Dell PowerVault MD3000 with Windows HA Clusters Owner's Manual

Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3000 Storage

Arrays With Microsoft

Server

Failover Clusters

Windows

Hardware Installation and

Troubleshooting Guide

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Notes, Notices, and Cautions

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April 2008 Rev. A00

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

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Additional Information

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Cluster Solution With Dell PowerVault MD3000 Storage Array

Cluster Hardware Requirements

Cluster Storage

Cluster Storage Management Software

Supported Dell Cluster Configurations

Introduction

This guide addresses the configuration of your Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3000 storage array for use with Microsoft It provides information and specific configuration tasks that enable you to deploy the shared storage for your cluster.

The guide is intended for experienced IT professionals who configure the cluster solution and for trained service technicians who perform upgrade and maintenance procedures. This document also addresses readers who are new to clustering.

Windows Server® failover cluster nodes.

Overview

A Dell failover cluster combines specific hardware and software components to provide enhanced availability for applications and services that 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.

NOTE: 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.

Additional Information

• For more information on deploying your cluster with Windows Server 2003 operating systems, see the

Windows Server 2003 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide

Support website at

• For more information on deploying your cluster with Windows Server 2008 operating systems, see the

Windows Server 2008 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide

Support website at

support.dell.com

Dell Failover Clusters with Microsoft

on the Dell

Dell Failover Clusters with Microsoft

on the Dell

Introduction 7

• For a list of recommended operating systems, hardware components, and driver or firmware versions for your failover cluster, see the

Configuration Support Matrices

website at

www.dell.com/ha

on the Dell High Availability Clustering

Dell Cluster

Cluster Solution With Dell PowerVault MD3000 Storage Array

The cluster solution implements a two-node clustering technology based on the Microsoft Cluster Server software (MSCS) incorporated within the Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 operating systems. This cluster solution provides the following features:

• 3 Gbps Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) technology

• High availability of system services and 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 cluster node without taking the entire cluster offline

Cluster Hardware Requirements

Your cluster requires the following hardware components:

• Servers (nodes)

• Storage and storage management software

Table 1-1 describes the hardware requirements for your cluster nodes.

Table 1-1. Cluster Node Requirements

Component Minimum Requirement

Processor At least one processor for each cluster node.

RAM At least 256 MB RAM installed on each cluster node for

Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition.

At least 512 MB RAM installed on each cluster node for Windows Server 2003 Enterprise x64 Edition and Windows Server 2008 x64 Edition.

8 Introduction

Table 1-1. Cluster Node Requirements (continued)

Component Minimum Requirement

Cluster Nodes A minimum of two identical Dell™PowerEdge™ servers are

required.

The maximum number of nodes supported in both the Windows Server 2003 and the Windows Server 2008 operating system is two.

Host Bus Adapter (HBA)

Network Interface Cards (NICs)

One or two SAS 5/E HBAs for each cluster node.

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

Internal Disk Controller

One controller connected to internal disks for each node. Use any supported Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) controller or disk controller.

Two physical disks 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.

Cluster Storage

Table 1-2 provides the configuration requirements for the shared storage system.

Table 1-2. Cluster Storage Requirements

Hardware Components

Supported storage systems

Power and cooling requirements

Minimum Requirement

One PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure.

Up to two PowerVault MD1000 expansion enclosures.

Two integrated hot-pluggable power supply/cooling fan modules.

Introduction 9

Table 1-2. Cluster Storage Requirements (continued)

Hardware Components

Physical disks At least two physical disks in the PowerVault MD3000 RAID

Cables Two 1-m, 2-m, or 4-m SAS cables for the non-redundant

NOTE: You can configure RAID 0 or independent disks, however such a

configuration is not recommended for a high-availability system as it does not offer data redundancy if a disk failure occurs.

NOTE: The PowerVault MD3000 Storage Array with the Dell Failover Cluster does

not support sharing a PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure with other clustered or stand-alone servers.

Minimum Requirement

enclosure.

configuration.

Four 1-m, 2-m, or 4-m SAS cables for the redundant configuration.

Two 1-m, 2-m, or 4-m SAS cables for each additional PowerVault MD1000 expansion enclosure.

Cluster Storage Management Software

The following sections describe various cluster storage management software that you can install and configure on your cluster.

