D-Link DSN-500 Software User's Manual

D-Link DSN-500 Software User's Manual

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D-Link xStack Storage iSCSI SAN Arrays
Managed SAN Solutions
(DSN-1100-10, 2100-10, 3100-10, 3200-10, 3300-10, 3400-10, 3500-10, 5110-10,
5210-10, 5410-10, 5000-10)
Management Center Software User's Guide
Version 1.4

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Summary of Contents for D-Link DSN-500

  • Page 1 D-Link xStack Storage iSCSI SAN Arrays Managed SAN Solutions (DSN-1100-10, 2100-10, 3100-10, 3200-10, 3300-10, 3400-10, 3500-10, 5110-10, 5210-10, 5410-10, 5000-10) Management Center Software User’s Guide Version 1.4...
  • Page 2 © 2010 D-Link Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved D-Link Systems, Inc. makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. D-Link Systems, Inc. shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
  • Page 3 Notice of Export Controls Export of technical data contained in this document may require an export license from the United States government. Please contact D-Link, Inc. for any export compliance questions. Document Revision Level Revision Date Description July 2008 Version 1.0 – Initial release based on Software version 2.0.0 September 2008 Version 1.1 –...
  • Page 4 Storage Management Center to configure and manage the xStack Storage array from D-Link Systems Inc. This document assumes that the user is computer literate, familiar with storage array products, and has a basic understanding of storage products and concepts.
  • Page 5 Contact Information You can find software updates and user documentation on the D-Link website. D-Link provides free technical support for customers within the United States and within Canada for the duration of the warranty period on this product. U.S. and Canadian customers can contact D-Link Technical Support through our website, or by phone.
  • Page 6: Table Of Contents

    Contents Chapter 1 Introduction ............................1 1.1 Product Overview ..................2 1.2 Terminology and Concepts ................2 1.3 Storage Pools and Drives ................3 1.4 Volumes ....................4 1.5 Tasks ....................6 1.5.1 Initialize a Parity Volume..............6 1.5.2 Rebuild a Volume ................6 1.5.3 Scan a Volume ................
  • Page 7 Chapter 4 Managing Volumes ........................35 4.1 Understanding the Volume View ..............36 4.2 Creating Volumes ................... 37 4.2.1 Letting the Wizard Choose the Best Volume Organization......39 4.2.2 Making Your Own Volume Selection Choices ......... 45 4.3 Performing Volume Actions ............... 51 4.3.1 Modifying iSCSI Initiator Access to Volumes ..........
  • Page 8 7.2 Working with Management Ports ............... 103 7.2.1 Viewing or Changing Management Port Settings ........103 7.2.2 Pinging from a Management Port ............. 104 7.3 Viewing or Changing the Ethernet Port Settings ..........105 7.4 Working with Network Portals ..............107 7.4.1 Creating Network Portals ...............
  • Page 9 This Page Left Intentionally Blank xStack Storage Management Center Software User’s Guide...
  • Page 11: Chapter 1 Introduction

    Chapter 1 Introduction This chapter provides an introduction to the D-Link xStack Storage SAN system, and the terminology and concepts associated with it. Topics in this chapter include: Section 1.1, Product Overview  Section 1.2, Terminology and Concepts  Section 1.3, Storage Pools and Drives ...
  • Page 12: Product Overview

    1.1 Product Overview The D-Link xStack Storage system is an intelligent, high-performance Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) or 10GbE storage solution designed for businesses that want to improve the reliability, availability, serviceability, and performance of their storage systems. It provides a range of benefits and features from its ability to use familiar, proven, and widespread networking technologies like IP and Ethernet for storage solutions.
  • Page 13: Storage Pools And Drives

    The xStack Storage system performs its virtualization task by presenting volumes that the servers see as disks or drives or SCSI Logical Units, depending on the server operating system’s terminology. Volumes are created by organizing blocks of storage from the drives. iSCSI is an end-to-end storage block protocol that makes it possible to transfer storage data reliably over any IP-based network, including the Internet.
  • Page 14: Volumes

    Table 1-1. Types of Storage Pools Storage Pool Usage Available Pool Disk drives available for use, but with no data stored on them at this time. A drive in the Base Pool will be used in the creation of a new Volume any time it is required.
  • Page 15 Table 1-2. Ways to Organize Volumes Organization Definition Redundant Striped Storage Cost JBOD One copy of the data is written to the selected Extents. Mirror Two copies of all data are written to independent Extents. Stripe Distributes one copy of the data among several drives to improve the speed of access.
  • Page 16: Tasks

    For each volume, the xStack Storage system must determine the organization and the size of the volume. For striped organizations, the xStack Storage system must further determine the chunk size, and the number of drives across which the data is to be divided. There are two ways to create a volume in an xStack Storage system: Automatically: You can answer questions about the required redundancy, size, and usage ...
  • Page 17: Scan A Volume

    If a replacement drive is found, then the storage system performs one Rebuild task for each extent on the failed drive rebuilding that extent onto 1) the same position it previously occupied on the failed drive, if the replacement drive is the same size or larger, or 2) the next available space on the replacement drive, if the replacement drive is smaller than the failed drive.
  • Page 18: Vlans

    1.7 VLANs The xStack Storage system can use a Virtual LAN (VLAN) as a filter to identify the incoming packets it is to use on each LAG port. For each LAG port on which VLAN is to be enabled, a VLAN ID must be defined.
  • Page 19: Chapter 2 Overview Of The Management Center Software

    The right management software can help you enhance the performance and functionality of your storage investment. The xStack Storage Management Center from D-Link Inc has been designed and optimized from the ground up to deliver the command and control foundation you need to efficiently manage your xStack Storage infrastructure.
  • Page 20: Compatibility And Minimum System Requirements

    2.2 Compatibility and Minimum System Requirements Running the xStack Storage Management Center requires a host computer system connected to the management port of an xStack Storage array. The host system must have an installed: Network-interface card (NIC) initially configured for the same Internet Protocol (IP) ...
  • Page 21: Understanding The User Interface

