Page 1: Storage Arrays
Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3200 and MD3220 Storage Arrays Owner’s Manual Regulatory Model: E03J Series and E04J Series Regulatory Type: E03J001 and E04J001...
Page 2 Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
Page 3: Table Of Contents
About This Document ....Inside the box of the Dell PowerVault MD3200 Series Storage Array ....
Page 4 RAID Controller Module Connectors and Features . . . RAID Controller Module—Additional Features ..Battery Backup Unit ....Storage Array Thermal Shutdown .
Page 5 Virtual Disk Operations Limit ... . Disk Group Operations ....RAID Level Migration .
Page 6 Configuration: Overview ... . User Interface ..... . Enterprise Management Window .
Page 7 Setting the Storage Array RAID Controlle r Module Clocks ....Configuration: Event Monitor ..Enabling or Disabling the Event Monitor .
Page 8 Locating a Disk Group ....Creating Virtual Disks ....Changing the Virtual Disk Modification Priority .
Page 9 Restricted Mappings ....Changing the RAID Controller Module Ownership of a Virtual Disk or a Disk Group ..Changing the RAID Level of a Disk Group .
Page 10 About the Advanced Path ... . . Preparing Host Servers to Create the Snapshot Using the Advanced Path ..Creating the Snapshot Using the Advanced Path .
Page 11 Copy Manager ..... . Copying the Virtual Disk ....Storage Array Performance During Virtual Disk Copy .
Page 12 14 Management: Firmware Downloads . . . Downloading RAID Controller and NVSRAM Packages ......Downloading Both RAID Controller and NVSRAM Firmware .
Page 13 RAID Controller Module ....Removing a RAID Controller Module Blank ..Installing a RAID Controller Module Blank ..Removing a RAID Controller Module .
Page 14 Virtual Disk Service ....Volume Shadow-Copy Service ..18 Troubleshooting: Your Storage Array Software ....Start-Up Routine .
Page 15 Unidentified Devices ....Recovering From an Unidentified Storage Array ..Starting or Restarting the Host Context Agent Software ..... 19 Troubleshooting: Your Array .
Page 16 ..... . Contacting Dell .....
Page 17: Introduction
Troubleshooting—Tasks that you must complete to resolve problems that may occur with the storage array. Additional information on these and other topics can be found in the Dell PowerVault MD3200 and MD3220 Storage Array Deployment Guide, available at support.dell.com/manuals.
Page 18: Inside The Box Of The Dell Powervault Md3200 Series Storage Array
Series expansion enclosures, providing access to a maximum of 96 disks in the entire storage array. Connectivity between the storage array and the host server is provided by a Dell 6.0-Gbps SAS Host Bus Adapter (SAS 6Gb HBA). Dell PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager...
Page 19: Other Information You May Need
• This document as well as Dell PowerVault MD 1200 series installation guide is available at support.dell.com/manuals for users who incorporate MD1200 expansion enclosures.
Page 20 Introduction...
Page 21: Planning: About Your Storage Array
It features support for both single and dual RAID controller configuration. The Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3200 Series storage array provides 6.0-Gbps SAS connectivity to the host server and enables access for up to 8 non-redundant servers or 4 redundant servers.
Page 22: Hardware Features
Hardware Features Front-Panel Features and Indicators Figure 2-1. Front-Panel Features and Indicators—Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3200 Figure 2-2. Front-Panel Features and Indicators—Dell PowerVault MD3220 Planning: About Your Storage Array...
Page 23 Figure 2-3. Front-Bezel Features and Indicators Item Indicator, Button, or Icon Description Connector Enclosure status LED The enclosure status LED lights when the enclosure power is on. Lights blue during normal operation. Blinks blue when a host server is identifying the enclosure or when the system identification button is pressed.
Page 24 Hard drives PowerVault MD3200—Up to 12 3.5-inch SAS hot-swappable hard drives. PowerVault MD3220—Up to 24 2.5-inch SAS hot-swappable hard drives. Enclosure mode The function of this switch is not applicable to switch your storage array.
Page 25: Back Panel Features And Indicators
Back Panel Features and Indicators Figure 2-4. Back-Panel Features and Indicators—Dell PowerVault MD3200 Series 600W Power supply/cooling fan RAID Controller Module 0 module RAID Controller Module 1 600W Power supply/cooling fan module Planning: About Your Storage Array...
Page 26: Hard-Drive Indicator Patterns
Hard-Drive Indicator Patterns Figure 2-5. Hard Drive Indicators hard-drive activity indicator (green) hard-drive status indicator (green and amber) Planning: About Your Storage Array...
Page 27: Power Supply And Cooling Fan Features
Drive-Status Indicator Pattern Condition The physical disk is: • not yet discovered by the host server • has been spun down for removal • not supported for the RAID controller module or is not in the physical disk slot NOTE: The drive status indicator remains off until all hard drives are initialized after system power is turned on.
Page 28: Power Indicator Codes
Power Indicator Codes Figure 2-6. Power Indicator Codes Item LED Type Icon Description DC power The LED lights green when the DC output voltage is within the limit. If this LED is off, it indicates that the DC output voltage are not within the limit. Power supply/cooling The LED lights amber when the DC output fan fault...
Page 29: Planning: Raid Controller Modules
Planning: RAID Controller Modules RAID Controller Modules The RAID controller modules provide high-performance, advanced virtual disk configuration, and fault-tolerant disk subsystem management. Each RAID controller module contains 2 GB of cache that is mirrored with the other controller's cache for high availability and is protected by a battery- powered cache offload mechanism.
Page 30: Raid Controller Module Connectors And Features
Provides host-to-controller SAS connection. MAC Address Provides MAC addresses of the management port. label Debug port Dell support only. SAS OUT port Lights green when all four links are connected. link/fault LED Lights amber when one to three links are disconnected.
Page 31 Item Component Function Controller power Lights green when controller power is on. Off when controller is not powered. SAS IN 0 port Lights green when all four links are connected. link/fault LED Lights amber when one to three links are disconnected. Off when all links in the port are disconnected or cable is disconnected.
Page 32: Raid Controller Module-Additional Features
Item Component Function SAS IN 3 port Lights green when all four links are connected. link/fault LED Lights amber when one to three links are disconnected. Off when all links in the port are disconnected or cable is disconnected. Management Lights green when ethernet connection is operating at 1000 port speed LED Mbps.
Page 33: Storage Array Thermal Shutdown
Storage Array Thermal Shutdown The system automatically shuts down when system temperature exceeds the safe threshold. The battery backup unit protects against data loss by providing power to offload cache to non-volatile memory in the event of power loss. It is not necessary to shut down any MD1200 Series expansion enclosures attached to the storage array when thermal shutdown occurs.
Page 34: Cache Functions And Features
Cache Functions and Features Cache Mirroring Cache mirroring function copies accepted host-write data from the primary controller to the partner controller. This action ensures that host-write data is safely mirrored to the partner controller before successful completion status is returned to the host. If a controller fails, the surviving controller safely retains all mirrored data.
Page 35: Planning: Md3200 Series Storage
Planning: MD3200 Series Storage Array Terms and Concepts This chapter explains terms and concepts used for configuration and operation of MD3200 Series Storage Arrays. Physical Disks, Virtual Disks, and Disk Groups Physical disks in your storage array provide the physical storage capacity for your data.
Page 36: Physical Disks
Physical Disks Only Dell™ supported 6.0-Gbps SAS physical disks are supported in the storage array. If the storage array detects unsupported physical disks, it marks the disk as unsupported and the physical disk becomes unavailable for all operations. NOTE: The MD3200 Series array must contain at least two physical disks for proper operation.
Page 37: Self-Monitoring Analysis And Reporting Technology
(continued) Table 4-1. RAID Controller Physical Disk States Status Mode Description Physical Disk Status LED Pending Assigned, A Self-Monitoring Analysis and Flashing Green Failure Unassigned, Reporting Technology (SMART) error (500 ms), Amber Hot Spare in has been detected on the physical disk (500 ms), and off use, or Hot in the indicated slot.
Page 38: Virtual Disk States
3 Provide host server access. 4 Create mappings to associate the virtual disks with the host servers. NOTE: Host server access must be created before mapping virtual disks. Disk groups are always created in the unconfigured capacity of a storage array. Unconfigured capacity is the available physical disk space not already assigned in the storage array.
Page 39: Raid Level Usage
Using multiple physical disks has the following advantages over using a single physical disk: • Placing data on multiple physical disks (striping) allows input/output (I/O) operations to occur simultaneously and improve performance. • Storing redundant data on multiple physical disks using mirroring or parity supports reconstruction of lost data if an error occurs, even if that error is the failure of a physical disk.
Page 40 RAID 1 RAID 1 uses disk mirroring so that data written to one physical disk is simultaneously written to another physical disk. This RAID level offers fast performance and the best data availability, but also the highest disk overhead. RAID 1 is recommended for small databases or other applications that do not require large capacity for example accounting, payroll, or financial applications.
Page 41: Segment Size
