Dell EMC CX4 Owner's Manual

Dell/EMC CX4-series

Fibre Channel Storage Arrays

With Microsoft

Server

Failover Clusters

Windows

Hardware Installation

and Troubleshooting

Guide

Notes, Cautions, and Warnings

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use

of your computer.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or

loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem.

WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal

injury, or death.

___________________

Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.

Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, PowerEdge, and PowerVault are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Active Directory , Microsoft, W indows, W indows Server , Windows XP and Windows NT are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/ or other countries.; EMC, Navisphere, and PowerPath are re gistered trademarks and MirrorView, SAN Copy, and SnapView are trademarks of EMC Corporation.

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.

October 2008 Rev A00

Contents

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Cluster Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Cluster Hardware Requirements

Cluster Nodes

Cluster Storage

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Supported Cluster Configurations

Direct-Attached Cluster

SAN-Attached Cluster

Introduction

A Dell™ Failover Cluster combines specific hardware and software components to provide enhanced availability for applications and services that are run on the cluster. A Failover Cluster is designed to reduce the possibility of any single point of failure within the system that can cause the clustered applications or services to become unavailable. It is recommended that you use redundant components like server and storage power supplies, connections between the nodes and the storage array(s), and connections to client systems or other servers in a multi-tier enterprise application architecture in your cluster.

This document provides information to configure your Dell/EMC CX4-series fibre channel storage arrays with one or more Failover Clusters. It provides specific configuration tasks that enable you to deploy the shared storage for your cluster.

For more information on deploying your cluster with Microsoft

Server Windows Server 2003 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. For more information on deploying your cluster with Windows Server 2008 operating systems, see the

Dell Failover Clusters with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide located on the Dell Support website at

support.dell.com.

For a list of recommended operating systems, hardware components, and driver or firmware versions for your Dell Failover Cluster, see the Dell Cluster Configuration Support Matrix on the Dell High Availability website at www.dell.com/ha.

2003 operating systems, see the Dell Failover Clusters with Microsoft

Windows

Introduction 7

Cluster Solution

Your cluster implements a minimum of two nodes to a maximum of either eight nodes (for Windows Server 2003) or sixteen nodes (for Windows Server

2008) and provides the following features:

• 8-Gbps and 4-Gbps Fibre Channel technology

• High availability of resources to network clients

• Redundant paths to the shared storage

• Failure recovery for applications and services

• Flexible maintenance capabilities, allowing you to repair, maintain, or upgrade a node or storage system without taking the entire cluster offline

Implementing Fibre Channel technology in a cluster provides the following advantages:

•

Flexibility

switches without degrading the signal.

•

Availability

providing multiple data paths and greater availability for clients.

•

Connectivity

Small Computer System Interface (SCSI). Because Fibre Channel devices are hot-pluggable, you can add or remove devices from the nodes without taking the entire cluster offline.

— Fibre Channel allows a distance of up to 10 km between

— Fibre Channel components use redundant connections

— Fibre Channel allows more device connections than

Cluster Hardware Requirements

Your cluster requires the following hardware components:

• Cluster nodes

• Cluster storage

8 Introduction

Cluster Nodes

Table 1-1 lists the hardware requirements for the cluster nodes.

Table 1-1. Cluster Node Requirements

Component Minimum Requirement

Cluster nodes A minimum of two identical PowerEdge servers are required.

The maximum number of nodes that are supported depend on the variant of the Windows Server operating system used in your cluster, and on the physical topology in which the storage system and nodes are interconnected.

RAM The variant of the Windows Server operating system that is

installed on your cluster nodes determines the minimum RAM required.

Host Bus Adapter (HBA) ports

NICs At least two NICs: one NIC for the public network and

Internal disk controller

Two Fibre Channel HBAs per node, unless the server employs an integrated or supported dual-port Fibre Channel HBA.

Where possible, place the HBAs on separate PCI buses to improve availability and performance.

another NIC for the private network.

