Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. Solution Guide

Transcription

1 Citrix XenServer Dell Edition Solution Guide

2 Notes, Notices, and Cautions NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. Information in this document is subject to change without notice Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden. Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, EqualLogic, OpenManage, PowerVault, and PowerEdge are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Xen, XenServer, XenCenter and XenMotion are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Citrix Inc.; Intel and Xeon are a registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries; AMD is a registered trademark and Opteron is a trademark of Advanced Micro Devices Inc.; Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista, and Windows Server are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. 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. May 2008 Rev. A01

3 Contents Introduction Citrix XenServer Dell Edition Features Citrix XenServer Dell Edition Licensing Options Supported Configurations Supported Hardware XenServer Virtual Machine Operating System Support XenMotion Support Requirements Configuring XenCenter Initial Boot Setup Systems Management Using Dell OpenManage Supported OpenManage Software Versions Dell OpenManage Components and Support Information Using Dell OpenManage in Citrix XenServer Dell Edition environment Using Dell IT Assistant in a Citrix XenServer Environment Change Management in XenServer Dell Edition Configuring Storage Local Storage Repository Configuration Deploying Citrix XenServer Dell Edition with Dell Storage Arrays Moving an SR Between Hosts Resizing An SR After Changing the Size of An LVM-Based Storage Volume Recovering the XenServer Host and VMs Database Backup From XenServer Local Console Contents 3

4 Using the Recovery CD Restoring XenServer Database Recovering XenServer After a Board Replacement Resetting the Root Password Recovering Virtual Machines in a XenServer Pool Updating the XenServer Image to A New Version Best Practices IP storage traffic segregation and high availability configuration Setup of Remote Database on iscsi LUN for Diskless Hosts.. 69 Scripted Backup of XenServer Host Database Using storage array snapshots in a Citrix XenServer environment Adjusting SCSI timeouts to tolerate storage controller failures Configuring XenServer Management Network for High Availability Appendix XenServer Dell Edition Local Console Menu Items Support Peripherals and Device Drivers in Citrix XenServer Dell Edition Troubleshooting References Contents

5 Introduction With the 64-bit open-source Xen hypervisor at its core, Citrix XenServer Dell Edition is a powerful virtualization solution that enables efficient resource consolidation, utilization, dynamic provisioning, and integrated systems management. XenServer Dell Edition has a small foot print and is optimized to run from an internal flash storage in Dell PowerEdge servers. Dell and Citrix have partnered to bring pre-qualified and virtualization-ready platforms for today s dynamic and growing data centers. This guide provides information on Citrix XenServer Dell Edition features, supported hardware, reference configurations, and best practices. Citrix XenServer Dell Edition Features Factory installed from Dell Citrix XenServer Dell Edition is factory installed from Dell on select PowerEdge servers. This reduces the installation and deployment time required and simplifies the deployment process to get your infrastructure ready to use. With minimal configuration, the XenServer host is available to run virtual machines. Integrated systems management and monitoring Citrix XenServer Dell Edition comes pre-installed with Dell OpenManage Server Administrator. This enables systems management right out of the box without any additional need to install an agent on the host. New XenServer Local Console The XenServer Dell Edition includes a new XenServer Local Console user interface to enable local administration of the host. XenServer Local Console enables users to configure and view host specific properties such as management network configuration, local storage for virtual machines, etc. XenCenter, the standard Microsoft Windows management console for the XenServer, is also available. Optimized footprint and controlled environment XenServer Dell Edition is optimized for a smaller disk footprint and writes to flash storage. The majority of the XenServer Dell edition file system is Read Only and thus provides a tighter control over the XenServer operating environment. The XenServer Dell Edition host agent software Solution Guide 5

6 has been significantly optimized to minimize the number of write cycles to the flash storage. XenServer writes to flash storage only when something important has changed and must be recorded. Write minimization helps improve the life of the flash storage. Improved reliability and diskless configurations Running XenServer Dell Edition on a server s internal flash storage provides improved reliability over running on traditional hard disks. Flash storage does not have moving parts and is more reliable than a hard disk. Since XenServer resides on the server s internal flash storage, there is no need for local hard disks on the server. XenServer hosts can connect to remote iscsi or NFS storage and take advantage of features such as XenMotion to minimize virtual machine downtime and workload migration. Improved XenServer updates To improve reliability of software upgrades, the XenServer Dell Edition image contains a primary and secondary copy of the XenServer filesystem. Any time an update is applied, the secondary copy gets updated leaving the primary copy in a known good state. The secondary copy becomes the primary after a successful upgrade. An update to the XenServer host can be applied using the XenServer local console or XenCenter. Pre-certified and supported configurations Citrix XenServer Dell Edition is certified and fully supported by Dell for select server and storage configurations. Both Dell and Citrix have worked closely to provide the highest quality product and user experience. Citrix XenServer Dell Edition Licensing Options Dell provides the following licensing options for Citrix XenServer Dell Edition: Citrix XenServer Dell Express Edition supports a single XenServer Host with up to 4 sockets (or multiple XenServer Hosts, one at a time), up to 128GB physical RAM, hosting up to 4 concurrent VMs and up to 32GB of RAM per VM. 6 Solution Guide