Segment Size Disk striping enables data to be written across multiple physical disks. Disk striping enhances performance because striped disks are accessed simultaneously. The segment size or stripe element size specifies the size of data in a stripe written to a single disk. The MD3200 Series array supports stripe element sizes of 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, and 512 KB.
Page 42: Consistency Check
Consistency Check A consistency check verifies the correctness of data in a redundant array (RAID levels 1, 5, 6, and 10). For example, in a system with parity, checking consistency involves computing the data on one physical disk and comparing the results to the contents of the parity physical disk.
Page 43: Virtual Disk Operations Limit
Virtual Disk Operations Limit The maximum number of active, concurrent virtual disk processes per RAID controller module installed in the storage array is four. This limit is applied to the following virtual disk processes: • Background initialization • Foreground initialization •...
Page 44: Virtual Disk Capacity Expansion
Dynamic segment size migration enables the segment size of a given virtual disk to be changed. A default segment size is set when the virtual disk is created, based on such factors as the RAID level and expected usage. You can change the default value (128 KB) if segment size usage does not match your needs.
Page 45: Disk Group Defragmentation
Disk Group Defragmentation Defragmenting consolidates the free capacity in the disk group into one contiguous area. Defragmentation does not change the way in which the data is stored on the virtual disks. Disk Group Operations Limit The maximum number of active, concurrent disk group processes per installed RAID controller module is one.
Page 46: Virtual Disk Migration And Disk Roaming
• Segment size migration • Disk group expansion • Disk group defragmentation. The priority of each of these operations can be changed to address performance requirements of the environment in which the operations are to be executed. NOTE: Setting a high priority level impacts storage array performance. It is not advisable to set priority levels at the maximum level.
Page 47 the MD3200 array does not recognize the migrating metadata and that data is lost. In this case, the MD3200 initializes the physical disks and mark them as unconfigured capacity. NOTE: Only disk groups and associated virtual disks with all member physical disks present can be migrated from one storage array to another.
Page 48: Disk Roaming
• Migrating virtual disks to a storage array with no existing physical disks— Turn off the destination storage array, when migrating disk groups or a complete set of physical disks from a storage array to another storage array that has no existing physical disks. After the destination storage array has been turned on and has successfully recognized the newly migrated physical disks, migration operations can continue.
Page 49: Host Server-To-Virtual Disk Mapping
Host Server-to-Virtual Disk Mapping The host server attached to a storage array accesses various virtual disks on the storage array through its host ports. Specific virtual disk-to-LUN mappings to an individual host server can be defined. In addition, the host server can be part of a host group that shares access to one or more virtual disks.
Page 50: Snapshot Repository Virtual Disk
For details on mapping the snapshot virtual disk to the secondary node, refer to the Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3200 and MD3220 Storage Arrays With Microsoft® Windows Server® Failover Clusters on support.dell.com/manuals. Planning: MD3200 Series Storage Array Terms and Concepts...
Page 51: Virtual Disk Copy
Virtual Disk Copy Virtual disk copy is a premium feature you can use to: • Back up data • Copy data from disk groups that use smaller-capacity physical disks to disk groups using greater capacity physical disks • Restore snapshot virtual disk data to the source virtual disk. Virtual disk copy generates a full copy of data from the source virtual disk to the target virtual disk in a storage array.
Page 52: Using Snapshot And Disk Copy Together
Ensure that you record the LUN used to provide access to the source virtual disk. You need this information when you define a host server-to-virtual disk mapping for the target (backup) virtual disk. Also, be sure to stop all I/O activity to the source virtual disk before beginning the virtual disk recovery procedure.
Page 53: Preferred And Alternate Controllers And Paths
Preferred and Alternate Controllers and Paths A preferred controller is a RAID controller module designated as the owner of a virtual disk or disk group. The preferred controller is automatically selected by MDSM when a virtual disk is created. You can change the preferred RAID controller module owner of a virtual disk after it is created.
Page 54: Load Balancing
Load Balancing A load balance policy is used to determine which path is used to process I/O. Multiple options for setting the load balance policies lets you optimize I/O performance when mixed host interfaces are configured. You can choose one of these load balance policies to optimize I/O performance: •...
Page 55: Monitoring Md3200 Series System Performance
Monitoring MD3200 Series System Performance You can use the Performance Monitor to select virtual disks and RAID controller modules to monitor or to change the polling interval. Keep these guidelines in mind when using the Performance Monitor: • The Performance Monitor does not dynamically update its display if any configuration changes occur while the window is open.
Page 56 5 Click Start. Values appear for the selected storage arrays in the Performance Monitor data table. The table is updated at the interval specified in the Polling Interval setting. 6 Click Update to force an immediate poll of the storage array. 7 Click Stop to stop monitoring the storage array.
Page 57 Table 4-3. Performance Monitor Table Description Column Headings Description Current KB/second Snapshot of throughput value per second (1KB = 1024 bytes). Maximum KB/second Maximum recorded throughput value from last start time. Current IO/second Snapshot of IO’s per second (IOP = Input/output per second or one completed I/O transaction).
Page 58 Planning: MD3200 Series Storage Array Terms and Concepts...
Page 59: Configuration: Overview
Configuration: Overview Dell™ PowerVault™ Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM) online help contains information on the how to use the MDSM application to perform the configuration and management tasks described in this document. You can access online help by selecting Help located at the top right corner of MDSM interface.
Page 60: Enterprise Management Window
Enterprise Management Window The EMW provides high-level management of storage arrays. When you start MDSM, the EMW opens. The EMW has these tabs: Devices tab—Provides information about the storage arrays. • • Setup tab—Presents the initial setup tasks that guide you through adding storage arrays and configuring alerts.
Page 61: Array Management Window
Inheriting the System Settings Use the Inherit System Settings option to import the operating system theme settings into the MDSM. Importing system theme settings affects such features as font type, font size, color, and contrast in the MDSM. 1 Open the Inherit System Settings window in one of these ways: •...
Page 62 • Physical tab—You can view the organization of the storage array by RAID controller modules, physical disks, and other hardware components. • Mappings tab—You can define the hosts, host groups, and host ports. You can change the mappings to grant virtual disk access to host groups and hosts and create storage partitions.
Page 63: Configuration: About Your Storage Array
Configuration: About Your Storage Array Out-of-Band and In-Band Management You can manage a storage array in two ways: • Out-of-band management • In-band management Out-of-Band Management Using the out-of-band management method, data is separate from commands and events. Data travels through the host-to-controller interface, while commands and events travel through the management port Ethernet cables.
Page 64: Storage Arrays
Some operating systems can be used only as storage management stations. For more information about the operating system that you are using, refer to the MD PowerVault Support Matrix at support.dell.com/manuals. For more information, see the PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager online help topics.
Page 65 NOTE: For Linux, set the default gateway so that broadcast packets are sent to 255.255.255.0. For Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®, if no gateway exists on the network, set the default gateway to the IP address of the NIC. NOTE: MDSM uses TCP/UDP port 2463 for communication to the MD Storage Array.
Page 66: Setting Up Your Storage Array
NOTE: The host agent must be restarted before in-band management communication can be established. See "Starting or Restarting the Host Context Agent Software" on page 239. 3 Click Add. 4 Use one of these methods to name a storage array: •...
Page 67: Locating Storage Arrays
• Save Configuration—Save the configuration parameters in a file that you can use to restore the configuration, or reuse the configuration on another storage array. For more information, see the PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager online help topics. After you complete the basic steps for configuring the storage array, you can perform these optional tasks: •...
Page 68: Naming Or Renaming Storage Arrays
A confirmation message is displayed. 4 Click OK. Naming or Renaming Storage Arrays Each storage array should be assigned a unique up to 30-character alphanumeric name. A name can consist of letters, numbers, and the special characters underscore (_), dash (–), and pound sign (#). No other special characters are allowed.
Page 69: Setting A Password
Setting a Password You can configure each storage array with a password to protect it from unauthorized access. MDSM prompts for the password when an attempt is made to change the storage array configuration, such as, when a virtual disk is created or deleted.
Page 70: Viewing Storage Array Connections
