Dell DX6000G User's Manual

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Dell DX Object Storage Platform User’s Guide book.book Page 1 Tuesday, March 1, 2011 12:08 PM ...

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Notes, Cautions, and Warnings NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss of data if instructions are not followed. WARNING: ...

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Contents 3 Contents 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2 DX Object Storage Platform Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Network Topologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Local Cl...

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4 Contents Cabling the Appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Turning On the DX Storage Node . . . . . . . . . . 23 Enabling Capacity in DX Cluster Services Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Adding Network Adapter to DX Stor...

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Contents 5 Reinstalling the Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Configuring and Managing RAID . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Recovering the Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Configuring the Partitions During Operating System Reco...

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6 Contents Hardware Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Systems Management Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 book.book Page 6 Tuesday, March 1, 2011 12:08 PM ...

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Introduction 7 1 Introduction The Dell DX Object Storage Platform provides a simple and cost effective pool of storage for less active or fixed content. The object storage platform allows you to: • Expand the capacity to meet rapidly changing nee...

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8 Introduction Table 1-1. Terms Used in the Document Component Description DX Object Storage Cluster DX6a00S system and two or more DX6axyS systems DX Cluster Services Node, Cluster Services Node or CSN DX6 a00 system DX Object Storage Node, DX St...

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DX Object Storage Platform Overview 9 2 DX Object Storage Platform Overview Network Topologies The Dell DX Object Storage Platform network consists of one or more DX Storage Clusters connected by DX Content Router services. There are many possible...

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10 DX Object Storage Platform Overview Network switch configuration depends on both the network topology and the customer environment. To ensure proper functioning with default network parameters and to maximize cluster performance, it is recommend...

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DX Object Storage Platform Overview 11 It is recommended that you configure the network topology to enable applications to communicate with the DX Storage Nodes on private and secure networks. This is the primary method to store and retrieve data...

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12 DX Object Storage Platform Overview Redundant DX Cluster Services Nodes The Dell DX Storage Cluster supports redundant DX Cluster Services Node s. In a redundant model, the active DX Cluster Services Node is configured as the primary node and...

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DX Object Storage Platform Overview 13 Figure 2-2. Redundant DX Cluster Services Nodes public network private network redundant connections primary multi-cast interlink NIC teamed secondary applications/DX6000G DX CSN DX CSN 2 Port LOM DX Storag...

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14 DX Object Storage Platform Overview Subcluster Configuration A Dell DX Storage Cluster can be split into two or more subclusters. The subclusters are physically part of the same cluster but are recognized as logically separate entities by the DX...

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DX Object Storage Platform Overview 15 Figure 2-3. Subcluster Configuration public network private network redundant connections primary interlink subcluster 1 subcluster 2 NIC teamed applications/DX6000G multi-cast DX CSN 2 Port LOM DX Storage ...

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16 DX Object Storage Platform Overview Remote Cluster Configuration When you deploy multiple DX Storage Clusters (for example multiple sites, offsite backup, and so on), the DX Cluster Services Node provides the ability to replicate data between DX...

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DX Object Storage Platform Overview 17 Figure 2-4. Multiple Cluster Configuration multi-cast multi-cast local cluster remote cluster NIC teamed interlink interlink NIC teamed primary primary WAN VPN secure network applications/DX6000G publ...

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18 DX Object Storage Platform Overview DX Cluster File Server Configuration When you deploy a DX Cluster File Server (CFS), the CFS must have direct access to the DX Storage Cluster on the private network and the public network. Gigabit Ethernet or...

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DX Object Storage Platform Overview 19 Communicating Directly With a Remote Cluster Applications may communicate with a remote DX Storage Cluster during local-cluster disaster recovery. For an application to communicate to a remote DX Storage Clust...

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20 DX Object Storage Platform Overview book.book Page 20 Tuesday, March 1, 2011 12:08 PM ...

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Setting Up the DX Object Storage Platform 21 3 Setting Up the DX Object Storage Platform Installing the Initial Cluster or Redundant Cluster Services Node The Dell DX Object Storage Platform consists of at least one DX Cluster Services Node and tw...

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22 Setting Up the DX Object Storage Platform •SNMP options • Setting persistent cluster settings • Storing configuration files For more information about these options, see the Cluster Services Node Installation and Configuration Guide at supp...

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Setting Up the DX Object Storage Platform 23 Installing the System in a Rack If the DX6axyS system includes a rail kit, locate the Rack Installation Instructions supplied with the rail kit. Follow the instructions to install the rails in the rack u...

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24 Setting Up the DX Object Storage Platform Adding Network Adapter to DX Storage Nodes You can add additional network adapters to the DX Storage Nodes to expand the network bandwidth to the storage nodes. To add additional network adapters: 1 Turn...

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Setting Up the DX Object Storage Platform 25 NOTE: The external network interface IP address can be set back to its original value. Modifying the external network IP address detects and bonds the additional network ports. Figure 3-5. Ethernet Cab...

