Introduction
Welcome to the VDURA® V5000™ Certified Platform Installation and Service Guide. Read this introduction for an overview of the information provided in this guide, an understanding of the documentation conventions used throughout, and overall system safety precautions.
This chapter contains the following sections:
- About This Guide
- Document Conventions
- Glossary
- Additional Resources
- Contact VDURA
- Safety Information
- Before You Begin
- Order of Installation
- Power Procedures
About This Guide
In this guide you will learn how to install and configure VDURA V5000 Certified Platform systems. For information and instructions on legacy systems, refer to older versions of documentation available at support.VDURA.com.
This guide is written for system and network administrators who are familiar with Network Attached Storage (NAS) systems and Storage Area Networks (SANs). Users should also be familiar with administering and managing file systems using Network File Systems (NFS) and Common Internet File Systems (CIFS).
A working knowledge of network protocols, network administration and management, and the Linux®, UNIX®, and/or Windows® operating systems is also required.
Document Conventions
This manual uses the following standard set of typographical conventions to introduce new terms, illustrate screen displays, and describe command syntax.
| Convention | Meaning |
|---|---|
| boldface | Identifiers (names of classes, objects, constants, events, functions, program variables, forms, labels, and reports), environment variables, filenames, table names, column names, icons, menu items, command names, and other similar terms appear in boldface. |
courier |
Information that the product displays and information that you are instructed to enter appear in Courier typeface. |
Glossary
The following terms are found throughout this guide.
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| BMC | Baseboard Management Controller |
| Enclosure | Logical structure to aggregate hypervisor, JBOD, and VPODs |
| GWIP | Gateway IP; an alias IP address assigned to a Director Node for NFS, SMB/CIFS, and S3 gateway access |
| HBA | Host Bus Adapter |
| HCA | Host Channel Adapter |
| IB | InfiniBand |
| I/O | Input/Output |
| IOM | IO Module |
| IP | Internet Protocol |
| IPoIB | IP over InfiniBand |
| JBOD | Just a Bunch of Disks; storage capacity expansion hardware paired with Mixed Fleet Storage Nodes |
| LAG | Link aggregation group |
| MConsole | Management Console; the repset Director role that serves PanActive Manager and PanCLI |
| MLEC | Multi-Level Erasure Coding |
| Node | Director and storage hardware; listed as VCH-X,Y |
| OOBE | Out-Of-Box-Experience |
| President Director | The Director that governs the realm and replicates its decrees and the realm database to the other repset members |
| Repset | Replication set; the group of Directors (typically three or five) that hold the realm database for redundancy |
| SM | Subnet Manager |
| SR-IOV | Single Root I/O Virtualization |
| VPOD | Virtualized Protected Object Device |
| VDURA Data Platform | Hypervisor that runs VPODs and hardware monitoring |
Additional Resources
Online Help
Online help is available in the PanActive Manager GUI in two ways:
- Entire online help contents: From the Welcome page, click the Help link to view the entire online help contents for PanActive Manager.
- Page-level help: From a particular page in PanActive Manager, click the Help link to view help for that page.
Product Documentation
The full documentation set for the VDURA V5000 system is available in PDF format from the Welcome page of PanActive Manager or from the Content tab of support.VDURA.com.
Consult the following VDURA documentation for additional information regarding your VDURA system:
- VDURA Data Platform User Guide: Describes how to use PanActive Manager to monitor and manage your VDURA system.
- PanCLI Reference Guide: Provides descriptions of the PanCLI commands used to configure and manage your VDURA system.
Release Notes
Release notes supplement the information in this guide and are available at support.VDURA.com or from the PanActive Manager Home page.
Be sure to examine the release notes before you begin the installation and setup process, as they contain important information that can improve your success with the VDURA system, such as fixed issues and known issues/workarounds from previous versions that may still occur in the current release.
Knowledge Base
VDURA customers have access to the articles in the Knowledge Base tab on support.VDURA.com.
Popular Knowledge Base articles include:
- How do I replace a Director?
- How do I replace a Storage Node?
- Which weak-module DirectFlow Client should I use?
- How do I request a custom port DirectFlow Client?
- How can I securely erase my storage system?
Contact VDURA
There are several ways to contact VDURA, depending on your needs.
| Internet | The support.VDURA.com website provides access to submit a service request and track orders online. Support.VDURA.com also offers access to custom software downloads and a robust knowledge base to assist with technical issues. |
|---|---|
| Technical Support | Get technical support and file service requests using any of these methods: - Telephone-North America: 1-888-726-2727 - Telephone-International: 1.412.323.6439 - Email: technical-support@vdura.com |
| File a Service Request | support.VDURA.com |
Safety Information
Review the following basic safety information and precautions before assembling the system. Failure to follow these safety guidelines can result in injury or damage to the VDURA system. Mishandling of the VDURA system voids all warranties. Please read and follow safety guidelines and installation instructions carefully.
Equipment
When you install, configure, add, or remove components in a VDURA system:
- Follow all caution and warning instructions in this manual and on the equipment.
- Do not block or cover the openings to the hardware. Do not install the hardware near a radiator or heat register.
- Follow all hardware-dependent environmental requirements.
- All connections, wiring, wire protection, and wire routing must be in accordance with applicable sections and requirements of your national and local electrical authorities.
- Do not make mechanical modifications to the hardware. Any modifications to the hardware will void the warranty.
- Never lift fully loaded VDURA hardware by yourself.
- Ensure that the voltage and frequency of your power source match the voltage and frequency inscribed on the electrical rating label of the equipment.