NOTE: It is recommended that the NICs on each public network

are identical, and that the NICs on each private network are identical.

One controller connected to at least two internal hard drives for each node. Use any supported RAID controller or disk controller.

Two hard drives are required for mirroring (RAID 1) and at least three are required for disk striping with parity (RAID 5).

NOTE: It is strongly recommended that you use

hardware-based RAID or software-based disk-fault tolerance for the internal drives.

NOTE: For more information about supported systems, HBAs and operating system

variants, see the Dell Cluster Configuration Support Matrix on the Dell High Availability website at www.dell.com/ha.

Introduction 9

Cluster Storage

Table 1-2 lists supported storage systems and the configuration requirements for the cluster nodes and stand-alone systems connected to the storage systems.

Table 1-2. Cluster Storage Requirements

Hardware Components Requirement

Supported storage systems

Cluster nodes All nodes must be directly attached to a single storage system

Multiple clusters and stand-alone systems

Table 1-3 lists hardware requirements for the storage processor enclosures (SPE), disk array enclosures (DAE), and standby power supplies (SPS).

Table 1-3. Dell/EMC Storage System Requirements

One to four supported Dell/EMC storage systems. See Table 1-3 for specific storage system requirements.

or attached to one or more storage systems through a SAN.

Can share one or more supported storage systems. See "Installing and Configuring the Shared Storage System" on page 45.

Processor Enclosure

CX4-120 One DAE-OS with at

CX4-240 One DAE-OS with at

CX4-480 One DAE-OS with at

CX4-960 One DAE-OS with at

NOTE: The DAE-OS is the first DAE enclosure that is connected to the CX4-series

(including all of the storage systems listed above). Core software is preinstalled on the first five hard drives of the DAE-OS.

Minimum Storage Possible Storage

Expansion

Up to seven DAE’s with least five and up to 15 hard drives

least five and up to 15 hard drives

a maximum of 15 hard

drives each

Up to fifteen DAE’s with

a maximum of 15 hard

drives each

Up to thirty one DAE’s

with a maximum of 15

hard drives each

Up to sixty three DAE’s

with a maximum of 15

hard drives each

SPS

Two for SPE and DAE-OS

10 Introduction

Each storage system in the cluster is centrally managed by one host system (also called a management station) running EMC Navisphere

Manager—a centralized storage management application used to configure Dell/EMC storage systems. Using a graphical user interface (GUI), you can select a specific view of your storage arrays, as shown in Table 1-4.

Table 1-4. Navisphere Manager Storage Views

View Description

Storage Shows the logical storage components and their relationships to each

other and identifies hardware faults.

Hosts Shows the host system's storage group and attached logical unit

numbers (LUNs).

Monitors Shows all Event Monitor configurations, including centralized and

distributed monitoring configurations.

You can use Navisphere Manager to perform tasks such as creating RAID arrays, binding LUNs, and downloading firmware. Optional software for the shared storage systems include:

• EMC MirrorView™ — Provides synchronous or asynchronous mirroring between two storage systems.

• EMC SnapView™

— Captures point-in-time images of a LUN for backups

or testing without affecting the contents of the source LUN.

• EMC SAN Copy™ — Moves data between Dell/EMC storage systems without using host CPU cycles or local area network (LAN) bandwidth.

For more information about Navisphere Manager, MirrorView, SnapView, and SAN Copy, see "Installing and Configuring the Shared Storage System" on page 45.

Introduction 11

Supported Cluster Configurations

The following sections describe the supported cluster configurations.

Direct-Attached Cluster

In a direct-attached cluster, all the nodes of the cluster are directly attached to a single storage system. In this configuration, the RAID controllers (or storage processors) on the storage system are connected by cables directly to the Fibre Channel HBA ports in the nodes.

Figure 1-1 shows a basic direct-attached, single-cluster configuration.

