Whiptail : Administration and Configuration guide 4.3

INVICTA ADMINISTRATION AND CONFIGURATION GUIDE Version 4.3.1

5 August 2013

WHIPTAIL INVICTA Administration and Configuration Guide v4.3.1 2

CONTENTS 1.1 Audience 4 1.2 Prerequisite Tasks 4 1.3 Symbols in this Document 4 1.4 INVICTA Interface Overview 5 1.5 Licensed Features 12 1.6 Initial Steps 12 1.7 Document Roadmap 14

2.0 Home 15 2.1 Main Dashboard 15

2.1.1 SSN RAID Health 15 2.1.2 Drive Tasks 16

2.1.2.1 Removing a Drive 18 2.1.3 Performance MB/s, IOPS and Latency Monitors 19

2.2 Administration Guide 20 2.3 Installation Guide 20

3.0 SSR Configuration 21 3.1 Network Settings 21

3.1.1 Creating a New Bond 22 3.1.1.1 Available Bonding Modes 22

3.1.2 Default Gateway 24 3.1.3 DNS Nameservers 24 3.1.4 Static Routes 25

3.1.4.1 Add Static Route 26 3.1.5 Edit Bond 26 3.1.6 Delete Bond 28 3.1.7 Enable/Disable Bond 28 3.1.8 Enable/Disable Fibre Channel Interface 29 3.1.9 Create a Virtual Interface 30 3.1.10 Create a VLAN 31 3.1.11 Configure Devices 32 3.1.12 Configure VIP (NFS Fault Tolerance) 33 3.1.13 Check Performance 35

3.2 Peer/MPIO Settings 36 3.3 Volume Groups 37

3.3.1 Create Volume Group 37 3.3.2 Delete Volume Group 38 3.3.3 Create LUN On Volume Group 39 3.3.4 View Volume Group Utilization 39

3.4 iSCSI Settings 40 3.4.1 Changing Initiator IP Address Availability 40

3.5 Support Settings 41 3.5.1 Support Setting Configuration 42

3.5.1.1 System Update 44 3.5.2 Alert Administration 45

4.0 LUN Configuration 46 4.1 The LUNs List 46

4.1.1 Create LUN 46 4.1.2 Swap LUN Primaries 48 4.1.3 Delete LUN 50 4.1.4 Increase LUN Size 51 4.1.5 LUN Mirror/Break Mirror 53


4.1.5.1 Create LUN Mirror 53 4.1.5.2 LUN Mirror Creation Indicators 54 4.1.5.3 Break Mirror 56

4.1.6 View LUN Performance Data 57 4.2 LUN Initiator Groups 59

4.2.1 Add an Initiator to an Initiator Group 60 4.2.2 Create an Initiator Group 61 4.2.3 Map a LUN to an Initiator Group 62 4.2.4 Unmap LUN from Initiator 64 4.2.5 Delete Initiator Group 66

5.0 NAS Configuration 67 5.1 Creating an NFS Share 67 5.2 Editing an NFS Share 69 5.3 Increase NFS Size 70 5.4 Deleting an NFS Share 70 5.5 Browsing NFS File Systems 71

5.5.1 NFS Browse Shares 71 5.6 NFS Failover 73

6.0 Asynchronous Replication 74 6.1 Communicating with a Partner Host 75

6.1.1 WHIPTAIL to WHIPTAIL 76 6.1.2 WHIPTAIL to Linux 76 6.1.3 WHIPTAIL to Windows 79

6.2 Create a Pairing 81 6.2.1 Delete Async Replication Pairing 84 6.2.2 Verify Partner Host 86 6.2.3 Update Partner Host 86 6.2.4 Async Replication Scheduling 87 6.2.5 Restore 89 6.2.6 View Log File 90

7.0 Users 92 7.1 Create a New User Account 92 7.2 Assign or Unassign User Role 93 7.3 Delete User Account 95 7.4 Edit User Account 95 7.5 Create or Modify a Role 96 7.6 Delete a Role 98 7.7 Change Password 99

© 2013 WHIPTAIL

All Rights Reserved.


1.0 Introduction Thank you for your purchase. WHIPTAIL INVICTA improves your business by unleashing applications with unparalleled write, read and low latency performance.

1.1 Audience

This manual is intended for persons with a basic understanding of storage and storage management; INVICTA system administrators who perform the initial WHIPTAIL INVICTA network and data configuration and will be responsible to setting up, monitoring and maintaining ACCELA administration.

1.2 Prerequisite Tasks

Before configuring the network connections, ensure:

• Hardware cabling and installation is correct and complete.

• Ensure that a Web browser for accessing the INVICTA Management GUI is available.

• The INVICTA Management GUI recognizes the Silicon Storage Router (SSR A and B) and Silicon Storage Nodes (SSNs) and is the configuration ordered from WHIPTAIL.

• If you are unable to perform any of these tasks, please contact [email protected].

1.3 Symbols in this Document

SYMBOL DEFINITION

Note

Warning

Best Practice


1.4 INVICTA Interface Overview

Figure 1.0: INVICTA GUI Table 1.0 provides a list of the INVICTA GUI menu along with an overview of each menu screen and the task that can be performed from them.

Most of the INVICTA tasks are available only to those with roles permissioned to perform them.

Table 1.0: INVICTA Menu

MENU TAB MENU OVERVIEW TASKS

Home Main Dashboard The INVICTA Main Dashboard depicts the Silicon Storage Routers (SSRs) as solid rectangles and the larger, partitioned rectangles beneath them represent the Silicon Storage Nodes (SSNs). If all cables have been correctly attached, the number of SSNs depicted match the number of

• View Drive Information

• Fail a drive • Enable or Disable

the Blink On function

• View current, daily, weekly Performance MB/s, IOPS and Latency monitors


MENU TAB MENU OVERVIEW TASKS SSNs installed in the rack. Offers right-click context menus for all SSNs to perform various operations ranging from gathering information to failing a troubled device. Also includes an array wear indicator. Permission based.

• View array wear indicator

• Remove spare • Assign drive to

RAID set

Administration Guide

Links to PDF

Installation Guide Links to PDF

SSR Configuration

Network Settings Displays network configuration information including network interfaces (individual and bonds) and Fibre Channel interfaces. Permission-based.

• Create a new network interface bond

• Change a device configuration

• Set a default gateway

• Set the DNS server

• Set Static Routes • Configure NFS

Failover • Check

performance

Peer/MPIO Settings

Displays the local and peer host names. Allows for one SSR to recognize a peer SSR. Permission-based

• Change the network link for the local and peer host.

• Synchronize peer SCST with the local SCST

VG/Node Setting Displays each Volume Group as one contiguous, addressable region. An SSN can be a

• View the Volume Groups

• Create a LUN for a Volume Group


MENU TAB MENU OVERVIEW TASKS stand-alone Volume Group, i.e., there cannot be less than one Volume Group on one SSN. However, a Volume Group can be combined with up to a maximum of 6 SSNs to form Volume Groups, depending on the number of INVICTA SSNs. Permission-based.

• Delete a Volume

Group • View Volume

Group utilization individual Volume Group or as an aggregate.

iSCSI Settings Lists IP addresses that are available and to which a host is allowed to connect. Permission-based.

Move IP addresses between the Available and Allowed Portal Columns

Support Settings Contains configuration data including:

• Host name, time server (NTP) and mail server (SMTP)

• Autosupport CC address is an internal customer address to which copies of Autosupport messages are sent. This is an optional field; however, if no address is input only the WHIPTAIL support team receives Autosupport messages.

• Send from Domain field allows WHIPTAIL support to identify more easily the source of the Autosupport messages.

• Click “Save” to

• View RACERUNNER Version

• Complete configuration information fields

• Shutdown

• Reboot

• Test Auto Support

• Post Service

• Perform System Update



save any changes made to these fields.

• “Test Autosupport” triggers the generation of an Autosupport message that is outside of the regular schedule and tests the Autosupport relay setting. This test includes collected data but does not include performance graphs.

• Post Service button is used for triggering communication to the Autosupport server once the service repair or maintenance action was performed on the system by technician.

• “System Update” is used by the Administrator for starting a WSP update package application process when available.

• Clicking "System Update" opens a dialog box that asks the Administrator to choose the WSP system update file that was sent by WHIPTAIL and then saved locally. Uploading this file loads the file containing the



system update onto INVICTA. After the file has been authenticated by the system, the Administrator is prompted through the remaining update process.

• An Uninstall Update button displays immediately after an update is installed and can be used to uninstall this last update.

• "Shutdown" and "Reboot" commands are verified to prevent any unintentional action.

Permission-based.

Alert Administration

Lists short identification and notification timestamp of all active alerts sent during periodic System checks. Permission-based.