Password Guidelines Follow these guidelines when you create a password: • Use secure passwords for your storage array. A password should be easy for you to remember but difficult for others to determine. Consider using numbers or special characters in the place of letters, such as a 1 in the place of the letter I, or the at sign (@) in the place of the letter a.
Page 71: Adding/Editing A Comment To An Existing Storage Array
Adding/Editing a Comment to an Existing Storage Array A descriptive comment, with an applicable storage array name, is a helpful identification tool. You can add or edit a comment for a storage array in the EMW only. To add or edit a comment: 1 In the EMW, select the Devices tab and select the relevant managed storage array.
Page 72: Enabling Premium Features
Enabling Premium Features You can enable premium features on the storage array. To enable the premium features, you must obtain a feature key file specific to the premium feature that you want to enable from your storage supplier. To enable premium features: 1 From the toolbar in AMW, select Storage Array...
Page 73: Changing The Cache Settings On The Storage Array
Changing the Cache Settings on the Storage Array To change the storage array cache settings: 1 In the AMW, select Storage Array Change Cache Settings. The Change Cache Settings window is displayed. 2 Select or enter the percentage of unwritten data in the cache to trigger a cache flush in Start flushing.
Page 74: Configuring Alert Notifications
To change the enclosure order in the physical pane: 1 In the AMW, select Storage Array Change Enclosure Order. 2 From the enclosures list, select the enclosure you want to move and click either Up or Down to move the enclosure to the new position. 3 Click OK.
Page 75: Configuring E-Mail Alerts
Configuring E-mail Alerts For more information on configuring alert notifications, see "Configuring Alert Notifications" on page 74. To configure e-mail alerts: 1 Open the Configure Alerts dialog by performing one of these actions: • In the Tree view or the Table view on the Devices tab in the EMW, select a node, and then select Edit...
Page 76 NOTE: Including the contact information in the e-mail alert is optional. 7 Select the e-mail tab to configure the e-mail destinations. • Adding an e-mail address—In e-mail address, type the e-mail address, and click Add. Replacing an e-mail address—In the Configured E-mail addresses •...
Page 77: Configuring Snmp Alerts
• You must provide a SMTP mail server name and an e-mail sender address for the e-mail addresses to work. • The e-mail addresses that you had previously configured appear in the Configured e-mail addresses area. • You must use fully qualified e-mail addresses, for example, name@mycompany.com.
Page 78: Battery Settings
SNMP management application. An example of a SNMP enabled management application is the Dell Management Console. Please see dell.com for more information on the Dell Management Console. • Replacing an SNMP address—Select the SNMP address in the...
Page 79: Setting The Storage Array Raid Controller Module Clocks
The learn cycle completes the following operations: • Discharges the battery to a predetermined threshold • Charges the battery back to full capacity A learn cycle starts automatically when you install a new battery module. Learn cycles for batteries in both RAID controller modules in a duplex system occur simultaneously.
Page 80 written by the RAID controller modules to the Event Log match the event timestamps written to host log files. The RAID controller modules remain available during synchronization. To synchronize the RAID controller module clocks with the storage management station: 1 In the AMW, select Storage Array Synchronize RAID Controller Module Clocks.
Page 81: Configuration: Event Monitor
Configuration: Event Monitor An event monitor is provided with Dell™ PowerVault™ Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM). The event monitor runs continuously in the background and monitors activity on the managed storage arrays. If the event monitor detects any critical problems, it can notify a host or remote system using e- mail, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) trap messages, or both.
Page 82: Enabling Or Disabling The Event Monitor
Enabling or Disabling the Event Monitor You can enable or disable the event monitor at any time. Disable the event monitor if you do not want the system to send alert notifications. If you are running the event monitor on multiple systems, disabling the event monitor on all but one system prevents the sending of duplicate messages.
Page 83: Configuration: About Your Host
Configuration: About Your Host Configuring Host Access Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM) software is comprised of multiple modules. One of these modules is the Host Context Agent. The host context agent is installed as part of the MDSM installation and runs continuously in the background.
Page 84: Using The Mappings Tab
• Change the host port identifier alias or user label. • Move or associate a host port identifier to a different host. • Replace a host port identifier with a new host port identifier. • Manually activate an inactive host port so that the port can gain access to host specific or host group specific LUN mappings.
Page 85: Click Next
• Select the Mappings tab. Right-click the root node (storage array name), Default Group node, or Host Group node in the Topology pane to which you want to add the host, and select Define Host from the pop-up menu. The Specify Host Name window is displayed. 3 In Host name, enter an up to 30 character alphanumeric name.
Page 86: Removing Host Access
The Preview window is displayed. 11 Click Finish. Removing Host Access To remove host access: 1 In the AMW, select the Mappings tab, select the host node in the Topology pane. 2 Perform one of these actions: • Select Mappings Remove. •...
Page 87: Moving A Host To A Different Host Group
• Right-click the storage array or the Default Group, and select Define Host Group from the pop-up menu. 4 Type the name of the new host group in Enter new host group name. 5 Select the appropriate hosts in the Select hosts to add area. 6 Click Add.
Page 88: Removing A Host Group
4 Click Yes. The host is moved to the selected host group with the following mappings: • The host retains the specific virtual disk mappings assigned to it. • The host inherits the virtual disk mappings assigned to the host group to which it is moved.
Page 89: Starting Or Stopping The Host Context Agent
• Changing a host type MDSM automatically detects these changes for any host running the host agent software. Starting or Stopping the Host Context Agent The host context agent discovers the host topology. The host context agent starts and stops with the host. The topology discovered by the host context agent can be viewed by clicking Configure Host Access (Automatic) in the Configure tab in the MDSM.
Page 90: I/O Data Path Protection
3 If the host context agent is running, click Action Stop, then wait approximately 5 seconds. 4 Click Action Start. I/O Data Path Protection You can have multiple host-to-array connections for a host. Ensure that you select all the connections to the array when configuring host access to the storage array.
Page 91: Managing Host Port Identifiers
Managing Host Port Identifiers You can manage the host port identifiers that are added to the storage array. You can: • Add—Add or associate a new host port identifier to a particular host. • Edit—Change the host port identifier alias or user label. You can move (associate) the host port identifier to a new host.
Page 92 5 Select the method to add a host port identifier to the host. You can select: • Add by selecting a know unassociated host port identifier—Select the appropriate host port identifier from the existing list of Known unassociated host port identifiers. Add by creating a new host port identifier—In New host port •...
Page 93: Configuration: Disk Groups And Virtual Disks
Configuration: Disk Groups and Virtual Disks Creating Disk Groups and Virtual Disks Disk groups are created in the unconfigured capacity of a storage array, and virtual disks are created in the free capacity of a disk group. The maximum number of physical disks supported in a disk group is 30. The hosts attached to the storage array read and write data to the virtual disks.
Page 94: Creating Disk Groups
A disk group should be organized according to its related tasks and subtasks. For example, if you create a disk group for the Accounting Department, you can create virtual disks that match the different types of accounting performed in the department: Accounts Receivable (AR), Accounts Payable (AP), internal billing, and so forth.
Page 95 3 Type up to 30-character name of the disk group in Disk group name. 4 Select the appropriate Physical Disk selection choices, you can select: Automatic, see step 6 • Manual, see step 9 • 5 Click Next. 6 For Automatic configuration, The RAID Level and Capacity window is displayed.
Page 96: Locating A Disk Group
Locating a Disk Group You can physically locate and identify all of the physical disks that comprise a selected disk group. An LED blinks on each physical disk in the disk group. To locate a disk group: 1 In the AMW, select the Logical tab. 2 Select the appropriate disk group and from the toolbar select Disk Group...
Page 97 To create virtual disks: 1 Choose one of these methods to start the Create Virtual Disk Wizard: • To create a virtual disk from unconfigured capacity in the storage array—On the Logical tab, select an Unconfigured Capacity node, and select Virtual Disk Create. Alternatively, you can right-click the Unconfigured Capacity node, and select Create Virtual Disk from the pop-up menu.
Page 98: Changing The Virtual Disk Modification Priority
5 In Advanced virtual disk parameters, you can select: • Use recommended settings. Customize settings. • 6 Click Next. 7 In the Customize Advanced Virtual Disk Parameters window, select the appropriate Virtual Disk I/O characteristics type. You can select: • File system (typical) •...
Page 99: Changing The Virtual Disk Cache Settings
To change the virtual disk modification priority: 1 In the AMW, select the Logical tab. 2 Select a virtual disk. 3 In the toolbar, select Virtual Disk Change Modification Priority. The Change Modification Priority window is displayed. 4 Select one or more virtual disks. To select nonadjacent virtual disks, press <Ctrl>...
