Dell PowerVault MD3260i Series Troubleshooting Manual

Brand: Dell

Model: PowerVault MD3260i Series

Category: Networking

Type: Troubleshooting Manual

This manual is also suitable for

PowerVault MD3660i Series Storage Array

Dell PowerVault MD3260i Series is an intelligent storage system array, designed to deliver high-performance, flexible, and reliable storage for demanding IT environments. Designed for businesses of all sizes, the MD3260i Series offers a range of features and capabilities to meet the diverse storage needs of modern workloads, including:

High performance: With support for up to 12Gb/s SAS connectivity, the MD3260i Series delivers fast data transfer speeds to support demanding applications such as virtualization, databases, and video editing.
Flexibility: The MD3260i Series offers a range of storage options, including SAS, SATA, and SSD drives, providing the flexibility to tailor the storage system to specific performance and capacity requirements.

High performance: With support for up to 12Gb/s SAS connectivity, the MD3260i Series delivers fast data transfer speeds to support demanding applications such as virtualization, databases, and video editing.
Flexibility: The MD3260i Series offers a range of storage options, including SAS, SATA, and SSD drives, providing the flexibility to tailor the storage system to specific performance and capacity requirements.

Troubleshooting the

Dell PowerVault MD-Series

Storage Array

Configuring the Ethernet Management Port

THIS WHITE PAPER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND MAY CONTAIN TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND TECHNICAL

INACCURACIES. THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND.

permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden. For more information, contact Dell.

Dell, the DELL logo, and the DELL badge, PowerVault are trademarks of Dell Inc. Other trademarks and trade names may be used

in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary

interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.

June 2012

Contents

About this Document ..................................................................................................... 4

Managing the MD-Series Storage Array ................................................................................ 5

Out-of-Band Management vs. In-Band Management.............................................................. 5

Setting Up Management Using MD Storage Manager ............................................................. 5

Troubleshooting the Ethernet Management Port .................................................................... 8

Locating the Management Port ...................................................................................... 8

Default Port IP Addresses ............................................................................................. 8

Recognizing Issues Involving the Ethernet Management Port ................................................... 9

Basics: Cabling, Power and Network Switches .................................................................... 9

Troubleshooting Physical Connectivity Problems ............................................................... 11

Troubleshooting Management Port IP Addressing and Configuration ....................................... 12

Using a Serial Cable to Configure Your Management Port .................................................... 15

Troubleshooting Management Port Device Discovery Issues .................................................. 16

About this Document

To understand the scope and organization of this document, refer to the following table.

Topic Description

What does this document

contain?

An overview of the management features of the 

PowerVault MD-series storage arrays

Recommended recommended out-of-band management 

configuration and setup

Potential errors that that may occur if the Ethernet 

management port is incorrectly configured, including

steps on how to resolve

Other troubleshooting information relating to the MD-

series iSCSI storage arrays

What is the intended

audience?

 Users experiencing problems setting up out-of-band

management of the MD storage array or experiencing

problems with the Ethernet management port of the

storage array

How is information

categorized?

This document is divided into three broad sections:

 Understanding physical connectivity between the

Ethernet management port and management station

 Recognizing and correcting management port IP address

problems

 Recognizing and correcting device discovery errors

For more information See the following:

 MD-series user documentation at

support.dell.com/manuals

 MD-series video series at

del.ly/PowerVaultMD

Managing the MD-Series Storage Array

One of the most critical issues in establishing an efficient storage management architecture is placing

data traffic and management traffic on the proper networks. When setting up management on any Dell

PowerVault MD-Series storage array, Dell recommends that you always separate management traffic

from the server-to-storage array data path using different subnetworks, or subnets.

This management method is commonly called out-of-band management.

Out-of-Band Management vs. In-Band Management

Out-of-band management prevents traffic on the Ethernet management ports of your storage array

from interfering with critical data I/O between the storage array and server. While in-band

management − routing management traffic and data I/O on the same data path − is supported on the

MD storage array, it will likely result in an across-the-board reduction in performance and/or

throughout.

