Dell EqualLogic PS Quick Reference Guide

Dell™ PowerEdge™ Cluster

Systems

Using Dell Blade Servers

in a Dell PowerEdge High

Availability Cluster

Notes and Cautions

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

your computer.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss of data if

instructions are not followed.

____________________

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OpenManage are trademarks of Dell Inc.; EMC is the registered trademark of EMC Corporation; Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Server are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft

Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming

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April 2010 Rev. A01

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Supported PowerEdge Blade Server Cluster Components

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

PowerEdge Server Enclosure

. . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Supported Cluster Configurations

Direct-Attached Cluster

Switch-Attached Cluster

Blade Server Requirements

Cluster Nodes

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Cluster Storage

Introduction

This document provides information for installing and managing your Dell™ PowerEdge™ blade server in a Dell PowerEdge cluster system and specific information about clustering your PowerEdge blade server modules with supported Dell PowerVault™, Dell EqualLogic™, and Dell/EMC storage systems. Use this document in conjunction with the Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for your supported Dell PowerEdge cluster solution. This document is intended for experienced IT professionals who need to configure the cluster solution, and for trained service technicians who perform upgrade and maintenance procedures.

Overview

Clustering uses specific hardware and software to join multiple systems together to function as a single system and provide an automatic failover solution. If one of the cluster nodes (also referred to as nodes) fails, resources running on the failed system are moved (or failed over) to one or more systems in the cluster either by Microsoft Server (MSCS), Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering, or Windows Server 2008 R2 Failover Clustering software. Cluster nodes share access to external storage systems; however, only one of the nodes can own any virtual disk or Logical Unit Number (LUN) in the external storage system at any time. The cluster software controls which node has access to each virtual disk in the shared storage system.

Windows Server® 2003 Cluster

NOTE: Throughout this document, MSCS refers to either Microsoft Cluster Server

or Microsoft Failover Clustering.

When the failed system is repaired and brought back online, resources automatically transfer back (or fail back) to the repaired system or remain on the failover system, depending on how MSCS is configured. For more information about MSCS, see the Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.

Introduction 5

Supported PowerEdge Blade Server Cluster Components

The following sections discuss the various cluster components that are supported with your PowerEdge blade server cluster configuration.

PowerEdge Server Enclosure

The Dell PowerEdge cluster solution supports the Dell PowerEdge blade server enclosures. These systems function as enclosures for multiple PowerEdge server modules that can be configured together into multiple clusters. The system is configured with internal connections and hotpluggable hardware components that provide the necessary communication links between the individual server modules (private network), the client network (public network), and an additional PowerEdge server enclosure.

Multiple PowerEdge server enclosures can be connected together in a cluster configuration. For supported cluster configurations, see "Cabling Your Blade Cluster Hardware" on page 25.

6 Introduction

Figure 1-1 provides a front and back view of the PowerEdge 1855/1955

back view

front view

4 5

system. Figure 1-2 provides a front and back view of the PowerEdge M1000e system.

Figure 1-1. PowerEdge 1855/1955 Server Enclosure Overview

Introduction 7

1 server module (10) 8 power supply module (4)

2 front-panel indicators 9 blanks (2)

3 Ethernet switch module or Ethernet

pass-through module (not shown) (2)

4 I/O bay 1 11 I/O bay 4

5 I/O bay 3 12 I/O bay 2

6 KVM module 13 fan modules (2)

7 DRAC/MC or CMC module

10 Ethernet switch module (2) or Ethernet

pass-through module (not shown) (2)

8 Introduction

Figure 1-2. PowerEdge M1000e Server Enclosure Overview

front view

back view

1919

Introduction 9

1server module 8I/O bay A2

2 power switch and KVM ports 9 I/O bay B2

3 control panel 10 I/O bay C2

4 DRAC/MC or CMC module 11 I/O bay C1

5 KVM module 12 I/O bay B1

6 fan module 13 I/O bay A1

7 power supply module

The power supply modules, fan modules, Dell Remote Access Controller/Modular Chassis or Chassis Management Enclosure (DRAC/MC or CMC), and I/O modules are shared resources of the server modules in the chassis. The system may ship with an optional external Universal Serial Bus (USB) diskette drive and an optional external USB CD drive, which you can use to set up and configure the server modules.

