vplex installation and config guide

8/9/2019 VPLEX Installation and Config Guide

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yright © 2012 EMC Corporation. Do not copy - All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to VPLEX Installation and Configuration.

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© Copyright 2012 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Published in the USA.

Revision Date: October 2012

Revision Number: MR-1WN-VPXIC.5.1

VPLEX Installation and Configuration


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This course covers how to perform VPLEX Cluster hardware installations. It is intended for

anyone that will perform “rack and stack” of VPLEX Clusters. Also covered are, system

initialization, Management IP configuration, pre -configuration upgrades, and setting up ESRS

in the system. This course supports VPLEX GeoSynchrony 5.1.This course is intended for “rack and stack” and system initialization of VPLEX Clusters.

The objectives for this course are shown here.



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Upon completion of this course, you should be able to perform a basic installation of a VPLEX

Cluster.



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This module focuses on how to validate the components required for installation.



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VPLEX ships in a single rack regardless of configuration; “small, medium, or large”. To

accommodate for potential future upgrades, the customer is not allowed to use the spare

space in the EMC VPLEX rack. The directors and Management Server are shipped with VPLEX

software pre-installed. All internal cabling and private IP network setup is completed at thefactory before it get shipped to the customer. This facilitates rapid deployment on site.



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VPLEX release notes provide information on current documentation available with VPLEX. It

also lists the documents in order that should be used to install and setup a new VPLEX. The

release notes also display the current software versions that are installed with the product. It

also displays the product interoperability with storage arrays, host operating systems andsoftware, High-availability, and switches. The release notes also list known problems and

limitations and configuration limits.

• The VPLEX Site Preparation guide describes the requirements and steps to prepare a

customer site for installation of a VPLEX cluster.

• The VPLEX Pre-installation and Configuration worksheet displays information that

should be gathered before installing an EMC VPLEX cluster.

• The EMC 40U-C Cabinet Unpacking and Setup guide is an illustrated guide that shows

how to remove EMC’s 40U-C cabinet from the shipping pallet and prepare it for

installation.

• The VPLEX Procedure Generator is a Windows program that can be run to generate

the current Installation and Preparation Guide, the VPLEX NDU guide, and VPLEX

Hardware replacement procedures.

• The Security Configuration guide list VPLEX user accounts. It also explains how to

access a VPLEX cluster and where the VPLEX log files are located.

• The Installation and Preparation guide describes how to install and configure a VPLEX

cluster and VPLEX Metro. It also displays basic diagrams of a small, medium, and large

VPLEX configuration. It also provides a brief description of hardware components.



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Listed here are the configuration tasks for a VPLEX Metro or Geo. These steps are also listed

in the VPLEX Configuration Guide. It is very important to follow these tasks in order when

configuring a VPLEX cluster.

Configuration flow for a Local VPLEX is similar to the steps listed in Cluster 1. However, in thiscourse, we will review the more complex VPLEX Metro configuration.

Please note that the BE ports do not log into the switch until you start and progress through

the EZ Setup wizard. This is important to understand since you would typically try to pre-

stage the exposure of back-end storage. One way to get around this issue is to utilize the

VPLEX WWN Calculator. This is covered later in this module.

It is best practice to always refer to the VPLEX Configuration Guide for the latest installation

information.



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The VPLEX Configuration worksheet identifies information that can be gathered before

installing an EMC VPLEX Local or VPLEX Metro implementation. Availability of this

information at the start of an installation helps to ensure smooth and efficient installation

and setup procedures. This document is a supplement to the EMC Installation andPreparation Guide, and is provided in Microsoft Word format to provide the ability for

anyone with Word to type the information into the tables. Complete the worksheet prior to

starting the Installation and Preparation.



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Listed here are the ESRS configuration requirements for VPLEX.



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Shown here is a list of hardware and software that is useful when installing VPLEX.



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The VPLEX Procedure Generator provides a way to create various VPLEX procedures. Once

the VPLEX PG is installed, it never needs to be updated. The VPLEX PG automatically

downloads and installs new repositories when they are available.



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The VPLEX equipment needs time to become acclimated to a data center. Temperature and

humidity values must ensure that condensation does not occur on any VPLEX components.