7 Citrix XenServer Dell Enterprise Edition supports multiple simultaneous XenServer Hosts with up to 128GB physical RAM and no limit on the number of concurrent VMs except the amount of available RAM. It also offers the following additional features: clustering of XenServer Hosts into resource pools support for NFS, iscsi and SAS shared storage repositories live relocation (XenMotion) of VMs within the same resource pool additional Quality of Service (QoS) control for VMs multi-host management using single XenCenter console From the Dell factory, the PowerEdge server comes enabled for Citrix XenServer Dell Express Edition and requires only a license key to enable Citrix XenServer Dell Enterprise Edition. There are 2 options to get this license key: If you purchased Citrix XenServer Dell Enterprise Edition, you must redeem the activation code from the license card you received with your server. Please visit (registration may be required) and redeem your authorization code(s) for Enterprise license files. To purchase an upgrade license key, visit or contact your Dell sales representative. You may apply your Enterprise license file(s) by using the XenServer local console or XenCenter. Supported Configurations Table 1. Support matrix Dell PowerEdge Server Citrix XenServer Version OpenManage Version PowerEdge R805 PowerEdge 2950 III Citrix XenServer Dell Edition 4.1 Citrix XenServer Dell Edition 4.1 OpenManage 5.4 OpenManage 5.4 Solution Guide 7

8 Supported Hardware Servers Server Model Processors supported PowerEdge 2950 III Intel Xeon 5100, 5200, 5300 and 5400 series PowerEdge R805 AMD Opteron 2200 and 2300 series Network Interface Cards Vendor Product Broadcom Broadcom Broadcom Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel Broadcom NetXtreme 5722 Single Port Gigabit Ethernet NIC Embedded Broadcom NetXtreme II 5708 Gigabit Ethernet NIC Broadcom NetXtreme II Port Gb Ethernet NIC Intel PRO 1000PT Single Port Server Adapter Intel PRO 1000PT Dual Port Server Adapter Intel PRO 1000PF Single Port Server Adapter Intel PRO 1000VT Quad Port Gigabit NIC Intel 10GBase-SR XF Single Port 10GbE NIC Storage Controllers Vendor Product Dell Dell Dell Dell SAS 5/E Controller SAS 6/iR Integrated Controller PERC 6/E SAS RAID Controller PERC 6/i Integrated SAS RAID Controller 8 Solution Guide

9 Storage Arrays Array Name PowerVault MD1000 PowerVault NX1950 PowerVault MD3000 PowerVault MD3000i EqualLogic PS5000E EqualLogic PS5000X EqualLogic PS5000XV Notes Direct attached storage Support for providing only NFS storage to XenServer hosts Direct attached, fully redundant configuration to provide shared storage for up to two hosts Single-path support only, no RAID controller failover Multi-path iscsi, fully redundant configuration Multi-path iscsi, fully redundant configuration Multi-path iscsi, fully redundant configuration NOTE: Refer to "Configuring Storage" on page 26 for more details on reference configurations. XenServer Virtual Machine Operating System Support XenServer virtual machines (VMs) are created from templates. A template is a file that contains all of the various configuration settings to instantiate a specific VM. XenServer Dell Edition ships with a base set of templates, some of which can boot an OS vendor installation CD/DVD and others, which run an installation from a network repository. Refer to Table 2 for a list of supported OSs and installation methods. Creating VMs of the various supported types is described in detail in the XenServer Virtual Machine Installation Guide at Additionally, VMs can be created by importing an existing exported VM. NOTE: The standard editions of XenServer provide two Debian templates that each contain a complete basic Debian Linux distribution, and also supports physical to virtual conversion (P2V) of existing instances of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.6, 3.8, , and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP2 and SP3. Because of the space constraints imposed by the flash media on which XenServer Dell Edition runs, creating VMs of these types is not supported by XenServer Dell Edition. Instances of those VMs created and exported with the standard editions of XenServer, however, can be imported to XenServer Dell Edition. Solution Guide 9

10 In general, when installing VMs, be sure to follow the memory and disk space guidelines of the operating system and any relevant applications that you want to run when allocating resources such as memory and disk space. Recommended memory and disk space guidelines are further described in the XenServer Virtual Machine Installation Guide. NOTE: Individual versions of the operating systems may also impose their own maximum limits on the amount of memory supported (e.g. for licensing reasons). Table 2. Supported Operating Systems and Installation Methods for VMs Operating system Vendor Install from CD Vendor Install from network repository Windows Vista Enterprise Edition,32-bit Windows Server 2003, Enterprise, Data Centre, and SBS editions, 32-bit, SP0, SP1, SP2, and R2 Windows Server 2003 Server, Enterprise, Data Center, and SBS editions, 64-bit Windows XP SP2 X Windows 2000 SP4 X CentOS X X CentOS bit X X X X X 10 Solution Guide