Setting Up Management Using MD Storage Manager

Dell PowerVault MD Storage Manager is a graphically based tool that allows you to fully manage,

configure and provision your MD-series storage arrays.

To set up your Ethernet management port in MD Storage Manager:

 Launch MD Storage Manager

 From the Setup tab, choose Configure Ethernet Management Ports

Using the Change Network Configuration wizard, enter the port and IP address information for the

management port on both RAID controller modules.

Figure 1. MD Storage Manager Summary View

Figure 2. MD Storage Manager Setup View

Figure 3. MD Storage Manager Configure Management Ports

NOTE: IPv4 and IPv6 are both supported protocols on the MD-series iSCSI storage arrays. Whichever

one you use, be aware of the following:

 It is possible to enable both IPv6 and IPv4 on your host server. However, Dell

recommends that you disable the one you are not using before setting up your storage

array. Having both enabled may cause miscommunication between the storage array and

host server.

 Make sure that the protocol you choose is enabled on both the storage array and host

server. Mixing protocols (for example, enabling IPv4 on the storage array and IPv6 on the

host server) will cause session interrupts and possible loss of data.

Once the storage array is successfully added to MD Storage Manager, all physical and logical

components of your storage array are manageable using the menu-based interface. For more

information on installing and using MD Storage Manager, see the Getting Started Guide and

Deployment Guide that shipped with your storage array. The Help option from the MD Storage

Manager main window also offer additional guidance.

Troubleshooting the Ethernet Management Port

The Ethernet management ports on the MD-series RAID controllers allow you to manage your storage

array via a separate management network from the host server data path (known as out-of-band

management).

Dell recommends always using out-of-band management to manage your storage array.

Locating the Management Port

Each RAID controller module contains a 100/1000 Mbps Ethernet management port. Whether you are

using SAS, iSCSI or Fibre Channel, the management port is located in same same position.

Figure 4 shows the management ports on an MD3600i-series iSCSI storage array.

Figure 4. Management Ports on an MD3600i-series storage array

Default Port IP Addresses

Each port on the storage array is assigned a default, factory-set IP address. Since DHCP is enabled by

default for the management ports at the factory (however, not for the host server ports), these

addresses should be discoverable when the storage array is initially powered on.

Table 1. Default IP Addresses on MD-series storage array (all models)

Port ID

Controller 0 Controller 1 Subnet mask

iSCSI port 0

192.168.130.101 192.168.130.102 255.255.255.0

iSCSI port 1

192.168.131.101 192.168.131.102 255.255.255.0

iSCSI port 2

192.168.132.101 192.168.132.102 255.255.255.0

iSCSI port 3

192.168.133.101 192.168.133.102 255.255.255.0

Ethernet

management port

192.168.128.101 192.168.128.102 255.255.255.0

* Port 2 and 3 are available on 1Gb iSCSI MD3200i-series storage arrays only

Recognizing Issues Involving the Ethernet Management Port

Problems occurring due to misconfigured or nonfunctional Ethernet management ports on your storage

array's RAID controller modules can appear in a number of different ways. However, typical

management port issues may include:

− Status LEDs on iSCSI ports not lit or indicating fault (refer to Table 2 for LED values)

− Unable to ping an iSCSI port from the host server on the same subnet

− Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is unable to assign an IP address for one or more

of your RAID controller modules

− Duplicate IP addresses appear (either manually set or multiple arrays with the same factory

default IP addresses)

Basics: Cabling, Power and Network Switches

Simple issues, such as an improperly seated Ethernet cable or a defective and/or powered-down

hardware component, are often the root cause of a number of problems. If a physical link error occurs

or you are unable to connect to a storage array in MD Storage Manager, it is always useful to perform a

simple, standard troubleshooting protocol:

1. Verify you have a solid, well-seated connection between the RAID controller module's Ethernet

management port(s) and your host server and/or network switch.