    2.3.1 Understanding the User Interface Figure 2-1 shows the different areas of the xStack Storage Management Center main window. The following sections describe these areas. For a summary of the commands and menus on the menu bar, refer to Appendix A. Menu Bar and Toolbar Main Display...
  • Page 22 Menu bar Toolbar Figure 2-2. Menu Bar and Toolbar Volume View Button Figure 2-3. Tooltip 2.3.2.1 Shortcut Menu The previous section explained how the menus, commands, and toolbar can be used to perform activities. As an added convenience, some tasks can also be performed by pressing the right mouse button and clicking an option from a shortcut menu that appears.
  • Page 23: View Panel

    2.3.3 View Panel The View panel appears below the toolbar. The View panel shows the IP address of each xStack Storage that has been added to the Management Center (an xStack Storage must be added to the console in order to be managed by it). In Figure 2-5, two xStack Storage systems have been added to the Management Center, one with an IP address of 192.168.59.25 and another with the IP address 192.168.60.12.
  • Page 24: Main Display

    2.3.4 Main Display The Main Display appears to the right of the View panel. The Main Display shows information relevant for the current view. For example, when the Volume View is displayed (as shown in Figure 2-6), the Main Display provides radio buttons for sorting the information shown by volume name or iSCSI initiator, along with the volumes and iSCSI initiators associated with the xStack Storage being managed.
  • Page 25: Detail Tabs

    2.3.6 Detail Tabs Detail Tabs appear below the Main Display. When you display a view, activities and information associated with the selected item in the view appear in these tabs in the Detail Tabs area. These tabs will change when you switch views or select a different item from the current view.
  • Page 26: Read This Section - If You Read Nothing Else In This Guide

    Center. These tasks are organized into three groups: Required tasks that all users must perform  Recommended tasks that D-Link Networks recommends that you perform  Optional tasks that are suggested but not required to use the xStack Storage ...
  • Page 27: Chapter 3 Getting Started

    Chapter 3 Getting Started This chapter describes how to get started using the xStack Storage Management Center. The topics covered in this chapter are: Section 3.1, Connecting and Logging In  Section 3.2, Setting the System Date and Time  Section 3.3, Customizing the Date and Time ...
  • Page 28: Connecting And Logging In

    3.1 Connecting and Logging In After confirming that the minimum system requirements in section 2.2 have been met, use the following procedure to connect and log in to the xStack Storage Management Center. 1. Start a Web browser on the PC connected to the xStack Storage management port. 2.
  • Page 29 Figure 3-2. Welcome Page From the Welcome page, perform the following steps to set up the xStack Storage system for initial use. 1. Click the I Accept the End User License Agreement button on the Welcome screen. The Admin Account page in Figure 3-3 appears. You must accept the End User License Agreement to proceed with the Start- up Wizard.
  • Page 30 Figure 3-3. Admin Account Page 2. The Admin Account page allows you to set the password for the administrator account. (Additional administrative accounts can be set up after completing the initial Start-up Wizard.) If you want to change the default password, type a case-sensitive password in the Password field and then retype the same password in the Re-type Password field.
  • Page 31 Figure 3-4. Management Port Page 4. The Management Port page provides fields for entering an IP address, subnet, default gateway, and host name of the xStack Storage management port. The settings you specify must be compatible with your local network and accessible to client computers that may be used to access the xStack Storage Management Center.
  • Page 32 Figure 3-5. Data Ports Page 6. The Data Ports page lets you specify the IP addresses, network masks, and gateway addresses for each iSCSI data port. Specifying these addresses at this time is optional. To skip this screen, click Skip to Email Notification. However, if you skip this screen, you will need to specify these addresses through the xStack Storage Management Center before you can use the data ports.
  • Page 33 Figure 3-6. Email Notification Page 7. The Email Notification page lets you enable the storage system’s email notification feature. If you check Enable Email Support to enable this feature, specify the SMTP server IP address and port number, an email address to be shown as originating the email, and an email address where email messages are to be sent.
  • Page 34: Logging In From The Home Page

     the xStack Storage command-line interface (CLI) and Microsoft Virtual Disk Services (VDS). For information about using these advanced features, refer to the D-Link Virtual Disk Services Guide and the xStack Storage Command Line Interface Reference Guide. Chapter 3 Getting Started...
  • Page 35 Figure 3-8. xStack Storage Management Center Home Page Figure 3-9. xStack Storage Management Center Login Screen The xStack Storage Management Center requires the latest version of Java Runtime Environment (JRE). If the latest version of JRE is not installed on the management PC, xStack Storage will let you download it if the PC has Internet access.
  • Page 36: Setting The System Date And Time

    Otherwise, if you lose this information, you will need to contact D-Link technical support. 3. To log in to the selected xStack Storage array without having to enter your user name and password each time, check Remember me and log in automatically.
  • Page 37 Figure 3-10. Advanced Settings Tab 3. Double-click on the current date and time value for the Remote System Time item, then type the new date and/or time and press the Enter key. You can also click on the calendar button at the far right of the date and time field to display a calendar pop-up to simplify the date selection (an example is shown in Figure 3-11).
  • Page 38: Customizing The Date And Time Display

    5. Click on the Apply button. 3.3 Customizing the Date and Time Display The xStack Storage also maintains the current time zone. You may need to change these settings the first time you configure the xStack Storage, if time changes occur in your area, or if you transport the xStack Storage to another location.
  • Page 39: Configuring User Accounts

    Write the new login password on a piece of paper and keep the paper in a safe place. If you lose the login password, you may have to contact D-Link technical support.
  • Page 40: Adding Admin Accounts

    4. In the New Password field, enter a case-sensitive password for the admin account. The Confirm New Password field becomes available. 5. In the Confirm New Password field, retype the same case-sensitive password that you typed in the previous step. For security, each typed password character appears as a bullet (●).
  • Page 41: Adding User Accounts