The altitude and atmospheric pressure specs are referenced to a standard day at 57°F

(14.8C). Maximum wet bulb is 82°F (28

°C).

If components are loose, the orange captive screws should be loosened, the part should be

pushed firmly into the backplane and the thumb screws should be tightened. The required

tools are listed in the EMC 40U-C Cabinet Unpacking and Setup guide.



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Listed here are general external cabling requirements for a VPLEX installation.



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This table shows the port layout of a VPLEX engine. This pictures also displays the way each

director should be connected to the fabric. Here, front-end port A0-FC00 of Director A is

connected to Fabric A and front-end port on Director B, B0-FC00 is also connected to Fabric

A.The next two ports on each director, A0-FC01 and B0-FC01 are connected to Fabric B.

Connecting VPLEX to the customer’s fabrics as shown helps to evenly distribute the paths

between the directors. The front-end and back-end connections should also be spread across

I/O modules. This prevents data unavailability if a single I/O module fails.



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If configuring a VPLEX Metro, each director in each cluster should be connected to the inter-

cluster SAN as shown.



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cluster SAN as shown. This example shows a fully populated VPLEX Metro with four engines

in each cluster.



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cluster SAN as shown.



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If configuring a VPLEX Geo, each director in each cluster should be connected to the inter-

cluster WAN as shown.



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Verify the following:

Verify that all necessary hardware has been received at the customer site(s), as documented in the

purchase order and shipping list.

Verify that four storage devices of at least 78 GB each are available for use as a VPLEX Metadata volume, amirrored copy, and backups for the Metadata volume and mirror. The Metadata volume will contain RAID

and virtual volume metadata. Unless only one back-end array is visible, the Metadata volume and its

backup volume must be on separate arrays, and should be in separate failure domains. This requirement

also applies to the mirror volume and its backup volume.

Verify that redundant fabrics are available for connection to the VPLEX I/O ports. Each director should

connect to both fabrics with both the front-end and back-end ports. Connecting the ports to mirrored

fabrics prevents data unavailability if a single I/O module fails.

Review the Implementation and Planning Best Practices for EMC VPLEX Technical Notes available on

Powerlink.

Ensure that you have an implementation design that is consistent with the recommended best practicesfor VPLEX.

To successfully complete the setup, you should have reviewed best practices for zoning, high-availability

requirements, performance considerations, and other topics for the specific arrays, hosts, or applications

in your environment. Note: EMC recommends zoning to the port WWNs.

Ensure that you understand the zoning requirements and recommendations of your SAN switch vendor. If

necessary, consult with the appropriate storage administrator.

Review the EMC VPLEX Simple Support Matrix (available on Powerlink) for specific array requirements.

Download and complete the VPLEX with GeoSynchrony 5.1 Pre-installation Configuration Worksheet,

which is available with other VPLEX documentation on EMC Powerlink.



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Prior to installation there are several items that need to be verified or completed:

• That hardware has been received at the customer site(s).

• That four storage devices of at least 78 GB each are available for use as a VPLEX

Metadata volume, a mirrored copy, and backups.

• Redundant fabrics need to be in place for connection to the VPLEX I/O ports. Each

director should connect to both fabrics with both the front-end and back-end ports.

• Review the Implementation and Planning Best Practices for EMC VPLEX Technical

Notes.

• Review zoning requirements and procedures.

• Review the EMC VPLEX Simple Support Matrix for specific array requirements.

• Download and complete the VPLEX with GeoSynchrony 5.1 Pre-installation

Configuration Worksheet, which is available with other VPLEX documentation.



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The Management Server has four Ethernet ports. The diagram shows the location of the

Service LAN port and the Public LAN port. The two other ports are shipped pre-cabled for

internal connection to the directors. The service LAN port is always 128.221.252.2.

Therefore, connecting a laptop to the service LAN port allows access to administer a VPLEX.To initially connect to the VPLEX, the user must use SSH utility and the protocol version must

be set to 2. The user must also login using the service account. It is also important to disable

any other network ports on your server laptop when connecting to the Management Server

as it could cause issues. The public LAN port, “eth3” should be connected to the customer’s

IP network. This IP address is set at a later time in the installation.



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After connecting to the Management Server, the VPlexcli process should be verified that it is

running. The Management Server hostname can then be set using the command listed.