2. If you are using a network switch, verify the following:

- All active link and link status LEDs are lit (an unlit activity LED is not necessarily a

problem)

- The Ethernet switch you are using is compatible with your RAID controller module (for

example, is compatible with 1Gb MD3200i-series and/or 10Gb MD3600i-series arrays)

Do not connect an Ethernet switch with a speed of less than 1Gb to the storage array

3. Verify that MD-series storage array enclosures and RAID controller modules are powered on and

show the proper LED status configurations. (See Table 2.) For additional MD-specific LED

diagnostic information, see support.dell.com/manuals.

4. Ensure that all cabling and connectors are functional. If uncertain, swap current cables with

known good cables to determine if the problem is related.

Figure 5. Enclosure Status LEDs (Front)

Table 2. Enclosure Status LED Values

LED

Function

Enclosure status

Solid blue: Normal operation

Blinking blue: Host identifying

Solid amber: Enclosure rebooting or being reset

Blinking amber: Enclosure fault or host not using

preferred path to virtual disks

Enclosure power

Solid green: At least one power supply active

Figure 6. Enclosure/RAID Controller Module Status LEDs (Back)

Table 3. Enclosure/RAID Controller Status LED Values

LED

Function

DC Power

Solid green: DC output voltage within limit

Off: DC output voltage not within limit

Power supply/fan fault

Solid amber: DC output voltage not within limit or fan fault

detected

Off: No fault condition

AC power

Solid green: AC input voltage within limit

Off: No power or AC input voltage is not within limit

Controller power

Solid green: Controller powered on

Off: Controller powered off

Controller fault

Solid amber: Controller fault detected

Off: Controller operating normally

iSCSI port link

Solid green: 10Gbps Ethernet connection established

Solid amber: 1Gbps Ethernet connection established

Off: No link

iSCSI port activity

Solid green: No activity/connection.

Blinking green: Port active, connection

Off: No link

Management port speed

Solid green: 1Gbps Ethernet connection established

Blinking amber: 100Mbps Ethernet connection established

Off: No link or 10Mbps connection established

Management port activity

Solid green: Port active/connection

Off: No activity

Troubleshooting Physical Connectivity Problems

When experiencing problems with the Ethernet management ports, always check first for simple

connectivity issues (see Basic Cabling, Power and Switch Issues). If problems persist, refer to the

following table:

Table 4. Diagnosing Management Port Connectivity

Issue/Problem

Recommendation

Suspected bad

Ethernet cable

Replace the suspected bad cable with a known good

cable. If problems persist, cable is probably OK.

No link LEDs vi

sible on RAID

controller (rear)

If you are using a network switch, verify

that it is

powered on and Ethernet ports on both the network

switch and RAID controller are active. Also, make

sure the storage

array enclosure is powered on.

Reduced throughput

If you have connectivity but are experiencing

reduced throughout, make sure your iSCSI port is not

connecting to the host server through a slower

-than-

expected speed. For example, a 10Gb port can

connect using a 1Gb network switch, but the slower

switch wi

ll impact throughput.

Troubleshooting Management Port IP Addressing and Configuration

If problems persist, refer to the following table:

Table 5. Diagnosing Management Port Configuration Problems

Issue/Problem

Recommendation

What is the IP address

of the Ethernet

management port?

The management port appears differently

to DHCP and non-DHCP

servers:

DHCP server

(IPv4)

On a network running DHCP server, IP

addresses for the Ethernet management ports

are assigned automatically

non-DHCP server

(IPv4)

On a non-DHCP network server, the Ethernet

management ports will default to the following

IP addresses following a three-minute timeout

(from initial polling or connection attempt):

Controller 0:

192.168.128.101

Controller 1:

192.168.128.102

Subnet mask:

255.255.255.0

All IPv6-enabled

configurations

Each management port has a default link local

IP address that is based on the MAC address of

the port (unless IPv6 is specifically disabled on

a port).

Duplicate

or multiple

management

port IP

addresses

are

appearing

(non-DHCP

host server

)

If DHCP

is not enabled, multiple storage arrays connecting to a

network will default to the same management IP address

, causing IP

address duplication errors. To fix this problem, add each storage array

to the network

individually and change its IP addresses to non-default

value

s before adding another storage array.

anagement port speed

settings

are incorrect

Always use auto

-negotiation when configuring the Ethernet

management

ports. In MD Storage Manager Physical pane, right click

on the RAID controller

module and select Configure > Management

Ports

and choose Auto-negotiate from the Speed and duplex mode

drop

-down menu.

anagement port

showing as

Disconnected

Use the ping command to contact the Ethernet management port.