11 CentOS bit X X Oracle Enterprise Linux X X 32-bit Oracle Enterprise Linux X X 64-bit Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.1, X 4.4, 4.5, 4.6 Red Hat Enterprise Linux X X 32-bit Red Hat Enterprise Linux X X 64-bit SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 X XenMotion Support Requirements XenMotion is the capability for a running virtual machine to be migrated between physical hosts within a XenServer resource pool with no interruption in service. XenMotion is only possible among hosts that are part of a Resource Pool. A Resource Pool is an aggregate of one or more homogeneous XenServer hosts, up to a maximum of 16. The definition of homogeneous is: each CPU is from the same vendor each CPU is the same model (except for stepping) each CPU has the same feature flags For more information on pool requirements other than processor models, please refer to the XenServer Administrator's Guide at Configuring XenCenter XenCenter is the client application for managing the XenServer host and its virtual machines. Table 3 outlines the system requirements for XenCenter. Solution Guide 11

12 Table 3. XenCenter System Requirements Operating system CPU Speed RAM Disk space Network interface card Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista, with.net framework version 2.0 or above installed 750 MHz minimum, 1 GHz or faster recommended 1 GB minimum, 2 GB or more recommended 100 MB minimum 100Mb or faster NIC The installer for XenCenter is available for download under "Technical Support" section at To install XenCenter, perform the following steps: 1 Before installing XenCenter, be sure to uninstall the previous version if one exists. 2 Browse to the directory where you downloaded the XenCenter installer and find the file. Double-click on the file's icon to launch the application installer. 3 Follow the instructions displayed in the installer window. When prompted for installation directory, either click Browse to change the default installation location, or click Next to accept the default path C:\Program Files\Citrix\XenCenter. When complete, there will be a XenCenter group on the All Programs list. NOTE: By default, XenCenter allows saving of usernames and passwords. To disable this, use the registry Editor, navigate to the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Citrix\XenCenter and add a key named AllowCredentialSave with the string value false. This will cause XenCenter to no longer save usernames or passwords, and disables the Save and Restore Connection State dialog box in XenCenter (Tools -> Save and Restore). To uninstall XenCenter, perform the following steps: 1 Select Control Panel from the Start menu. 2 In Windows XP, 2000, or 2003, select Add or Remove Programs. In Windows Vista, select Programs and Features. 3 A list of programs installed on the computer is displayed. Scroll down if necessary and select XenCenter. 12 Solution Guide

13 4 In Windows XP, 2000, or 2003, click the Remove button. In Windows Vista, select Uninstall from the toolbar above the list of programs. 5 This will remove the XenServer application. At the end, a message is displayed. Click OK to close the message box. To use XenCenter: 1 Launch XenCenter by double-clicking the XenCenter icon on the Windows desktop, or selecting XenCenter from the Start menu. 2 Click Add New Server, or select Connect from the Server menu. The Add New Server dialog box appears. 3 Provide the IP address or hostname of the server and the root password in their respective fields, and then click Connect. XenCenter will connect to the server and it will appear in the Resources pane along the left side of XenCenter. For full details on using XenCenter to manage your Dell XenServer host, see the Online Help. Help can be accessed by selecting Help Contents from the Help menu. You can also use the F1 key to access context-sensitive help from any screen, dialog box or wizard. Initial Boot Setup This section describes the first boot setup for a XenServer host. After you power on your server, Citrix XenServer Dell Edition will automatically boot from the internal flash storage in the server. Once booted, you will see the XenServer local console menu. The XenServer local console provides a range of management and configuration options for the XenServer host. Follow the steps below to configure the XenServer host. 1 Read through the system s Rack Install Guide and Getting Started Guide before proceeding to rack the server (see Figure 1). Solution Guide 13

14 Figure 1. System documentation 2 Connect the network cables to the appropriate NIC connectors. Figure 2 shows sample network configuration. Figure 2. Sample network configuration 3 Power on the server. Citrix XenServer boots automatically. Once booted, the XenServer local console menu is displayed. The XenServer local console menu provides a range of management and configuration options for the XenServer host. Change the root password when prompted, as illustrated in Figure Solution Guide

15 Figure 3. Change password screen 4 If you have connected Gb1 port, the XenServer management interface is configured on Gb1 with DHCP settings by default. Dell recommends using a static IP address and the physical interface as per your network environment. Go to Network and Management Interface Configure Management Interface. Select the physical network interface you plan to use to manage XenServer. Provide a valid IP address, netmask, gateway and hostname for management interface, as illustrated in Figure 4. Figure 4. Management interface configuration Solution Guide 15

16 5 XenCenter uses free-form names to refer to XenServer hosts. It is recommended that you copy the hostname set in step 4 to the XenCenter name for the XenServer host. See Figure 5. Figure 5. XenCenter Hostname configuration 6 On the Network and Management Interface screen, select Add/Remove DNS Server and add valid DNS server(s), as illustrated in Figure 6. Select Network Time (NTP) and configure your XenServer host to synchronize with a NTP server(s) in your network (if available). Figure 6. DNS configuration 16 Solution Guide

17 7 Download the XenCenter software from the "Technical Support" section at Install XenCenter on the management station you plan to use to manage your XenServer host(s). See Figure 7. Figure 7. XenCenter setup wizard 8 On the management station, start the XenCenter application. In the XenCenter wizard, select Add New Server, provide the hostname/ip address and login information (configured in step 3) for your XenServer host and click Connect. You are now ready to start managing your XenServer host using XenCenter, as illustrated in Figure 8. For more information on advanced setup procedures, refer to product documentation available under "Technical Support" section at Solution Guide 17