Figure 1-1. Direct-Attached, Single-Cluster Configuration

public network

cluster node

Fibre Channel connections

EMC PowerPath Limitations in a Direct-Attached Cluster

private network

storage system

cluster node

Fibre Channel connections

EMC PowerPath® provides failover capabilities, multiple path detection, and dynamic load balancing between multiple ports on the same storage processor. However, the direct-attached clusters supported by Dell connect to a single port on each storage processor in the storage system. Because of the single port limitation, PowerPath can provide only failover protection, not load balancing, in a direct-attached configuration.

12 Introduction

SAN-Attached Cluster

In a SAN-attached cluster, all nodes are attached to a single storage system or to multiple storage systems through a SAN using redundant switch fabrics. SAN-attached clusters are superior to direct-attached clusters in configuration flexibility, expandability, and performance.

Figure 1-2 shows a SAN-attached cluster.

Figure 1-2. SAN-Attached Cluster

public network

cluster node

private network

Fibre Channel connections

Fibre Channel switch

storage system

cluster node

Fibre Channel connections

Fibre Channel switch

Cabling Your Cluster Hardware

NOTE: To configure Dell blade server modules in a Dell PowerEdge cluster, see the

Using Dell Blade Servers in a Dell PowerEdge High Availability Cluster document located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

Cabling the Mouse, Keyboard, and Monitor

When installing a cluster configuration in a rack, you must include a switch box to connect the mouse, keyboard, and monitor to the nodes. See the documentation included with your rack for instructions on cabling connections of each node to the switch box.

Cabling the Power Supplies

See the documentation for each component in your cluster solution and ensure that the specific power requirements are satisfied.

The following guidelines are recommended to protect your cluster solution from power-related failures:

• For nodes with multiple power supplies, plug each power supply into a separate AC circuit.

• Use uninterruptible power supplies (UPS).

• For some environments, consider having backup generators and power from separate electrical substations.

Figure 2-1 and Figure 2-2 illustrate recommended methods for power cabling for a cluster solution consisting of two PowerEdge systems and two storage systems. To ensure redundancy, the primary power supplies of all the components are grouped into one or two circuits and the redundant power supplies are grouped into a different circuit.

Cabling Your Cluster Hardware 15

Figure 2-1. Power Cabling Example With One Power Supply in the PowerEdge Systems

primary power supplies on one AC power strip (or on one AC Power Distribution Unit [not

0123

redundant power supplies on one AC power strip (or on one AC PDU [not shown])

shown])

NOTE: This illustration is intended only to demonstrate the power

distribution of the components.

16 Cabling Your Cluster Hardware

Figure 2-2. Power Cabling Example With Two Power Supplies in the PowerEdge Systems

primary power supplies on one AC power strip (or on one AC PDU [not shown])

0123

redundant power supplies on one AC power strip (or on one AC PDU [not shown])

NOTE: This illustration is intended only to demonstrate the power

distribution of the components.

Cabling Your Cluster for Public and Private Networks

The network adapters in the cluster nodes provide at least two network connections for each node, as described in Table 2-1.

NOTE: To configure Dell blade server modules in a Dell PowerEdge cluster, see the

Using Dell Blade Servers in a Dell PowerEdge High Availability Cluster document located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

Cabling Your Cluster Hardware 17

Table 2-1. Network Connections

Network Connection Description

Public network All connections to the client LAN.

At least one public network must be configured for Mixed mode for private network failover.

Private network A dedicated connection for sharing cluster health and

status information only.

Figure 2-3 shows an example of cabling in which dedicated network adapters in each node are connected to each other (for the private network) and the remaining network adapters are connected to the public network.

Figure 2-3. Example of Network Cabling Connection

public network

public network adapter

cluster node 1

private network adapter

private network

cluster node 2

Cabling the Public Network

Any network adapter supported by a system running TCP/IP may be used to connect to the public network segments. You can install additional network adapters to support additional public network segments or to provide redundancy in the event of a faulty primary network adapter or switch port.