    3.4.3 Adding User Accounts A user account consists of a unique user name and password. Individuals with user accounts can modify passwords only. To add user accounts: 1. In Volume View, click System Administration in the View panel. 2. Click the User Accounts tab. The User Accounts tab displays your user account settings (an example is shown in Figure 3-13).
  • Page 42: Modifying Accounts

    3.4.4 Modifying Accounts There may be times when the administrator needs to edit an account. For example, you may want to change a user’s login password or promote the user to admin so the user can create, modify, and delete user accounts. 1.
  • Page 43: Logging Out

    However, if you lose the password for the new account, you may have to contact D-Link technical support. 1. In the View panel, click System Administration.
  • Page 44: Shutting Down The Xstack Storage Array

    3.7 Shutting Down the xStack Storage Array If you no longer want to use the xStack Storage array, use the following procedure to shut it down. The following steps are required for shutting down the xStack Storage array. Failing to use this procedure to shut down the array will result in battery power degradation if a UPS is not used.
  • Page 45: Chapter 4 Managing Volumes

    Chapter 4 Managing Volumes This chapter describes how to manage volumes on an xStack Storage. A volume is a set of storage blocks organized and presented for use by a customer’s server (an iSCSI initiator node). The iSCSI initiator node sees the volume as a contiguous series of numbered blocks, called Virtual Logical Block Numbers (VLBNs), in the same way that it would see the storage space on a single disk drive.
  • Page 46: Understanding The Volume View

    4.1 Understanding the Volume View In the Volume View, the Main Display shows information about the volumes on the xStack Storage array. The information shown can be sorted by volume name or by iSCSI initiator using the two radio buttons in the Main Display. By default, the Sort by Volume button is selected (see Figure 4-1).
  • Page 47: Creating Volumes

    iSCSI Initiator Volume Associated with the iSCSI Initiator Information about the Selected Volume Appears Here Figure 4-2. Volume View Sorted by Initiator 4.2 Creating Volumes Adding volumes defines what volumes are accessible through the xStack Storage target. The xStack Storage Management Center provides a Create Volume Wizard that makes volume creation as easy as answering a few questions.
  • Page 48 Figure 4-3. Create Volume Wizard Welcome Screen 2. To skip the Welcome page in the future, check Don’t show this dialog when staring this wizard. 3. Click Next. The Volume Name screen appears (see Figure 4-4) Figure 4-4. Volume Name Screen 4.
  • Page 49: Letting The Wizard Choose The Best Volume Organization

    It is not possible to specify a Volume Name that is already used by another existing volume. The target name and durable name shown in the volume Properties tab in Volume View incorporate the Volume name (without any spaces or special characters) and are guaranteed to be worldwide unique (see section 4.4.1).
  • Page 50 Table 4-1. Pre-defined Volume Organization and Characteristics Usage Volume Organization Chunk Size Minimum Drives Required Email Server Stripe/Mirror 1024 KB Database Server Stripe/Mirror 1024 KB Web Server Stripe/Mirror 1024 KB File Server Parity 1024 KB Workstation Primary Boot Disk Mirror 1024 KB Workstation Additional Storage Parity...
  • Page 51 Figure 4-7. Storage Efficiency Screen 3. Select the option that best describes the protection you desire against data loss if a drive should fail. Click Next. If you select Complete Copy, the Number of Drives screen appears (see Figure 4-8) and you should proceed to the next step.
  • Page 52 Figure 4-9. Volume Size Screen 5. In the Volume Size screen, use the Capacity field and drop-down list to specify the size to be allocated for this volume. Do not exceed the maximum volume size shown in this screen. Click Next. The resulting volume capacity may be slightly different than the nominal size specified, depending on the type of volume, the chunk size, and the number of drives used.
  • Page 53 Figure 4-10. Grant Access Screen 6. By default, all iSCSI initiators will have access to the volume you create. If you prefer, you can grant access to one or more iSCSI authorized initiators listed in the screen, grant access to an initiator not in the list, or not grant access to an initiator at this time. If you decide to select multiple iSCSI initiators from the list, you can use the following shortcuts: For adjacent iSCSI initiators, click the first one, then hold down the Shift key and...
  • Page 54 Figure 4-11. Ready to Create Volume Screen 8. If you are satisfied with your selections, click Finish to create the volume. Otherwise, click the Back button to return to the screen where you need to change a selection. Then click Next until you return to this screen and click Finish to create the volume. If the volume is created, a message similar to the one in Figure 4-12 appears.
  • Page 55: Making Your Own Volume Selection Choices

    4.2.2 Making Your Own Volume Selection Choices If you selected Let me make my own choices (Advanced) in the Volume Name screen and clicked Next, the Volume Composition screen appears (see Figure 4-13). Use the following procedure to complete the volume creation process and record your settings in Table C-1. Figure 4-13.
  • Page 56 Figure 4-14. Stripe Width Screen 3. The Stripe Width screen shows the volume composition selection you made in the Volume Composition screen. Use the Number of Members in Stripe box to specify the number of the members that will be in the stripe. Click Next. The Number of Drives screen appears (see Figure 4-15).
  • Page 57 To deselect a disk, hold down the Ctrl key and click a disk that is selected. – Each disk can contain a maximum of 256 extents. 5. Click Next. If you selected Stripe/Mirror, Parity, or Stripe, a Stripe Depth screen similar to the one in Figure 4-16 appears and you should proceed to the next step.
  • Page 58 Figure 4-17. Volume Size Screen 7. In the Volume Size screen, use the Capacity field and drop-down list to select the size to be allocated for this volume. Do not exceed the maximum volume size shown in the screen. Click Next. The resulting volume capacity may be slightly different than the nominal size specified, depending on the type of volume, the chunk size, and the number of drives used.
  • Page 59 Figure 4-18. Grant Access Screen 8. By default, all iSCSI initiators will have access to the volume you create. If you prefer, you can grant access to one or more iSCSI initiators listed in the screen, grant access to an initiator not in the list, or not grant access to an initiator at this time. If you decide to select multiple iSCSI initiators from the list, you can use the following shortcuts: For adjacent iSCSI initiators, click the first one, then hold down the Shift key and –...
  • Page 60 Figure 4-19. Ready to Create Volume Screen 10. If you are satisfied with your selections click Finish to create the volume. Otherwise, click the Back button to return to the screen where you need to change a selection. Then click Next until you return to this screen and click Finish to create the volume. If the volume is created, a message similar to the one in Figure 4-20 appears.
  • Page 61: Performing Volume Actions

