Dell EqualLogic PS4210, EqualLogic PS4210XV, EqualLogic PS4210E, EqualLogic PS4210XS User Manual

Document Number: 110-6294-EN

Rev. R6

Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage Arrays Firmware Version 10.0.3 Release Notes

This document describes important product information and restrictions for Dell EqualLogic PS Series storage arrays running PS Series firmware version 10.0.

This version of the firmware includes all corrections and enhancements made in prior releases. Unless otherwise noted, all information in this document applies to version 10.0 of the PS Series storage arrays and all future maintenance releases for version 10.0.

Topics:

•Revision History

•About PS Series Storage Arrays

•PS-M4110 Precaution

•Firmware Update Kit

•What’s New in Version 10.0.2

•What’s New in Version 10.0

•System Limits and Compatibility

•PS Series Known Problems and Limitations

•Issues Corrected in Version 10.0.3

•Issues Corrected in Version 10.0.2

•Issues Corrected in Version 10.0

•Product Documentation

•Contacting Dell

Revision History

Document number: 110-6294-EN-R5

Revision	Date	Description
R1	April 2018	EPA release of PS Series Storage Arrays firmware version 10.0.0
R2	May 2018	Initial release of PS Series Storage Arrays firmware version 10.0.1
R3	October 2018	Added supported browser information
R4	December 2018	End User License Agreement (EULA) update
		Bug fixes
R5	July 2019	Maintenance release v10.0.3
R6	August	Corrections for maintenance release v10.0.3

About PS Series Storage Arrays

Dell EqualLogic PS Series arrays optimize resources by automating capacity, performance, and network load balancing.

Additionally, PS Series arrays offer all-inclusive array management software and firmware updates. Dell EqualLogic PS Series arrays, when combined with FS Series appliances, offer a high-performance, high-availability, scalable NAS solution.

NOTE: PS Series storage arrays version 10.0 are compatible with FS Series appliances version 4.0 or later.

For product information about FS Series appliances, see the Dell EqualLogic FS Series Appliances Release Notes, available at eqlsupport.dell.com.

Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage Arrays Firmware Version 10.0.3 Release Notes

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PS-M4110 Precaution

The PS-M4110 chassis contains a locking mechanism that was engineered for smooth operation and will engage without the need to apply a large amount of force. Using excessive force to close the drawer is not necessary and could result in physical damage to the chassis.

Firmware Update Kit

NOTE: If you use the Dell Storage Update Manager to update to firmware v10.0, this tool takes care of the update for you. The Dell Storage Update Manager (including the Dell Storage Update Manager User’s Guide) can be downloaded from the Dell EqualLogic support website (eqlsupport.dell.com).

Two separate kits (32-bit and 64-bit) are available within the .zip file. The name of the kits starts with either kit_V10.0 (32-bit) or kit_64_V10.0 (64-bit). After you download the .zip file, and begin to install the update, the wizard will ask you to select the kit to install:

•If you have array models PS60x0, PS65x0, or PS-M4110, select the 32-bit kit.

•If you have array models PS41x0, PS4210, PS61x0, PS6210, or PS6610, select the 64-bit kit.

If you choose the wrong kit when updating from v7.0.x or later, the following error displays: The type <n> controller is not supported by this firmware. See the latest Release Notes for more information.

NOTE: The firmware update process remains the same as it was for previous versions.

To download the firmware update kit:

1.Use a web browser to access the Dell EqualLogic support website (eqlsupport.dell.com).

2.Log in to your support account. If you do not have an account, request one from the Login page.

3.Click the Downloads tab, then click PS Series firmware.

4.Select PS Series firmware version 10.0.x.

5.Download the firmware to a host that has network access to the array.

If you downloaded the firmware in a compressed format (.tar or .zip), decompress the file to a directory on the host.

Supported Update Paths

When updating array firmware, you must follow the supported update path, as shown in the following table:

NOTE: Dell Storage Update Manager can be used when updating firmware from the following versions:

•PS Series Storage Arrays firmware version 8.0 and later

•FS Series Storage Appliances firmware version 3.0 and later

The first column lists starting firmware versions, and the second column lists the versions to which they can be updated. The notation used in the table refers to all releases of a given firmware revision. For example, 10.0.x refers to versions 10.0.1, 10.0.2, and so on, as well as all version 10.0 patch releases.

Table 1. Supported PS Series Firmware Update Paths

Starting Versions	Supported Update Versions
10.0.x	•	Later 10.0 releases
9.1.x	•	Later 9.1.x releases
	•	10.0.x releases
9.0.x	•	Later 9.0.x releases
	•	9.1.x releases
8.1.x	•	Later 8.1.x releases

• 9.0.7 or later; cross-platform replication requires v9.0.9 or later

2 Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage Arrays Firmware Version 10.0.3 Release Notes

Starting Versions	Supported Update Versions
8.0.x	•	Later 8.0.x releases
	•	8.1.x releases
	•	9.0.x releases

NOTE: If you are updating from a version earlier than v8.0.x, contact Dell Technical Support for assistance.