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This module covered how to prepare for VPLEX installation.



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This module focuses on the Easy Setup process for VPLEX.



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This slide lists the high level steps for running the EZ-Setup Wizard. The EZ-Setup Wizard

performs several tasks on a cluster.



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To begin the VPLEX installation, the EZ-Setup Wizard is used. This wizard is invoked by using

the configuration system-setup command. Notice the wizard starts by asking you to read the

VPLEX Installation Guide and Release Notes before you proceed with the installation.

To continue with the configuration type Yes.



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The next option is to select the first or second cluster to configure. Option 1 must be

selected. If for some reason the EZ-Setup Wizard fails, the manual installation procedures

must be used to finish the VPLEX configuration.



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The number of engines in the system must be specified. This example shows a small

configuration and therefore the number of engines specified is 1. VPLEX System Events and

Reports can be configured to be sent to an ESRS Gateway during initial configuration of a

VPLEX cluster.



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The next step is to configure the CA and host certificate. These certificates are used to

configured the VPN between two Management Servers in a VPLEX Metro. They are also used

for GUI web server access. By default, the host certificate is set to expire in two years and the

CA certificate is set to expire in 5 years. These default values can be modified if requiredduring these steps.

The passphrases may be the same for all certificates in a VPLEX Metro configuration however

for best security practice you should use the same CA passphrase in both clusters and unique

Host passphrases in each cluster.

After configuring the certificates, the VPLEX EZ-Setup Wizard will run through the rest of the

configuration. It will set the directors names, configure the cluster ID, enable VPLEX back-end

ports, commission the directors, and many other configuration tasks. At the end of the

configuration, the automated configuration steps are done for a single cluster install.



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To zone storage to VPLEX, you need to know the port WWNs of the back-end VPLEX ports,

which are the ports that connect to the storage arrays.

The WWN calculator is installed. The installer also can create a desktop icon.

The VPLEX Port WWN Calculator encodes the VPLEX seed number to WWPN's. All WWPN's

and WWNN's can be reported in Microsoft Excel from the GUI.

The VPLEX seed number can be located from the front of the cabinet by removing the

engine’s bezel.



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Locate the Seed Number Location from the VPlexcli command displayed.



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Zone the storage to the VPLEX back-end ports, following the recommendations in the

Implementation and Planning Best Practices for EMC VPLEX Technical Notes.

Notice in this step, VPLEX has only been configured on one cluster, therefore only the

director WWNs for that cluster will be visible from the switch. You can manually zone thesecond cluster but the VPLEX directors will not log in until you run the wizard.



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When the VPLEX back-end ports are zoned to the storage array, perform LUN Masking

operations. When LUNs have been provisioned to the VPLEX, continue the setup. This part of

the EZ-Setup finishes by re-discovering the back-end arrays. Wait several minutes for the re-

discovery to complete before you proceed to the next task.



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Each VPLEX Engine requires 4 meta-data volumes where two work in a mirror and the other

two are used for backup. When possible, it is recommended that the meta-data volumes are

located in different storage arrays. It is required to have two 78 GB LUNs ready for the

Metadata volume. These LUNs are used to create the Metadata volume.Two more volume are required for backup volumes.



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From the VPlexcli prompt, type the following command to list available storage volumes that

meet the requirements for a Metadata volume that are 78 GB or larger and unclaimed.

From the output, identify four volumes to be used for the Metadata volume, a mirror of the

Metadata volume, and backups for both the Metadata volume and the mirror.

Unless only one back-end array is visible, the Metadata volume and mirror must be on

separate arrays, and should be in separate failure domains. This requirement also applies to

the mirror volume and its backup volume.



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Once the meta-volume is created, verify it is active.



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You must backup the Metadata mirrored volume with two more devices, then schedule

regular backups.



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You must register the cluster with EMC in order to receive service.



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Once the EMC Cluster is registered, enable the front-end ports. At this point, if you log into

your fabric switch, you should see the front-end ports log in. We will zone the front-end

ports to our hosts in the next modules.



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Establish a PuTTY session to the management server in cluster 2 and log in with username

service and password Mi@Dim7T.

Enter the vplecli and log in with username service and password Mi@Dim7T.



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In a VPLEX Metro or Geo configuration, the second cluster synchronizes the time between

the local management server and a remote management server using NTP.