    4.3 Performing Volume Actions After you create volumes, you can use the Volume Actions panel to perform the following activities: Grant or revoke volume access to iSCSI initiators. See section 4.3.1.  Scan a volume. See section 4.3.2.  Destroy a volume. See section 4.3.3. ...
  • Page 62 3. If the top option is checked, all iSCSI initiators can access the selected volume. To change this selection, uncheck this option and select one of the following: Grant access to Initiator. Enter the name of an initiator that will have access to this –...
  • Page 63: Scanning A Volume

    4.3.2 Scanning a Volume After you create a volume, you can scan it for errors. This task reads every block in the volume to ensure that parity and media are correct. If parity errors are found, this task corrects the errors. To scan a volume: 1.
  • Page 64: Destroying A Volume

    Figure 4-23, Pop-up Calendar 4.3.3 Destroying a Volume If you no longer need a volume, you can remove or “destroy” it. Destroying a volume does not “sanitize” data on the drive(s). To destroy a volume: 1. In the Volume View, click a volume in the Main Display. 2.
  • Page 65: Growing A Volume

    Figure 4-24. Warning Message when Destroying a Volume 3. Click OK to destroy the selected volume or Cancel to keep the volume. 4.3.4 Growing a Volume There may be times when you want to increase the capacity of a volume, while preserving the original composition of the volume.
  • Page 66: Reconfiguring A Volume

    After the volume is grown, the size of the file system that resides on the volume may also need to be increased. For more information, refer to your host operating system documentation (for example, Windows Disk Management). 4.3.5 Reconfiguring a Volume After you create a volume (and it has finished initializing if it is a Parity volume), you can reconfigure its composition, stripe width and depth (if appropriate), number of drives, or volume size.
  • Page 67 Figure 4-26. Volume Composition Page 3. See section 4.2.2 to complete this procedure (including specifying the volume composition, capacity, stripe width, drive, and chunk size) and record your settings in Table C-1. The Ready to Create Volume screen shown in Figure 4-27 allows you to confirm your selections for the reconfiguration.
  • Page 68 Figure 4-28. Finish Reconfigure Screen 5. Select Close to exit from the Volume Reconfigure Wizard. During the volume reconfiguration, the Main Display in the Volume View can be used to view the progress of the reconfiguration. In Figure 4-29, the Main Display shows that the reconfiguration of the volume is 3% complete.
  • Page 69: Using The Detail Tabs

    4.4 Using the Detail Tabs When sorted by Volume name, the Volume View provides the following Detail Tabs: The first tab inherits its name from the volume selected in the Main Display. You can use  this tab to change the name of the selected volume or view information about it. See section 4.4.1.
  • Page 70: Viewing Extents On A Volume (Extents Tab)

    Information about this selected volume… …is displayed in this tab Figure 4-30. Information about a Selected Volume Shown in the First Tab 4.4.2 Viewing Extents on a Volume (Extents Tab) An extent (also known as a “physical extent”) is a contiguous set of logical blocks (LBs) on a drive.
  • Page 71 Figure 4-31. Extents Tab (Basic Information) You can use one of the following methods to display advanced extent information in the Extents tab for the selected volume: On the Volumes menu, check Show Advanced Extents.  Check Show Advanced Extents in the Volume Actions panel. ...
  • Page 72: Viewing Reconfiguration Information (Reconfigure Tab)

    Figure 4-32. Advanced Extent Information in the Extents Tab 4.4.3 Viewing Reconfiguration Information (Reconfigure Tab) If the volume selected in the Main Display is being reconfigured (see section 4.3.5), a Reconfigure tab appears between the Extents and Security tabs. This read-only screen shows the description and status of the drive being reconfigured.
  • Page 73: Enabling Or Disabling Chap Security For Volumes (Security Tab)

    Figure 4-33. Reconfigure Tab 4.4.4 Enabling or Disabling CHAP Security for Volumes (Security Tab) When you create a volume, you can enable CHAP. If you want to change this setting, you can use the Security tab to enable or disable CHAP, or change the CHAP secret. Record your settings in Table C-1.
  • Page 74 Figure 4-34. Security Tab for a Volume 3. Check Require CHAP Logon Authentication. 4. In the CHAP Secret field, enter the case-sensitive password that will be used by the target to authenticate an initiator. Then re-enter the same password in the Confirm CHAP Secret field.
  • Page 75: Viewing Or Changing Advanced Settings (Advanced Settings Tab)

    4.4.4.3 Disabling CHAP Security To disable CHAP security: 1. In the Volume View, click the volume in the Main Display whose CHAP security you want to disable. 2. Click the Security tab. The options in Figure 4-34 appear. 3. Uncheck Require CHAP Logon Authentication. 4.
  • Page 76 Figure 4-35. Advanced Volume Settings Table 4-2. Advanced Volume Settings Settings (can be modified) Description First Burst Length Maximum amount, in bytes, of unsolicited data that an initiator can send to a target during the execution of a single SCSI command. This amount includes the immediate data, if any, and the sequence of unsolicited Data-Out PDUs, if any, that follow the command.
  • Page 77 Settings (can be modified) Description Secondary Data Digest Method Secondary data digest used by the volume. Choices are: No Digest  CRC32C (default)  Maximum Data Segment Length Received The longest data segment (in bytes) that the volume can receive. Choices are: 8192 ...
  • Page 78: Enabling Or Disabling Chap Security For Initiators (Security Tab)