What’s New in Version 10.0.2

End-User License Agreement was revised

Starting with v10.0.2, the following portions of the End-User License Agreement (EULA) were revised:

•Commercial Terms of Sale (US) includes a table that shows where to get a local language version of the CTS. This provides all the commercial terms such as payment, taxes, warranty, limitation of liability.

•EULA is no longer country-specific, and contains the software license grant, restrictions, and other terms that apply just to software products.

If you perform a firmware update within the same compat level, close the GUI browser window and log in again in order to accept the new EULA changes.

What’s New in Version 10.0

PS Series Array v10.0 provides the following new features and enhancements:

New Features

Secure Erase

This feature enables the EqualLogic array to clear the data on the disk when a volume is deleted or moved from the array. Secure delete also supports member delete, member vacate, and page move. You can enable or disable this feature by selecting the Enable secure erase data checkbox from the Group Configuration Advanced tab.

NOTE: The deleted pages are not immediately available for new allocation in existing or new volumes. Under certain conditions, such as FST (free space trouble), when old snapshots are deleted automatically, or if some pages are moved out of the system, clearing the data might delay recovery from the FST process.

•The process of clearing the data in the background consumes system resources.

•I/O timings are also slightly impacted while the data is being cleared.

Unmap Support for VVol Datastores Unmap SCSI commands enable the EqualLogic array to reclaim the space in a thin volume. Starting with PS Series firmware v10.0, Unmap supports multiple LUNs under a single Protocol Endpoint (PE) target. In a VMware environment, whenever files are deleted or space optimization utilities are run, the guest OS on VVol datastores issues the unmap SCSI commands. Blocks that are not being utilized by the OS are reclaimed.

NOTE:

•Unmap for VVol datastores requires ESX v6.5 or later.

•Unmap is not reported as an available function for VVols until all members in the group are updated to PS Series v10.0.

Limitations

Unmap support requires the use of the command line utility esxcli in order to perform unmap operations on VMFS Datastores. This includes ESXi v6.5 Datastores. ESXi does not support unmap with PS series arrays in the following three cases:

•The EQL volume is replicated. (SYNC or ASYNC). This restriction is true for all operating systems supporting unmap.

•The VMFS Datastore was updated from VMFS v3.x to VMFS v5.0. It must be formatted at VMFS v5+ in order to support unmap

•ESXi v6.5 offers VMFS automatic unmap on VMFS v6.x Datastores. However, VMware requires that the unmap granularity be 1MB or less. PS Series arrays use an unmap granularity of 15 MB.

•ESXi v6.7 update 2 adds support for VMFS6 automatic unmap processing on storage arrays and devices that report to ESXi hosts an unmap granularity value greater than 1 MB. On arrays that report granularity of 1 MB and less, the unmap operation is supported if the granularity is a factor of 1 MB.

XCopy Support for VVol Datastores

Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage Arrays Firmware Version 10.0.3 Release Notes

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SCSI Extended Copy (XCopy) now supports VVol-based datastores. This feature is typically used in live migration of VMs by the ESX server. XCopy enables the storage arrays to make full copies of data within the array without having the host read and write the data. This operation reduces the time and network load when cloning virtual machines, provisioning from a template, or migrating with vMotion.

NOTE: The following requirements apply to XCopy for VVol datastores:

•ESXi issues the XCopy only when the VM is powered on.

•To use XCopy, the members must be part of the same group.

•The datamover supports VAAI offload using XCopy for migrations from VMFS to VVols but does not support migrations from VVols to VMFS.

The XCopy feature is enabled by default. To disable XCopy, use the following ESX CLI command: esxcli system settings advanced set --int-value 0 --option /DataMover/HardwareAcceleratedMove.

Active Directory Search Path Optimization

PS Series v10.0 provides the option to disconnect the Base DN from search paths and adds two search paths, group-search-dn and user-search-dn. These two options enable Active Directory to perform recursive object search within a specified path. If you do not specify either of these two new parameters, the behavior of this command will be the same as earlier releases.

Deprecated Features

SHA-1 – The SHA-1 hash algorithm is no longer secure for certificates and certain other digital signatures. SHA-1 has been disabled in PS Series v10.0 and later.

SSLv2 – The SSLv2 protocol is no longer supported, starting with PS Series v10.0.

Java on Mac OS – Group Manager applet is no longer supported in the MacOS environment due to the operating systems’ updated security preferences.

Workaround: To make the Group Manager applet work in a Mac OS environment, open the Java Control panel, Java Security Settings, and add the Group IP address from which the Group Manager is being accessed (downloaded) to the list of trusted sites. Adding wildcard entries (like 100.84.*.*) does not work in this case, specific IP address must be added separately. To open the Group Manager applet itself, the MAC OS Gatekeeper has to be bypassed. This can be done by clicking on the downloaded Group Manager applet while holding the CTRL key (or right clicking the icon) and choosing open > open anyway.