18 Figure 8. XenCenter 9 If you purchased Citrix XenServer Dell Enterprise Edition, you must redeem the activation code from the license card you received with your server. Please visit (registration may be required) and redeem your authorization code(s) for Enterprise license files. You may apply your Enterprise license file(s) by using the XenServer local console or XenCenter. To apply the file in the local console, see "Install XenServer License" on page 79. To apply the file in XenCenter, highlight the host, click the Server drop-down menu, click Install License Key, and then select the file (see Figure 9). Figure 9. Install License Key 18 Solution Guide

19 Systems Management Using Dell OpenManage This section provides support information, introduction and usage for the Dell OpenManage systems management suite on Dell PowerEdge servers running Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. Supported OpenManage Software Versions Supported OpenManage versions on Dell PowerEdge Servers with Citrix XenServer Dell Edition are listed in Table 1. Dell OpenManage Components and Support Information Dell OpenManage is a suite of system management applications for managing Dell PowerEdge servers. This section lists the features available in Dell OpenManage and details what is supported and what is not supported when using Dell OpenManage with Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. For more information on each of these features, refer to the Dell OpenManage website at Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Server Administrator provides single server management with a secure command-line or web-based graphical management user interface. There are several sub-components in Server Administrator as described below. Citrix XenServer Dell Edition comes pre-installed with the majority of OMSA components, providing ready to use systems management framework without any additional software installation requirement. I NSTRUMENTATION SERVICES Provides hardware instrumentation and configuration information. Instrumentation Services are pre-installed in Citrix XenServer Dell Edition S TORAGE MANAGEMENT Provides monitoring and instrumentation of the storage connected to Dell PERC and SAS family of controllers. OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management is pre-installed in Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. DSM SA CONNECTION SERVICE Provides remote/local access to OMSA from any system with a supported Web browser and network connection. Solution Guide 19

20 DSM SA SHARED SERVICES Runs inventory collector at startup to perform a software inventory of the system to be consumed by OMSA's SNMP and CIM providers. This allows a remote software update using Dell's system management console, Dell IT Assistant (ITA). Dell Remote Access Controller Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) is designed to allow anywhere, anytime "Lights Out" monitoring, troubleshooting, and server repairs/upgrades independent of OS status. Remote Access Controller is supported with Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. Dell IT Assistant Dell IT Assistant (ITA) provides an integrated view of Dell's comprehensive suite of server monitoring and reporting tools. It includes one-to-many management for Dell Servers. Hardware monitoring of Dell servers is supported with Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. Power monitoring of Dell servers is supported on PE servers that have power monitoring capability. Performance monitoring of Dell servers is not supported with Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. Dell Systems Build and Update Utility 1.0 Dell Systems Build and Update Utility provides functionalities to update and deploy Dell servers. It replaces the functionality offered by Dell OpenManage Server Assistant. It also contains basic functionality provided by Dell OpenManage Server Update Utility and Dell OpenManage Deployment Toolkit. Dell Systems Build and Update Utility can be used to update the system firmware, configure system components such as DRAC and configure RAID groups through a graphical interactive wizard. Server Update Utility Server Update Utility helps simplify single server updates with the latest system software features including inventories, reports, and recommendations - and checks for prerequisite conditions. Server Update Utility (command line option only) is supported with Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. 20 Solution Guide

21 Dell Update Package (DUP) As the central component of the OpenManage server management family, Dell Update Package framework helps you to update system software on your PowerEdge servers in a scalable, non-intrusive way. Dell Update Package features include: Self-extracting files allow you to update system software including BIOS, firmware, drivers, OMSA, etc. Pre-installation checks for prerequisites such as system model, OS version and dependent software to help you avoid sequencing errors Intuitive dialogs to help simplify installation Scriptable and silent capabilities that can enable unattended installation Dell Update Packages to update only system BIOS and firmware are supported with Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. Since the majority of Citrix XenServer Dell Edition image file system is Read-Only, driver and OMSA update packages are not supported. Dell IT Assistant can be used to execute the BIOS and firmware updates to PowerEdge servers running Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. IPMI Baseboard Management Controller IPMI Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) provides a standard interface for monitoring and managing Dell Servers. IPMI Baseboard Management Controller is supported with Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. The open source ipmitool can also be used to configure BMC settings and to manage XenServer hosts using IPMI. Deployment Toolkit Deployment Toolkit helps provide quick and easy configuration of multiple servers from bare metal all the way through OS deployment. It also provides a framework for updating the BIOS. Deployment Toolkit works independent of the server operating system and hence is independent of Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. Solution Guide 21