    Values (cannot be modified) Description Immediate Data Indicates whether the initiator and target have agreed to allow the transmission of immediate data in the session. (Immediate data is data that the initiator piggybacks onto an iSCSI command PDU.) This item is always disabled. Data PDU In Order Indicates whether the data PDUs within a sequence of data PDUs must be located at continuously increasing addresses, with no gaps or overlay between...
  • Page 79: Removing Iscsi Initiators

    2. Check Require CHAP Logon Authentication. 3. In the CHAP Secret field, enter the case-sensitive password that will be used by the target to authenticate an initiator. Then re-enter the same password in the Confirm CHAP Secret field. The CHAP secret must be from 12 to 16 characters long. For security, each typed character appears as a bullet (●).
  • Page 80 2. Perform one of the following steps to remove the selected iSCSI initiator: On the Initiators menu, click Remove Initiator. – – In the Initiator Actions panel, click Remove Initiator. Press the right mouse button, then click Remove Initiator from the shortcut menu. –...
  • Page 81: Chapter 5 Managing Physical Storage

    Chapter 5 Managing Physical Storage This chapter describes how to manage the physical storage on an xStack Storage. Physical storage is managed in the Physical Storage View. If you are in a different console view, you can display the Physical Storage View by performing any of the following steps: Clicking Physical Storage on the View menu.
  • Page 82: Understanding The Physical Storage View

    5.1 Understanding the Physical Storage View In the Physical Storage View, the Main Display shows the following information about each of the xStack Storage drives: The total number of drives  The drive number  The total capacity  The percentage of capacity used ...
  • Page 83: Performing Drive Actions

    5.2 Performing Drive Actions When you select a drive in the Main Display, you can use the Drive Actions panel to perform the following activities: Initialize a drive. See section 5.2.1.  Down a drive. See section 5.2.2.  Reserve spare drives. See section 5.2.3. ...
  • Page 84: Downing A Drive

    5.2.2 Downing a Drive The xStack Storage Management Center provides a Down Drive feature that lets you remove a drive from the system in an orderly way. Using this feature, you can, for example, replace a smaller drive with a larger drive. The Down Drive operation requires all space used on the selected drive to be relocated onto different drives.
  • Page 85: Reserving Spare Drives

    If you down a drive, you can use the Schedule tab in the System Administration View to view or suspend this action (see section 6.2.4). A down drive operation cannot be cancelled or deleted. To view the progress of the down drive operation, refer to the Schedule tab in the System Administration View.
  • Page 86: Using The Detail Tabs

    5.3 Using the Detail Tabs Physical Storage View provides the following Detail Tabs: The Properties tab shows a drive’s properties. See section 5.3.1.  The Extents tab displays basic or advanced information about the extents associated  with a drive. See section 5.3.2. The SMART Data tab shows SMART overview, self-test, and offline data collection ...
  • Page 87: Viewing Extents On A Drive (Extents Tab)

    5.3.2 Viewing Extents on a Drive (Extents Tab) An extent is a contiguous set of logical blocks (LBs) on a drive. An extent is also called a physical extent. When a drive is selected in the Main Display, you can use the Extents tab to view information about the extents on the selected drive.
  • Page 88: Viewing Smart Data And Attributes (Smart Data And Smart Attributes Tabs)

    Figure 5-7. Extents Tab (Advanced View) 5.3.3 Viewing SMART Data and Attributes (SMART Data and SMART Attributes Tabs) Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (SMART) is a monitoring system for SATA drives to detect and report on various indicators of reliability, with the hope of anticipating failures.
  • Page 89 Figure 5-8. SMART Data Tab Figure 5-9. SMART Attributes Tab When a SATA drive exceeds a SMART Threshold value, the system will automatically “down” that drive. For more information about the “Down Drive” operation, refer to Section 5.2.2. xStack Storage Management Center Software User’s Guide...
  • Page 90 This Page Left Intentionally Blank Chapter 5 Managing Physical Storage...
  • Page 91: Chapter 6 System Administration

    Chapter 6 System Administration This chapter describes how to perform system administration activities. System administration tasks are performed from the System Administration View. If you are in a different console view, you can display the System Administration View by performing any of the following steps: Clicking System Administration on the View menu.
  • Page 92: Understanding The System Administration View

    6.1 Understanding the System Administration View The System Administration View varies depending on whether your xStack Storage system is capable of supporting single or redundant controllers. Dual-controller configurations are only available when an additional controller is installed in the system, and only the DSN- 5000 Series can support dual-contollers.
  • Page 93: Dual-Controller Systems

    6.1.2 Dual-Controller Systems The Main Display shows a tree-view of the top-level system and one or two controllers, along with the status of controller (OK, Needs Attention, Failed or Not Present). The software version also appears for each controller that has a status of OK. Hardware note: For the DSN-5110-10, the additional controller is the DSN-510, for the DSN- 5210-10, the additional controller is the DSN-520 and for the DSN-5410-10,...
  • Page 94 Dual controller systems provide redundancy for High Availability. Under normal conditions, both controllers in the Primary Array function as a “Bound” pair. They operate together and all system activity on the primary controller is mirrored to the redundant controller. In the event of a controller failure, the system will automatically transfer all system configuration information (including Management Port and Data Port IP addresses) and any cached data to the redundant controller, without any interruption to the host servers.
  • Page 95: Using The Detail Tabs

    6.2 Using the Detail Tabs System Administration View provides the following Detail Tabs: The Summary tab shows an overview of system resources. See section 6.2.1.  The History tab shows historical information. See section 6.2.2.  The Controller tab shows hardware and software revisions and status of the controller. ...
  • Page 96 When You Select an Item Here… Information about that Item Appears Here Figure 6-4. History Tab You can save the event history as a text file in comma-separated format on your local computer. 1. Perform one of the following steps: On the Tools menu, click Save Event History.
  • Page 97: Controller Details (Controller Tab)