Check and/or set alerts' status to Resolved or Suppress

LUN Configuration

LUNs Once the initial setup has been completed, LUNs can be created and configured from this screen using buttons and right-click menus. Checkboxes adjacent to LUNs can be used for selecting an unlimited number of LUNs for deletion. Checkboxes can also be used for selecting and viewing the performance of up to the first 5 selected LUNs

• Create LUNs • Increase LUN Size • Delete LUNs • Mirror/Break

Mirror LUNS

• Swap Primaries (Assign LUNs)

• Check Performance


MENU TAB MENU OVERVIEW TASKS Permission-based.

Initiator Groups The Initiator Group is used to map LUNs. The Initiator Groups list uses a tree structure that can be expanded and collapsed. Right-click menus on Initiator Groups allow user to add Initiator, Map/Unmap LUNs, delete an Initiator Group.

Initiator groups should have LUNs mapped starting from Map ID 0.

Permission-based.

• View Initiator Groups

• Add initiator to Initiator Groups

• Create Initiator Groups

• View available LUNs

• Map/Unmap LUNs to/from an Initiator Group

• Delete an Initiator Group

NAS Configuration

NFS Allows Network File Systems (NFS) to be created and configured. Permission-based.

• Create, Edit or Delete NFS Share

• Browse File Systems

• Create and Delete Directories

• Increase size • Upload and

Download Files and Directories

Async Replication

Pairing LUN to target pairing management and replication scheduling functionality License- and permission- based.

• Create New Pairing

• Verify Partner Host

• Update Async Partner Host

• Schedule (both Manual and Scheduled Replication)

• Restore (either to a New LUN or to


MENU TAB MENU OVERVIEW TASKS the Original LUN)

• Replication and Restore Termination

• Ability to download Cygwin Package needed for Windows Target

• Pairing Deletion

• View Logs (Snippets of Replication and Restore logs for each partner)

• Ability to retrieve the Public Key of the device

User User Accounts Each INVICTA user must have a User Account and must be assigned one or more roles. Permission-based.

• Create a New User Account

• Assign User Roles • Edit or Delete a

User Account

Roles Roles are created with specific permission sets that are configurable from the Roles screen. Without permission-defined roles, the default permission for a User Account is the ability to view the Home Menu, Main Dashboard and the ability to change a password from the User Menu. Permission-based.

• Create or Delete a Role

• Assign or Unassign permissions to a Role

Change Password

Default or compromised passwords must be changed to protect the accuracy of audit trails. Passwords are used for authentication.

Change user password


1.5 Licensed Features

WHIPTAIL offers optional features, e.g., Asynchronous Replication, that can be licensed, per device. To activate a licensed feature, please contact your WHIPTAIL Sales Representative or write to [email protected]. Licensed features are delivered over the Internet for clients with Autosupport during “Call Home” messaging or through a WHIPTAIL Service Pack (WSP) Licensing download, for those clients who are not connected to the Autosupport over the Internet.

1.6 Initial Steps

1. Administrator Login

2. Ensure that all support settings are as needed (NTP, Time Zone, SMTP)

3. Create Roles

4. Set up user accounts

5. Configure SSNs: Create Volume Groups, LUNS, Initiator Groups

Figure 1.1: INVICTA Support Settings INVICTA is pre-configured to the network specifications requested prior to and during Installation (see customer Pre-Installation checklist).


The person responsible for overall network administration must log into the Management Tool and perform user account and role creation setup.

Figure 1.2: Login Screen To log in:

1. Power-on SSNs first and wait approximately 5-8 minutes before powering on SSRs.

Power supply glows amber when it is plugged in and green when it is powered on.

2. Type the default username and password as shown:

Username: admin Password: abc123

The Administrator/User should only use the default password for the initial configuration or initial log in. A unique Login ID is needed so that the audit trail reflects a unique user. “Admin” if unchanged will not distinguish between those logged using that default name.

3. Create a unique user name (see Section 7).

4. Click Log out at the top-right of the screen.

5. Login using New User Account ID.


1.7 Document Roadmap

The remaining sections of this document provide information on each INVICTA menu item and the tasks associated with them (see Table 1.0).


2.0 Home The Home screen provides health and performance information.

2.1 Main Dashboard

The INVICTA Main Dashboard depicts the Silicon Storage Routers (SSRs) as solid rectangles and the larger, partitioned rectangles beneath them represent the Silicon Storage Nodes (SSNs). If all cables have been correctly attached, the number of SSNs depicted match the number of SSNs installed in the rack. The dashboard offers right-click context menus to perform various drive operations. Also includes Performance MB/s, IOPS and Latency monitors and an array wear indicator.

2.1.1 SSN RAID Health

1. Click an SSN to view the RAID dashboard health.

The Node Health Information screen appears.

2. Click a tab to view an individual RAID health and unused drives. Tables 2.0 and 2.1 provide legends for the colors of the RAID Status and Drive Status, respectively:

Table 2.0: RAID Legend

RAID Color Meaning Good Bad Degraded Recovering

Table 2.1 Drive Legend

Drive Color Meaning Spare Good Bad Unused


2.1.2 Drive Tasks It is important to identify your system as a RAID 5 or RAID 6 before attempting to perform drive tasks:

• A system is configured with RAID 5 if it is configured with one or more RAID sets, an Unused tab and has a spare drive.

• A system is configured with RAID 6 if it has only one RAID set and an Unused tab. It does not include a spare drive.

To perform drive tasks:

1. Right-click a drive in the Node Health Information window.

The drive tasks right-click menu appears.

Figure 2.0: Drive Tasks Options Menu

1. Do any of the following:

• If you want to view drive information, select Info.

The Node Health Information window displays specific drive information, including drive position, device model, serial number, firmware version and LU WWN Device Id.

Figure 2.1: Node Health Information Window


• Select Fail to fail a drive, if necessary.

The fail right-click menu option on a RAID 5 is only visible on the RAID set that houses the spare, see Figure 2.0. When a fail is initiated, recovery to a spare is triggered.

If the RAID set is in a degraded mode, the Fail menu option is not available on any RAID.

The verification for the fail drive appears. The failed drive will be in a “bad” state. The ‘Remove’ right-click menu option provides a means to safely remove a bad drive to the unused tab.

Figure 2.2a: Fail Drive Warning for RAID 5

Figure 2.2b: Fail Drive Warning for RAID 6

A spare cannot be failed. To remove a spare, see Section 2.1.2.1.

• Select Enable or Disable Blink On to enable or disable the Blink On

feature.

A confirmation messages indicates the Blink On/Off status.

Figure 2.3: Enable Blink On


2.1.2.1 Removing a Drive

The ‘Remove’ right-click menu option provides a means to safely remove a drive without causing data corruption.

While not encouraged, a drive other than a spare from a RAID set may be removed using the Fail menu option and procedure described in 2.1.2.

To remove a drive, do the following:

1. Right-click the drive.

The right-click menu appears.

Figure 2.4: Right-Click Menu

2. Select Remove. The drive is removed and placed in the Unused Tab. From the Unused Tab do any of the following:

• Get drive information

• Enable/Disable Blink On

• Assign drive to a RAID set

Warning: For drives pulled from the drive slot or failed using the ‘Fail’ menu, please contact support before reassigning the drive.


Figure 2.5: Unused Tab Right-Click Menu Options

• Physically remove drive from the array, if necessary.

2.1.3 Performance MB/s, IOPS and Latency Monitors

INVICTA supports vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI) which dramatically improves communication performance with VMWare ESX servers.

The Performance tab provides a point-in-time rendering of MB/s, IOPS and latency characteristics on a last-10-minutes, daily and weekly basis. The chart auto-refreshes every 10 seconds. Mouse over a performance grid to view detail.

Figure 2.6: Performance Monitor To view performance information: 1. Select an SSN tab.

A rendering of MB/s and IOPS characteristics of the SSR appears.


2. Do any of the following: • To view daily performance, click the icon in the top-right-hand

corner of the performance graph.

• To view weekly performance, click the icon in the top-right-hand corner of the performance graph. This information auto refreshes every 10 seconds and displays a point-in-time view.

• To view details of a particular timeframe by click your mouse and drag

it over a lower timeline interval, e.g., 17:25 to 17:50. The result is shown in Figure 2.7.

Figure 2.7: Performance Zoom of Specific Timeframe

2.2 Administration Guide

Click the Administration Guide menu item to open a PDF of this document

2.3 Installation Guide

Click the Administration Guide menu item to open a PDF of this document


3.0 SSR Configuration OVERVIEW This section covers the INVICTA configuration tasks that are available to users who have appropriate permissions.

3.1 Network Settings

Warning: Modifying network settings will cause a brief interruption of connectivity to the WHIPTAIL array. Use extreme caution when changing the settings on this screen.