For information on supported cluster configurations, see "Cabling Your Blade Cluster Hardware" on page 25. For a list of supported hardware and software components, see the Support Matrix at dell.com.

NOTE: To ensure proper operation and cooling, all bays must be populated with

either a server module or a blank prior to turning on the system.

The PowerEdge server enclosure includes the following hardware components for a cluster configuration:

•Server modules

• Ethernet switch modules or Ethernet pass-through modules (based on your configuration)

NOTE: Throughout this document, Ethernet switch modules refer to either Gigabit

or 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch modules and Ethernet pass-through modules refer to either Gigabit or 10 Gigabit Ethernet pass-through modules.

• Fibre Channel switch modules or Fibre Channel pass-through modules (based on your configuration)

•DRAC/MC or CMC

10 Introduction

Dell Remote Access Controller/Modular Chassis or Chassis Management Enclosure

The Dell Remote Access Controller/Modular Chassis or Chassis Management Enclosure (DRAC/MC or CMC) is a management module located in the back of the blade server system chassis that provides all of the chassis management functionality. The DRAC/MC or CMC provides serial and out-of-band Ethernet management ports to allow for management of the chassis and some basic blade functions.

The following is a list of features available on the DRAC/MC or CMC. Your system may have updates that enable additional features. Refer to the latest Dell Remote Access Controller/Modular Chassis User’s Guide or Chassis Management Controller User’s Guide at support.dell.com.

• Remote management and monitoring of a system through the DRAC/MC web-based graphical user interface (GUI), serial connection, or telnet connection.

• Access to the chassis System Event Log (SEL) and DRAC/MC or CMC logs.

• Integrated launch of the DRAC/MC or CMC interface from the Dell OpenManage™ IT Assistant.

• Ability to alert you to potential problems on the DRAC/MC or CMC by sending either an e-mail message or an SNMP trap through the DRAC/MC or CMC NIC to a management station.

• Ability to configure the DRAC/MC or CMC and update DRAC/MC or CMC firmware using a telnet session, a web-based user interface, or through a terminal session (for example, a hyperterminal or similar program).

• Ability to manage controller configurations, I/O modules configurations and settings, and perform power management functions such as shutdown, power up, and reset, from a telnet session.

• Web-based interface password-level security management.

• Role-based authority that provides assignable permissions for different systems management tasks.

Introduction 11

Server Modules

Depending on the PowerEdge blade server module you choose for your cluster, the number of available expansion ports and dual inline memory modules (DIMMs) varies. Table 1-1 provides details about the supported PowerEdge server modules and PowerEdge server enclosures.

Table 1-1. PowerEdge Blade Server Features

Server Enclosure 1855/1955 M1000e

Supported blade server modules

Maximum number of server modules per server enclosure

Number of mezzanine card slots per server module

PowerEdge 1855, 1955 See the Support Matrix at

dell.com/ha for information on supported blade server types.

10 16

In a Dell PowerEdge high availability cluster configuration, each server module requires at least one expansion card. Expansion cards for either Fibre Channel or Ethernet (for iSCSI) are available, and allow the server module to communicate with the shared storage system for the cluster. The expansion cards, also known as daughter cards or mezzanine cards, are installed on the server module and contain two I/O ports. These I/O ports are internally connected to two separate I/O modules in the server enclosure. By attaching to two separate I/O modules, an expansion card can provide redundant paths and load balance the I/O from the server module to the shared storage system(s) for the PowerEdge cluster solution. Table 1-1 outlines the number of expansion cards that are available on each supported server module.

Each server module is also configured with two additional Ethernet ports for cluster interconnects. These are internally connected to two separate Ethernet pass-through or Ethernet switch modules in the server enclosure. With certain server modules, it is also possible to configure additional Ethernet ports, which can enable the use of NIC teaming on the cluster public network.

12 Introduction

Gigabit or 10 Gigabit Ethernet

The following are the Ethernet network connections available, depending on your configuration:

• Public connection from the server modules to the public network

• Private node-to-node connection between the server modules for the private network

• iSCSI connection between the server modules and storage system(s). For more information, see "Supported Cluster Configurations" on page 16.