Page 100 To change the virtual disk cache settings: 1 In the AMW, select the Logical tab and select a virtual disk 2 In the toolbar, select Virtual Disk Change Cache Settings. The Change Cache Settings window is displayed. 3 Select one or more virtual disks. To select nonadjacent virtual disks, press <Ctrl>...
Page 101: Changing The Segment Size Of A Virtual Disk
5 Click OK. A message prompts you to confirm the change in the virtual disk modification priority. 6 Click Yes. 7 Click OK. Changing the Segment Size of a Virtual Disk You can change the segment size on a selected virtual disk. During this operation, I/O performance is affected, but your data remains available.
Page 102: Changing The I/O Type
To change the segment size of a virtual disk: 1 In the AMW, select the Logical tab and select a virtual disk. 2 Select Virtual Disk Change Segment Size. 3 Select the required segment size. A message prompts you to confirm the selected segment size. 4 Click Yes.
Page 103: Choosing An Appropriate Physical Disk Type
To change the I/O type: 1 Select from these virtual disk I/O characteristic types, based on your application needs: • File system (typical) • Database • Multimedia • Custom The corresponding dynamic cache read prefetch setting and segment size values that are typically well suited for the selected virtual disk I/O characteristic type are populated in the Dynamic cache read prefetch and Segment size fields.
Page 104: Physical Disk Security With Self Encrypting Disk
Physical Disk Security with Self Encrypting Disk Self encrypting disk (SED) technology prevents unauthorized access to the data on a physical disk that is physically removed from the storage array. The storage array has a security key. Self encrypting disks provide access to data only through an array that has the correct security key.
Page 105 The following table shows how to interpret the security status of a disk group Table 9-1. Interpretation of Security Status of Disk Group Secure Security Capable - Yes Security Capable - No The disk group is composed of all Not applicable. Only SED SED physical disks and is in a physical disks can be in a Secure Secure state.
Page 106: Creating A Security Key
The Create a secure disk group option appears in the Create Disk Group Wizard - Disk Group Name and Physical Disk Selection dialog. The Create a secure disk group option is active only when these conditions are met: • A security key is installed in the storage array. •...
Page 107 To create a security key: 1 In the AMW toolbar, select Storage ArrayPhysical Disk Security Create Security Key. The Create Security Key window is displayed. 2 Enter a string that becomes part of the secure key identifier, in Security key identifier. You can enter up to 189 alphanumeric characters without spaces, punctuation, or symbols.
Page 108: Changing A Security Key
After you have created a security key, you can create secure disk groups from security capable physical disks. Creating a secure disk group makes the physical disks in the disk group security-enabled. Security-enabled physical disks enter Security Locked status whenever power is re-applied. They can be unlocked only by a RAID controller module that supplies the correct key during physical disk initialization.
Page 109: Saving A Security Key
3 In Secure key identifier, enter a string that becomes part of the secure key identifier. You may leave the text box blank, or enter up to 189 alphanumeric characters without white space, punctuation, or symbols. Additional characters are generated automatically. 4 Edit the default path by adding a file name to the end of the path or Click Browse, navigate to the required folder and enter the name of the file.
Page 110: Unlocking Secure Physical Disks
To save the security key for the storage array, 1 In the AMW toolbar, select Storage ArrayPhysical Disk Security Save Security Key File. The Save Security Key File - Enter Pass Phrase window is displayed. 2 Edit the default path by adding a file name to the end of the path or Click Browse, navigate to the required folder and enter the name of the file.
Page 111: Erasing Secure Physical Disks
You must supply the security key from a security key file that was saved on the original storage array. You must provide the pass phrase that was used to encrypt the security key file to extract the security key from this file. For more information, see the PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager online help topics.
Page 112 • If there are secure disk groups and security capable disk groups in the storage array, the hot spare physical disk must match the security capability of the disk group. • Hot spare physical disks must have capacities equal to or larger than the used capacity on the physical disks that they are protecting.
Page 113: Hot Spares And Rebuild
5 To assign hot spares, in the Hot Spare Coverage window, select a disk group in the Hot spare coverage area. 6 Review the information about the hot spare coverage in the Details area. 7 Click Assign. The Assign Hot Spare window is displayed. 8 Select the relevant Physical disks in the Unassigned physical disks area, as hot spares for the selected disk and click OK.
Page 114: Hot Spare Operation
Hot Spare Operation When a physical disk fails, the virtual disk automatically rebuilds using an available hot spare. When a replacement physical disk is installed, data from the hot spare is copied back to the replacement physical disk. This function is called copy back.
Page 115: Enclosure Loss Protection
hot spare physical disk. To make sure that enclosure loss protection is not affected, you must replace a failed physical disk to initiate the copyback process. The virtual disk remains online and accessible while you are replacing the failed physical disk, because the hot spare physical disk is automatically substituted for the failed physical disk.
Page 116: Host-To-Virtual Disk Mapping
(continued) Table 9-2. Criteria for Enclosure Loss Protection RAID Level Criteria for Enclosure Loss Protection RAID level 1 Ensure that each physical disk in a mirrored pair is located in a different expansion enclosure. This enables you to have more than two physical disks in the disk group within the same expansion enclosure.
Page 117: Creating Host-To-Virtual Disk Mappings
• Each host has its own LUN address space. MDSM permits the same LUN to be used by different hosts or host groups to access virtual disks in a storage array. • Not every operating system has the same number of LUNs available. •...
Page 118: Modifying And Removing Host-To-Virtual Disk Mapping
4 In Host group or host, select the appropriate host group or host. All defined hosts, host groups, and the default group appear in the list. NOTE: When configuring an iSCSI storage array, including the MD3200 or MD3220, if a host or a host group is selected that does not have a SAS host bus adapter (SAS HBA) host port defined, a warning dialog appears.
Page 119: Changing Controller Ownership Of The Virtual Disk
2 In the Defined Mappings pane, perform one of these actions: • Select a single virtual disk, and select Mappings Change Mapping. • Right-click the virtual disk, and select Change Mapping from the pop-up menu. 3 In Host group or host, select the appropriate host group or host. By default, the drop-down list shows the current host group or the host associated with the selected virtual disk.
Page 120: Removing Host-To-Virtual Disk Mapping
snapshot virtual disk inherits the RAID controller module owner of its associated source virtual disk. Changing the RAID controller module ownership of a virtual disk changes the preferred RAID controller module ownership of the virtual disk. During a virtual disk copy, the same RAID controller module must own both the source virtual disk and the target virtual disk.
Page 121: Changing The Raid Controller Module Ownership Of A Disk Group
Changing the RAID Controller Module Ownership of a Disk Group You can change the RAID controller module ownership of a a disk group. You can change the RAID controller module ownership of a standard virtual disk or a snapshot repository virtual disk. You cannot directly change the RAID controller module ownership of a snapshot virtual disk because the snapshot virtual disk inherits the RAID controller module owner of its associated source virtual disk.
Page 122: Changing The Raid Level Of A Disk Group
Changing the RAID Level of a Disk Group Changing the RAID level of a disk group changes the RAID levels of every virtual disk that comprises the disk group. Performance might be slightly affected during the operation. Guidelines to change the RAID level of a disk group: •...
Page 123 • You cannot change a host adapter port to a restricted host type if there are already mappings in the storage partition that would exceed the limit imposed by the restricted host type. • Consider the case of the Default Group that has access to LUNs up to 256 (0 to 255) and a restricted host type is added to the Default Group.
Page 124: Changing The Raid Controller Module Ownership Of A Virtual Disk Or A Disk Group
Changing the RAID Controller Module Ownership of a Virtual Disk or a Disk Group You can change the RAID controller module ownership of a virtual disk or a disk group. You can change the RAID controller module ownership of a standard virtual disk or a snapshot repository virtual disk.
Page 125: Changing The Raid Level Of A Disk Group
Select the RAID controller module. CAUTION: Possible loss of data access – If you do not use a multi-path driver, shut down any host applications that are currently using the virtual disk. This action prevents application errors when the I/O path changes. Click Yes.
Page 126: Storage Partitioning
Keep these guidelines in mind when you change the RAID level of a disk group: • You cannot cancel this operation after it begins. • The disk group must be in Optimal status before you can perform this operation. • Your data remains available during this operation.
