Contents Notes, Cautions, and Warnings....................2 1 Introduction..........................5 ...............................5 System Requirements ........................5 Management Station Requirements ..........................5 Introduction To Storage Arrays 2 Hardware Installation.........................7 ........................7 Planning The Storage Configuration ..........................7 Connecting The Storage Array ............................7 Cabling The Storage Array ....................8 Redundant And Non-Redundant Configurations ...........................8 Dual Controller Configurations ....................13...
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6 Appendix — Load Balancing....................25 ..........................25 Windows Load Balance Policy ............................25 Round Robin With Subset ..................25 Changing Load Balance Policies In Windows Sever 2008 ........................25 Least Queue Depth With Subset .........26 Changing The Load Balance Policy Using Windows Server 2008 Device Manager Options .......26 Changing The Load Balance Policy Using The Windows Server 2008 Disk Management Options ........................26...
MD Storage Manager included on the PowerVault MD Series resource media can be used to manage both the PowerVault MD3260 Series and other PowerVault MD Series storage arrays. MD Storage Manager is compatible with both Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems.
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Different RAID levels offer different levels of accessibility, redundancy, and capacity. You can set a specified RAID level for each disk group and virtual disk on your storage array. For more information about using RAID and managing data in your storage solution, see the Administrator's Guide at support.dell.com/manuals.
Getting Started Guide —The Getting Started Guide that shipped with the storage array, provides information to • configure the initial setup of the system. Dell PowerVault MD3260/3260i/3660i/3660f/3060e Storage Arrays Administrator's Guide —The Administrator's • Guide provides information about important concepts you must know before setting up your storage solution.
You choose the data configuration based on: • Number of hosts required • Level of data redundancy required Redundant And Non-Redundant Configurations Non-redundant configurations are configurations that provide only a single data path from a host to the storage array. This type of configuration is only recommended for non-critical data storage.
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Figure 2. Four Hosts Connected to Two Controllers...
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Figure 3. Four Hosts Connected to Two Controllers The following figure shows eight hosts, each connected to only one RAID controller module. This configuration allows the maximum number of hosts that may be connected, but provides no redundancy.
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Figure 4. Eight Hosts Connected to Two Controllers The following figures show up to four cluster nodes connected to two RAID controller modules. Since each cluster node has redundant paths, loss of a single path would still allow access to the storage array through the alternate path.
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Figure 5. Four Cluster Nodes Connected to Two Controllers...
Expanding With Previously Configured PowerVault MD3060e Series Expansion Enclosures Use this procedure if your expansion enclosure is directly attached to and configured on a Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) H800 adapter. Data from virtual disks created on a PERC H800 adapter cannot be directly migrated to a PowerVault MD3260 Series storage array or to a PowerVault MD3060e Series expansion enclosure connected to a PowerVault MD3260 Series storage array.
CAUTION: If a PowerVault MD3060e Series expansion enclosure that was previously attached to PERC H800 adapter is used as an expansion enclosure to a PowerVault MD3260 Series storage array, the physical disks of the expansion enclosure are reinitialized and data is lost. You must backup all data on the expansion enclosure before attempting the expansion.
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Click Tools → Upgrade RAID Controller Module Firmware from the Enterprise Management Window (EMW). Stop all I/O to the storage array and turn off affected host systems attached to the storage array. Turn off the storage array. Turn off any expansion enclosure(s) in the affected system. Cable the expansion enclosure(s) to the storage array.
SMagent and SMmonitor. Installing management software only on a virtual disk may prevent access to recovery information in the event of multiple physical disk or enclosure failures. For more information on supported hardware and software for Dell PowerVault systems, see the Support Matrix at support.dell.com/manuals.
NOTE: The MD Storage Manager installer automatically installs the required drivers, firmware, and operating system patches/hotfixes to operate your storage array. These drivers and firmware are also available at support.dell.com. In addition, see the Support Matrix at support.dell.com/manuals for any additional settings and/or software required for your specific storage array.
Silent Installation Silent Installation On Windows To run silent installation on a Windows system: Copy the custom_silent.properties file in the /windows folder of the installation media or image to a writable location on the host server. Modify the custom_silent.properties file to reflect the features, models and installation options to be used. Then, save the file.
Post Installation Tasks Before using the Dell PowerVault storage array for the first time, complete these initial configuration tasks in the order shown. These tasks are performed using the MD Storage Manager. For out-of-band management, you must set the network configuration for each RAID controller module, including its Internet Protocol (IP) address, subnetwork mask (subnet mask), and gateway.
Click Perform Initial Setup Tasks to see an outline and links to the remaining post-installation tasks. The array is now ready to be configured. See the Administrator's Guide at support.dell.com\manuals for information about each task and to perform the necessary configuration steps. The following table lists the recommended configuration steps that can be accomplished in MD Storage Manager.
Navigate to the Dell\MD Storage Software\Uninstall Dell Modular Disk MD3260 Storage Software directory. NOTE: By default, MD Storage Manager is installed in the \Program Files\Dell\MD Storage Software directory. If another directory was used during installation, navigate to that directory before beginning the uninstallation procedure.
Uninstalling MD Storage Manager From Linux By default, PowerVault MD Storage Manager is installed in the /opt/dell/mdstoragemanager directory. If another directory was used during installation, navigate to that directory before beginning the uninstallation procedure. From the installation directory, open the Uninstall Dell MD Storage Software directory.
Changing Load Balance Policies In Windows Sever 2008 Load balancing with the PowerVault MD3260 series is only available for Windows Server 2008 or later versions of the operating system. You can change the load balance policies from the default round robin with subset by using one of the following: •...
Changing The Load Balance Policy Using Windows Server 2008 Device Manager Options From the host desktop, right-click My Computer and select Manage. The Computer Management window is displayed. Click Device Manager to show the list of devices attached to the host. Right-click the multi-path disk device for which you want to set load balance policies, then select Properties.