Dell Fluid Cache for DAS User Manual

Dell Fluid Cache For DAS User's 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.

Trademarks used in this text: Dell™, the Dell logo, Dell Boomi™, Dell Precision™ , OptiPlex™, Latitude™, PowerEdge™, PowerVault™, PowerConnect™, OpenManage™, EqualLogic™, Compellent™, KACE™, FlexAddress™, Force10™ and Vostro™ are trademarks of Dell Inc. Intel®, Pentium®, Xeon®, Core® and Celeron® are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. AMD is a registered trademark and AMD Opteron™, AMD Phenom™ and AMD Sempron™ are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft®, Windows®, Windows Server®, Internet Explorer®, MS-DOS®, Windows Vista® and Active Directory® are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Red Hat® and Red Hat Enterprise Linux® are registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Novell® and SUSE® are registered trademarks of Novell Inc. in the United States and other countries. Oracle® is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Citrix®, Xen®, XenServer® and XenMotion® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. VMware trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States or other countries. Corporation.

2013 - 03

Virtual SMP

vMotion

is a registered trademark of International Business Machines

IBM

vCenter

and

vSphere

are registered trademarks or

Rev. A00

Contents

Notes, Cautions, and Warnings...................................................................................................2

1 Dell Fluid Cache For DAS Overview.........................................................................................7

Best Practices For Using Fluid Cache For DAS........................................................................................................7

Related Documentation............................................................................................................................................7

Contacting Dell.........................................................................................................................................................8

Documentation Feedback.........................................................................................................................................8

2 Getting Started With Dell Fluid Cache For DAS.....................................................................9

Hardware Prerequisites For Installing Fluid Cache For DAS....................................................................................9

Software And Firmware Prerequisites For Installing Fluid Cache............................................................................9

Licensing Information.............................................................................................................................................10

Downloading Fluid Cache For DAS.........................................................................................................................10

Installing Fluid Cache For DAS ..............................................................................................................................11

Uninstalling Fluid Cache For DAS...........................................................................................................................12

3 Configuring And Managing Fluid Cache For DAS................................................................13

Configuring Fluid Cache For DAS Using fldc CLI....................................................................................................13

Managing Fluid Cache For DAS With fldc CLI........................................................................................................15

4 fldc CLI Commands...................................................................................................................17

Some Basic fldc Commands...................................................................................................................................17

Displaying Supported PCIe SSDs...........................................................................................................................17

Displaying DAS In The System...............................................................................................................................17

Displaying Status Of Fluid Cache For DAS Service................................................................................................17

Displaying Status Of PCIe SSDs.............................................................................................................................17

Displaying Status Of Fluid Cache Disk....................................................................................................................18

Displaying Status Of Specific Back End Virtual Disk..............................................................................................18

Displaying Status Of Specific PCIe SSD.................................................................................................................18

Displaying Status Of fldc Service...........................................................................................................................18

Displaying Status Of Fluid Cache For DAS License................................................................................................18

Adding Or Applying Fluid Cache For DAS License.................................................................................................19

Exporting Fluid Cache For DAS Configuration To A .TXT File.................................................................................19

Importing Fluid Cache For DAS Configuration From A .TXT File.............................................................................19

Displaying N Events For Fluid CacheDisplaying All Events For Fluid Cache Based On Time.................................20

Adding A PCIe SSD To The Cache Pool..................................................................................................................20

Removing A Working PCIe SSD From The Cache Pool..........................................................................................20

Enabling Caching On A Back End PERC Virtual Disk..............................................................................................21

Disabling Caching On A Back End PERC Virtual Disk.............................................................................................21

Flushing Dirty Data From A Fluid Cache Disk..........................................................................................................22

Reactivating A PCIe SSD In A Failed State.............................................................................................................22

Reactivating A Failed Back End PERC Virtual Disk.................................................................................................22

Displaying Statistics For Configured Cache And Disks..........................................................................................22

fldcstat Command Options......................................................................................................................................23

fldcstat Command Summary Report.......................................................................................................................23

fldcstat Command Verbose Report.........................................................................................................................24

5 Troubleshooting Fluid Cache For DAS...................................................................................25

Basic Troubleshooting Steps..................................................................................................................................25

Fluid Cache Installation Fails..................................................................................................................................25

Fluid Cache For DAS Fails To Start.........................................................................................................................26

Fluid Cache For DAS Port Conflict Daemon Error...................................................................................................26

Fluid Cache Service For DAS Has Stopped............................................................................................................26

PCIe SSD Cannot Be Added As A Cache Device...................................................................................................26

PCIe SSD Has Failed...............................................................................................................................................27