22 PowerEdge Service and Diagnostics Utilities PowerEdge Service and Diagnostics Utilities provide operating system-level diagnostics and software components to detect and resolve hardware issues. Service and diagnostics utilities are not supported by Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. Perform offline diagnostics by downloading utilities from support.dell.com. Using Dell OpenManage in Citrix XenServer Dell Edition environment As explained earlier, Dell OpenManage Server Administrator components come pre-installed in Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. OpenManage Server Administrator components cannot be uninstalled or reinstalled in XenServer Dell Edition. By default, all installed OpenManage Server Administrator services start during XenServer boot. To start, stop, restart, or check the status of OpenManage services on XenServer Dell Edition, log in to the Local Console on your host and issue the following commands respectively: # srvadmin-services.sh start # srvadmin-services.sh stop # srvadmin-services.sh restart # srvadmin-services.sh status To disable OpenManage services so that services do not start at boot, login to XenServer local console shell and issue the following commands: # chkconfig --level 3 dsm_om_shrsvc off # chkconfig --level 3 instsvcdrv off # chkconfig --level 3 dataeng off # chkconfig --level 3 dsm_om_connsvc off # chkconfig --level 3 ipmi off To enable disabled OpenManage services, login to XenServer local console shell and issue the following commands: # chkconfig --level 3 dsm_om_shrsvc on # chkconfig --level 3 instsvcdrv on # chkconfig --level 3 dataeng on 22 Solution Guide

23 # chkconfig --level 3 dsm_om_connsvc on # chkconfig --level 3 ipmi on To access the OpenManage Server Administrator web interface, type the following web address in a supported browser window from a client system to connect to the XenServer host: hostname/ip Address>:1311 NOTE: 1311 is the default port used by the OpenManage web server. XenServer firewall is pre-configured to allow ports used by OpenManage Server Administrator, so no additional firewall configuration is required. If you change the default OMSA port to other than 1311, please make associated change in /etc/sysconfig/iptables and restart iptables service on XenServer host. To check the version of OpenManage installed, execute the following command on XenServer local console shell: $ omreport about To view the system summary, execute the following command on XenServer local console shell: $ omreport system summary For more information about using OpenManage to manage Dell Servers, see the PowerEdge Documentation CD-ROM, which comes with the Dell Server and also available at support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/svradmin. Using Dell IT Assistant in a Citrix XenServer Environment ITA can be used for discovery, monitoring, and management of XenServer hosts. IT Assistant uses SNMP to manage Dell servers running Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. To manage XenServer hosts using ITA, follow the steps below: 1 Specify SNMP community name: Log in to XenServer local console shell and edit the following entries in the /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf file to set your SNMP community name. rocommunity <community name> trapcommunity <community name> Solution Guide 23

24 2 Configure SNMP traps: Configure the SNMP daemon to send SNMP trap messages to the management console. Edit /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf file and edit the following line to the end of the file: trapsink <ITA_IP_Address> <community name> 3 After making changes to /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf, save the file and restart snmpd service: # service snmpd restart 4 Using XenServer hostname or management IP address, perform a discovery and inventory of XenServer host in IT Assistant. IT Assistant will discover XenServer hosts and list them under the Servers category, as illustrated in Figure 10. For more information on using IT Assistant to discover, inventory, monitor and manage Dell servers, refer to Dell OpenManage IT Assistant documentation at support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/smitasst. Figure 10. XenServers as listed in Dell ITA console Change Management in XenServer Dell Edition Dell Update Packages for supported PowerEdge servers are available for download at support.dell.com. IT Assistant provides a centralized software update capability. You can load Dell Update Packages and System Update 24 Solution Guide

25 Sets (system bundles) into the IT Assistant repository, either from the Dell Server Updates media or from the Dell support website. Updates can also be individually applied locally on each XenServer host. Before applying an update to the server, make sure all the VMs on the server are powered off or the host is in maintenance mode so that there are no active VMs on the XenServer host. Use the following steps to download a DUP for XenServer host: 1 Go to support.dell.com 2 Select Drivers and Downloads 3 Select the appropriate server model (example: PowerEdge 2950) or enter the Service Tag of the server 4 For Operating System, select Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 5 Select the desired Category and File Title, then download the Update Package for Red Hat Linux To upgrade system/device firmware or BIOS using ITA, create a software update task: 1 Download appropriate BIN file and.sign file from the Dell support site as mentioned above 2 In ITA console, add the DUP package to the IT Assistant repository through Manage Software Updates tab. 3 Create a task for Software update and provide the required host details NOTE: Make sure that on XenServer host SSH is enabled. If disabled, SSH can be enabled from XenServer local console Remote Service Configuration Enable/Disable Remote Shell. ITA uses SSH port for installation of DUP packages. Another method is to upload the update package to XenServer host using a file transfer program and execute the package. Perform the following as a root user: 1 Upload the update package (*.BIN file) to /var/tmp. 2 Login to XenServer local console shell. 3 Execute the command #./<xxxx.bin> NOTE: xxx.bin is the name of the DUP file. 4 Continue as per instructions provided by the update package. Solution Guide 25