The Network Settings menu screen displays the Ethernet Bond Status table. This is a sortable list of all bonds currently available on this array. It also displays a sortable list of Fibre Channel interfaces. Right clicking an interface presents menu options, e.g., enable/disable, etc. The top buttons on this screen can be clicked to create a new network interface bond, set a default gateway, set the DNS servers and set static routes. This section describes how to create, edit and remove a bond and explains the available bonding modes.

Figure 3.0 Network Settings Screen

Warning: Bond0 must not be deleted. Changing bond0 can potentially sever the array connection.


3.1.1 Creating a New Bond To create a new bond, do the following:

1. Select SSR Configuration > Network Settings. The Network Setting screen appears.

2. Click Create Bond. The Create New Bond dialog box appears.

Figure 3.1: Create New Bond Dialog Box

3. Complete the fields: • IP Address – if verified, checkmark appears

• Subnet Mask – if verified, checkmark appears

• MTU

For most implementations, the MTU is <1500>; however, use <9000> if Jumbo Frames are required for assignment to this bond

• Onboot –Yes/No. Informs the OS if this bond is to come online

during the boot process.

• Mode – Select a run mode from the drop-down list. (For explanations of the available modes, see Table 3.0 in Available Bonding Modes.

4. Click Create Bond once all settings have been entered or click Cancel to return to the Network Settings screen.

3.1.1.1 Available Bonding Modes Table 3.0 describes the bonding modes that are configurable from the web interface.


Table 3.0 Bonding Modes

MODE NAME

DESCRIPTION ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

mode=0 (balance-rr)

Round-robin policy: Transmit packets in sequential order from the first available slave through the last. This mode provides load balancing and fault tolerance.

mode=1 (active-backup)

Active-backup policy: Only one slave in the bond is active. A different slave becomes active if and only if the active slave fails. The bond’s MAC address is externally visible on only one port (network adapter) to avoid confusing the switch. This mode provides fault tolerance.

mode=4 (802.3ad) Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

IEEE 802.3ad Dynamic link aggregation creates aggregation groups that share the same speed and duplex settings. This utilizes all slaves in the active aggregator according to the 802.3ad specification. Most switches require some type of configuration to enable 802.3ad mode.

Pre-requisites: • Ethtool support in the

base drivers for retrieving the speed and duplex of each slave.

• A switch that supports IEEE 802.3ad Dynamic link aggregation.

mode=6 (balance-alb) [Default setting on WHIPTAIL Arrays]

Adaptive load balancing: includes balance-tlb plus receive load balancing (rlb) for IPV4 traffic and does not require any special switch support. The receive load balancing is achieved by ARP negotiation. The bonding driver intercepts the ARP Replies sent by the local system on their way out and overwrites the source hardware address with the unique hardware address of one of the slaves in the bond, such that different peers use different hardware addresses for the server.

ALB (mode 6) is the default mode.


3.1.2 Default Gateway The default gateway is the device that connects the local network to another network. To update the default gateway, do the following:

1. Select SSR Configuration > Network Settings.

The Network Setting screen appears (see Figure 3.0).

2. Click Default Gateway. The Update Default Gateway dialog box appears.

Figure 3.2: Update Default Gateway Dialog Box

3. Type the Gateway IP address. A green checkmark appears if it is a valid gateway.

4. Click Save Gateway or click Cancel to return to the Network Settings screen.

3.1.3 DNS Nameservers The most important function of the Domain Name Server DNS servers is the translation (resolution) of human-memorable domain names and hostnames into the corresponding numeric Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. To edit the Nameservers do the following:

1. Select SSR Configuration > Network Settings. The Network Setting screen appears (see Figure 3.0).

2. Click DNS Nameservers. The Edit DNS Nameservers dialog box appears.


Figure 3.3: Edit DNS Nameservers Dialog Box

5. Type the DNS Nameserver IP addresses.

6. Click Save DNS or click Cancel to return to the Network Settings screen.

3.1.4 Static Routes Static routes are routes through a data network that are described by fixed paths (statically). To create a static route do the following:


2. Click Static Routes. The Static Routes screen appears.

Figure 3.4: Static Routes Screen


3.1.4.1 Add Static Route

To create a new static route for an active bond, do the following:


2. Click Static Routes > Add Static Route. The Create New Static Route dialog box appears.

Figure 3.5: Create New Static Route

3. Complete the fields: • Network • Mask • Gateway – if verified, checkmark appears

4. Select from the Active Devices drop-down list.

5. Click Create or click Cancel to return to the Static Routes table.

3.1.5 Edit Bond

To Edit a Bond, do the following:

Warning: Changing bond0 can potentially sever the array connection.


The Network Setting screen appears (see Figure 3.0).

2. Highlight a Bond from the Ethernet Bond Status list by mousing over it and right click.



Figure 3.6: Ethernet Bond Status Right-Click Menu

3. Select Edit Bond. The Edit Settings dialog box appears.

Figure 3.7: Edit Bond Settings Dialog Box 4. Update the Bond information (see Table 3.0 for Bond Mode

information).

5. Click Save Bond to save edits or click Cancel to return to the Network Settings screen.


3.1.6 Delete Bond To delete a Bond, do the following:

Warning: The option to delete bond0 has been prevented as that could potentially sever the array connection.


The Network Settings screen appears (see Figure 3.0).


The right-click menu appears (see Figure 3.6).

3. Select Delete Bond. The Delete Bond confirmation dialog box appears.

4. Select Delete Bond to delete or Cancel to return to the Network Settings screen.

Figure 3.8: Delete Bond Confirmation

3.1.7 Enable/Disable Bond An existing Network Interface Configuration (NIC) Bond can be enabled or disabled, depending on its initial state, using the right-click menu:

1. Select SSR Configuration > Network Settings. The Network Settings screen appears (see Figure 3.0).



3. Select Enable /Disable Bond. The confirmation dialog box appears, e.g., the Disable Bond confirmation shown in Figure 3.9.

4. Select Enable/Disable Bond or Cancel to return to the Network Settings screen.


Figure 3.9: Disable Bond Confirmation Dialog Box

3.1.8 Enable/Disable Fibre Channel Interface To enable/disable a FC Interface, do the following:


2. Highlight a Bond from the FC Interface Status list by mousing over it and right click. The right-click menu appears

Figure 3.10: FC Interface Right-Click Menu

3. Select Enable/Disable. The confirmation dialog box appears, e.g., the Set Offline confirmation shown in Figure 3.11.

Figure 3.11: FC Interface Set Offline (Disable) Confirmation Dialog Box

4. Select Online/Offline or Cancel to return to the Network Settings screen.


3.1.9 Create a Virtual Interface A virtual interface can be created from an existing Network Interface Configuration (NIC) Bond from the right-click menu:




3. Select Create Virtual. The Create New Virtual dialog box appears.

Figure 3.12: Create New Virtual Dialog Box

4. Complete the fields: • IP Address – If verified, a checkmark appears

• Subnet Mask

• MTU


• Onboot – Yes/No. Informs the OS if this bond is to come online

during the boot process

5. Click Create Virtual once all settings have been entered or click Cancel to return to the Network Settings screen.


3.1.10 Create a VLAN VLAN's allow a network manager to logically segment a LAN into different broadcast domains. VLANs allow users who are not physically on the same or even in the same buildings to belong to the same LAN. To create a VLAN, do the following: A VLAN can be created from an existing Bond from the right-click menu:





3. Select Create VLAN. The Create New VLAN dialog box appears.


Figure 3.14: Create New VLAN Dialog Box

4. Complete the fields: • VLAN ID – Identification of the VLAN used by the standard 802.1Q.

• IP Address – If verified, a checkmark appears

• Subnet Mask

• MTU


• Onboot – Yes/No. Informs the OS if this bond is to come online

during the boot process.

5. Click Create VLAN once all settings have been entered or click Cancel to return to the Network Settings screen.

3.1.11 Configure Devices The Configure Device screen displays the Slave and Unbonded interface status lists for the Bond and its virtual Bonds and VLANS selected from the Network Settings screen. Bond configuration can be modified using drag-and-drop functionality.

Changes to the IP configuration of bonds may result in a requirement that the current browser session be closed and a new one started. The updated Network IP should be typed into the URL field to access the Web interface.


Figure 3.15: Device Configuration Screen

Figure 3.16: Unbonded eth2 Drag and Dropped to Bond Slave Status

3.1.12 Configure VIP (NFS Fault Tolerance) This feature allows the user to use a virtual IP to mount the NFS share for fault tolerance. The properties defined in “Configure VIP” provide a graceful


failover so that share access is not interrupted when SSRA or SSRB is unavailable. To configure the Virtual IP, do the following:

The Virtual IP must be configured with the same IP Address on both SSRA and SSRB. If the VIP is edited on one, the other is automatically synchronized with that same IP Address.