Dell PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager Client

The Modular Disk Storage Manager Client runs on the management station to centrally manage the PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure. You can use PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager to perform tasks such as creating or managing RAID arrays, binding virtual disks, and downloading firmware.

Dell PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager Agent

The Modular Disk Storage Manager Agent resides on each cluster node and collects server-based topology data that can be managed by the Modular Disk Storage Manager Client.

10 Introduction

Multi-Path Software

Multi-path software (also referred to as the failover driver) is a software resident on each cluster node that provides management of the redundant data path between the server and the RAID enclosure. For the multi-path software to correctly manage a redundant path, the configuration must provide for redundant HBAs and cabling.

The multi-path software identifies the existence of multiple paths to a virtual disk and establishes a preferred path to that disk. If any component in the preferred path fails, the multi-path software automatically re-routes I/O requests to the alternate path so that the storage array continues to operate without interruption.

In a redundant cluster configuration, the Automatic Failback feature is disabled by default. Therefore, when a failed component is repaired or replaced, the virtual disk(s) do not automatically transfer to the preferred controller. You can manually initiate a failback using the Modular Disk Storage Manager Client or Command Line Interface (CLI).

Advanced Features

Advanced features for the PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure include:

• Snapshot Virtual Disk—Captures point-in-time images of a virtual disk for backup, testing, or data processing without affecting the contents of the source virtual disk.

• Virtual Disk Copy—Generates a full copy of data from the source virtual disk to the target virtual disk in a storage array. You can use Virtual Disk Copy to back up data, copy data from disk groups that use smaller-capacity physical disks to disk groups using greater capacity physical disks, or restore snapshot virtual disk data to the source virtual disk.

NOTE: For instructions on deploying the correct Virtual Disk options in the

cluster environment, see "Using Advanced (Premium) PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager Features" on page 45.

NOTE: For more information about Modular Disk Storage Manager, Snapshot

Virtual Disk, and Virtual Disk Copy, see ""Installing and Configuring the Shared Storage System" on page 36" and your Modular Disk Storage Manager documentation.

Introduction 11

Supported Dell Cluster Configurations

Figure 1-1 to Figure 1-3 illustrate the various supported configurations for your cluster with PowerVault MD3000 and MD1000 RAID enclosures.

Figure 1-1. Non-Redundant Cluster Configuration

Cluster Node 1

Cluster Node 2

Private Network

PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure

PowerVault MD1000 RAID Enclosure

12 Introduction

Figure 1-2. Redundant Cluster Configuration With Single SAS 5/E

Cluster Node 1 Cluster Node 2

Private Network

PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure

PowerVault MD1000 RAID Enclosure

Introduction 13

Figure 1-3. Redundant Cluster Configuration With Dual SAS 5/E

Cluster Node 1

Cluster Node 2

Private Network

Dual-port HBA 1

Dual-port HBA 2

PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure

PowerVault MD1000 RAID Enclosure

14 Introduction

Cabling Your Cluster Hardware

The following sections help you connect the power, network and storage cables to your cluster. After you have connected the hardware components, the subsequent sections in this document provide instructions to configure your cluster.

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. For instructions on cabling each node's connections to the switch box, see the documentation included with your rack.

Cabling the Power Supplies

To ensure that the specific power requirements are met, see the documentation for each component in your cluster solution.

It is recommended to follow the guidelines below 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 of power cabling for a cluster solution consisting of two Dell™ PowerEdge™ systems and one storage system. To ensure redundancy, the primary power supplies of all the components are grouped onto one or two circuits and the redundant power supplies are grouped onto a different circuit.

Cabling Your Cluster Hardware 17

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 PDU [not shown])

NOTE: This illustration is intended only to demonstrate the power distribution of the

components.

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

18 Cabling Your Cluster Hardware

+ 42 hidden pages

Dell PowerVault MD3000 with Windows HA Clusters Owner's Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Notes, Notices, and Cautions

Contents

Introduction

Overview

Additional Information

Cluster Solution With Dell PowerVault MD3000 Storage Array

Cluster Hardware Requirements

Cluster Storage

Cluster Storage Management Software

Supported Dell Cluster Configurations

Other Documents You May Need

Cabling Your Cluster Hardware

Cabling the Mouse, Keyboard, and Monitor

Cabling the Power Supplies