9
Note: Dedup is only supported with 7300 Series shelves in the 7700 FSP.
The 7700 Flash Storage Platform storage cluster also supports a stretch cluster configuration.
Stretch clusters are 7700 Flash Storage Platform clusters that have the 7700 Controllers configured
and located in two different locations.
A stretch cluster enables a 7700 Controller to fail over to its partner or standby 7700 Controller
located at another remote site. For basic details, see Overview: Stretch Cluster Prerequisites on
page 85, and see the Violin Stretch Cluster Best Practices Guide.
The 7700 Flash Storage Platform supports either Fibre Channel or iSCSI network connections to
provide block storage services and perform data transfers in SAN environments. Fibre Channel or
iSCSI connections are used for northbound connections from the 7700 FSP. Fibre Channel is used
only for 7700 FSP southbound cluster connections.
Note: The term southbound refers to cable connections made between the 7700 Controllers, the
Brocade 6510 FC switches, and any shelf configured in the 7700 FSP system. The term northbound
refers to cable connections made between the 7700 Controllers and the network switches in the
client network.
Figure 1.1 Violin 7700 Flash Storage Platform Storage Cluster
7700 Controllers
Shelves
Switches

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10
7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 535-0209-00 Rev 01
7700 FSP Component Reference Conventions
This guide uses the following reference conventions in figures, tables, and text for 7700 FSP cluster
components:
•7700 Controllers: 7700 Controller A and 7700 Controller B
•Brocade 6510 Fibre Channel (FC) switches: FC Switch A and FC Switch B
•6000 Series or 7300 Series: Shelf 1 and Shelf 2
•Memory Gateways (MG): MG-A and MG-B
•Array Controller Modules (ACM): ACM-A and ACM-B
This guide uses the following abbreviation conventions in cable labels to refer to the following 7700
FSP cluster components:
•Shelves are "SH" (1-10)
•Memory Gateways in a shelf are "MG" (A or B)
•Brocade 6510 Fibre Channel switches are "SW" (A or B)
•7700 Controllers are "CT" (A or B)
Note: See Table 2.3 for a complete list of the 7700 FSP cluster system cable connections using
this label abbreviation format.
Create the host and device names in the 7700 FSP cluster based on your own network naming
conventions, and assign them to the 7700 FSP components. Violin has provided device and cable
references in this guide that are intended to serve only as guidelines in identifying the components.
7700 Flash Storage Platform Setup and
Configuration
This section provides an overview of the process for installing, setting up, configuring, and
connecting a new 7700 Flash Storage Platform system.
Setup and Configuration Tasks
The 7700 Flash Storage Platform setup and configuration process includes the following sections
and related tasks, which should be performed in the order listed below:
Task 1: Hardware Pre-Installation Information on page 11
Task 2: Connectivity Overview on page 23
Task 3: Installing Violin Symphony on page 25
Task 4: Connecting 7700 FSP Cluster Storage Devices on page 31
Task 5: Powering on the 7700 FSP Devices on page 38

Hardware Pre-Installation Information
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7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 11
Hardware Pre-Installation Information
Before starting to install the 7700 Flash Storage Platform hardware, it is recommended that you
refer to and collect all of the important information contained in the checklists and site information
in the following subsections.
Pre-Installation Checklists and Site Information
This section provides hardware pre-installation checklists for each of the 7700 FSP components,
site information for the 7700 FSP, and CAT6 physical cable information that you should consult prior
to installation. Before starting to install any hardware, review the following sections:
•6000 Series Configuration Checklist on page 11
•7300 Series Configuration Checklist on page 12
•7700 Controller Configuration Checklist on page 13
•Brocade 6510 Fibre Channel Switch Configuration Checklist on page 17
•Violin Symphony Installation Requirements Checklist on page 17
•Physical Cabling Information on page 19
6000 Series Configuration Checklist
All managed components need unique hostname and network IP addresses for use on the storage
network. Collect these from the appropriate storage, system, or network administrator before
beginning the initial configuration for each 6000 Series shelf being deployed. Each 6000 Series
shelf has two Array Control Modules (ACMs) and two Memory Gateways (MGs).
Name each network-manageable shelf and its subcomponents with unique suffixes so it conforms
to the customer network naming conventions. Gather the following information for each shelf you
deploy, and this checklist information must be available to complete initial shelf configuration.
Checklist
Information Description
Host Name Unique name that identifies the 6000 Series shelf.
IP Addresses
<shelf name>-ACM master ACM master (also referred to as master or array1 at setup).
<shelf name>-acm-a ACM-A (also referred to as array1-acm-a at setup).
<shelf name>-acm-b ACM-B (also referred to as array1-acm-b at setup).
<shelf name>-mg-a MG-A (also referred to as mg-a management, or virtual IP at setup; after
High Availability or HA is enabled, this is referred to as eth0).
<shelf name>-mg-b MG-B (also referred to as mg-b management, or virtual IP at setup; after
HA is enabled, this is referred to as eth0).
<shelf name>-MG MG master (also referred to as the primary IP or ethx:0 at setup).
Table 1.2 6000 Series Shelf Initial System Configuration Checklist