The Network Settings screen appears (see Figure 3.0).




3. Select Configure VIP The Configure VIP/VRRP dialog box appears.


Figure 3.18: Configure VIP/VRRP

4. Complete the fields: • Input a valid Virtual IP Address accessible from the host • Input a valid Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) ID.

This is a unique ID, numbered 1-to-255, that provides routing priority.

The default master router is SSRA. The VRRPID is the same for both SSRA and SSRB.

5. Click Update Settings to configure the VIP/VRRP, Remove to

remove that VIP/VRRP from that SSR or Cancel to return to the Network Settings screen.

3.1.13 Check Performance To view the status of bond performance, do the following:




3. Select Check Performance. The Bond Performance Info graph appears.


Figure 3.19: Bond Performance Information Graph Table 3.1: Bond Performance Legend Packets Definition

Rxpck Number of received packets

Txpck Number of transmitted packets RxkB Reception bandwidth in KB TxkB Transmission bandwidth in KB

4. Mouse over graph to see specific point-in-time information as shown in

Figure 3.20.

Figure 3.20: Point-in-Time Bond Performance

3.2 Peer/MPIO Settings

Displays the local and peer host names. Allows for one SSR to recognize a peer SSR. Also provides the capability to change the network link for the local and peer host. This screen also provides the capability to synchronize the local to the peer SCSTS in the event that the administrator notices that there are discrepancies


between LUNs on the dashboard or should an alert be triggered that there was a network issue. To synchronize the peer SCST with the local SCST:

1. Click Sync SCST.

The verification for the synchronization appears with a checkbox to acknowledge the interrupt the synchronization may cause. It is suggested to synchronize after normal operational hours.

Figure 3.21: Synchronization Warning

2. Select the acknowledgement checkbox and click Sync or click Cancel to return to the Peer/MPIO settings screen.

3.3 Volume Groups

In WHIPTAIL terminology, a Volume Group (VG) is the logical storage. A Volume Group can combine several SSNs (physical storages) and present them to the system as one large storage unit. The Volume Group configuration that is optimal depends on the business/BCP/ needs and requirements.

3.3.1 Create Volume Group

1. Select SSR Configuration > VG/Node Settings.

The Volume Groups screen appears.

Only those who were assigned roles with the associated permissions can view and/or access these tasks.

If the number of Volume Groups allowed has been reached, i.e., the number of volume groups can be no greater than the number of SSNs (1-6) in the INVICTA configuration, the Create Volume Group button is not visible.


2. Click Create Volume Group.

The Create New Volume Group verification dialog box appears.

Figure 3.22: Create New Volume Group Button

3. Complete the fields and click Create Volume Group.

The Volume Group name is added to the list.

Figure 3.23: Create New Volume Group

3.3.2 Delete Volume Group


The Volume Groups screen appears.

2. Right-click a Volume Group name and select Delete.

The Delete Volume Group verification dialog box appears.

Figure 3.24: Delete Volume Group Verification


A Volume Group can only be deleted if it does not have LUNs and/or NFS shares. An error message indicates that LUNs NFS Shares must be removed so that the Volume Group can be deleted. Remember, each SSN has a minimum of one Volume Group, so it is not possible to delete that last Volume Group (Figure 3.25).

Figure 3.25: Cannot Remove Volume Group

3.3.3 Create LUN On Volume Group

For added convenience, a right-click on a Volume Group Name also allows the option to create a LUN on that Volume Group. For more information on LUNs, see Section 5.

3.3.4 View Volume Group Utilization To view Volume group performance:


A performance graph at the bottom of the VG/Node Screen displays the utilization of each volume group. The ALL tab displays an aggregate utilization of the Volume Groups.


Figure 3.26: ALL Tab

3.4 iSCSI Settings

The iSCSI Screen Lists the IP addresses by which an Initiator (a host) is allowed to access an SSR. The two columns represented on the screen are:

• Allowed Portal: Lists IP addresses to which a host is allowed to connect. • Available Portal: Lists all available IP addresses of hosts that can used to

initiate a session.

3.4.1 Changing Initiator IP Address Availability

1. Select SSR Configuration > iSCSI Settings.

2. Use drag-and-drop functionality to move an Initiator to or from the Available to the Allowed Portal IPs columns.


Figure 3.27: Moving an Initiator

If the Allowed Portals column is empty, there are no restrictions for access and all IPs listed in the Available column can be used for iSCSI communication

3.5 Support Settings

The WHIPTAIL Installation team will have configured INVICTA so that there is SRR (A and B) communication and SSR to SSN communication. The SSR is connected to the network and is now controlling the network data sent to the SSNs. Network Configuration settings have been entered on the Support Settings screen (see Figure 3.29).

These settings include:

• Host Name • SMTP Server • SMTP User • AutoSupport CC • Send from Domain • NTP Server • Time Zone


Figure 3.29: Support Setting Screens

3.5.1 Support Setting Configuration To verify or modify support settings, do the following:

1. Select SSR Configuration > Support Settings.

The Support Settings screen appears.

2. Complete or modify field information as necessary. See Table 3.2 for a description of the Support Settings fields.


Table 3.2: Support Settings Fields

FIELD DESCRIPTION

Host Name Name assigned to array.

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) Server

Type SMTP address. Used to transmit email across IP Networks. This is applicable only for email being sent directly from the WHIPTAIL Array if there is no connection to the Autosupport server over the Internet.

SMTP Username The SMTP user is the username used by the mail service to send out emails from the customer's servers.

User mail server needs to be set up to handle customer emailing.

Autosupport CC Address Type internal customer address to which copies of Autosupport messages are sent.

Firewall must be configured to allow access to Port 443 outbound.

Send from Domain Applies only when emails are being sent directly from the WHIPTAIL Array if there is no connection to the Autosupport server over the Internet.

NTP Server Type NTP address. Used to synchronize the time of the clocks of computers over the network.

Time Zone Select location (and its associated time zone) from the drop-down list.

Table 3.3 displays the functionality is available by clicking the associated buttons on the Support Settings page.


Table 3.3: Support Settings Button Functionality

BUTTON DESCRIPTION

Test Autosupport A trigger that generates an Autosupport message that is outside of the regular schedule and that tests the Autosupport relay setting. This test includes all usually collected data.

Post Service Post Service button is used for triggering communication to the Autosupport server once the service repair or maintenance action was performed on the system by technician.

System Update System Update is used when the Administrator has received a WSP file containing an update.

Uninstall Update Uninstall update button is present immediately after the update was installed and is used for rolling back previously installed update. This button is only visible if a user is permissioned to uninstall an update.

Shutdown Shutdown INVICTA. Dialog box appears to verify Shutdown command to avoid any unintentional action.

Reboot Reboot INVICTA. Dialog box appears to verify Reboot command to avoid any unintentional action.

3.5.1.1 System Update

Clicking System Update opens a dialog box that asks the Administrator to choose the system update file that was sent by WHIPTAIL and then saved locally. Uploading this file loads the file containing the system update onto INVICTA. After the file has been authenticated by the system, the Administrator is prompted through the remaining update process.

Be sure to read and acknowledge the Release Notes and Instructions or the update will not initiate.

Contact support before uninstalling if update has been installed and running for more than several hours as this could potentially cause data integrity and/or performance issues. Only customer-installed upgrades can potentially be uninstalled.


3.5.2 Alert Administration The Alert Admin menu lists active alerts sent during periodic system checks. The alert entries include a short identification, last sent time and date and status information. To address an alert:

1. Do one of the following:

• Mouse over a unique alert.

• Select the checkbox adjacent to one or more alerts.

2. Right-click the mouse.

A right-click menu appears with Suppress and Resolve options (see Table 3.4).

3. Select Suppress or Resolve.

Table 3.4: Alert Administration Actions

ACTION DESCRIPTION Suppress Removes selected alerts from the list of active alerts and keeps

them from resending during subsequent periodic System checks.

Resolve Removes selected alerts from the active list. However, should the same alerts recur during subsequent System checks, they will repeatedly appear in the active list until the issues causing these alerts are resolved.

Figure 3.30: Alert Admin Screen


4.0 LUN Configuration OVERVIEW INVICTA allows you to tune LUNs to meet specific application needs. This is accomplished by adding nodes to increase throughput, bandwidth or capacity.

LUNs represents logical volumes that are defined inside the VG - and as such those are made available for hosts (initiators) to access them. Each Logical Unit Number (LUN) identifies a specific logical unit, which may be part of a drive, an entire drive or several drives in a storage array. A LUN, then, can reference an entire RAID set, a single drive or multiple drivers. In any case, the logical unit is treated as if it is a single device and is identified by the LUN. Once the initial INVICTA set up has been completed, LUNs can be created and configured from the LUN Configuration screen using buttons and right-click menus. The Administrator must determine the best LUN configuration. The following section describes LUN Configuration tasks.