    6.2.3 Controller Details (Controller Tab) The Controller tab in the System Administration View displays status information about the controller (see Figure 6-7). If your xStack Storage system is equipped with dual controllers, the Controller tab label appears as either “Controller 0” or “Controller 1”, depending on which controller you selected in the Main View.
  • Page 98: Viewing Scheduled Activities (Tasks Tab)

    Figure 6-7. Controller Tab (Controller 0 shown) 6.2.4 Viewing Scheduled Activities (Tasks Tab) The Tasks tab in the System Administration View lets you view, suspend, or delete activities that you have scheduled, as shown in Figure 6-8. Each row in the tab corresponds to an activity that has been scheduled.
  • Page 99: Saving The Current Configuration (Control Tab)

    Figure 6-8. Schedule Tab 6.2.5 Saving the Current Configuration (Control Tab) Best practices dictate that you save the xStack Storage configuration after you configure the array for the first time and, thereafter, each time you change the configuration. You can then use the procedure in section 6.2.6 to restore the configuration if necessary, without having to re-enter the settings from scratch.
  • Page 100 Figure 6-9. Control Tab 2. Under XStack Storage Configuration, click the Save button. The Save dialog box appears (see Figure 6-10). Figure 6-10. Save Configuration Dialog Box 3. Using the Save Configuration dialog box, go to the location where you want to store the configuration file.
  • Page 101: Restoring A Configuration (Control Tab)

    We recommend you write the name and location of the configuration file in case you need to use it to restore your xStack Storage’s configuration. 6. Record the information in Table C-7. 6.2.6 Restoring a Configuration (Control Tab) If you used the procedure in section 6.2.5 to save the xStack Storage configuration, you can use the following procedure to restore the configuration.
  • Page 102: Restoring Factory Default Settings (Control Tab)

    6.2.7 Restoring Factory Default Settings (Control Tab) There may be times when you want to return the xStack Storage array to its factory default settings. Using the Restore Factory Defaults button in the Settings tab of the System Administration view, you can return the xStack Storage to the settings that were in effect when it was shipped from the factory.
  • Page 103: Restarting The Xstack Storage (Control Tab)

    4. Using the Open dialog box, navigate to the location where you downloaded the software file. Then click the file and click the Open button. The precautionary message in Figure 6-14 appears. Figure 6-14. Precautionary Message 5. Click OK to upgrade the software and reboot the xStack Storage, or click Cancel to keep the current configuration and not reboot the xStack Storage.
  • Page 104: Shutting Down The Xstack Storage (Control Tab)

    6.2.10 Shutting Down the xStack Storage (Control Tab) The Control tab provides a Shutdown button for shutting down the xStack Storage. To shut down the xStack Storage: 1. In the System Administration View, click the Control tab. 2. Click the Shutdown button. The precautionary message in Figure 6-16 appears Figure 6-16.
  • Page 105: Configuring User Accounts (Settings Tab)

    5. Click OK to enable the selected options or click Cancel to keep the current Battery and System Failure policies. It is recommended that you accept the default setting Stop buffering I/O in cache, which allows host I/O to continue, although with lower performance. Table 6-2.
  • Page 106: Viewing Or Changing Advanced Settings (Advanced Settings Tab)

    When using SNMP Traps with a third-party framework management application, you may need to install the storage system’s MIB into that package. The MIB file is available on the Product CD that came with your storage array, or it can be downloaded from D-Link’s website.
  • Page 107 Figure 6-18. Advanced Settings Tab xStack Storage Management Center Software User’s Guide...
  • Page 108 Table 6-4. Advanced System Settings Advanced Setting Description Remote System Time Date and time of the storage system, adjusted for its local time zone. NTP (Time Server) IP Address Enter the IP address of the NTP Time Server to allow the storage system to synchronize its date and time with an external time server.
  • Page 109 Table 6-5. Alert Notification Settings Alert Notification Setting Description Email Notification Enabled Indicates whether the storage system will send an alert notification by email when an event occurs. Choices are: Enabled = send an email alert. If you select this setting, the following four ...
  • Page 110 This Page Left Intentionally Blank Chapter 6 System Administration...
  • Page 111: Chapter 7 Managing Management And Ethernet Ports And Portals

    Chapter 7 Managing Management and Ethernet Ports and Portals This chapter describes how to manage the xStack Storage management and Ethernet ports and portals. Ports and portals are managed in the Network Settings View. If you are in a different console view, you can display the Network Settings View by performing any of the following steps: Clicking Network Settings on the View menu.
  • Page 112: Understanding The Network Settings View

    7.1 Understanding the Network Settings View In the Network Settings View, the Main Display shows the IP address and connection status of the xStack Storage management port, Ethernet ports, and Link Aggregate Groups (LAGs) for your xStack Storage system. If your system is equipped with dual controllers, all of these settings will be automatically and transparently transferred to the redundant controller in the event of a failover, without any changes or interruptions on your host servers.
  • Page 113: Working With Management Ports

    7.2 Working with Management Ports The xStack Storage contains a management port that provides access to the xStack Storage Management Center. In the Network Settings View, the management port associated with the xStack Storage appears below Network Settings in the Main Display. All of the settings described in this section apply to single-controller and dual-controller xStack Storage systems.
  • Page 114: Pinging From A Management Port

    Figure 7-2. Management Port Tab 2. To change a setting, click in the appropriate field and change the value shown. 3. When you finish changing all the settings in the tab, click the Apply button. 4. If you changed any settings, they will take effect immediately, without requiring the storage system to restart.
  • Page 115: Viewing Or Changing The Ethernet Port Settings

    Figure 7-3. Ping from Management Port Dialog Box 3. In the Ping to field, type the IP address of the destination device you want to ping. 4. Click OK. The results of the ping appear in the Ping Results field. 5.
  • Page 116 MTU of at least 4088 or 9000, depending on your selection. For more information, please see the D-Link hardware manual. Note that the selection of 9000 is only available with xStack Storage systems that have four or fewer data ports.
  • Page 117: Working With Network Portals