Use this command only on the second cluster to be configured in a VPLEX Metro

configuration. Use this command before any set-up has been performed on the secondcluster of a VPLEX Metro configuration. Use this command during initial system configuration

before using the configuration system-setup command. Use this command only

on the second cluster to be configured in a VPLEX Metro configuration. This command

synchronizes Cluster 2 with Cluster 1 even if the time was correct on Cluster 2 but incorrect

on Cluster 1. The command prompts for the public IP address of the first cluster's

management server.

The synchronization might cause your VPlexcli or shell session to end. If this happens, log

in again and proceed.



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Since we will be connecting two VPLEX together in a cluster we need to verify they are both

the same version. Additionally, check the cluster health to make sure it is capable to join with

cluster 1.



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Connect to the second cluster with the VPlexcli. Since this is the second cluster configured,

Option 2 must be selected. If for some reason the EZ-Setup Wizard fails, the manual

installation procedures must be used to finish the VPLEX configuration.



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The configuration will guide you through the same steps as the previous cluster. You have the

option of configuring authentication, EMC notification, and call home functionality. Once

those parameters are configured the Certificate Authority must be configured. This will be

used to connect to the first cluster. Notice it is recommended that the values for the CAshould be the same on both clusters to establish a VPN connection.



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The next part of EZ-Setup will request the connectivity information of the first cluster. The

setup asks for the IP address, service account password and a local certificate. After this is

created, the EZ-Setup asks for the certificate key to establish the VPN connection with cluster

1. If the information is correct, the VPN connection will get configured and back-end portswill be enabled.



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From the VPlexcli prompt, type the displayed command to list all director port WWNs.



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Wait several minutes for array rediscovery to complete before you proceed to the next task.



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From the VPlexcli prompt, type the configuration show-meta-volume-candidates command

to list available storage volumes that meet the requirements for a Metadata volume (78 GB

or larger, and unclaimed).

From the output, identify four volumes to be used for the Metadata volume, a mirror of theMetadata volume, and backups for both the Metadata volume and the mirror.

Unless only one back-end array is visible, the Metadata volume and mirror must be on

separate arrays, and should be in separate failure domains. This requirement also applies to

the mirror volume and its backup volume.



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VPLEX creates two backup volumes, each named. Note that this process takes up to ten

minutes.



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Several of the remaining tasks require moving back and forth between VPlexcli sessions to

both clusters. You will find it easier to leave two sessions open.



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Once the EMC Cluster is registered, enable the front-end ports. At this point, if you log into

your fabric switch, you should see the front-end ports log in. We will zone the front-end

ports to our hosts in the next modules.



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The EZ-Setup Wizard completes and performs the following steps on the cluster:

• Enables the front-end ports

• Connects to Cluster 1’s directors

After the setup script has completed, the VPlexcli prompt appears.



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This module covered how to perform the Easy Setup for VPLEX.



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This module focuses on how configure a VPLEX Metro installation.



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Follow the recommendations in the Implementation and Planning Best Practices for EMC

VPLEX Technical Note to zone the WAN COM ports.

Each FC WAN port in each cluster will be zoned to the FC WAN ports on the same fabric at

the remote site. This is roughly equivalent to one initiator zoned to multiple targets.(Although COM ports are both initiators and targets, COM ports will not log into each other

using the WAN ports).

This zoning provides additional fault tolerance and error isolation in the event of

configuration error or a rogue fabric device (when compared to a single large zone).



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EMC recommends single initiator zoning for the FC-WAN fabrics. On each fabric designate

one of the clusters as having initiator ports. The other cluster would then have target ports

on that WAN fabric. This configuration provides the best protection and fault isolation while

minimizing the number of zones.Each WAN COM initiator port should have a logical path to the targets that it can see. Ports

A4-FC02 and B4-FC02 should connect to fabric 1 and A4-FC03 and B4-FC03 should connect to

fabric 2.

Best practice state that inter-cluster Metro-Plex traffic should be isolated from other traffic

using VSANs, VFs, or LSANs.



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Each FC WAN port in each cluster will be zoned to the FC WAN ports on the same fabric at

the remote site. This is roughly equivalent to one initiator zoned to multiple targets.