Electrostatic Discharge
To ensure that your equipment is not damaged from improper handling:
- When you install or perform maintenance tasks, you must wear a grounded electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist or ankle strap to protect the system hardware against electrostatic discharge. Make sure that the strap makes skin contact prior to handling VDURA hardware.
- Periodically check the resistance value of the antistatic strap to ensure it is functioning properly.
- Store VDURA hardware in its protective packaging until you are ready to install it.
Rack Mounting Basics
Before you begin the rack mount installation process, please review the following mounting information:
- If installed in a closed or multi-unit rack assembly, the operating ambient temperature of the rack environment may be greater than the ambient room temperature. Therefore, install the equipment in an environment compatible with the specified maximum operating temperature. See System Specifications for more information.
- Install the equipment in a rack so that the amount of airflow required for safe operation of the equipment is not compromised.
- A hazardous condition could be created if the equipment is installed in the rack in a way that produces uneven mechanical loading.
- Be careful not to overload circuits when connecting the equipment to the supply circuit. Observe the equipment nameplate ratings when addressing this concern.
- Be sure to maintain reliable grounding of rack-mounted equipment. Pay particular attention to supply connections other than direct connections to the branch circuit, such as use of power strips.
Power Supply and Power Cord Connection
VDURA products are designed to work with single-phase power systems having a grounded neutral conductor. To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not plug VDURA products into any other type of power system. Contact your facilities manager or a qualified electrician if you are not sure what type of power is supplied to your building. To reduce the risk of electric shock, always plug the cord into a grounded power outlet.
Not all power cords have the same current ratings. Extension cords do not have overload protection and are not meant for use with computer systems. Do not use extension cords with your VDURA system.
All supply connections, wiring, wire protection, and wire routing must be made in accordance with applicable sections and requirements of your national and local electrical authorities.
Before You Begin
Verify that any other VDURA systems connected to the same data network are locked. If VDURA systems on the high-speed data network are left unlocked, they may attempt to automatically add any new hardware found to the existing realm which can be very difficult to reverse.
Installing the VDURA Data Platform requires certain information and items. Gathering these in advance will greatly improve your experience. Please make sure to have the following items before beginning the installation process:
- Cables for the VDURA system: Verify that you have the correct power, network, and SAS cables (if applicable) for your hardware.
- Management (IPMI) network: VDURA Data Platform servers have dedicated 1 GbE network ports for IPMI. While operation of the system does not require the management network, it makes remote operation of the system easier.
- Corporate network: Director servers have dedicated 25 GbE network ports for what is often called a “corporate network” that offers additional access to the VDURA Data Platform separate from the data network. While operation of the system does not require the corporate network, it makes remote operation of the system easier and offers additional network storage protocols to clients not on the main data network.
- Data network: The data network connects clients to the VDURA Data Platform. It may also connect additional resources such as DNS, NTP, and gateway servers.
- Data network configuration: The VDURA Data Platform needs information about the data network during installation. A form at the end of this document lists all required details, including:
- An IP range for the VDURA system: The system needs a minimum of thirteen IP addresses per Storage Node and one IP address per Director Node. The first Director needs an initial address within this range, usually the first address.
- Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) size.
- System DNS name and DNS domain name.
- DNS server IP address or addresses. (Not required, but may make managing and using the system easier.)
- Timezone: e.g. Europe/Amsterdam.
- VDURA Customer ID (supplied by VDURA).
- PanActive Link enabled or disabled: If the system has access to the public Internet, it can directly access software updates and documentation.
- Network Time Protocol (NTP) server: The VDURA Data Platform and clients connected to it must use the same NTP server. The NTP server may connect to the data network or to the corporate network (if used).
Note: When configuring NTP, be aware that NTP server time on a client and the VDURA system must be no more than eight seconds apart, and that tighter synchronization improves performance.
- DirectFlow Client for compute nodes that access the storage system. These are available on the support.VDURA.com site in versions compiled for multiple Linux distributions and processor architectures.
Order of Installation
Under most circumstances, you will want to follow the order below when installing your new VDURA V5000 system.
- Ensure the user-owned management and data networks are configured correctly.
- Physical installation of all hardware. Start at the bottom of the first rack and work up.
- Power on the Director Nodes.
- Run network configuration from either PanCLI using a keyboard and monitor or via the BMC remote control features.
- Start the Out Of Box Experience (OOBE) installation on the first Director Node using either PanCLI or PanActive Manager.
- Power on JBODs if included in the realm.
- Power on Storage Nodes one at a time.
- Complete the VDURA installation via PanActive Manager or PanCLI.
- Update the VDURA system to the latest software version.
- Configure IPMI, if applicable.
- Load the DirectFlow Client onto compute nodes.
Power Procedures
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING SHUTDOWN/RESTART:
Powering on a JBOD must be done by pressing its power button. If you need to power on a JBOD remotely, VDURA can provide instructions for connecting the JBOD BMC.
At Installation
When installing a V5000 system that includes JBODs, each JBOD must be powered on before powering on its attached Storage Node. VDURA recommends powering on all JBODs, then waiting at least 60 seconds before powering on the Storage Nodes.
During Operation
If the realm is shut down from either PanActive Manager or PanCLI, JBODs will not shut down automatically and must be powered off by hand. JBODs can be powered off by holding down the JBOD enclosure power button located on the front of the unit. Storage Nodes should be powered off prior to shutting down the JBODs.
When powering on the realm after a shutdown, JBODs should be powered on before their associated Storage Nodes because the nodes must be able to see their JBOD drives as part of the power-on process. VDURA recommends powering on all JBODs, then waiting at least 60 seconds before powering on the Storage Nodes.
Use PanActive Manager or PanCLI to power down Storage and Director Nodes; do not remove power at the PDU.