Unless the ping command originates from a

management station on a

separate, non

-networked switch, it should indicate whether the port

connected or

disconnected.

Non

-default IP

addresses are

overriding

default IP

addresses

If you

are using DHCP and have configured static IP addresses

previously

, those static IP addresses will override the default

addresses.

To fix this issue, manually reconfigure the management

ports.

How do I access

management ports on

IPv6-enabled

network?

The Ethernet management ports on the

MD storage array are also

accessible using the IPv6 link local address

es determined by the MAC

address of the

port (unless it is has been disabled).

Default IP addresses

not auto

-configuring

the DHCP server does not respond, default IP addresses will auto-

configure

following a three-minute timeout. This timeout interval

starts

either when the RAID controller module boots up or a new

Ethernet

management port connection is established.

Can I use m

ultiple host

network i

nterface cards

(NICs) on same subnet

Dell recommends that you

do not configure more than one NIC per

host on the same subnet

. Multiple NICs on the same subnet can cause

IP address confusion, especially

in direct-attached configurations.

It is

always preferable to isolate management data traffic from storage

array

-to-host server traffic on separate subnets and multiple NICs. In

dition to avoiding performance slowdowns, this configuration is

easier to manage and troubleshoot.

Having p

roblems with

VLAN

The Ethernet management ports on the MD

-series storage arrays do

not

support VLAN tagging. Make sure that tagging is disabled on the

network

switch for any port connected to the Ethernet management

port

(s).

How do I know if

Ethernet management

ports correctly

configured

To verify that your management ports are functional, use the p

ing

command

from your management station to connect to the IP

addresses of

each Ethernet management port on the storage array. A

successful

ping means the ports are configured and ready to use.

However, you cannot verify you are able to manage the storage array

until you have an array

properly configured and running.

I c

annot diagnose my

problem

If you are still unable to

configure the Ethernet management port IP

addresses

on your MD storage array, see Using a Serial Cable to

Configure

Your Management Port.

Using a Serial Cable to Configure Your Management Port

When other troubleshooting steps fail, using a serial cable to connect to your Ethernet management

port is an option. Perform the following steps on any management station with a serial port available.

A serial debug cable is available from your Dell support representative.

1. Connect the PS/2 connecter on the serial debug cable to the serial debug port on RAID

controller. (See Figure 3 for serial port location.)

2. Connect the DB-9 connector on the serial debug cable to your management station.

3. Open any serial shell utility (PuTTY, Tera Term, HyperTerminal or Minicom (Linux)).

4. In your serial shell utility, set the baud rate to 115200.

NOTE: The default baud rate for the MD storage array is 115200. If you do not see a response at 115200,

enter a break command repeatedly until legible text appears. Press the spacebar to set the baud rate to

the speed which allows legible text to display.

Other shell utility connection settings for the MD storage array are typical:

Data bits: 8

Parity: none

Stop bits: 1

Flow control: none

5. Once you set the baud rate and verified default settings, enter another break command.

6. When the options are displayed, type an uppercase S.

7. At the password prompt, enter supportDell

8. Select from the menu options shown to view or modify the port settings:

- Option 1 to view the current management port configuration

- Option 2 to modify the current management port configuration

Enter a period (.) to make no changes and return to default settings

9. When finished, type Ctrl+D to save your changes and exit.

Troubleshooting Management Port Device Discovery Issues

If your Ethernet management ports are properly configured but you are having problems discovering

storage arrays or RAID controller modules, refer to the following table below.

NOTE: Many device discovery problems are similar to those detailed in Table 1 for the Ethernet management port,

although they occur during the discovery process.

Table 6. Diagnosing Device Discovery Problems

Issue/Problem Recommendation

Firewall is blocking discovery of

management port

Ensure that TCP and UDP ports 2463 are open on

your firewall. MD Storage Manager uses both ports

for discovery and management. Verify that the

firewall settings in your local environment do not

block your ports.