    7.4 Working with Network Portals The iSCSI standard uses the concept of a network entity that represents a device or gateway attached to an IP network. In general, this network entity (either target or initiator) must contain one or more network portals that provide the physical connection to the IP network. An iSCSI node within a network entity can use any of the network portals to access the IP network.
  • Page 118: Deleting A Network Portal

    Figure 7-5. Create Portal dialogs If the selected Ethernet port is not part of a VLAN, the VLAN ID field is not present in the Create Portal dialog box. 3. In the IP Address field, enter the IP address for the network portal. The IP address must be a unique address that is different than the management port and reside on the same subnet as the iSCSI initiator.
  • Page 119: Pinging From A Network Portal

    Figure 7-6. Precautionary Message when Deleting a Portal 3. Click OK to delete the portal or click Cancel to keep it. 7.4.3 Pinging from a Network Portal If you encounter or suspect a problem with a network portal, you can originate an outgoing ping from the network portal to a destination device.
  • Page 120: Grouping And Ungrouping Ports

    7.5 Grouping and Ungrouping Ports The xStack Storage Management Center allows you to group individual physical Ethernet ports into a single logical port called a link aggregate group (or “LAG”). Link aggregation is a way to combine (or “aggregate”) multiple data ports in parallel to act as a single logical connection with increased bandwidth, and the xStack Storage can do this, too, using static link aggregation.
  • Page 121: Grouping Ports

    Figure 7-8. Link Aggregate Group (LAG) 7.5.1 Grouping Ports The following procedure describes how to group ports. When you group ports, you have the option of creating a VLAN-enabled group. To group ports: 1. In the Network Settings View, click an Ethernet port in the Main Display. 2.
  • Page 122 Figure 7-9. Group Ports Dialog Box 3. To create a VLAN-enabled group from the grouped ports, check Create VLAN enabled Group. 4. By default, the MTU size is 1500. To enlarge this size, select 4088 or 9000 from the MTU Size drop-down list.
  • Page 123: Ungrouping Ports

    This “V” Indicates That the IP Address Selected in the Main Display is VLAN Enabled Figure 7-10. IP Address that Belongs to a VLAN-Enabled Group 7.5.2 Ungrouping Ports If you want to ungroup the ports in a LAG: 1. In the Network Settings View of the Main Display, click a LAG. 2.
  • Page 124: Working With Vlans

    2. Perform one of the following steps to remove the port from the group: On the Network menu, click Remove Port from Group. – – In the Network Actions panel, click Remove Port from Group. Press the right mouse button and click Remove Port from Group from the shortcut –...
  • Page 125: Vlan-Enabling A Port

    7.6.1 VLAN-Enabling a Port To VLAN-enable a port: 1. In the Network Settings View, click an Ethernet port in the Main Display. 2. Perform one of the following steps: On the Network menu, click Replace Port with VLAN enabled Port. –...
  • Page 126 1. In the Network Settings View, click a VLAN-enabled group in the Main Display. 2. Perform one of the following steps: On the Network menu, click Replace VLAN enabled Group with standard Group. – Click Replace VLAN enabled Group with standard Group in the Network Actions –...
  • Page 127: Chapter 8 Performing System Actions

    Chapter 8 Performing System Actions The System Actions panel is displayed in all views and always contains the following actions: Volume Creation Wizard – launches the wizard for creating volumes. See section 4.2.  Add xStack Storage – adds an xStack Storage system to be managed by the xStack ...
  • Page 128: Removing An Xstack Storage

    Figure 8-1. Add xStack Storage Screen 2. In the IP Address or Hostname field, enter either the IP address or the host name of the xStack Storage you want to manage. If you wish to add an xStack Storage system using a hostname, that host name and its IP address must already be defined in your network’s DNS server or in the “hosts”...
  • Page 129: Force System Failover

    8.3 Force System Failover You can use this item to verify your redundant network connections with the automatic failover capability of an xStack Storage system that is equipped with dual controllers. This procedure should only be used with extreme care, since a subsequent failure on the remaining controller could result in loss of access to your data.
  • Page 130 NTENTIONALLY LANK Chapter 8 Performing System Actions...
  • Page 131: Chapter 9 Best Practices

    Chapter 9 Best Practices This chapter provides suggestions and guidelines for optimizing your management experience with the xStack Storage Management Center. The topics covered in this chapter are: Section 9.1, Saving Configuration Settings  Section 8.2, Resetting Display Preferences  Section 9.3, Working with Firewalls ...
  • Page 132: Saving Configuration Settings

    9.1 Saving Configuration Settings After you define the settings for your xStack Storage, it is strongly recommended that you use the xStack Storage Management Center to save the settings in a configuration file and store the file in a safe location. Thereafter, you should save your configuration every time you change it to ensure you have a copy of your latest xStack Storage configuration.
  • Page 133 Table 9-1. TCP Port Numbers Port Description Telnet http (Web Server) https (Web Server) 5988 5989 CIM HTTPS For outgoing traffic from the xStack Storage management port, there are no fixed port numbers (ports are ephemeral), so all ports should be open for traffic from the xStack Storage management port.
  • Page 134 This Page Left Intentionally Blank Chapter 9 Best Practices...
  • Page 135: Chapter 10 Troubleshooting

    Chapter 10 Troubleshooting The xStack Storage Management Center includes additional features to quickly diagnose issues and minimize downtime. This chapter provides information about dealing with unexpected system problems when they occur. The topics covered in this chapter are: Section 10.1, Downloading a System Diagnostic Capture ...
  • Page 136: Downloading A System Diagnostic Capture

    In the unlikely event of an unexpected system failure, the system will automatically capture all of its operating parameters and status information, and allow you to download it to your local host system. You can then forward this system capture to D-Link for subsequent analysis of the problem.
  • Page 137: Possible Problems And Recommended Corrective Actions