Page 127 More than one storage partition is required if: • Specific hosts must access specific virtual disks in the storage array. • Hosts with different operating systems are attached to the same storage array. In this case, a storage partition is created for each host type. You can use the Storage Partitioning Wizard to define a single storage partition.
Page 128: Disk Group And Virtual Disk Expansion
Disk Group and Virtual Disk Expansion Adding free capacity to a disk group is achieved by adding unconfigured capacity on the array to the disk group. Data is accessible on disk groups, virtual disks, and physical disks throughout the entire modification operation. The additional free capacity can then be used to perform a virtual disk expansion on a standard or snapshot repository virtual disk.
Page 129: Virtual Disk Expansion
Virtual Disk Expansion Virtual disk expansion is a dynamic modification operation that increases the capacity of standard virtual disks. NOTE: Snapshot repository virtual disks can be expanded from the CLI or from MDSM. All other virtual disk types are expandable only from the CLI. If you receive a warning that the snapshot repository virtual disk is becoming full, you may expand the snapshot repository virtual disk from MDSM.
Page 130: Disk Group Migration
Disk Group Migration Disk group migration allows to you export a disk group so that you can import the disk group to a different storage array. You can also export a disk group so that you can store the data offline. NOTE: During the export process (before the disk group is imported) you lose access to the data on the exported disk group.
Page 131: Import Disk Group
4 Locate the disk group, and label the physical disks. 5 Place the disk group offline. 6 Obtain blank physical disk modules or new physical disks. On the target storage array: 1 Verify that the target storage array has available physical disk slots. 2 Verify that the target storage array supports the physical disks that you import.
Page 132: Storage Array Media Scan
The following settings are removed/cleared during the procedure: • Persistent reservations • Host-to-virtual disk mappings • Virtual disk copy pairs • Snapshot virtual disks and snapshot repository virtual disks • Remote mirror pairs • Mirror repositories Non-Importable Components Some components cannot be imported during the import disk group procedure.
Page 133: Changing Media Scan Settings
• Redundancy mismatches error—The first 10 redundancy mismatches that are found on the virtual disk are reported to the event log. • Unfixable error—Data could not be read and parity or redundancy information could not be used to regenerate the data. For example, redundancy information cannot be used to reconstruct the data on a degraded virtual disk.
Page 134: Suspending The Media Scan
Suspending the Media Scan You cannot perform a media scan while performing another long-running operation on the disk drive such as reconstruction, copy-back, reconfiguration, virtual disk initialization, or immediate availability formatting. If you want to perform another long-running operation, you should suspend the media scan.
Page 135: Configuration: Premium Feature
If you ordered this feature, you received a Premium Feature Activation card shipped in the same box as your Dell PowerVault MD storage array. Follow the directions on the card to obtain a key file and to enable the feature.
Page 136: Creating A Snapshot Virtual Disk Using The Simple Path
repository uses less disk space than a full physical copy, because the only data blocks that are stored in the snapshot repository virtual disk are those that have changed since the time of the snapshot. When you create a snapshot virtual disk, you specify its location, capacity, and other parameters.
Page 137: About The Simple Path
About the Simple Path Using the simple path, you can specify: • Snapshot Virtual Disk Name—A user-specified name that helps you associate the snapshot virtual disk to its corresponding snapshot repository virtual disk and source virtual disk. • Snapshot Repository Virtual Disk Name—A user-specified name that helps you associate the snapshot repository virtual disk to its corresponding snapshot virtual disk and source virtual disk.
Page 138 NOTE: For details on mapping the snapshot virtual disk to the secondary node, Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3200 and MD3220 Storage Arrays With refer to the Microsoft® Windows Server® Failover Clusters on support.dell.com/manuals. NOTE: You can create concurrent snapshots of a source virtual disk on both the source disk group and on another disk group.
Page 139 The Create Snapshot Virtual Disk Wizard - Introduction dialog appears. 4 Select Simple (Recommended), and click Next. The Specify Names window is displayed. 5 Enter the Snapshot virtual disk name and the Snapshot repository virtual disk name and click Next. The Specify Snapshot Repository Capacity window is displayed.
Page 140: Creating A Snapshot Virtual Disk Using The Advanced Path
Use unconfigured capacity and create a new disk group for the snapshot repository virtual disk. – Dell recommends placing the snapshot repository virtual disk within the disk group of the source virtual disk. This ensures that if drives associated with the disk group are moved to another storage array, all the virtual disks associated with the snapshot virtual disk remain in the same group.
Page 141: Preparing Host Servers To Create The Snapshot Using The Advanced Path
NOTE: For details on mapping the snapshot virtual disk to the secondary node, Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3200 and MD3220 Storage Arrays With refer to the Microsoft® Windows Server® Failover Clusters on support.dell.com/manuals.
Page 142 Before creating a Snapshot Virtual Disk: • The following types of virtual disks are not valid source virtual disks: snapshot repository virtual disks, snapshot virtual disks, target virtual disks that are participating in a virtual disk copy. NOTE: Virtual Disk Copy is an Advanced (Premium) feature. •...
Page 143: Creating The Snapshot Using The Advanced Path
4 Follow any additional instructions for your operating system. Failure to follow these additional instructions can create unusable snapshot virtual disks. NOTE: If your operating system requires additional instructions, you can find those instructions in your operating system documentation. After your host server has been prepared, see "Creating a Snapshot Virtual Disk Using the Advanced Path"...
Page 144 6 In the Capacity allocation area, select: • Free capacity on same disk group as base (recommended) • Free capacity on different disk group • Unconfigured capacity (create new disk group) 7 Enter the snapshot repository virtual disks capacity as a percentage of the source virtual disks capacity and click Next.
Page 145: Specifying Snapshot Virtual Disk Names
Specifying Snapshot Virtual Disk Names Choose a name that helps you associate the snapshot virtual disk and snapshot repository virtual disk with its corresponding source virtual disk. The following information is useful when naming virtual disks: By default, the snapshot name is shown in the Snapshot virtual disk name field as: <source-virtual disk-name>—<sequence-number>...
Page 146: Snapshot Repository Capacity
characters, the default names for the snapshot and its associated snapshot repository virtual disk use the source virtual disk name truncated enough to add the sequence string. For example, for Host Software Engineering Group GR-1, the default snapshot name is Host Software Engineering GR- 1, and the default repository name would be Host Software Engineering GR-R1.
Page 147 To expand the snapshot repository virtual disk from MDSM: 1 In the AMW, select the Logical tab. 2 Select the snapshot repository virtual disk for which you want to increase the capacity. 3 Select Virtual Disk Increase Capacity. NOTE: If no free capacity or unconfigured capacity is available, the Increase Capacity option is disabled.
Page 148 7 If unassigned physical disks are not available, do you have empty slots in the expansion enclosures? • Yes, there are empty slots—Insert new physical disks by using the information in the initial setup guide for your expansion enclosure. Go to step 9.
Page 149: Re-Creating Snapshot Virtual Disks
A new Free Capacity node is created and shown in the Logical tab if these conditions exist: • A Free Capacity node did not exist prior to the addition of capacity. • Not all of the capacity that is added is used to increase the capacity of the snapshot repository virtual disk.
Page 150: Disabling A Snapshot Virtual Disk
Disabling a Snapshot Virtual Disk Disable a snapshot virtual disk if one of the following conditions exists: • You do not need the snapshot now. • You intend to re-create the snapshot at a later time and want to retain the associated snapshot repository virtual disk so that you do not need to create it again.
Page 151: Preparing Host Servers To Re-Create A Snapshot Virtual Disk
Preparing Host Servers to Re-create a Snapshot Virtual Disk NOTE: Before you create a new snapshot of a source virtual disk, stop any data access (I/O) activity or suspend data transfer to the source virtual disk and snapshot virtual disk to ensure that you capture an accurate snapshot of the source virtual disk.
Page 152: Re-Creating A Snapshot Virtual Disk
Re-creating a Snapshot Virtual Disk After first preparing the host server(s), re-create a snapshot virtual disk. For more information, see "Preparing Host Servers to Create the Snapshot Using the Simple Path" on page 137 or "Preparing Host Servers to Create the Snapshot Using the Advanced Path"...
Page 153: Configuration: Premium Feature
If you ordered this feature, you received a Premium Feature Activation card that shipped in the same box as your Dell PowerVault MD storage array. Follow the directions on the card to obtain a key file and to enable the feature.
Page 154: Creating A Virtual Disk Copy For An Mscs Shared Disk
Reasons to use virtual disk copy include: • Copying data for improved access—As your storage requirements for a virtual disk change, you can use a virtual disk copy to copy data to a virtual disk in a disk group that uses drives with larger capacity within the same storage array.
Page 155: Virtual Disk Read/Write Permissions