Only those who were assigned roles with the associated permissions can view and/or access these tasks.

4.1 The LUNs List

LUNs have checkboxes adjacent to them. These checkboxes can be used for selecting an unlimited number of LUNs for deletion. Checkboxes can also be used for selecting and viewing the performance of up to the first 5 selected LUNs. All columns are sortable.

4.1.1 Create LUN A LUN can be created from one of two screens:

• From the SSR Configuration VG / Node screen (see Section 3.3.4.) • From the LUN Configuration, LUNs screen.

This section describes LUNs created from the LUNs screen.


Figure 4.0: LUN Screen To create a LUN:

1. Select LUN Configuration > LUNs.

The LUNs screen appears.

Figure 4.1: LUN Screen/Create LUN Button

2. Click Create LUN.

The Create New LUN dialog box appears.


Figure 4.2 Create New LUN Dialog Box

3. Complete the Create New LUN fields:

• Type a name in the LUN Name field. • Type the size of the LUN presented to the operating system

(expressed in GB). • Select the LUN’s Volume Group Name from the drop-down list. • Select the Device Group (SSR A or SSR B) from the drop-down list.

Striping applies for LUN creation on multiple Volume Groups (i.e., composed of more than 1 SSN).

4. Click Create LUN or click Cancel to close the dialog box without

creating a new LUN.

4.1.2 Swap LUN Primaries

The SSR through which a LUN is served is known as a Primary. Swapping Primaries involves assigning and/or reassigning INVICTA LUNs to the alternate SSR, i.e., Primary to Local SSR or Primary to Peer SSR. This feature is useful for capacity load balancing optimization. Swapping LUN Primaries can be done in two ways:

• Using the right-click menu option.

• Using the Swap Primaries button.

To use the LUN right-click menu:


The LUN screen appears.


2. Highlight a LUN from the LUNs list by mousing over it and right click.


Figure 4.3: LUN Right-Click Menu

3. Select the Swap Primaries menu option.

The Primary on which the LUN is listed changes to the alternate Primary, i.e., from SSRB to SSRA.

To use the Primaries button:



2. Click Primaries.

Figure 4.4: LUN Screen Primaries Button


The Local and Peer SSR LUN lists appear. These lists are sortable by Name and by Size.

Figure 4.5: Local and Peer SSR LUN Lists

3. Drag-and-drop a LUN from an SSR to the other SSR. In Figure 4.5,

testlun was drag and dropped from the Local to Peer SSR.

4.1.3 Delete LUN 1. Select LUN Configuration > LUNs.






3. Select the Delete menu option.

A verify deletion dialog box appears.

Figure 4.7: LUN Delete Verification Dialog Box

If a LUN is part of an asynchronous pairing, it cannot be deleted until the pairing is removed. To remove the pairing, go to the LUNs>Asynchronous Replication menu item.

4. Click Delete or click Cancel and return to the LUNs list.

4.1.4 Increase LUN Size







3. Select the Increase Size (GB) menu option.

Increase Size dialog box appears.

Figure 4.9: Increase Size LUN Dialog Box

4. Type the new size into the Increase (GB) field.

LUN size can only be increased, not decreased.

5. Click Update LUN or click Cancel and return to the LUNs list.


4.1.5 LUN Mirror/Break Mirror LUN Mirroring is mapping that maintains two identical data copies. Mirrored LUN are often used to achieve better availability and to provide a degree of fault tolerance. Data is written to both LUNs simultaneously. Should one of the LUN drives fail or becomes unavailable; the system continues to operate using the unaffected drive. 4.1.5.1 Create LUN Mirror

To create a LUN Mirror, do the following:

• Select LUN Configuration > LUNs.


• Highlight a LUN from the LUNs list by mousing over it and right click.



• Select the Mirror menu option.

The Create Mirror dialog box appears.


Figure 4.11: Create Mirror Dialog Box

• Type the name of the LUN Mirror into the New LUN field.

• Select a Volume Group from the VG drop-down list.

• Click Create Mirror or click Cancel and return to the LUNs list.

When creating a mirror, a progress dialog box appears. When the mirror is finished, exit the dialog box by clicking the “x” in the upper right-hand corner of the box.

Figure 4.12: Mirror Progress Dialog Box 4.1.5.2 LUN Mirror Creation Indicators

• If a LUN Mirror is successfully created, the LUN Mirror Name text appears in green as shown in Figure 4.13.


Figure 4.13: Successful LUN Mirror Creation

• If the LUN destination to which the data would be mirrored does not exit, the entire LUN Name field appears red, as shown in Figure 4.14.

Figure 4.14: Bad LUN Mirror Destination Indicator


• When creating a LUN mirror, if there is not enough space left on all Volume Groups, the Volume Group drop-down list will not be selectable. The error message, “No volume groups qualify to create mirror,“ is stated on the pop-up (Figure 4.15).

Figure 4.15: No Volume Groups Qualify for Mirror 4.1.5.3 Break Mirror

To break a LUN mirror, do the following:



2. Highlight a mirrored LUN from the LUNs list by mousing over it and right click.



Figure 4.16: LUN Right-Click Menu for Mirrored LUN

3. Select the Break Mirror menu option.

The break verification dialog box appears.

Figure 4.17: Break Verification Dialog Box

4. Click Break Mirror or click Cancel and return to the LUNs list. When a mirror is broken, the mirrored LUN is removed and the original LUN remains available as a standalone.

4.1.6 View LUN Performance Data Checkboxes adjacent to the LUNs can be used for selecting and viewing the performance of up to the first 5 selected LUNs. Performance graphs for one of the 5 LUNs can be viewed on their tabs or an aggregate view from the "All" tab. The performance view auto-refreshes every 10 seconds and displays point-in-time MB/s and IOPS characteristic information.


To View LUN performance graphs, do the following:




• Highlight a LUN from the LUNs list by mousing over it and right click.

• Select up to 5 checkboxes adjacent to a LUN name and right click.


3. Select Check Performance.


The LUN Performance Information Monitor appears. 4. Mouse over a performance grid to view detailed information. 5. Do any of the following: • To view daily performance, click the icon in the top-right-hand

corner of the performance graph.

• To view weekly performance, click the icon in the top-right-hand corner of the performance graph.


Figure 4.19: LUN Performance Information Graph/ALL Tab

• To view details of a particular timeframe by click your mouse and drag it over a lower timeline interval, e.g., 17:25 to 17:50. The result is shown in Figure 4.20.

Figure 4.20: Performance Zoom of Specific Timeframe

4.2 LUN Initiator Groups

Initiator Groups are used to map LUNs. When a LUN is associated with a specific initiator group, the LUN is only visible to initiators in that group. INVICTA uses a tree structure that can be expanded and collapsed. A triangle adjacent to an Initiator Group name indicates that there are Initiators assigned to them and can be expanded or collapsed on click.


Figure 4.21: Initiator Groups

A LUN may be mapped to multiple Initiator Groups while an Initiator cannot be listed as a member of more than one Initiator Group.

4.2.1 Add an Initiator to an Initiator Group

1. Select LUN Configuration > Initiator Groups.

The Initiators screen appears (See Figure 4.21).

2. Click an Initiator Group to highlight it and right click.

The right-click options menu appears.

Figure 4.22: Initiator Groups Right-Click Menu

3. Select Add Initiator.


The Add Initiator to <Initiator Group> dialog box appears.

Figure 4.23: Add Initiator Dialog Box

4. Type in the WWN/IQN and click Create Initiator or click Cancel to return to the Initiators list.

Ensure that the WWN for the HBA to which the storage is attached is zoned using the standards used in your data center.

4.2.2 Create an Initiator Group 1. Select LUN Configuration > Initiator Groups.

The Initiators screen appears.

2. Click Create New Group.

Figure 4.24 Create New Initiator Group Dialog Box

3. Type the name of the Initiator Group in the Name field and click Create Group.

The new Initiator Group name appears on the Initiators list.


4.2.3 Map a LUN to an Initiator Group

Avoid mapping a LUN until the Initiator has been created as doing so may cause the Initiator to pull in LUN list from the Default group.


The Initiators screen appears.




3. Select Map LUNs.

The Initiator LUN screen appears.

Figure 4.26: Initiator LUN Screen


4. Do one of the following to map a LUN: • Drag-and-drop a LUN from the Available LUNs list to the Initiator

Group’s LUN list above it.

Figure 4.27: Initiator LUN Drag-and-Drop

• Right click a LUN and select the Map/Unmap LUN option.

The Map LUN to Initiator Group Dialog Box appears.