Although COM ports are both initiators and targets, COM ports will not log into each other

using the WAN ports.This zoning provides additional fault tolerance and error isolation in the event of

configuration error or a rogue fabric device (when compared to a single large zone). Though

this requires more setup than a single zone, it is worth the effort and should not be

considered out of the norm for a SAN administrator.

There would be a maximum of 16 zones on each fabric for the large configuration. 32 zones

in total must be created in a Quad Engine configuration.

For the single fabric case, zoning should be maintained as if there were two fabrics (so only

one corresponding port from each target director in each zone).



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The EZ-Setup Wizard completes and performs the following steps on the cluster:

• Enables the front-end ports

• Connects to Cluster 1’s directors

After the setup script has completed, the VPlexcli prompt appears.



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From the VPlexcli prompt on management server 2, type the configuration join-

clusters command, which verifies connectivity between cluster 1’s directors and cluster

2’s directors, and joins the directors into a unified configuration.



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A logging volume should be created on storage that is extremely fast because it demands

high levels of performance during link outages and cluster failures. EMC also recommends

mirroring the logging volume between two different storage arrays.



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The logging-volume create command has parameters to consider:

• is a name for the logging volume.

• is the RAID type: raid-0 or raid-1.

• identifies the name(s) of the extent(s) that make(s) up the logging volume.

• -d is required only if is raid-0. The stripe depth must be:

Greater than zero, but no greater than the number of blocks of the smallest

element of the RAID 0 device being created

A multiple of 4000 bytes

A depth of 32 means that 128 K (32 x 4 K) is written to the first disk, the next 128 K is written

to the next disk, and so on.

Repeat these actions to create logging volumes for both clusters.



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In the output, confirm the following:

• Operational Status and Health State are ok.

• Operational Status and Health State of the Metadata volumes are ok.

• There are no unhealthy storage volumes.

• Each storage volume is visible from all directors and with at least two paths.



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This module covered how to configure a VPLEX Metro installation.



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This module focuses on how to install and configure the VPLEX Witness.



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For VPLEX Metro and Geo, an optional component called the VPLEX Witness can be deployed

at a third location to improve data availability in the presence of cluster failures and inter-

cluster communication loss. The VPLEX Witness is implemented as a virtual machine and

requires a VMware ESX server for its operation. The customer host must be deployed in aseparate failure domain from either VPLEX cluster to eliminate the possibility of a single fault

affecting both a cluster and VPLEX Witness. VPLEX Witness connects to both VPLEX clusters

over the management IP network.

VPLEX Witness observes the state of the clusters, and thus can distinguish between a outage

of the inter-cluster link and a cluster failure. VPLEX Witness uses this information to guide

the clusters to either resume or suspend I/O.

VPLEX Witness capabilities vary depending on whether the VPLEX is a Metro (synchronous

consistency groups) or Geo (asynchronous consistency groups). In Metro systems, VPLEX

Witness provides seamless zero RTO fail-over for storage volumes in synchronousconsistency groups.

In Geo systems, VPLEX Witness automates fail-over for asynchronous consistency groups and

provides zero RTO and zero RPO fail-over in all cases that do not result in data rollback.



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VPLEX Witness consists of two components:

Cluster Witness Server – a VM installed on a customer’s ESX server connected to both clusters in aVPLEX Metro or Geo configuration.

Cluster Witness CLI – CLI commands to configure, manage, and diagnose VPLEX Witness and itsfunctionality.

VPLEX Witness is installed as a virtual machine (VM) operating in a customer’s ESX server deployed ina failure domain separate from either of the VPLEX clusters. This ensures that the VM is not affectedby faults that impact the VPLEX clusters. A failure domain is a collection of entities affected by thesame fault.

If you are installing the VPLEX Witness on a configuration while running GeoSynchrony 5.1 or later,before deciding to install and enable VPLEX Witness, read the VPLEX Administration Guide tounderstand VPLEX Witness operation in a VPLEX Geo or VPLEX Metro environment.

If you are installing the VPLEX Witness on a configuration running GeoSynchrony 5.0 through 5.0.x,before deciding to install and enable VPLEX Witness, read the VPLEX with GeoSynchrony 5.0 and PointReleases Product Guide to understand VPLEX Witness operation in a VPLEX Geo or VPLEX Metroenvironment.