The server modules include two integrated Ethernet network interface cards (NICs). You must configure at least two networks for each PowerEdge cluster solution. One cluster network is configured for heartbeat communications (private network) and is only accessible to the server modules in the cluster. The other cluster network is configured for the client network (public network) and is accessible to client systems. It is recommended that you configure the same network interface on each node for the same role in the cluster. For example, you can use the two integrated NICs to provide the private and public cluster networks. Such a configuration allows an expansion card in the server module to provide the I/O interface for the shared storage system(s) in the cluster. Use an Ethernet expansion card for iSCSI shared storage systems and use a Fibre Channel expansion card for Fibre Channel shared storage systems. For more information about iSCSI and Fibre Channel clusters, see "Supported Cluster Configurations" on page 16.

Ethernet Switch Module

The Ethernet switch module provides a switched connection to the integrated NICs on each server module. Using the internal connections in the system chassis, the Ethernet switch module can be used to provide the following configurations:

• A switched connection to the client network (public network).

• Network connection to one or more server modules in the Cluster configuration (private network).

• iSCSI connection between the server modules and storage system(s). For more information, see "Supported Cluster Configurations" on page 16.

Introduction 13

Ethernet Pass-Through Module

The Ethernet pass-through module provides a non-switched connection between the server modules and an external Ethernet device.

Table 1-2 summarizes the supported Ethernet module configurations.

Table 1-2. Supported Ethernet Module Configurations

Ethernet Switch Module for iSCSI Ethernet Pass-Through Module for iSCSI

Switch-attached configuration to four supported Dell/EMC or PowerVault iSCSI storage systems or one PS Series group

Switch-attached configuration to an external iSCSI network with up to four supported Dell/EMC or PowerVault iSCSI storage systems or one PS Series group

Direct-attached configuration to a Dell/EMC or PowerVault iSCSI storage system

Switch-attached configuration to an external iSCSI network with up to four supported Dell/EMC or PowerVault iSCSI storage systems or one PS Series group

The following are the supported cable types for Gigabit Ethernet:

• Optical cables with LC connectors

• CAT5e cables with RJ45 connectors

• CAT6 cables with RJ45 connectors

The following are the supported cable types for 10 Gigabit Ethernet:

• Optical cables with LC connectors

• CAT6 cable with RJ45 connectors

• SFP+ Direct Attached cables

NOTE: For information about supported cable types to connect the blade chassis to

an external switch or storage system, see the switch documentation.

Fibre Channel Module

You can configure the PowerEdge blade cluster with two hot-pluggable Fibre Channel switch modules installed on a PowerEdge 1855/1955 system or up to four hot-pluggable Fibre Channel switch/pass-through modules installed on the PowerEdge M1000e system to provide Fibre Channel connection between the server modules and storage system(s).

14 Introduction

For more information about the Fibre Channel modules, see your Dell PowerEdge system documentation.

Fibre Channel Switch Module

The Fibre Channel switch module provides a switched connection between the Fibre Channel daughter card in the server modules and a supported Fibre Channel device. The switch module functions as a director, mapping requests and responses between the interconnected devices.

Additionally, the Fibre Channel switch module includes an internal serial port that communicates with the DRAC/MC or CMC module.

The Fibre Channel switch module supports the following configurations:

• Switch-attached configuration with up to two supported Dell/EMC storage systems

• Switch-attached connection to an external storage area network (SAN) with up to four supported Dell/EMC storage systems

Fibre Channel Pass-Through Module

The Fibre Channel pass-through module provides a direct connection between the Fibre Channel daughter card in the server modules and a supported Fibre Channel device. The pass-through module functions as a dedicated link between the server modules and specific ports on the pass-through module.

The pass-through module supports the following configurations:

• Direct-attached configuration to a supported Dell/EMC storage system

• Switch-attached connection to an external SAN with up to four supported Dell/EMC storage systems

Table 1-3 summarizes the supported Fibre Channel module configurations.

Introduction 15

+ 33 hidden pages

Dell EqualLogic PS Quick Reference Guide

Contents

Introduction

Overview

Supported PowerEdge Blade Server Cluster Components

PowerEdge Server Enclosure