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26 Setting Up the DX Object Storage Platform book.book Page 26 Tuesday, March 1, 2011 12:08 PM ...

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Updating the Dell DX Object Storage Platform Software 27 4 Updating the Dell DX Object Storage Platform Software Updates for the Dell DX Object Storage Platform software are periodically made available to correct problems, improve performance, intr...

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28 Updating the Dell DX Object Storage Platform Software • Operating system • DX Cluster File Server software Checking Software Version Compatibility The versions of the software and hardware components installed in the cluster are checked by th...

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Updating the Dell DX Object Storage Platform Software 29 To verify cluster compatibility: 1 Open the file /opt/dell/dellACM/CMREPORT.TXT on the primary Cluster Services Node. 2 Review the status information for the Cluster Services Node and the i...

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30 Updating the Dell DX Object Storage Platform Software Updating the DX Cluster Services Node Software Updates for the operating system, BIOS, firmware, device drivers, and the application software are available at support.dell.com/support/download...

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Updating the Dell DX Object Storage Platform Software 31 To update the software used in the storage cluster: 1 Install the new rpm using the following command: rpm -ivh [new version] A new DX Storage Node software version is displayed on the Cluster ...

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32 Updating the Dell DX Object Storage Platform Software Updating the DX Cluster File Server Software Updates for the system operating system, BIOS, firmware, device drivers, and the application software are available at support.dell.com/downloads. ...

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Disaster Recovery 33 5 Disaster Recovery You can recover the Dell DX Cluster Services Node from a number of hardware or software failures. NOTE: Contact Dell support if you need assistance on disaster recovery for the DX Cluster File Server. Dep...

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34 Disaster Recovery Table 5-1. CSN System Recovery Map Potentially Affected System Components Hardware Software Failure Type Server Disk Group Operating System Cluster Services Node Software OpenManage Server Administration DX Compatibility Manage...

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Disaster Recovery 35 Recovering From Disk Failures NOTE: The DX Cluster Services Node system's internal disk storage is preconfigured as RAID 5. Single Disk Failure The CSN is configured as RAID 5 to ensure uninterrupted operation of the sys...

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36 Disaster Recovery • Dell Management Console—Centrally monitors the status of Dell systems. For more information about installing and using DMC, see the Dell Management Console User's Guide at support.dell.com/manuals. Reinstalling the...

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Disaster Recovery 37 Recovering the Operating System Use the Unified Server Configurator - LifeCycle Controller Enabled (USC- LCE) utility on the system to recover the operating system. For specific instructions, see "Deploying the Operating S...

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38 Disaster Recovery 4 In the Allowable Drives field, de-select the sdb volume. 5 Create a 10 GB restore partition of the file system type physical volume (LVM) within the sda and click OK . 6 Select /dev/sdb1 from the Device list and click ...

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Disaster Recovery 39 mount /dev/sdb1 /u01 7 To keep the mount path persistent across reboot, add the mount path to /etc/fstab . For example, run the following command: vi /etc/fstab Table 5-2 lists the options that must be selected to create a mount...

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40 Disaster Recovery Connecting the DX Cluster Services Node to the Private and Public Networks • Connect the lower NIC ports 0-1 of the DX Cluster Services Node to the external private network switch. • Connect the upper NIC ports 2-3 of the D...

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Disaster Recovery 41 If the CDROM does not auto mount, perform the following commands. # mkdir /media/dvd # mount /dev/dvd /media/dvd NOTE: For more information on the compatible RHEL versions, see the Dell DX Object Storage Platform Interoperabil...

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42 Disaster Recovery Installing Dell DX Compatibility Manager The Dell DX Compatibility Manager is available as an rpm package. To install the DX Compatibility Manager: 1 Download the latest version of rpm package from support.dell.com . 2 Copy the...

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Disaster Recovery 43 Installing DX Cluster Services Node Software If you have at least one data replica, any data on the failed storage node or hard drive is replicated to another storage node in the cluster. Hardware status for the DX Storage Node...

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44 Disaster Recovery process is required only once after the initial installation. Any necessary updates to the parameters entered during this initial boot process can be made from the Cluster Services Node Console. For more information about conf...

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Additional References 45 6 Additional References Software Documents Table 6-1. Software Documents Document Description Location Dell DX Object Storage Platform User's Guide Provides an overview of the DX Object Storage Platform and steps to ...

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46 Additional References DX Object Storage Application Guide Guides application programmers who are developing or customizing client-side programs. support.dell.com/manuals Content Router Setup and Configuration Guide Covers the steps required ...

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Additional References 47 Hardware Documents Table 6-2. Hardware Documents Document Description Location Dell DX6000 Getting Started With Your System Helps you get started with the Dell DX6000 systems. support.dell.com/manuals Dell DX6000 Hardware ...

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48 Additional References Systems Management Documents Dell DX Support Matrix Compatibility Matrix for the DX Object Storage Platform. support.dell.com/manuals Table 6-3. Systems Management Documents Document Description Location Dell OpenManage Sof...