18 Cabling Your Cluster Hardware

Cabling the Private Network

The private network connection to the nodes is provided by a different network adapter in each node. This network is used for intra-cluster communications. Table 2-2 describes three possible private network configurations.

Table 2-2. Private Network Hardware Components and Connections

Method Hardware Components Connection

Network switch

Point-to-Point Gigabit Ethernet (two-node clusters only)

NOTE: Throughout this document, Gigabit Ethernet is used to refer to either Gigabit

Ethernet or 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

Using Dual-Port Network Adapters

You can configure your cluster to use the public network as a failover for private network communications. If you are using dual-port network adapters, do not configure both ports simultaneously to support both public and private networks.

Gigabit Ethernet network adapters and switches

Copper Gigabit Ethernet network adapters

Connect standard Ethernet cables from the network adapters in the nodes to a Gigabit Ethernet switch.

Connect a standard Ethernet cable between the Gigabit Ethernet network adapters in both nodes.

NIC Teaming

NIC teaming combines two or more NICs to provide load balancing and fault tolerance. Your cluster supports NIC teaming, only in a public network. NIC teaming is not supported in a private network.

Use the same brand of NICs in a team. Do not mix brands in NIC teaming.

Cabling the Storage Systems

This section provides information on cabling your cluster to a storage system in a direct-attached configuration or to one or more storage systems in a SANattached configuration.

Cabling Your Cluster Hardware 19

Cabling Storage for Your Direct-Attached Cluster

A direct-attached cluster configuration consists of redundant Fibre Channel host bus adapter (HBA) ports cabled directly to a Dell/EMC storage system.

Figure 2-4 shows an example of a direct-attached, single cluster configuration with redundant HBA ports installed in each cluster node.

Figure 2-4. Direct-Attached Cluster Configuration

public network

cluster node

Fibre Channel connections

cluster node

private network

Fibre Channel connections

storage system

20 Cabling Your Cluster Hardware

Cabling a Cluster to a Dell/EMC Storage System

Each cluster node attaches to the storage system using two Fibre optic cables with duplex local connector (LC) multimode connectors that attach to the HBA ports in the cluster nodes and the storage processor (SP) ports in the Dell/EMC storage system. These connectors consist of two individual Fibre optic connectors with indexed tabs that must be aligned properly into the HBA ports and SP ports.

CAUTION: Do not remove the connector covers until you are ready to insert the

connectors into the HBA port, SP port, or tape library port.

Cabling a Two-Node Cluster to a Dell/EMC Storage System

NOTE: The Dell/EMC storage system requires at least 2 front-end fibre channel

ports available on each storage processor.

Connect cluster node 1 to the storage system:

Install a cable from cluster node 1 HBA port 0 to the first front-end fibre channel port on SP-A.

Install a cable from cluster node 1 HBA port 1 to the first front-end fibre channel port on SP-B.

Connect cluster node 2 to the storage system:

Install a cable from cluster node 2 HBA port 0 to the second front-end fibre channel port on SP-A.

Install a cable from cluster node 2 HBA port 1 to the second front-end fibre channel port on SP-B.

Cabling Your Cluster Hardware 21

+ 47 hidden pages

Dell EMC CX4 Owner's Manual

Notes, Cautions, and Warnings

Introduction

Cluster Solution

Cluster Hardware Requirements

Cluster Nodes

Cluster Storage

Supported Cluster Configurations

Direct-Attached Cluster

SAN-Attached Cluster

Other Documents You May Need

Cabling Your Cluster Hardware

Cabling the Mouse, Keyboard, and Monitor

Cabling the Power Supplies

Cabling Your Cluster for Public and Private Networks

Cabling the Public Network

Cabling the Private Network

NIC Teaming

Cabling the Storage Systems

Cabling Storage for Your Direct-Attached Cluster