• Initiators will have LUNs mapped starting from Map ID ‘0’. Failure to remap a LUN 0 will result in initiator issues.

• Deleting Map ID ‘0’ is not recommended. If it is deleted, all other LUNs mapped to this initiator group might be lost from the initiator sight. Also while the next LUN mapping created will automatically be assigned the Map ID ‘0’ that does not guarantee automatic re-discovery of the “lost” LUNs.

• If a range of IDs for multiple LUNs is specified it will first check for 0 and then continue with the starting ID provided.


Figure 4.28: Map LUN to Initiator Group Dialog Box

5. Click Create or click Cancel to return to the Initiator’s Available LUN list.

The LUN appears in the Initiator’s LUN list.

6. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 for each preferred available LUN.

To unmap a LUN, drag-and-drop it from the Initiator Group LUN list back to the Available LUNS list or follow the UnMap procedure in Section 4.2.4.

7. Click Back to Initiators to return to the Initiator Groups screen.

4.2.4 Unmap LUN from Initiator 1. Select LUN Configuration > Initiator Groups.





3. Select Map/Unmap LUNs.

The Initiator LUN screen appears.


Figure 4.30: Initiator LUN Screen

4. Do one of the following: • Select a LUN from the Initiator’s LUN list, right click and select the

Unmap LUN menu option.

Figure 4.31: Unmap LUN Screen


• Drag-and-drop a LUN from the Initiator Groups LUN list to the Initiator Available LUN list below it.

The LUN disappears from the Initiator Group’s LUN list and reappears on the Available LUNs list.

4.2.5 Delete Initiator Group

Unmap all LUNs from an Initiator Group before attempting to delete it to avoid data loss.






3. Select Delete Group.

A deletion verification dialog box appears.

Figure 4.33: Deletion Verification Dialog Box

4. Click Delete Group or click Cancel to return to the Initiators list.


5.0 NAS Configuration OVERVIEW Network Attached Storage (NAS) allows a user on a client computer to access files over a network in a manner akin to how local storage is accessed. Network File System (NFS) is the protocol used to make selected data available to validated clients.

5.1 Creating an NFS Share

To create an NFS share, do the following: 1. Select NAS Configuration > NFS.

The NFS screen appears displaying a list of defined and current shares.

Figure 5.0: NAS Configuration Screen 2. Click Create NFS share. The Create NFS share dialog box appears.


Figure 5.1: Create NFS Share Dialog Box 3. Complete the NFS share fields:

• Type a name of the share in the Name field. • Type the fully qualified domain names or IP addresses of the clients

to get access to this share in the Hosts field, e.g., 192.168.1* or a valid range such as 192.168.1.0/24. Separate multiple entries with a comma (,).

• Type the size of the share in the Size (GB) field. • Select a Volume Group from the drop-down list. • Select NFS Share options in the Options box, as described in Table

5.0.

Table 5.0: NFS Share Options OPTION NAME

DESCRIPTION COMMENT

read-only The share cannot be written. This is the default.

read-write The share can be written. no_wdelay Write disk as soon as

possible.

Warning: Disabling no_wdelay may cause write performance degradation.

async Reply before disk write.

Warning: Cache coherence between SSRs is not guaranteed with Async option enabled.


4. Click Create or click Cancel to return to the NFS screen.

5.2 Editing an NFS Share

1. Select NAS Configuration > NFS. The NFS screen appears displaying a list of defined and current shares.

2. Right-click an NFS share. The right-click options menu appears.

Figure 5.2: Edit NFS Share 3. Select Edit.

The Edit NFS Options dialog box appears.

Figure 5.3: NFS Edit Options Dialog Box


4. Edit or add the fully qualified domain names or IP addresses of the clients to get access to this share in the Hosts field, e.g., 192.168.1* or a valid range such as 192.168.1.0/24. Separate multiple entries with a comma (,).

5. Edit NFS Share options, as described in Table 5.0. 6. Click Update to save changes or Cancel to return to the NFS screen.

5.3 Increase NFS Size

If an NFS Share is used for pairing (see Section 6, Async Replication) its size cannot be increased.

1. Select NFS Configuration > NFS.

The NFS screen appears.

2. Highlight an NFS Share from the NFS list by mousing over it and right click.


3. Select the Increase Size (GB) menu option.

Increase Size of * dialog box appears.

Figure 5.4: Increase Size NFS Dialog Box

4. Type the new size into the Increase (GB) field. Click Update NFS Share or click Cancel and return to the NFS list.

5.4 Deleting an NFS Share

To delete an NFS share, do the following: 1. Select NAS Configuration > NFS.

The NFS Shares screen appears displaying a list of defined and current shares (see Figure 5.2).


2. Do one of the following: • Click an NFS share to select it. • Select the checkboxes adjacent to one or multiple shares (an unlimited

number).

3. Right-click to display the Delete option and click Delete.

4. Click Delete or click Cancel to return to NFS screen.

Figure 5.5: Delete NFS Share Warning

5.5 Browsing NFS File Systems

Browsing NFS File Systems is a convenient feature to create, delete, upload and download files and directories on current shares.

The Browse File Systems tool is not intended to be a primary file management tool.

5.5.1 NFS Browse Shares

To browse and configure NFS Shares: 1. Select NAS Configuration > NFS. The NFS Shares screen appears displaying a list of defined and current shares. 2. Click Browse file systems.

The NFS tree structure appears.


Figure 5.6: Browse NFS Shares

The following NFS functionality is available: • Click a directory name to expand it. • Right-click a directory to display the option menu to upload a file or to

create a subdirectory.

There is an upload limit of 2 GB from WMS NAS Configuration; however, after the NFS client is mounted as a host for a share, upload size is unlimited.

• Right-click a subdirectory to display the option menu to upload a file,

delete the subdirectory or to create a subdirectory. • Right-click a file name to download or delete it.

There is a download limit of 20 MB from WMS NAS Configuration; however, after the NFS client is mounted as a host for a share, download size is unlimited.


Figure 5.7: Browse NFS Right-Click Menu Options

3. Click Back to NFS table to return to the NFS Shares list screen.

5.6 NFS Failover

The NFS failover feature using VIP is configured through Network Settings. See Section 3.1.12.


6.0 Asynchronous Replication OVERVIEW Asynchronous replication (hereafter referred to as Async Replication) is an optional and separately licensed feature. It provides a permission-based mechanism to create a duplicate version of a LUN or NFS Share on a device attached to a partner host.

If you do not have the Asynchronous Replication feature activated but would like to use it, please contact your WHIPTAIL Sales Representative or write to [email protected].

WHIPTAIL uses block-level Async Replication and incorporates an Async snapshot feature to capture a point-in-time state that allows applications to continue writing their data. These features help to prevent damage from failures or disasters that may occur in one location and improves the ability to recover a copy of the data in another location.

• During Async Replication pairing creation, if the

source device is a LUN then the target device must also be a LUN. Similarly, if the source device is an NFS Share then the target device must also be an NFS Share.

• Using target entities is not recommended in Read-Write mode as this poses a risk to the accuracy of the data replication and may corrupt data recovery.

• Before using the Asynchronous Replication feature, make sure that no LUN/NFS Share names use either "Snapdiff1_xyz, "xyz_Snap” to the LUN or NFS share name (where ‘xyz’ is the original or target LUN or NFS share name). Using these naming conventions will delete user data during the replication process.

• During the replication process, the target LUN/NFS Share will be unmapped/unmounted and is therefore inaccessible. This prevents possible corruption of source data. The replication process will automatically re-map and remount at its completion. The source SSR will have access throughout the replication process.

• When restoring to the original source LUN/NFS Share, the Restore process will unexport and unmount the LUN/Share and will not be accessible. The Restore process will automatically re-mount and re-export at its completion.

• Once Async Replication pairing is setup, the following operations are prevented on the source LUN or NFS Share used for the pairing:

o Increase in size o Delete operation


Ensure that Source and Target Devices Can Communicate

Set Up Pairing and Ensure Communication

Set Up Replication Schedule

As Needed Perform a Restore to Either a New LUN/NFS or

Overwrite Source Data

Figure 6.0: Async Replication for LUN or NFS Share Basic Workflow

The first replication that is performed on a pairing is always a FULL replication. Subsequent replications reflect the delta, except where an “Update Partner” operation is performed. In that case, the next replication would become a FULL replication.

6.1 Communicating with a Partner Host

To perform replication successfully, there must be a way for communicating between the local LUN or NFS share and the remote replication site to establish that the client (local WHIPTAIL Array) is allowed to invoke commands on the server (remote replication site). The WHIPTAIL Array uses the standard remote shell facility, ssh, leveraging on password-less access after putting its public key to the proper location at the remote replication site. For LUNs, WHIPTAIL supports open-target Async Replication. It can duplicate to the following platforms:


• WHIPTAIL Array • Linux systems • Windows 2008 R2 Server.