Virtual Disk Read/Write Permissions After the virtual disk copy is complete, the target virtual disk automatically becomes read-only to the hosts. The target virtual disk rejects read and write requests while the virtual disk copy operation has a status of Pending or In Progress or if the operation fails before completing the copy.
Page 156: Creating A Virtual Disk Copy
• A virtual disk can be selected as a target virtual disk for only one virtual disk copy at a time. • A virtual disk copy for any virtual disk cannot be mounted on the same host as the source virtual disk. •...
Page 157: Before You Begin
The Virtual Disk Copy premium feature includes these items: • The Create Copy Wizard, which assists in creating a virtual disk copy The Copy Manager, which monitors virtual disk copies after they have • been created Before you Begin A virtual disk copy fails all snapshot virtual disks that are associated with the target virtual disk, if any exist.
Page 158: Failed Virtual Disk Copy
Operation in Progress icons appear on the source virtual disk and the target virtual disk while the virtual disk copy has a status of In Progress or Pending. Failed Virtual Disk Copy A virtual disk copy can fail due to these conditions: •...
Page 159: Copy Manager
Copy Manager After you create a virtual disk copy by using the Create Copy Wizard, you can monitor the virtual disk copy through the Copy Manager. From the Copy Manager, a virtual disk copy may be re-copied, stopped, or removed. You can also modify the attributes, such as the copy priority and the target virtual disk Read-Only attribute.
Page 160: Storage Array Performance During Virtual Disk Copy
5 In the Select source virtual disk are, select the appropriate virtual disk and click Next. The Select Target Virtual Disk and Copy Priority window is displayed. 6 In the Select target virtual disk area, select the appropriate virtual disk 7 In the Select copy priority area, select the relevant copy priority and click Next.
Page 161: Setting Copy Priority
Setting Copy Priority You can use the Copy Manager to select the rate at which a virtual disk copy completes for a selected copy pair. You can change the copy priority for a copy pair at any of these times: •...
Page 162: Recopying A Virtual Disk
To stop a virtual disk copy, complete the following steps: 1 In the AMW, select Virtual Disk Copy Copy Manager. The Copy Manager window is displayed. 2 Select the copy pair in the table. 3 Select Copy Stop. 4 Click Yes. Recopying a Virtual Disk You can recopy a virtual disk when you have stopped a virtual disk copy and you want to start it again or when a virtual disk copy has failed.
Page 163: Recopying The Virtual Disk
3 Click the Summary tab, then click Disk Groups & Virtual Disks to ensure that the virtual disk is in Optimal or Disabled status. 4 Remove the drive letter(s) of the source and (if mounted) virtual disk in Windows or unmount the virtual drive(s) in Linux to help guarantee a stable copy of the drive for the virtual disk.
Page 164: Removing Copy Pairs
4 Select the copy pair in the table. 5 Select Copy Re-Copy. The Re-Copy window is displayed. 6 Set the copy priority. NOTE: There are five copy priority rates available: lowest, low, medium, high, and highest. If the copy priority is set at the lowest rate, I/O activity is prioritized, and the virtual disk copy takes longer.
Page 165: Configuration: Premium Feature
To upgrade from a standard-performance-tier storage array to a high- performance-tier storage array, you enable the high-performance-tier premium feature, using the Dell™ PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Management (MDSM) software. When the high performance tier feature is enabled or disabled the array restarts.
Page 166 Configuration: Premium Feature—Upgrading to High-Performance-Tier...
Page 167: Configuration: Device Mapper
MD3200 Series Resource media installation program on the server, and selecting either the Full or Host install option. For detailed installation procedures please refer to the Dell PowerVault MD3200 and MD3220 Deployment Guide storage arrays Benefits of using DM Multipath include: •...
Page 168: Using Dm Multipathing Devices
Using DM Multipathing Devices NOTE: Using or modifying any nodes other than the multipathing device nodes can result in array or file system problems, including loss of communication with the array and corruption of the file system. Avoid accessing any device other than the multipathing device.
Page 169: Device Mapper Configuration Steps
Device Mapper Configuration Steps To complete the DM multipathing configuration and make the storage available to the Linux host server: 1 Scan for virtual disks. See "Scan for Newly Added Virtual Disks" on page 169. 2 Display the multipath device topology. See "Display the Multipath Device Topology Using the Multipath Command"...
Page 170 It is located in the /dev/mapper directory. DELL is the vendor of the device MD3200 is the model of the device Sdc is the physical path to the owning controller for the device...
Page 171 DELL is the vendor of the device MD3200 is the model of the device Sdx is the physical path to the owning controller for the device Sdcl is the physical path to the non-owning controller for the device Create a New fdisk Partition on a Multipath Device Node...
Page 172 On SLES 11.x hosts, a partition node has the format /dev/mapper/mpath<x>-part<y>, where <x> is letter(s) assigned to the multipathing device and <y> is the partition number. On SLES 10.3 hosts, a partition node has the format /dev/mapper/mpath<x>_part<y>, where <x> is the letter(s) assigned to the multipathing device and <y>...
Page 173 -F Flushes out all unused multipathing device maps. rescan_dm_devs Dell provided script. Forces a rescan of the host's SCSI bus and aggregates multipathing devices as needed. For use when: • LUNs are dynamically mapped to the hosts.
Page 174: Limitations And Known Issues
Limitations and Known Issues • In certain error conditions with the no_path_retry or the queue_if_no_path feature is set, applications may hang. To overcome these conditions the you must enter the following command for each affected multipath device: dmsetup message [device] 0 "fail_if_no_path" where [device] is the multipath device name (for example.
Page 175: Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting Question Answer How can I check if multipathd Run the following command is running? /etc/init.d/multipathd status Why does the multipath First verify if the devices are discovered or not. The –ll command output not command #cat /proc/scsi/scsi displays all show any devices? the devices that are already discovered.
Page 176 Configuration: Device Mapper Multipath for Linux...
Page 177: Management: Firmware Downloads
Management: Firmware Downloads Downloading RAID Controller and NVSRAM Packages A version number exists for each firmware file. The version number indicates whether the firmware is a major version or a minor version. You can use the Enterprise Management Window (EMW) to download and activate both the major firmware versions and the minor firmware versions.
Page 178: Downloading Both Raid Controller And Nvsram Firmware
I/O to the array can continue while you are upgrading RAID controller and NVSRAM firmware. NOTE: Dell recommends that the firmware and NVSRAM be upgraded during a maintenance period when the array is not being used for I/O. NOTE: The RAID enclosure must contain at least two disk drives in order to update the firmware on the controller.
Page 179 7 Click Transfer. Keep these guidelines in mind: – If the Transfer button is inactive, ensure that you either select an NVSRAM file or deselect the Transfer NVSRAM file with RAID controller module firmware option. – If the file selected is not valid or is not compatible with the current storage array configuration, the File Selection Error dialog appears.
Page 180: Downloading Only Nvsram Firmware
12 To locate the directory in which the file to download resides, click Browse in the Select files area. The Select File dialog appears. 13 Select the file to download. 14 Click OK. 15 If you want to download the NVSRAM file with the RAID controller module firmware, select Download NVSRAM file with firmware in the Select files area.
Page 181 2 Select Advanced Maintenance Download RAID Controller Module NVSRAM Select the Support tab, and click Download Firmware. In Select download task, select Download RAID controller module NVSRAM and click OK. An error message appears. Click OK to close it, and select a compatible file.
Page 182 8 In the Storage array pane, select the storage array for which you want to download the NVSRAM firmware. You can select more than one storage array. NOTE: The Details pane shows the details of only one storage array at a time. If you select more than one storage array in the Storage array pane, the details of the storage arrays are not shown in the Details pane.
Page 183: Downloading Physical Disk Firmware
Downloading Physical Disk Firmware CAUTION: When updating physical disk firmware, you should stop all I/O activity to the array to prevent data loss. The physical disk firmware controls various features of the physical disk. The disk array controller (DAC) uses this type of firmware. Physical disk firmware stores information about the system configuration on an area of the physical disk called DACstore.
Page 184 To download Physical Disk Firmware: 1 From the AMW, select Advanced Maintenance Download Physical Disk. The Download Physical Disk - Introduction window appears. 2 Click Next. The Download Physical Disk Firmware - Add Packages window is displayed. 3 In the Selected Packages area, click Add. Navigate to the location of the packages and click OK.
Page 185: Downloading Md1200 Series Expansion Module Emm Firmware
Downloading MD1200 Series Expansion Module EMM Firmware NOTE: Do not make any configuration changes to the storage array while you are downloading the expansion enclosure EMM firmware. Doing so could cause the firmware download to fail, damage the storage array, or cause loss of data accessibility.
Page 186: Self-Monitoring Analysis And Reporting Technology (Smart)