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7300 Series Configuration Checklist
All managed components need unique hostname and network IP addresses for use on the storage
network. Collect these from the appropriate storage, system, or network administrator before
beginning the initial configuration for each 7300 Series shelf being deployed. Each 7300 Series
shelf has two Array Control Modules (ACMs) and two Memory Gateways (MGs).
Name each network-manageable shelf and its subcomponents with unique suffixes so it conforms
to the customer network naming conventions. Gather the following information for each shelf you
deploy. This checklist information must be available to complete initial shelf configuration.
Netmask/DNS/Gateway/NTP Server IP Addresses
IP Subnet mask address
DNS server IP address
Gateway IP address
NTP server IP/time zone
Note: Because time synchronization inside the 7700 FSP and at each
system component is so important, it is crucial that you specify a Network
Time Protocol (NTP) server.
Domain Name/Email Hub-Port Number
Domain name
Email hub/port number
(auto support feature) Note: The callhome.vmem.com may not be reachable via TCP port 25
due to corporate firewall security restrictions.
Checklist Information Description
Host Name Unique name that identifies the 7300 Series shelf.
IP Addresses
<shelf name>-ACM master ACM master (also referred to as master, 7300-shelf1, or 7700-shelf1 at
setup).
<shelf name>-acm-a ACM-A (also referred to as 7700-shelf1-acm-a or ACM-A at setup).
<shelf name>-acm-b ACM-B (also referred to as 7700-array1-acm-b or ACM-B at setup).
<shelf name>-mg-a MG-A (also referred to as mg-a management, or virtual IP, or eth0 at
setup; after HA is enabled, is referred to as eth0:0).
<shelf name>-mg-b MG-B (also referred to as mg-b management, virtual IP, or eth0 at
setup; after HA is enabled, is referred to as eth0:0).
<shelf name>-mg-a monitor MG-A monitor (also referred to as heartbeat for shelf1 at setup; after
HA is enabled, is referred to as eth0).
<shelf name>-mg-b monitor MG-B monitor (also referred to as heartbeat for shelf1 at setup; after
HA is enabled, is referred to as eth0).
Table 1.3 7300 FSP Shelf Initial System Configuration Checklist
Checklist
Information Description
Table 1.2 6000 Series Shelf Initial System Configuration Checklist (Continued)

Hardware Pre-Installation Information
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7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 13
7700 Controller Configuration Checklist
All managed components need unique hostname and network IP addresses for use on the storage
network. Collect these from the appropriate storage, system, or network administrator before
beginning the initial configuration for the two controllers being deployed in a 7700 FSP storage
cluster.
Name each network-manageable 7700 Controller with unique suffixes so it conforms to the
customer network naming conventions. Gather the following information including port, credentials,
and licenses needed for deployment. This checklist information must be available to complete initial
7700 Controller configuration.
Note: You can also enable callhome and email alert settings for 7700 Controllers. For details, see Enabling
Callhome and Email Alert Setting for Memory Gateways and 7700 Controllers on page 113.
Replication Ports (Optional Feature)
7300 FSP (per shelf) Requires 1-2 ports for replication.
DNS/Gateway/NTP Server IP Addresses
Netmask IP address
DNS server IP address
Gateway IP address
NTP server IP/ time zone
Note: Because time synchroniztion inside the 7700 FSP and at each
system component is so important, it is crucial that you specify a
Network Time Protocol (NTP) server.
Domain Name/Email Hub-Port Number/Local Log Email Address
DNS Domain name
Email hub/port number
Note: The callhome.vmem.com may not be reachable via TCP port
25 due to corporate firewall security restrictions.
Local email address for receiving
logs Note: The email address for the local receipt of logs is in addition to
the standard Violin Memory Support address.
Checklist Information Description
Table 1.3 7300 FSP Shelf Initial System Configuration Checklist (Continued)

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14
7700 Flash Storage Platform Installation Guide 535-0209-00 Rev 01
Checklist Information Description
Host Names
7700 Controllers Two host names are required (one for each 7700 Controller in a 7700
FSP storage cluster), and these would be known as:
•7700 Controller A
•7700 Controller B
7700 Controller A IP Addresses
Management IP Referred to as the Virtual Interface IP (eth0, embedded port 3) at setup.
After HA is enabled, this is assigned to interface eth0:0.
Monitor IP Referred to as Heartbeat IP at setup. After HA is enabled, this is
assigned to interface eth0.
IPMI/iDRAC IP IPMI IP address.
7700 Controller B IP Addresses
Management IP Referred to as the Virtual Interface IP (eth0, embedded port 3) at setup.
After HA is enabled, this is assigned to interface eth0:0.
Monitor IP Referred to as the Heartbeat IP at setup. After HA is enabled, this is
assigned to interface eth0.
IPMI/iDRAC IP This is the IP address for the IPMI and iDRAC ports.
Table 1.4 7700 Controller Checklist