PCIe SSD Name Changes.......................................................................................................................................28

Fluid Cache Disk Does Not Appear.........................................................................................................................28

Fluid Cache Disk Status Has Failed........................................................................................................................29

Cache Status Is Displayed As Degraded................................................................................................................29

Enabling Caching On Disk Has Failed.....................................................................................................................30

Cannot Add Virtual Disk..........................................................................................................................................30

Disabling Cache Fails..............................................................................................................................................31

Fluid Cache I/O Errors.............................................................................................................................................31

Operating System Fails...........................................................................................................................................31

Fluid Cache For DAS Error Messages And Resolution Steps.................................................................................32

Message ID: 2703| JOURNAL_INSUFFICIENT_MIRRORS_EVENT...................................................................32

Message ID: 2704| JOURNAL_CLUSTER_ID_MISMATCH...............................................................................32

Message ID: 2705| JOURNAL_ACCESS_ERROR..............................................................................................32

Message ID: 2900| CACHEDEV_FAILURE_EVENT............................................................................................32

Message ID: 2901| STORAGE_DEAD_EVENT...................................................................................................32

Message ID: 2909| STORAGE_UNKNOWN_STATE_EVENT............................................................................32

Message ID: 2911| BLOCK_DEVICE_FAILURE..................................................................................................32

Message ID: 2915| LICENSE_INVALID_EVENT................................................................................................32

Message ID: 2916| LICENSE_EVAL_VALID_EVENT.........................................................................................33

Message ID: 2917| LICENSE_EVAL_EXPIRED_90_EVENT...............................................................................33

Message ID: 2918| LICENSE_EVAL_EXPIRED_180_EVENT..............................................................................33

Message ID: 2919| LICENSE_EXPIRED_NO+CONFIG+CHANGE......................................................................33

Message ID: 2922| INSUFFICIENT_MEMORY..................................................................................................33

Message ID: 2923| CACHEDEV_VIEW_INCOMPLETE......................................................................................33

Message ID: 2930| STORAGE_MODE_DEGRADED_TO_WRITE_THROUGH....................................................33

Message ID: 2931| STORAGE_MODE_DEGRADED_TO_PASS_THROUGH......................................................33

6 Disaster Recovery Scenarios For Fluid Cache For DAS.....................................................35

Data Collection Utility For Fluid Cache For DAS.....................................................................................................35

Restoring Fluid Cache For DAS Configuration........................................................................................................35

7 Frequently Asked Questions....................................................................................................37

Dell Fluid Cache For DAS Overview

Dell Fluid Cache software for direct-attached storage (DAS) is a host caching software that allows you to create a virtual cache pool for supported Dell PowerEdge systems.

Fluid Cache for DAS uses Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSDs installed on supported Dell systems to provide a read and write cache pool. You can install up to four PCIe SSDs in a Dell system. The supported PCIe SSD capacities are 175 GB and 350 GB. These PCIe SSDs can be combined to create a cache pool capacity ranging from a minimum of 175 GB to a maximum of 1400 GB. The cache pool is used to accelerate response times with significant improvements in I/O operations per second (IOPS).

Some of the features of the Fluid Cache for DAS software are:

• Faster cache reads, writes, read-after-writes, and re-reads.

• Data protection as writes are replicated across multiple PCIe SSDs.

• Orderly hot swap and hot plug capability that allows adding or removing a device without halting or rebooting the system.

• Cache pool capacity of up to 1400 GB.

NOTE: All PCIe SSDs used for creating the cache pool must be of the same capacity.

• Support for 2.5 inch PCIe SSD form factor.

Best Practices For Using Fluid Cache For DAS

Some best practices that you can follow when using Fluid Cache for DAS include:

• For best performance, accelerate random writes by enabling write-back caching. Write-back mode is enabled with a minimum of two PCIe SSDs added to the cache pool.

• It is recommended that you do not implement a file system on the Fluid Cache devices.

• To obtain the maximum benefit from caching, the working data set must not be larger than the cache.

Contacting Dell

NOTE: Dell provides several online and telephone-based support and service options. If you do not have an active Internet connection, you can find contact information on your purchase invoice, packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog. Availability varies by country and product, and some services may not be available in your area.

To contact Dell for sales, technical support, or customer-service issues:

1. Go to dell.com/contactdell.

2. Select your country or region from the interactive world map.

When you select a region, the countries for that region are displayed.

3. Select the appropriate language under the country of your choice.

4. Select your business segment.

The main support page for the selected business segment is displayed.

5. Select the appropriate option depending on your requirement.

NOTE: If you have purchased a Dell system, you may be asked for the Service Tag.