6 Click Yes to continue with the firmware download, NOTE: If you click Stop while a firmware download is in progress, the download-in-progress finishes before the operation stops. The status for the remaining expansion enclosures changes to Canceled. 7 Monitor the progress and completion status of the download to the expansion enclosures.
Page 187: Media Errors And Unreadable Sectors
Media Errors and Unreadable Sectors If the RAID controller detects a media error while accessing data from a physical disk that is a member of a disk group with a redundant RAID level (RAID 1, RAID 5 or RAID 10), the controller tries to recover the data from peer disks in the disk group and uses recovered data to correct the error.
Page 188 Management: Firmware Downloads...
Page 189: Management: Installing Array
Management: Installing Array Components Recommended Tools You may need the following items to perform the procedures in this section: • Key to the system keylock • #2 Phillips screwdriver • Wrist grounding strap Management: Installing Array Components...
Page 190: Front Bezel (Optional)
Front Bezel (Optional) Removing the Front Bezel 1 Using the system key, unlock the front bezel (if locked). 2 Lift up the release latch next to the keylock. 3 Rotate the left end of the bezel away from the front panel. 4 Unhook the right end of the bezel and pull the bezel away from the system.
Page 191: Hard Drives
2 Press the release tab and slide the drive blank out until it is free of the drive bay. See Figure 15-2 for PowerVault MD3200 and Figure 15-3 for PowerVault MD3220. Figure 15-2. Removing and Installing a 3.5-Inch Hard-Drive Blank...
Page 192: Installing A Drive Blank
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 193 2 From the Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM) software, prepare the drive for removal. Wait until the hard-drive indicators on the drive carrier signal that the drive can be removed safely. For more information, see your controller documentation for information about hot-swap drive removal.
Page 194: Installing A Hard Drive
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 195: Removing A Hard Drive From A Hard-Drive Carrier
Remove the screws from the slide rails on the hard-drive carrier and separate the hard drive from the carrier. See Figure 15-5 for PowerVault MD3200 and Figure 15-6 for PowerVault MD3220. Figure 15-5. Removing and Installing a Hard Drive Into a 3.5-Inch Drive Carrier...
Page 196 Figure 15-6. Removing and Installing a Hard Drive Into a 2.5-Inch Drive Carrier screws (4) drive carrier SAS screw hole hard drive Management: Installing Array Components...
Page 197: Installing A Hard Drive Into A Drive Carrier
Installing a Hard Drive Into a Drive Carrier 1 Insert the hard drive into the hard-drive carrier with the connector end of the drive at the back. See Figure 15-5. 2 Align the screw holes on the hard drive with the back set of holes on the hard-drive carrier.
Page 198: Installing A Raid Controller Module Blank
5 Connect all the power cables to the array. 6 Turn on the array and the host server. Figure 15-7. Removing and Installing a RAID controller module Blank release latch RAID controller module blank Installing a RAID Controller Module Blank To install a RAID controller module blank, align the blank with the RAID controller module bay and insert the blank into the chassis until it clicks into place.
Page 199: Removing A Raid Controller Module
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 200: Installing A Raid Controller Module
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 201: Closing The Raid Controller Module
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 202: Raid Controller Module Backup Battery Unit
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 203: Installing The Raid Controller Module Backup Battery Unit
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 204: Power Supply/Cooling Fan Module
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 205: Installing A Power Supply/Cooling Fan Module
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 206: Control Panel
2 Connect the power cable to the power supply/cooling fan module and plug the cable into a power outlet. 3 Secure the power cable using the Velcro strap. See Figure 15-12. Figure 15-12. Securing the Power Cable Velcro strap CAUTION: When connecting the power cable, secure the cable with the Velcro strap.
Page 207 3 Remove the hard drives from: – slots 0 to 2 in PowerVault MD3200 slots 0 to 5 in PowerVault MD3220 – See "Removing a Hard Drive" on page 192. NOTE: Mark each hard drive with it’s slot position as you remove it.
Page 208: Installing The Control Panel
The release tab clicks into place in PowerVault MD3200. See – Figure 15-13. – The release pin clicks into place in PowerVault MD3220. See Figure 15-14. 3 Replace the hard drives in their respective slots. See "Installing a Hard Drive" on page 194.
Page 209: Backplane
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 210 Figure 15-15. Removing and Installing the RAID controller module /Power Supply Cage RAID controller module /power screws (6) supply cage Management: Installing Array Components...
Page 211 Figure 15-16. Removing and Installing the Backplane—PowerVault MD3200 screws (5) backplane captive screw Figure 15-17. Removing and Installing the Backplane—PowerVault MD3220 screws (4) backplane captive screw Management: Installing Array Components...
Page 212: Installing The Backplane
2 Tighten the captive screw to secure the backplane to the chassis. See Figure 15-16 for PowerVault MD3200 or Figure 15-17 for PowerVault MD3220. 3 Replace the screws that secure the backplane to the chassis. See Figure 15-16 for PowerVault MD3200 or Figure 15-17 for PowerVault MD3220.
Page 213: Management: Firmware Inventory
Management: Firmware Inventory A storage array is made up of many components, which might include RAID controller modules, physical disks, and enclosure management modules (EMMs). Each of these components contains firmware. Some versions of firmware are dependent on other versions of firmware. To capture information about all of the firmware versions in the storage array, view the firmware inventory.
Page 214 Management: Firmware Inventory...
Page 215: Management: System Interfaces
Management: System Interfaces Microsoft Services Virtual Disk Service ® ® The Microsoft Virtual Disk Service (VDS) is a component of the Windows operating system. The VDS component utilizes third-part vendor specific software modules, known as providers, to access and configure third-party storage resources, such as MD3200i storage arrays.
Page 216 VSS attaches to the service and uses it to coordinate the creation of snapshot virtual disks on the storage array. VSS-initiated snapshot virtual disks can be triggered through backup tools, known as requestors. The VSS Provider Configuration Tool makes available the following configuration options: •...
Page 217: Troubleshooting: Your Storage
At least two physical disks must be installed in the array. Device Health Conditions When you open the Enterprise Management Window (EMW), the Dell™ PowerVault™ Modular Disk Storage Management software (MDSM) establishes communication with each managed storage array and determines the current storage array status.
Page 218 To launch the AMW, perform one of these actions: • On the Devices tab, in either the Tree view or the Table view, double-click a storage array. Alternatively, you can right-click a storage array and select Manage Storage Array from the pop-up menu. On the Setup tab, select Manage a Storage Array.
Page 219 In the Table view, every managed storage array is listed once, regardless of the number of attachments it has in the Tree view. After the storage array has been contacted by MDSM, an icon representing its hardware status appears. Hardware status can be Optimal, Needs Attention, or Fixing. If, however, all of the network management connections from the storage management station to the storage array shown in the Tree view are Unresponsive, the storage array status is represented as Unresponsive.
Page 220: Storage Array Support Data
Table 18-3. Additional Status Icons Status Icon Description Adding a Storage The Contacting Storage Array icon is shown in Array the Tree view and Table view until the current status of each managed storage array is known. The Contacting Storage Array icon is shown in the EMW Status Bar and the AMW Status Bar and the tooltip shows Contacting Storage arrays.
Page 221: Automatically Collect The Support Bundle Data
2 Enter a name for the support data file in Specify filename or click Browse to navigate to a previously saved file to overwrite an existing file. The suffix .zip is added automatically to the file if you do not specify a suffix for the file.
Page 222: Collecting The Physical Disk Data
Collecting the Physical Disk Data You can use the Collect Physical Disk Data option to collect log sense data from all the physical disks on your storage array. Log sense data consists of statistical information that is maintained by each of the physical disks in your storage array.
Page 223: Recovery Guru
The event log window shows two types of event views: • Summary view—Shows an event summary in a table form. • Detail view—Shows details about a selected event. To view the event log: 1 In the AMW, select Advanced Troubleshooting View Event Log. The Event Log is displayed.
Page 224: Storage Array Profile
You can detect a problem using the following indicators: • Non-Optimal status icons • Alert notification messages that are sent to the appropriate destinations • Hardware indicator lights The status icons return to Optimal status as problems are resolved. Storage Array Profile The storage array profile provides a description of all of the components and properties of the storage array.
Page 225 4 To search the storage array profile, perform these steps: Click Type the term that you want to search for in the Find text box. If the term is located on the current tab, the term is highlighted in the storage array profile information.
Page 226: Viewing The Logical Associations
Viewing the Logical Associations You can use the Associated Logical Elements option to view the logical associations among different virtual disks in a storage array. To view the associations for source virtual disks, snapshot virtual disks, and snapshot repository virtual disks: 1 In the AMW, select the Logical tab or in the Topology pane of the Mappings tab.