CLI Commands – The following commands displayed the password in plain text. These commands have been removed and replaced with new commands that do not display the passwords.

Old commands	New commands
grpparams target-auth-password	grpparams target-auth-password-new
chapuser create	chapuser create-new
chapuser select <name> passwd	chapuser select <name> passwd-new
partner create	partner create-new
partner select <name> inbound-password	partner select <name> inbound-password-new
partner select <name> outbound-password	partner select <name> outbound-password-new
Enhancements
Maintenance Pool

When you update the group to PS Series firmware to v10.0, a pool named maintenance is created by default. You no longer have to remove the member from the group to perform updates or maintenance of EqualLogic members. You can move the member to the maintenance pool to perform any maintenance activity. The maintenance pool behaves like the default pool, but it does not support any data operation. The default name of the pool created by the system is maintenance. You can rename the pool, but you cannot delete it.

You can see information about this pool by invoking any of the following commands:

•member vacate

•pool show

•pool rename

•pool select <pool_name> show

NOTE: Maintenance pool space cannot be used by user because no data operation is allowed in the maintenance pool. Maintenance pool capacity, however, is added to total group capacity.

4 Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage Arrays Firmware Version 10.0.3 Release Notes

Time-to-Live

This feature is applicable for SC to PS cross-platform replication only. Prior to this release, PS did not honor the Time-to-Live (TTL) field and replica snapshots were never deleted from PS no matter what the TTL value was. TTL now deletes the replica snapshots on the PS array based on the TTL value sent by the Storage Center during the creation of a replica snapshot. Only the expired snapshots are deleted.

NOTE:

•Modifying the TTL value on the Storage Center is supported with Dell Storage Manager 2018 R1 or later.

•The latest replica snapshot for a volume is never deleted even when it has expired.

grpparams test-email-home CLI Command

A new command, grpparams test-email-home was created to test whether EmailHome is enabled. For command usage and output information, see the Group Manager CLI Reference Guide.

Active Directory Search Path Optimization

PS Series v10.0 provides the option to disconnect the Base DN from search paths and adds two search paths, group-search-dn and user-search-dn. These two options enable Active Directory to perform recursive object search within a specified path. If you do not specify either of these two new options, the behavior of the ldap server-list create command will be the same as earlier releases.

System Limits and Compatibility

This section includes information about supported control modules, configuration limits, replication partnerships, and Manual Transfer Utility versions.

Control Module Support

The following table describes the supported control modules and the array models that use them:

Table 2. Control Module Support
Control Module Description	Drive Type and Maximum	Array
	Quantity	Models1
Type 19—Two 10Gb dual-media Ethernet Interfaces (two 10GBASE-T, two SFP+),	12 x 3.5" or 24 x 2.5"	PS4210
labeled Ethernet 0 and Ethernet 1. Individually selectable as 10GBASE-T or SFP+. One	Type: SAS, Nearline SAS, or
additional port labeled MANAGEMENT, restricted to management network use.
	SSD
Model 70–0485 (Red Label)
Type 18—Two 10Gb dual-media Ethernet Interfaces (two 10GBASE-T, two SFP+),	84 x 3.5" or 84 x 2.5"	PS6610
labeled Ethernet 0 and Ethernet 1. Individually selectable as 10GBASE-T or SFP+. One	Type: SAS, Nearline SAS, or
additional port labeled MANAGEMENT, restricted to management network use.
	SSD
Model 70-0480 (Turquoise Label)

Type 17—Two 10Gb Ethernet ports (one copper, one SFP+), both labeled Ethernet 0. One port can be active at a time. One additional port labeled MANAGEMENT, restricted to management network use.

Model 70–0478 (Yellow/Gold Label)

12 x 3.5" or 24 x 2.5"

PS4110

Type: SAS, Nearline SAS, or

SSD

Type 15—Two 10Gb dual-media Ethernet Interfaces (two 10GBASE-T, two SFP+), labeled Ethernet 0 and Ethernet 1. Individually selectable as 10GBASE-T or SFP+, One additional port labeled MANAGEMENT, restricted to management network use.

Model 70-0425 (Gray Label)

Type 14—Two 10Gb Ethernet ports (one copper, one SFP+), both labeled Ethernet 0. One port can be active at a time. One additional port labeled MANAGEMENT, restricted to management network use.

Model 70–0477 (Orange Label)

24 x 3.5" or 24 x 2.5"	PS6210
Type: SAS, Nearline SAS, or
SSD
24 x 2.5" or 24 x 3.5"	PS6110
Type: SAS, Nearline SAS, or
SSD

Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage Arrays Firmware Version 10.0.3 Release Notes

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