Documentation Feedback

If you have feedback for this document, write to documentation_feedback@dell.com. Alternatively, you can click on the Feedback link in any of the Dell documentation pages, fill up the form, and click

Submit to send your feedback.

Getting Started With Dell Fluid Cache For DAS

Fluid Cache for DAS monitors your cache usage, protects your writes, programmatically moves data blocks in and out of the cache as needed, and does it all transparently to the application.

The following steps provide a broad summary to configure and run Fluid Cache for DAS:

1. Add up to four PCIe SSDs to the Dell PowerEdge system.

NOTE: Ensure that all the four PCIe SSDs are of the same capacity.

2. Configure the PCIe SSDs to create a cache pool.

3. Enable caching of back end PERC virtual disks or partitions.

4. Point your applications to the Fluid Cache block device(s) instead of the back end storage.

5. When workload requirements change, dynamically disable or enable caching on disks.

Hardware Prerequisites For Installing Fluid Cache For DAS

• Fluid Cache is supported only on Dell PowerEdge systems that support Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSDs. These PowerEdge systems include PowerEdge R620, R720, R820, and T620.

• Supported PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) cards include PERC H810, H710P, and H710.

• A minimum of two PCIe SSDs are required for write-back support.

• For installing Fluid Cache for DAS, you need 100 MB of disk space.

• The supported PCIe SSD capacities are 175 GB and 350 GB.

NOTE: You cannot mix PCIe SSDs of different capacities to run Fluid Cache for DAS. You can add up to four PCIe SSDs of the same capacity to form the cache pool.

• The minimum memory required to run Fluid Cache for DAS is 16 GB. For optimum operation, it is recommended that you install 32 GB of RAM.

NOTE: PCIe SSDs in Write Protect mode cannot be used for the cache pool and are marked as invalid.

Software And Firmware Prerequisites For Installing Fluid Cache

The supported operating systems for Fluid Cache for DAS include:

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.2, 2.6.32-220.el6.x86_64.

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.3, 2.6.32-279.el6.x86_64.

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP2, 3.0.13-0.27 (default).

Other software and firmware prerequisites include:

• Dell OpenManage Storage Administrator version 7.1.2 only.

• Latest updated PCIe SSD driver downloaded and installed from dell.com/support.

NOTE: For information on managing PCIe SSDs using Dell OpenManage Server Administrator, see the

PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD User’s Guide

• Latest firmware for PERC H810, H710P, and H710 cards. Supported firmware is A03 21.1.0-0007 or higher.

at dell.com/support/manuals.

Dell

Ensure the following opensource component packages are available in your system before you install Fluid Cache. See the operating system distribution media for the supported version of each package.

Table 1. Operating System Packages

Operating System Package Name Package Version

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.2 and 6.3 perl-XML-LibXML 1.70 – 5.el6

perl-XML-NamespaceSupport 1.10 – 3.el6

perl-XML-SAX 0.96 – 7.el6

rrdtool 1.3.8 – 6.el6

sg3_utils 1.28 – 4.el6

libxslt 1.1.26 – 2.el6

libuuid 2.17.2 – 12.el6

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP2 perl-XML-LibXML 1.66 – 1.14

perl-XML-NamespaceSupport 1.09 – 1.22

perl-XML-SAX 0.96 – 2.7

rrdtool 1.3.4 – 2.8

sg3_utils 1.31 – 1.11.14

libxslt 1.1.24 – 19.15

libuuid1 2.19.1 – 6.29.3

Licensing Information

Dell Fluid Cache for DAS is only functional when a valid license is installed. A license for Fluid Cache for DAS is only available through Dell Sales. For customers located in the United States of America, call 1-800-WWW-DELL. For other countries, login to

The following licenses are available:

• A 90-day evaluation license which offers full functionality for 90 days. You cannot extend the evaluation period or make changes to Fluid Cache after the 90 days have expired.

• A perpetual license that must be installed on each node.

You can view your Fluid Cache license in OpenManage Server Administrator.

NOTE: After the order is processed, you are provided with the license for Fluid Cache for DAS in an e-mail. To install a license, at the prompt, run the command: fldc --apply --license (include the path to the license_file). If a previous license exists, the new license overwrites it.

dell.com and change your country from the bottom of the web page to get the sales number.

Downloading Fluid Cache For DAS

To download Dell Fluid Cache for DAS software:

1. Go to dell.com/support.

2. You may be asked to select your line of business. Select Support for Enterprise IT.

3. Enter your Dell PowerEdge Service Tag and click Submit.

4. Navigate to the Drivers & Downloads section.

5. Select your operating system.

6. Click Caching Solutions to expand the menu.

Fluid Cache for DAS software is listed. Click the link to download the software.