Page 227: Finding Nodes
Finding Nodes You can use the Find option to search for a particular node on the Logical tab, the Physical tab, or the Mappings tab of the Array Management Window. The search might be based on a particular node name, the RAID level, virtual disk capacity, or specific free capacity nodes.
Page 228: Using Go To
6 To search for all nodes based on their virtual disk capacity, perform these steps: Select Find all virtual disks with capacity. Type the capacity in the GB box. Specify that the capacity to be matched is less than, equal to, or greater than the capacity entered in the GB box.
Page 229: Recovering From An Unresponsive Storage Array Condition
1 On the Logical tab of the AMW, select one of these virtual disks, and go to the indicated step: • Snapshot virtual disk—Go to step 2. • Snapshot repository virtual disk—Go to step 3. • Source virtual disk—Go to step 4. •...
Page 230 To recover from an unresponsive storage array: 1 Check the Tree View in the EMW to see if all storage arrays are unresponsive. 2 If any storage arrays are unresponsive, check the storage management station network connection to make sure that it can reach the network. 3 Ensure that the RAID controller modules are installed and that there is power to the storage array.
Page 231 12 For an in-band managed storage array, make sure that the host is network accessible by using the ping command to verify that the host can be reached. Type one of these commands, and press Enter. • ping <host-name> • ping <RAID controller module-IP-address>...
Page 232: Locating A Physical Disk
22 Determine if there is an excessive amount of network traffic to one or more RAID controller modules. This problem is self-correcting because the EMW software periodically retries to establish communication with the RAID controller modules in the storage array. If the storage array was unresponsive and a subsequent try to connect to the storage array succeeds, the storage array becomes responsive.
Page 233: Locating An Expansion Enclosure
4 When you have located the physical disks, click OK. The LEDs stop blinking. If any other blink operations (Blink Disk Group, Blink Storage Array, Blink Physical Disk Ports, or Blink Expansion Enclosure) are currently being invoked from another storage management station, these LEDs also stop blinking.
Page 234: Capturing The State Information
5 In the rare case that the LEDs on the expansion enclosure do not stop blinking, from the Array Management Window, select Storage Array Blink Stop All Indications. If the LEDs successfully stop blinking, a confirmation message appears. 6 Click OK. Capturing the State Information Use the Troubleshooting...
Page 235: Smrepassist Utility
You can also use this utility to resolve duplicate signature problems for snapshot virtual disks. From a command prompt window on a host running Windows, navigate to C:\Program Files\Dell\MD Storage Manager\util and run the following command: SMrepassist -f <filesystem-identifier> where -f flushes all the memory-resident data for the file system indicated by <filesystem-identifier>, and <filesystem-identifier>...
Page 236: Unidentified Devices
Unidentified Devices An unidentified node or device occurs when MDSM cannot access a new storage array. Causes for this error include network connection problems, the storage array is turned off, or the storage array does not exist. NOTE: Before beginning any recovery procedure, make sure that the host context agent software is installed and running.
Page 237 Make sure that the network can access the host by using the ping command in the following syntax: ping <host-name-or-IP-address-of-the-host>. If the network can access the host, continue to step c. If the network cannot access the host, skip to step d. Remove the host with the unresponsive status from the MDSM, and add that host again.
Page 238 If this problem exists, see the Dell support website at support.dell.com. 6 Look to see if there is too much network traffic to one or more controllers.
Page 239: Starting Or Restarting The Host Context Agent Software
Starting or Restarting the Host Context Agent Software The host context agent software module is the software component that resides on the server or management station that communicates with the MD3200 series storage arrays. The SMagent software automatically starts after you reboot the host. Windows To restart the SMagent software in Windows: 1 Click Start...
Page 240 Modular Disk Storage Manager Agent, Version 90.02.A6.14 Built Wed Feb 03 06:17:50 CST 2010 Copyright (C) 2009-2010 Dell, Inc. All rights reserved. Checking device <n/a> (/dev/sg10): Activating Checking device /dev/sdb (/dev/sg11): Skipping Checking device <n/a> (/dev/sg3): Activating Checking device <n/a>...
Page 241: Troubleshooting: Your Array
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 242: Troubleshooting Power Supply/Cooling Fan Module
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 243: Troubleshooting Array Cooling Problems
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 244: Troubleshooting Raid Controller Modules
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 245 • If the array status LED is solid or blinking amber: In the AMW, select the Summary tab, and click on Storage Array needs attention. Follow the listed procedures in the recovery guru(s) and wait for up to 5 minutes to check if the LED has turned blue. See "Recovery Guru"...
Page 246: Troubleshooting Hard Drives
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 247: Troubleshooting Array And Expansion Enclosure Connections
Troubleshooting Array and Expansion Enclosure Connections 1 Verify that the RAID controller module port link status LED and the RAID controller module status LED are solid green for each port that is connected to a cable. If the LEDs are not solid green, see "Planning: RAID Controller Modules"...
Page 248: Troubleshooting A Wet Storage Array
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 249: Troubleshooting A Damaged Array
You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
Page 250: Invalid Storage Array
Invalid Storage Array The RAID controller module is supported only in a Dell-supported storage array. Upon installation in the storage array, the controller performs a set of validation checks. The array status LED is lit with a steady amber color while the RAID controller module completes these initial tests and the controllers are booted successfully.
Page 251: Noncritical Conditions
• Backplane/power supply failure • Two or more temperature sensors are unreadable • Failure to detect or unable to communicate with peer port NOTE: If both RAID controller modules fail simultaneously, the enclosure cannot issue critical or noncritical event alarms for any enclosure component. When the enclosure is under critical condition, its enclosure status LED blinks amber.
Page 252 Troubleshooting: Your Array...
Page 253: Getting Help
NOTE: If you do not have an active Internet connection, you can find contact information on your purchase invoice, packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog. Dell provides several online and telephone-based support and service options. Availability varies by country and product, and some services may not be available in your area.
Page 254 Getting Help...
Page 255: Index
Configuring Host Access, 83 Hot Spare Physical Disks, 111 backplane Configuring Alert Notifications installing, 212 SNMP , 77 removing, 209 Contacting Dell, 253 Battery Settings, 78 contacting Dell, 253 control panel installing, 208 removing, 206 Change Copy Manager, 159 Controller Ownership of the...
Page 256 195 Defining a Host, 84 Dell contacting, 253 Disk Group Enclosure Loss Protection, 115 Creating, 94 Enterprise Management Expansion, 128 Window, 60 Export, 130 Exporting, 130 Event Monitor, 81 Import, 131 Enabling or Disabling, 82 Locating, 96...
Page 257 removing, 192 installing backplane, 212 Hard-Drive Indicator control panel MD1200, 208 Patterns, 26 drive blank, 192 Hardware Features EMM, 200 Back panel features, 25 EMM blank, 198 Front panel features, 22 front bezel, 190 Hard drive indicator patterns, 26 hard drive, 194 Power indicator codes, 28 hard drives, 194 Power supply and cooling fan...
Page 258 Virtual Disk Copy, 51 Preferred RAID Controller Module Ownership, 158 Monitoring Performance, 55 Preparing Host Servers Multi-Path Simple path, 137 Preferred and Alternate Controllers and Paths, 53 Multi-Path Software, 52 RAID, 38 Changing Level of disk group, 125 Non-Exportable RAID 0, 39 Components, 130 RAID 1, 40 RAID 10, 40...
Page 259 Manual Addition, 65 Storage Partitioning, 126 Safety, 17 support safety, 241 contacting Dell, 253 Security Key Changing, 108 Creating, 106 Saving, 109 telephone numbers, 253 Segment Size, 41 Troubleshooting Setting a Password, 69 Automatically Collect the Support Setting Copy Priority, 161...
Page 260 troubleshooting, 241 Failed Copy, 158 connections, 247 Foreground Initialization, 41 cooling problems, 243 Media Verification, 42 damaged enclosure, 249 Read/Write Permissions, 155 external connections, 241 Recopying, 162 hard drives, 246 Recovery, 51 loss of communication, 241 Stopping copy, 161 power supply/cooling fan Storage Array Performance, 160 module, 242 Virtual Disk Copy...

This manual is also suitable for:

Powervault md3200

Dell PowerVault MD3220 Owner's Manual

1 Introduction

2 Planning: about Your Storage Array

3 Planning: RAID Controller Modules

4 Planning: MD3200 Series Storage

5 Configuration: Overview

6 Configuration: about Your Storage Array

7 Configuration: Event Monitor

8 Configuration: about Your Host

9 Configuration: Disk Groups and Virtual Disks

10 Configuration: Premium Feature

11 Configuration: Premium Feature

12 Configuration: Premium Feature

13 Configuration: Device Mapper

14 Management: Firmware Downloads

15 Management: Installing Array

16 Management: Firmware Inventory

17 Management: System Interfaces

18 Troubleshooting: Your Storage

19 Troubleshooting: Your Array

20 Getting Help

Index

Quick Links

Storage Arrays

Troubleshooting

Related Manuals for Dell PowerVault MD3220

Summary of Contents for Dell PowerVault MD3220