RAID controller modules are not

running

A RAID controller module cannot be added to the

management view in MDSM until it has successfully

completed its boot process.

To verify that a RAID controller module has

successfully booted, perform one of the following:

• Check the Enclosure Status LED at the

front of the storage array. (See Table 2, LED

Enclosure Status Values.)

• Using the procedure described in Using a

Serial Cable to Configure Your Management

Port, connect to the serial port of the MD

storage array and observe your RAID

controller boot sequence. If

SODMainComplete is displayed, the RAID

controller has successfully booted and should

be visible to MDSM.

RAID controller module in

Lockdown mode

If a RAID controller module detects certain error

conditions, it enters a Lockdown mode. While in

this mode, the Ethernet management ports will

respond to

ping commands but a full management

session cannot be established. Check the

Controller Fault LED or System Identification ID

LED on the RAID controller. If either LED is solidly

lit (Controller Fault LED is amber or System

Identification ID LED is blue), contact your Dell

technical support representative.

RAID controller module is in

Offline mode

Similar to a Lockdown state, a RAID controller

module may also go into Offline status. However,

while in an Offline status, the Ethernet

management port will not respond to a

ping

command. Check the LEDs on the RAID controller

module to determine whether a fault condition is

indicated.

Automatic Discovery fails on an

IPv4 subnetwork

Automatic discovery of storage arrays is not

supported on IPv4-enabled subnets. Verify the

following:

- you can successfully ping the management

ports on the storage array

- the management ports are on separate

subnets than your management station

If both are true, manually add the storage array(s)

to MD Storage Manager (see Manually Adding a

Storage Array to MD Storage Manager).

Do I need to configure both

management ports on dual-

controller (duplex) storage array?

A dual-controller storage array is considered

partially managed if only one of the two available

Ethernet management ports are configured. Many

management commands require access to both the

owning and non-owning RAID controller module --

for example, IP configuration or virtual disk

creation. To fix this issue, repeat discovery

(automatic or manual) and configure the second

management port.

NOTES:

- Partially managed storage arrays can have

alternate paths added through both auto-

discovery and manual configuration. See

Manually Adding a Storage Array to the

Management Software View.

- If you are able to ping a RAID controller module

but not perform management operations, it

may be in Lockdown state. See RAID controller

in Lockdown mode.

Management operations requiring

access to the owning RAID

controller fail

see previous issue

Management port showing as

Disconnected

A management port may show as Disconnected for

a number of reason. Common causes are:

 automatic discovery failed because your

management station is connected to a non-

networked switch with a single data path the

storage array

 only one management port is configured

 faulty cable/physical connection

Manually adding a RAID controller

module

In cases of replacement or upgrade, you may need

to add a RAID controller module to an already

existing management view in MD Storage Manager.

Perform these steps:

1. Obtain the IP address of the RAID controller

you are adding. If the IP address is unknown,

see Using a Serial Cable to Configure Your

Management Port.

2. Start MD Storage Manager and select the MD

storage array containing the RAID controller.

3. From the Setup tab in the Array

Management Window, select Add Storage

Arrays.

4. In the Select Addition Method, select

Manual.

5. In the Add New Storage Array window,

select Out-of-Band management and enter

the IP address of the RAID controller.

6. Click Add.

If you are adding a single RAID controller

module or a new path to a management

port, a confirmation message appears.

7. Select Yes.

The new path and the existing path are

automatically merged.

Dell PowerVault MD3260i Series Troubleshooting Manual

Brand: Dell

Model: PowerVault MD3260i Series

Category: Networking

Type: Troubleshooting Manual

This manual is also suitable for

PowerVault MD3660i Series Storage Array

High performance: With support for up to 12Gb/s SAS connectivity, the MD3260i Series delivers fast data transfer speeds to support demanding applications such as virtualization, databases, and video editing.
Flexibility: The MD3260i Series offers a range of storage options, including SAS, SATA, and SSD drives, providing the flexibility to tailor the storage system to specific performance and capacity requirements.

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