26 5 Reboot the server if required by the update package. For more information on using DUP with ITA, refer to ITA user guide at support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/smitasst. Configuring Storage Local Storage Repository Configuration Local storage on the XenServer host can be configured as a Storage Repository (SR) to host virtual machines. Follow the steps below to create a new SR on local storage: Create a new storage volume Using the storage controller BIOS or OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Manager, create a new storage volume on the XenServer host. Create a volume using Controller BIOS: A new storage volume can be created from the storage controller BIOS. Please follow the appropriate set of instructions to create a new virtual disk using the controller BIOS: PERC 6/i: support.dell.com/support/edocs/storage/raid/perc6ir/en/index.ht m SAS 6/iR: support.dell.com/support/edocs/storage/raid/sas6ir/en/index.htm Create a volume using Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management: Using OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management a new storage volume or virtual disk can be created on the disks attached to Dell PERC or SAS storage controllers, as illustrated in Figure 11. To create a new virtual disk, follow the steps available at support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/svradmin/5.4/en/omss_ug/html/ind ex.html. 26 Solution Guide

27 Create Storage Repository After creating a new storage volume/virtual disk, create a storage repository on the newly created volume, as illustrated in Figure 12. Note that creating an SR on a storage volume completely erases any data on the volume. 1 On the XenServer local console, go to Disk and Storage Repositories Claim Local Disk as SR 2 Press <F8> to erase the disk and continue the SR creation process. 3 Select the newly created storage volume device and press <Enter> to create an SR. 4 Press <F8> to confirm creation of SR. The process may take several minutes to complete. 5 Once the SR is created, press <F8> to reboot the server to complete SR creation process. Figure 11. Create virtual disk using Dell Open Manage Storage Manager Solution Guide 27

28 Figure 12. Create SR on the newly create virtual disk Deploying Citrix XenServer Dell Edition with Dell Storage Arrays This section describes reference configurations and deployment steps to use Dell PowerVault and EqualLogic storage arrays with Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. PowerVault MD1000 The PowerVault MD1000 is capable of housing up to inch disk drives. This direct-attached storage enclosure supports both Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and Serial ATA (SATA) disk drives. Each port on the PERC 6/E enables up to three enclosures to be daisy chained to a single host. Alternatively, the enclosure s disk drives can be split between two servers with up to eight drives assigned to one server and up to seven drives assigned to a second server. The enclosure mode switch must be set to the mode you want to use before the enclosure is powered on. Shared storage for XenServer pools is not supported in the MD1000 host-based RAID solution. Reference Configurations UNIFIED MODE A unified configuration is one in which your MD1000 enclosure is connected to one host. In unified mode, your enclosure can be one of up to three enclosures daisy-chained to a single port on the PERC 6/E card in your XenServer host. See Figure 13 for an illustration of this configuration. 28 Solution Guide

29 Figure 13. MD1000 Unified Mode XenServer host PERC 6/E 15 drives PowerVault MD1000 in unif ied mode 15 drives Optional two expansion enclosures 15 drives S INGLE HOST, SPLIT BACKPLANE In this configuration, one host contains two PERC 6/E cards. The hard drives are split into two groups with eight drives controlled by one PERC 6/E and seven drives controlled by the other PERC 6/E. Daisy-chaining MD1000 enclosures is not supported in split mode. See Figure 14 for an illustration of this configuration. Solution Guide 29

30 Figure 14. MD1000 Single Host, split backplane XenServer host PERC 6/E PERC 6/E 8 drives / 7 drives DUAL HOST, SPLIT BACKPLANE In this configuration, the hard drives are split into two groups with eight drives controlled by one XenServer host and seven drives controlled by the other XenServer host. Daisy-chaining MD1000 enclosures is not supported in split mode. See Figure 15 for an illustration of this configuration. Figure 15. MD1000 Dual host, split backplane XenServer host XenServer host PERC 6/E PERC 6/E PowerVault MD drives / 7 drives 30 Solution Guide

31 Creating an SR on MD1000 The process to create an SR on virtual disks on the MD1000 controller is the same as creating an SR on the host s local hard disk storage. Consequently, please refer to "Local Storage Repository Configuration" on page 26 for instructions on creating an SR on the MD1000. PowerVault MD3000 The PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure is designed for high availability, offering redundant access to data storage. It features dual active/active RAID controller modules, redundant power supplies, and redundant fans. The RAID enclosure is designed for high-performance environments: two-node fully redundant XenServer hosts or multi-host storage access for up to four servers. XenServer hosts connected to same RAID controller module can share storage volume on MD3000, hence virtual machines can be migrated across two hosts using XenMotion. Built for high-performance, the PowerVault MD3000 is a modular disk storage array capable of housing up to inch SAS or SATA disk drives. The PowerVault MD3000 is expandable by simply adding up to two additional PowerVault MD1000 expansion enclosures. The entire array subsystem is managed from a single, user friendly software application known as the Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM) which streamlines the management and maintenance of storage as it scales. In-band management of an MD3000 array from a XenServer host is not supported. To manage MD3000 arrays using MDSM, please install the MDSM software on a separate supported Windows or Linux management station. Citrix XenServer Dell Edition includes the Dell RDAC multi-pathing driver that enables high availability configurations with PowerVault MD3000. Reference Configurations S INGLE HOST WITH A NON-REDUNDANT DATA PATH This configuration contains one XenServer host with one SAS 5/E card and an MD3000 enclosure with one RAID controller. One port of the SAS 5/E card is connected to one MD3000 RAID controller. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy-chained to the MD3000 to provide additional storage capacity. See Figure 16 for an illustration of this configuration. Solution Guide 31