For NFS Shares, WHIPTAIL supports Async Replication only to another WHIPTAIL Array. Table 6.0 lists the releases that are supported for LUNS. Instructions for each platform follow: Table 6.0: Supported Releases

PLATFORM SUPPORTED RELEASES ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

WHIPTAIL RACERUNNER >= 4.1.1 Destination LUN needs to be the same size as the source LUN.

Linux Kernel version >= 2.6.3 LVM2 version >= 2.02

Destination LUN needs to be the same size as the source LUN.

Windows Windows 2008 R2 Server

Duplicate directly to a file.

Table 6.1 lists the releases that are supported for NFS Shares. Table 6.1: Async Replication Supported Releases for NFS Shares

PLATFORM SUPPORTED RELEASES ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

WHIPTAIL RACERUNNER >= 4.2.1 • Destination NFS Share needs to the same size as the source NFS Share.

• Ocfs2 and Ext4 File System supported.

• NFS v3 and v4 supported.

6.1.1 WHIPTAIL to WHIPTAIL WHIPTAIL-to-WHIPTAIL Async Replication is preconfigured and is complete. To create a pairing, see Section 6.2, Create a Pairing.

6.1.2 WHIPTAIL to Linux 1. Click Public Key to obtain the public key necessary for using

password-less ssh access. The SSH Public Key dialog box appears.


Figure 6.1: SSH Public Key Dialog Box

2. Copy the ssh key and click OK. 3. Open a Terminal window and navigate to the /root/.ssh directory. 4. Type vi authorized_keys. 5. Paste the WHIPTAIL Public Key copied in Step 2 into the

authorized_keys list and click Enter.

Figure 6.2: Terminal Window Example See the following sample procedure to configure a Linux Host to be used as a Linux ‘Open Target’ partner for Async Replication. Sample Procedure:

This example uses CentOS 6.2

You need the following:

• LVM 2.0.2: yum –y install lvm2

• Install Openssh server and clients: yum -y install openssh-server openssh-clients

• Add and start sshd service daemon:


o chkconfig sshd on o service sshd start

• If you need Multipath support for future use, configure /etc/multipath.conf file on your storage device (from the other storage vendor) as your target LUN.

5a. Make sure public key is there in the ~/.ssh folder: • $ cd ~ • $ chmod 755 .ssh • $ chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys • (Do a cat authorized_keys and make sure the publickey is

copied there) • $ exec /usr/bin/ssh-agent $SHELL • $ ssh-add

5b. As the Linux root user, type the following command to re-label all the files under the correct security context for SELinux: restorecon -Rv /root/.ssh (These should allow the WHIPTAIL array to communicate with the Linux host via password-less ssh) 5c. Get your target LV device ready by using LVM2 tools.

With a multipath setup mapped, the target storage array from the other vendor is mapped as: /dev/mapper/26439363962386365

5d. Setup the LV using the following commands

• pvcreate /dev/mapper/26439363962386365 vgcreate VG1 /dev/mapper/26439363962386365

• lvcreate -L 90G -n async_lun VG1 • vgchange -a y • (lvdisplay should now show the LV created as active)

You are now ready to use the LV you created as your Async Target device.

6. Close the session on the remote replication site. 7. Return to the Async Replication screen to create a pairing (see Section

6.2, Creating a Pairing).


6.1.3 WHIPTAIL to Windows

The Windows 2008 R2 Server firewall must be turned off before Async Replication can be set up.

WHIPTAIL-to-Windows Async Replication requires that Cygwin along with two services, sshd and cyg_server, are installed on the target Windows machine. An automated method for downloading this software is provided on the Async Replication screen. To install the Windows software package and to configure for the Async Replication to run, do the following:

1. Login to the Windows 2008 R2 Server machine as Administrator and

open a browser to go to WHIPTAIL page.

2. Select Async Replication > Pairings. The Async Replication screen appears (Figure 6.3).

3. Click Windows Installer.

This step is to be used if Cygwin packages and services (sshd and cyg_server) are not already installed on the Windows Partner Host. Skip to Step 4 if the Cygwin packages and services are already installed.

The software package is downloaded and executed. If your browser downloads the software but does not run automatically, click Run to install. The needed Cygwin packages will be downloaded from the Redhat website and installed. The required services needed for Async Replication will be configured and started. This setup will take several minutes.

Figure 6.3: Async Replication with Windows Installer Highlight


4. Click Public Key to obtain the public key necessary for using password-less ssh access. The SSH Public Key dialog box appears.

Figure 6.4: SSH Public Key Dialog Box

5. Copy the ssh key and click OK. 6. Open a Terminal window and navigate to the

/home/Administrator/.ssh directory.

Figure 6.5: Terminal Window Example 7. Type vi authorized_keys. 8. Paste the WHIPTAIL Public Key copied in Step 2 into the

authorized_keys list and click Enter. 9. Close session on remote replication site. 10. Return to the Async Replication screen to create a pairing (see Section

6.2, Create a Pairing). For additional information on how to run ssh-keygen and setup public keys for both Linux and Windows, see http://rcsg-gsir.imsb-dsgi.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/documents/internet/node31.html and http://www.noah.org/ssh/cygwin-sshd.html.


6.2 Create a Pairing

A LUN or NFS Share must be present before a pairing can be created.

• It is not recommended to use target entities in Read-

Write mode as this poses a risk to the accuracy of the data replication and may corrupt data recovery.

• Once Async Replication pairing is setup, the following operations are prevented on the Source LUN or NFS Share used for the pairing:

o Increase in size

o Delete operation

o LUN Mirroring

The Async Replication Pairings screen displays a table of LUNs and NFS Shares and their host pairings. Information about and the date and time of the last replication and the last restore is also displayed. From this screen, create new pairings using the top left-hand screen button. On mouse hover over each pairing, the replication schedule, and the source and target device info for that pairing appears in a pop-up box. On right-click, an options menu appears for the selected pairing for the following:

• Delete

• Verify Partner Host

• Update Partner

• Schedule

• Restore

• View Log File If a host and/or device is/are not detected when checked, the respective fields turn red. The following triggers checks:

• Async Replication screen refresh

• New Host Pairing creation

• Pairing Deletion

• Pairing Host Update (check is performed on specific update entry)

• Manual replication scheduling

• Replication Termination Additionally, LUN/NFS column is green for replication in progress and tan when a restore is in progress.


For example, Figure 6.6 shows:

• 1 - Tan LUN/NFS field indicates a Restore is in progress.

• 2 – Green LUN/NFS field indicates a Replication is in progress and red indicates that the Partner Host is not reachable and the Target Device does not exist.

Figure 6.6: Status Indicator Colors To create an Async Pairing, do the following:

1. Select Async Replication > Pairings. The Pairings screen appears (Figure 6.7).

Figure 6.7: Pairings Screen

2. Click Create New Pairing. The Pairing Definition dialog box appears.

2 1


LUN Pairing to WHIPTAIL Device

LUN Pairing to Linux Device

LUN Pairing with Windows

NFS Pairing (WHIPTAIL Only)

Figure 6.8: Pairing Definition Dialog Box Examples

3. Complete the Pairing Definition fields. (See Table 6.2 for field descriptions.)


Table 6.2: Pairing Definition Fields

PAIRING DEFINITION FIELD

DESCRIPTION

LUN/NFS Share Select LUN or NFS Share for pairing. The default is LUN.

Partner Host The IP address of the target server used for the replication.

Remote IDF Directory

The directory on replication destination side for storing Intermediate Data Files (IDF).

It is important that this directory is non-volatile for rebooting.

Target Type Select from the drop-down list.

• The target platform to which the replication is sent. Defaults to WHIPTAIL and is intended for use exclusively with WHIPTAIL storage arrays.

• NFS Shares Replication use only WHIPTAIL for

the Target Type.

• Linux and Windows are the other selections available for LUNs only. Linux is intended for integration with Linux-based servers.

Target Device The device for storing the replication.

When replicating to a file, be sure to include the extension at the end of the file name.

4. Click Create Pairing to create pairing or click Cancel to return to Async

Replication screen.

All listed pairings are verified when a new pairing is created. If a Partner Host cannot be verified, the field displays in red, as shown in Figure 6.6.

6.2.1 Delete Async Replication Pairing

To delete an Async Replication pairing, do the following:

1. Select Async Replication > Pairings.


The Pairings screen appears.

2. Mouse over an Async Replication pairing to highlight it and right click.

The right-click menu appears (Figure 6.9).

Figure 6.9: Async Replication Right-Click Menu 3. Select Delete. The Delete Async Replication Pair confirmation dialog box appears.