Installing Fluid Cache For DAS

You can install Fluid Cache for DAS using the Fluid Cache setup.sh shell script. When you run the installation script, it uses the options you provide. If the installation script encounters missing dependencies or discovers other issues with your installation, it stops and an error message is displayed. Follow the prompts and system messages to correct any issues. Rerun the setup.sh shell script to restart the installation. After the installation completes, configure your Fluid Cache for DAS environment.

1. Go to dell.com/support.

2. Download and extract the Fluid Cache tar.gz package into a directory of your choice.

See Downloading Fluid Cache For DAS.

3. Change (cd) to the root of that directory:

a) Locate the

example:

To obtain the license, see Licensing Information.

b) From the prompt, run: ./setup.sh

The End User License Agreement (EULA) is displayed.

4. Read the EULA.

At the bottom of the EULA page, the following message is displayed: Do you agree to the above

license terms? ('y' for yes | press 'Enter' to exit):

5. To accept the EULA, type y and press <Enter>.

At the prompt, the following options are displayed:

Type i to install Fluid Cache Type q to quit

6. Type i to install the product.

7. At the prompt, type a Fluid Cache Identifier of your choice and press <Enter> or accept the default FQDN and press <Enter>.

The install wizard prompts you to confirm that you have entered the correct information with the following message:

Do you want to continue with these settings? ('y' for yes | 'r' to reconfigure | 'q' to quit install):

<name>_license.xml

/tmp/fluidcache_node_license.xml

file and write down the fully qualified path to the license file, for

NOTE: By default, the Fluid Cache Identifier is the hostname of the system on which you are installing Fluid Cache. The installation script allows you to enter a customized name for the Fluid Cache installation that helps you identify the cache subsystem. After entry, the name is repeated in various future system messages.

8. To accept the settings for Fluid Cache for DAS, type y and press <Enter>.

9. At the prompt, enter a fully qualified path to a valid license file and press <Enter>.

The license file is the XML file you received as an attachment in your Dell order e-mail and copied to a temporary directory on the target server.

NOTE: When you enter your license file name, be sure to include the path. For example: /tmp/

fluidcache_node_license.xml

The installation script provides a summary of all the installation variables you have chosen up to this point. You must confirm that the information is correct before continuing. Then, at the prompt, the script asks whether you

want to start the Fluid Cache service with the message: Would you like to start Fluid Cache

now? ('y' for yes | 'n' for no and exit install):

10. To start the Fluid Cache service, type y and press <Enter>.

11. To ensure that the product has started successfully, run the command: /opt/dell/fluidcache/bin/fldc

--status

This command returns a set of information similar to the following:

Fluid Cache Service

Cache size: 0 GiB

Status: ok

SSDs in Cache: 0

Disk being cached: 0

Write Back: unavailable

Cache ID: <any node>.example.com

License: node – limited to 4 nodes

License Status: valid

SSDs in cache No SSDs are configured in the cache

pool

Disks being cached No Disks are being cached

Fluid Cache for DAS is successfully installed. You must now configure Fluid Cache for DAS. See Configuring And

Managing Fluid Cache For DAS. If the installation was not successful, the following error message is displayed:

bash: /opt/dell/fluidcache/bin/fldc: No such file or directory. To resolve the issue, see the topic “Fluid Cache Installation Fails” in the section

Troubleshooting Fluid Cache For DAS.

Uninstalling Fluid Cache For DAS

Use Dell OpenManage Server Administrator or the fldc tool to disable caching on the back end disks.

1. To disable using fldc, at the prompt, run the command: fldc --disable --disk=<disk_name>

NOTE: Run this command for each configured disk.

2. Remove all cache devices from the cache pool. To remove a PCIe SSD, run the command: fldc --remove --

ssd=<ssd_name>

NOTE: Run this command for each configured disk.

3. Run the command: rpm -qa | grep DAS to get the Fluid Cache for DAS package name.

4. Use the rpm -e command to remove the Fluid Cache for DAS package from the server. For example, run the command: rpm –e <extract_package_name>

5. Optionally, you can remove the /opt/dell/fluidcache directory to remove all components of Fluid Cache for DAS from your installation. At the prompt, run the command: rm -rf /opt/dell/fluidcache

NOTE: If you attempt to reinstall Fluid Cache, you may see a warning message that advises that you have had a previous configuration. You cannot clear that warning and install FluidCache unless you remove the FluidCache directory. Remove the FluidCache directory after you are sure that all data previously managed by Fluid Cache is secure.

Fluid Cache for DAS is now uninstalled.

+ 26 hidden pages