32 Figure 16. MD3000 Single Host with a Non-redundant Data Path XenServer host SAS 5/E Controller 0 Port 0 MD3000 MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) 15 drives R EDUNDANT DATA PATHS FOR SINGLE-HBA HOST SERVER This configuration contains one XenServer host with one SAS 5/E card and an MD3000 enclosure with two RAID controllers. One port of the SAS 5/E card is connected to the first port of the MD3000 RAID controller 0, while the second port of the SAS 5/E card is connected to the first port of the MD3000 RAID controller 1. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy-chained to the MD3000 to provide additional storage capacity. See Figure 17 for an illustration of this configuration. If a path between the host and MD3000 fails, the LUNs will failover to the other controller, thus maintaining storage access to the XenServer host. 32 Solution Guide

33 Figure 17. MD3000 Redundant Data Paths for Single-HBA Host Server XenServer host SAS 5/E Port 1 SAS 5/E Port 0 Contro ller 1 Port 0 Controller 0 Port 0 MD3000 MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) 15 drives UP TO FOUR HOSTS WITH A NON-REDUNDANT DATA PATH This configuration contains up to four XenServer hosts, each with one SAS 5/E card, and an MD3000 enclosure with two RAID controllers. Each of the four ports of the MD3000's RAID controllers are connected to one port of each host's SAS 5/E card. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy-chained to the MD3000 to provide additional storage capacity. In this configuration, hosts connected to same controller can be made part of a XenServer pool. As shown in Figure 18, XenServer 1 and XenServer 2 can be part of a single pool, sharing LUNs controlled by MD3000 controller 1. Similarly XenServer 3 and XenServer 4 can be part of another pool sharing LUNs controlled by MD3000 controller 0. If a path of controller fails, no failover is available in the configuration. Solution Guide 33

34 Figure 18. MD3000 Up to four Hosts with a Non-redundant Data Path LAN XenServer 1 XenServer 2 XenServer 3 XenServer 4 SAS 5/E SAS 5/E SAS 5/E SAS 5/E Controller 1 Po rt 1 Controller 1 Port 0 Controller 0 Po rt 1 Controller 0 Port 0 MD3000 MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) R EDUNDANT DATA PATHS FOR TWO SINGLE-HBA HOST SERVERS This configuration contains two XenServer hosts, each with one SAS 5/E card, and an MD3000 enclosure with two RAID controllers. The first port of each host's SAS 5/E card is connected to the first MD3000 RAID controller, while the second port of each host's SAS 5/E card is connected to the second MD3000 RAID controller. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisychained to the MD3000 to provide additional storage capacity. See Figure 19 for an illustration of this configuration. In this configuration, XenServer 1 and XenServer 2 can be part of a single pool, sharing LUNs controlled by either MD3000 controller 0 or controller 1. If a path between the host and MD3000 fails, the LUNs will failover to the other controller, thus maintaining storage access to the XenServer hosts. 34 Solution Guide

35 Figure 19. MD3000 Redundant Data Paths for Two Single-HBA Host Servers XenServer ho st 1 XenServer ho st 2 SAS 5/E Port 1 SAS 5/E Port 0 SAS 5/E Port 1 SAS 5/E Port 0 Controller 1 Port 1 Controller 1 Port 0 Controller 0 Port 1 Controller 0 Port 0 MD3000 MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) 15 drives R EDUNDANT DATA PATHS FOR TWO DUAL-HBA HOST SERVERS This configuration contains two XenServer hosts, each with two SAS 5/E cards, and an MD3000 enclosure with two RAID controllers. The first SAS 5/E card of each host is connected to the first MD3000 RAID controller, while the second SAS 5/E card of each host is connected to the second MD3000 RAID controller. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy-chained to the MD3000 to provide additional storage capacity. See Figure 20 for an illustration of this configuration. Solution Guide 35

36 In this configuration, XenServer 1 and XenServer 2 can be part of a single pool, sharing LUNs controlled by either MD3000 RAID controller 0 or controller 1. If a path between the host and MD3000 fails, the LUNs will failover to the other controller, thus maintaining storage access to the XenServer hosts. Figure 20. MD3000 Redundant Data paths for two dual-hba host servers XenServer hos t 1 XenServ er ho st 2 SAS 5/E SAS 5/E SAS 5/E SAS 5/E Controller 1 Port 1 C ontrolle r 1 Port 0 Controller 0 Port 1 Controller 0 Port 0 MD3000 MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) 15 drives R EDUNDANT DATA PATHS FOR DUAL-HBA HOST SERVER, TWO SAS LINKS This configuration contains one XenServer host with two SAS 5/E cards and an MD3000 enclosure with two RAID controllers. One port of the first SAS 5/E card is connected to the first MD3000 RAID controller, while 36 Solution Guide

37 one port of the second SAS 5/E card is connected to the second MD3000 RAID controller. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy-chained to the MD3000 to provide additional storage capacity. See Figure 21 for an illustration of this configuration. If a path between the host and MD3000 fails, the LUNs will failover to the other controller, thus maintaining storage access to the XenServer host. Figure 21. MD3000 Redundant Data paths for dual-hba host server, two SAS links XenServer host SAS 5/E SAS 5/E Controller 1 Controller 0 MD3000 MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) 15 drives Solution Guide 37