Figure 6.10: Delete Async Replication Pair Confirmation 4. Click Delete to delete the pairing and remove it from the list or click

Cancel to return to the Async Replication screen.


6.2.2 Verify Partner Host 1. Select Async Replication > Pairings.

The Pairings screen appears. 2. Mouse over an Async Replication pairing to highlight it and right click.

The right-click menu appears (see Figure 6.9). 3. Select Verify Partner. The Partner Host Column displays a “checking” indicator.

Figure 6.11: Async Replication Partner Host Verification If the verification fails, the associated Partner Host field turns red. Also, if the Target Device does not exist, that field will turn red.

6.2.3 Update Partner Host To update an existing Partner Host, do the following:

1. Select Async Replication > Pairings.

The Pairings screen appears (see Figure 6.7).

2. Mouse over an Async Replication pairing to highlight it and right click. The right-click menu appears (Figure 6.9).

3. Select Update. The Update Partner Host dialog box appears.


Figure 6.12: Update Partner Host Dialog Box 4. Update the field or fields as necessary. 5. Click Update to update the pairing or click Cancel to return to the

Async Replication screen.

When updating a partner host, a full replication is triggered.

6.2.4 Async Replication Scheduling

• During the occurrence of each scheduled replication the target LUN/NFS share will be unmapped/dismounted and, therefore inaccessible.

• During the replication process, the source LUN/NFS share will be unmapped/unmounted on the peer SSR and is therefore inaccessible from the peer SSR. This prevents possible corruption of source data. The replication process will automatically re-map and re-mount at

The Async Replication function can be set at scheduled intervals or may be triggered for immediate replication.


Figure 6.13: Replication Schedule Setup Dialog Box To schedule an Async Replication, do the following:

1. Select Async Replication > Pairings. The Pairings screen appears (see Figure 6.7).


3. Select Schedule. The Replication Schedule Setup dialog box appears.

4. Complete the fields as described in Table 6.3.

• Threads

• Init Block Size (MB) 5. Do one or both of the following:

Entries with “occurs every” interval set to “off” on the drop-down list are ignored.

• Click Run Now to manually trigger an Async Replication

• Click New Schedule Entry one or more times to schedule one-time or recurring Async Replications.

o Type the replication start time (24-hour clock) or use the Hour and Minute slide bar to choose a time.

o Select a time interval, day of the week or calendar date from the Occurs Every drop-down list.

o Click Delete for any scheduled entry you want to remove.

The selections for Thread, Init Block Size stay constant for any Async Replication scheduled for this LUN pairing.


Table 6.3: Schedule Replication Fields

6. Click Save Schedule or click Cancel to return to the Pairings screen.

6.2.5 Restore

After replicating a LUN or NFS to a remote target device, the restore function can replicate the data copy back to the source LUN or NFS (in-place) or, if needed, send the copy to a new LUN or NFS (out-of-place). To Restore a Replication do the following:

1. Select Async Replication > Pairings. The Pairings screen appears (see Figure 6.7).

2. Mouse over an Async Replication pairing to highlight it and right click. The right-click menu appears.

3. Select Restore. The Restore box appears for the LUN or NFS Share selected.

4. Complete the Restore fields appropriate to the restore selection (see Table 6.4) using the drop-down lists or typing (Name field) (see Figures 6.14a and 6.14 b):

Table 6.4 Restore Selection Options Source: Threads New: • LUN/NFS Name

• Volume Group • Threads

FIELD DESCRIPTION Threads Multiprocessing capability. The higher the thread

numbers the higher the throughput but the greater the impact on system processing. The default is 2.

Use the default (2) for peak computing hours. Use higher thread for off-peak computing hours.

Init Block Size (MB) Initial transmission block size only. This parameter is used for the initial replication for a device, (including if the initial replication is manually triggered). Subsequent delta replications for the device always use a 1Mb block size.


Figure 6.14a: Restore Dialog Box for LUN Source (Left) and New (Right)

Figure 6.14b: Restore Dialog Box for NFS Source (Left) and New (Right)

5. Click Restore or click Cancel to return to the Async Replication

screen.

A Restore to a new NFS Share will restore the new NFS Share in READ ONLY mode with Host IP as 127.0.0.1.

6.2.6 View Log File To view replication and restoration log files, do the following:

1. Select Async Replication > Pairings. The Pairing screen appears (see Figure 6.7)


3. Select View Log File. The Replication/Restoration Activity dialog box appears.


Figure 6.14: Replication/Restoration Activity Log

4. Do one of the following: • Click Clear to clean the log for that specific pairing.

A confirmation dialog box appears.

Figure 6.15: Clear Confirmation Dialog Box

• Click OK to close the dialog box.


7.0 Users OVERVIEW The Users Menu allows any user to change passwords and permissioned-sanctioned users to add User Accounts, Create and Assign Roles.

7.1 Create a New User Account

1. Click Users > User Accounts.

The User Accounts screen appears.

Figure 7.0: User Accounts Screen

2. Click Create New User.

The Create New User dialog box appears.


Figure 7.1: Create New User

3. Complete the fields of the Create New User dialog box and click Create User.

The User Account Name that was input appears on the User Accounts list.

Figure 7.2: User Account Screen with New User Account

7.2 Assign or Unassign User Role

Roles are created with specific permission sets that are configurable from the Roles screen. Without permission-defined roles, the default permission for a User Account is the ability to view the Home Menu, Main Dashboard and the ability to change a password from the User Menu. The Role of Enterprise Administrator would likely be assigned permissions to access and perform all actions on all screens. To assign a role to a user account, do the following:


The User Accounts screen appears (see Figure 7.0).

2. Right-click a User Account. The right-click menu appears (see Figure 7.3).


3. Select Assign Role. The Roles screen appears (Figure 7.4) with the account name at the top.

4. Assign a role(s) for this user account using the drag-and-drop functionality from the Unassigned Roles column to the Assigned Roles column or vice-versa to unassign user role.

Figure 7.3: Account User Right-Click Menu

Figure 7.4: Assigned Role Screen


7.3 Delete User Account

To delete a user account, do the following:


The User Accounts screen appears (see Figure 7.0).

2. Select a User Account and right-click.


3. Select Delete.

The Delete User confirmation box appears.

Figure 7.5: Delete User Confirmation Box 4. Click Yes to delete the user account or Cancel to return to User

Accounts screen.

7.4 Edit User Account

To edit a user account, do the following: 1. Click Users > User Accounts.

The User Accounts screen appears.

2. Select a User Account and right-click.

The right-click menu appears, as shown in Figure 7.3. 3. Select Edit.

The Edit User dialog box appears.

4. Complete necessary changes to fields.

5. Click Save User or click Cancel to return to User Accounts screen.


Figure 7.6: Edit User Dialog Box

7.5 Create or Modify a Role

A Role is required for each User. Roles are a descriptive name given to a pre- defined set of permissions that are assigned using the Roles Menu. To create a role, do the following:

1. Click Users > Roles. The Role screen appears.


Figure 7.7: Create New Role


• Select a role from the already defined role drop-down list.

The Assigned/Unassigned Permission screen appears (see Figure 7.8).

• Click Create Role to create a new role.

The Create New Role dialog box appears.

o Input name for new role

o Click Create or click Cancel to return to the Roles screen.

3. Assign, unassign or modify permissions for a role using the drag-and-drop functionality to or from the Un-assigned Permissions and the Assigned Permissions columns.

Assign and/or un-assign permissions to a role by selecting the checkbox adjacent to one or more entries in the Assign/Unassign Permission columns.

The permission to access and view a screen, does not automatically give permission to actions available on that page. Conversely, if permission is granted to perform an action, permission to the screen where that function is located must also be granted. For example, LUNs screen access must be permissioned along with a LUN action, e.g., LUNs Edit action.


Figure 7.8: Assign/Unassign Permissions to a Role

7.6 Delete a Role

To delete a role:

1. Click Users > Roles. The Roles screen appears as shown in Figure 7.7. 2. Select a role from the drop-down list at the top left-hand side. 3. Click Delete Role.

The Delete Current Role confirmation dialog box appears.

4. Click Yes to delete the role or Cancel to return to the Roles screen.

Figure 7.9. Delete Role Confirmation Dialog Box


7.7 Change Password

The Administrator/User should only use the default password for the initial configuration or initial log in. A unique Login ID is needed so that the audit trail reflects a unique user. “Admin” if unchanged will not distinguish between those logged using that default name.

1. To change passwords 2. Select Users > Change Password.

The Change Password screen appears.

3. Complete the fields and click Change Password.


8.0 Support WHIPTAIL Support is available to assist with any WHIPTAIL product questions, concerns or issues. Please contact [email protected].

Technology

Whiptail : Administration and Configuration guide 4.3