VPLEX Witness connects to both VPLEX clusters over a VPN tunnel over the IP management network.Low bandwidth health-check heartbeats are used to observe the status of both clusters. VPLEXWitness reconciles the status reported by the clusters with its own observations and providesguidance back to the clusters, if necessary.

VPLEX Witness is applicable only to VPLEX Metro and VPLEX Geo configurations. Before the ClusterWitness Server VM is deployed, VPLEX software that supports the VPLEX Witness must be installedfirst. Ensure that you follow VPLEX installation instructions for Release 5.0 or later before deployingand configuring VPLEX Cluster Witness Server VM.



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These are the configuration tasks for a VPLEX Metro or Geo. These steps are also listed in the

VPLEX Configuration Guide. It is very important to follow these tasks in order when

configuring a VPLEX cluster.

Configuration flow for a Local VPLEX is similar to the steps listed in Cluster 1. However in thiscourse we will review the more complex VPLEX Metro configuration.

Please note that the BE ports do not log into the switch until you start and progress through

the EZ Setup wizard. This is important to understand since you would typically try to pre-

stage the exposure of back-end storage. One way to get around this issue is to utilize the

VPLEX WWN Calculator. This is covered later in this module.

It is best practice to always refer to the VPLEX Configuration Guide for the latest installation

information.



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The Cluster Witness Server VM must be deployed so any faults that may affect individual

clusters do not affect the Cluster Witness Server VM. This includes possible faults related to

physical location, power, and networking connectivity.

If desired, the Cluster Witness Server VM can be deployed as a fault-tolerant (FT) VM in aVMware FT-enabled cluster. Currently this deployment is only supported with VMware-FT; it

is not supported with VMware-HA.

Refer to the Procedure Generator for specific requirements for the host, network ,and overall

environment.



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You can deploy the Cluster Witness Server OVA from a vCenter or directly from an ESX host.

Ensure that the target ESX Server is managed by the vCenter Server. If not, ask your vCenter

administrator to add this ESX Server to the inventory of "Hosts and Clusters" managed by

vCenter server.

If you are logging in directly from a vSphere client into an ESX Server, ensure that the ESX

Server is not managed by a vCenter server.



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From vSphere Client, deploy the ODF and configure where to save it on the ESX server and

the network. There are two network connections required so disregard VMware’s

recommendation and configure both connections on the same virtual network.



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Once the VM is deployed, verify the status of the deployment to make sure the VM is

configured correctly. It is important to make sure the “Mac Address Change” option of the

virtual switch where the VM is connected is set to Accept.



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From the ESXi Server, start the VM. The VM console is shown above, it gives the user the

opportunity to accept the license terms, set the time zone, and configure the public IP.

Through the console you can also access the witness CLI.



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Select configure network and set a public IP address for the console. The configuration is

displayed here. Once you establish the configuration, verify your settings and if they are

correct continue.

When the configuration is accepted, wait at least ten minutes so the IP addresses can be set.



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In the vSphere client UI, in the Summary tab in the General section, the IP addresses field

displays the configured public IP address of the VM. Other details of the VM are also

included in that tab.

Log into the management server for cluster 1 and run the command to configure a clusterwitness VPN configuration. You will be prompted for a certificate authority passphrase and

key. This should match your previous keys for the VPLEX.



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From Cluster 1, the management server will try to ping the second cluster to complete the

VPN connection configuration. Once the connection is completed, wait 10 minutes for the

VPN to be established before verifying connectivity.



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Once the VPN configuration is completed, verify VPN connectivity. Use the VPN status

command for this. Notice the command output now includes a line for the Cluster Witness

Server. If the command cannot contact the Cluster Witness Server, try again. If the problem

persists, check your network configuration on the ESXi server.



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This module covered how to install the VPLEX Witness.



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This course covered VPLEX installation and initial configuration. The course also covered the

steps to prepare a site for installation and what utilities to use during the installation. Back-

end ports were provisioned by the storage array. Front-End ports were connected to the

hosts and then FC-WAN ports were used to connect two VPLEX clusters together into aMetro or Geo implementation. This course guided you through using VPLEX EZ-Setup Wizard

for the installation and VPLEX witness installation.

vplex installation and config guide

Documents