    Click on each link to download the diagnostic capture file(s) to your local host system. You can then send the file(s) to the Technical Support staff at D-Link. For more information about how to contact Technical Support and send them the file, please refer to the Contact Information section in the Preface of this guide.
  • Page 138: Troubleshooting

    A power cable could have been Check all power cable connections. message in the disconnected from the power supply unit Contact D-Link Technical Support to request an RMA Event History Log or the AC power receptacle, or the power for a replacement power supply.
  • Page 139: Appendix A Menu Summary

    Appendix A Menu Summary This appendix summarizes the menus in the xStack Storage Management Center menus and the commands they contain. For more information about a command, refer to the section number. A.1 File Menu Add xStack Storage – adds xStack Storage arrays to be managed by the xStack Storage Management Center (see section 8.1).
  • Page 140 A.3 Tools Menu Volume Creation Wizard – runs the wizard for creating volumes (see section 4.2.1). Customize Time Display – customizes the time display for the time zone in which the xStack Storage is located (see section 3.3). Save Event History – saves the event history to a text file on a local computer (see section 6.2.2).
  • Page 141 A.7 Network Settings Menu (Ethernet Port Selected) Create Portal – creates a portal (see section 7.4.1). Replace Port with VLAN enabled Port – removes a port from an Ethernet group (see section 7.6.1). If the port is VLAN-enabled, this option changes to Replace VLAN enabled Port with standard Port (see section 7.6.2).
  • Page 142 NTENTIONALLY LANK Appendix A Menu Summary...
  • Page 143: Appendix B Factory Default Settings

    Appendix B Factory Default Settings This appendix lists the xStack Storage factory-default settings. Table B-1. Battery Policy Default Setting Parameter Default Value If the battery fails, the xStack Storage should Stop buffering I/O in cache Table B-2. Date and Time Default Setting Parameter Default Value Time Zone...
  • Page 144 Table B-8. Email Notification Support Default Setting Parameter Default Value Enable Email Notification Support Disabled SMTP Server 0.0.0.0 SMTP Port Table B-9. Advanced Settings (Volume View) Parameter Default Value Maximum Burst Length 262,144 bytes First Burst Length 8192 bytes Default Time To Wait 2 seconds Default Time To Retain 20 seconds...
  • Page 145 Table B-10. Advanced Settings (System Administration View) Advanced Setting Description Remote System Time Date and time of the xStack Storage, adjusted for its local time zone. iSCSI Port Number 3260 TCP/IP – Time to Live 64 seconds TCP/IP – Maximum IP Segmentation 8960 bytes TCP/IP –...
  • Page 146 NTENTIONALLY LANK Appendix B Factory Default Settings...
  • Page 147: Appendix C Recording Your Configuration Settings

    Appendix C Recording Your Configuration Settings This appendix contains tables you can use to record the configuration settings. Recording Volumes Use Table C-1 to record information about the volumes you create. Table C-1. Volumes Created Using the xStack Storage Array Volume Volume Volume Composition...
  • Page 148 Volume Volume Volume Composition Stripe Width (Number Number of Stripe CHAP Security Name Size (Parity, Mirror, etc.) of Stripes in Set) Drives Depth  No  Yes Secret: ________________________  No  Yes Secret: ________________________  No  Yes Secret: ________________________ ...
  • Page 149: Recording Iscsi Initiator Access

    Recording iSCSI Initiator Access Use Table C-2 to record information about the iSCSI initiators that will be accessing volumes. Table C-2. iSCSI Initiators Created Using the xStack Storage Array Initiator Name Volume Name Initiator Access  Granted to All Initiators ...
  • Page 150 Initiator Name Volume Name Initiator Access  Granted to All Initiators  Granted to Initiator: ________________________________ CHAP Secret ______________________________________________  Revoked for Initiator: ________________________________  Granted to All Initiators  Granted to Initiator: ________________________________ CHAP Secret ______________________________________________  Revoked for Initiator: ________________________________ ...
  • Page 151: Recording Groups

    Recording Groups Use Table C-3 to record information about the port groups you create. Table C-3. Groups Created Using the xStack Storage Array Physical Ethernet Ports Grouped VLAN Enabled (Yes/No) MTU Size xStack Storage Management Center Software User’s Guide...
  • Page 152: Recording Network Portals

    Recording Network Portals Use Table C-4 to record information about the network portals you create. Table C-4. Network Portals Created Using the xStack Storage Array IP Address Subnet Mask Gateway VLAN ID (for VLANs) Appendix C Recording Your Configuration Settings...
  • Page 153: Recording Scheduled Tasks

    Recording Scheduled Tasks Use Table C-5 to record information about the scheduled tasks you create. Table C-5. Scheduled Tasks Created Using the xStack Storage Array Operation Object Operation Task Frequency Start Date Start Time Name (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Once) xStack Storage Management Center Software User’s Guide...
  • Page 154: Admin Login Password

    Admin Login Password If you change the default admin login password, record it in Table C-6. Table C-6. Admin Login Password xStack Storage Admin Login Password Appendix C Recording Your Configuration Settings...
  • Page 155: Configuration Files

    Configuration Files If you save a configuration to a configuration file, record it in Table C-7. Table C-7. Configuration Files Configuration File Name File Location Description xStack Storage Management Center Software User’s Guide...
  • Page 156: Management Port Settings

    Management Port Settings Record your management port settings in Table C-8. Table C-8. Management Port Settings IP Address Subnet Default Gateway Host Name Appendix C Recording Your Configuration Settings...
  • Page 157: Data Port Settings

    Data Port Settings Record your data port settings in Table C-9. Table C-9. Data Port Settings IP Address Subnet Default Gateway Host Name xStack Storage Management Center Software User’s Guide...
  • Page 158: Email Settings

    C.10 Email Settings Record your email settings in Table C-10. Table C-10. Email Settings Enable Email SMTP Server IP Address Port Number From Support     iSNS Settings Record your iSNS settings in Table C-11. Table C-11. iSNS Settings Enable iSNS iSNS Server IP Address iSNS Server Subnet Mask...

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