38 R EDUNDANT DATA PATHS FOR DUAL HBA HOST SERVER, FOUR SAS LINKS This configuration contains one XenServer host with two SAS 5/E cards and an MD3000 enclosure with two RAID controllers. One port of the first SAS 5/E card is connected to the first port of the MD3000 RAID controller 0, and the other port of the first SAS 5/E card is connected to the first port of the MD3000 RAID controller 1. One port of the second SAS 5/E card is connected to the second port of the second MD3000 RAID controller 0, and the other port of the second SAS 5/E card is connected to the second port of the MD3000 RAID controller 1. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy-chained to the MD3000 to provide additional storage capacity. See Figure 22 for an illustration of this configuration. If a path between the host and MD3000 fails, the LUNs will failover to another available path, thus maintaining storage access to the XenServer host. 38 Solution Guide

39 Figure 22. MD3000 Redundant data paths for dual HBA host server, four SAS links XenServer host SAS 5/E SAS 5/E Con troller 1 Port 1 C ontrolle r 1 Port 0 Controller 0 Port 1 C ontroller 0 Port 0 MD3000 MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) 15 drives Creating an SR on MD Follow the steps below to create a Storage Repository on a storage volume on PowerVault MD3000.Create and configure a virtual disk using the MD3000 Modular Disk Storage Manager software (installed on your management station). Make sure the newly created virtual disk is controlled by the RAID controller to which your XenServer hosts have access. 2 If configuring storage on MD3000 for a XenServer pool, add all hosts to the XenServer pool. Solution Guide 39

40 3 On the XenServer host or pool master, identify the disk id of the MD3000 storage volume: Make sure the storage volume is visible to XenServer host: # mppbusrescan Issue the following command to get the SCSI device name for the storage volume: # /opt/mpp/lsvdev The output of this command will be similar to one below: [root@xs1~]# /opt/mpp/lsvdev Array Name Lun sd device MD3000_Array1 0 -> /dev/sdc Note the SCSI device name (/dev/sdx) and find the corresponding disk id in the output of the following command: # ls -ltr /dev/disk/by-id The output of this command will be similar to one below: scsi-36001c23000c967da00000bae47ecaeeb ->../../sdc 4 Execute one of the following commands to create a storage repository on the MD3000 virtual disk: If adding storage to a pool: # xe sr-create content-type=user name-label= <label_of_sr> shared=true type=lvmohba deviceconfig:device=/dev/disk/by-id/<disk_id> If adding storage to a stand-alone host: # xe sr-create content-type=user name-label= <label_of_sr> type=lvmohba deviceconfig:device=/dev/disk/by-id/<disk_id> NOTE: <disk_id> is the id noted in step Solution Guide

41 PowerVault MD3000i The Dell PowerVault MD3000i storage solution consists of a standard or high availability configuration. The standard model has a single controller with two 1GbE ports. It can be deployed to support up to 16 hosts nonredundantly. The high availability model has dual controllers with two 1GbE ports per controller for a total of four 1GbE ports. The dual controller option can connect up to 16 fully redundant hosts. The entire MD3000i array is managed from a single, user friendly software application - known as the Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM) - which streamlines the management and maintenance of storage as it scales. In-band management of an MD3000i array from a XenServer host is not supported. To manage MD3000i arrays using MDSM, please install the MDSM software on a separate supported Windows or Linux management station.xenserver Dell Edition comes preinstalled with the open-iscsi initiator that can be used to connect to MD3000i. Alternatively, a software iscsi initiator inside a virtual machine can be used to add a storage volume from MD3000i array. By default, the physical network interface on which the XenServer management interface is configured is chosen to route the IP storage traffic. However, a physical interface or a bond of multiple interfaces can be configured to segregate storage traffic from management traffic. Please refer to "IP storage traffic segregation and high availability configuration" on page 66 for more details on specific configuration steps. NOTE: For specific steps on using MD3000i with an iscsi initiator running inside a virtual machine, refer to Software Installation section of MD3000i Systems Installation Guide. Reference Configurations This section describes reference XenServer configurations with MD3000i using the software iscsi initiator pre-installed in XenServer Dell Edition. Multi-pathing is currently not supported on XenServer hosts connected to PowerVault MD3000i. A XenServer host or a pool of XenServer hosts can only access storage LUNs that are controlled by a single MD3000i RAID controller. Controller failover is not supported at this time. ONE OR TWO DIRECT-ATTACHED SERVERS, SINGLE-PATH DATA, SINGLE C ONTROLLER (SIMPLEX) This configuration contains one or two XenServer hosts, each with one NIC for iscsi connectivity, and an MD3000i enclosure with one RAID controller. One port of each host's NIC is connected to one Solution Guide 41

42 port on the MD3000i RAID controller. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy-chained to the MD3000i to provide additional storage capacity. XenServer hosts 1 and 2 as shown in Figure 23 cannot be a part of a pool. Figure 23. MD3000i One or Two Direct-Attached Servers, Single-Path Data, Single Controller (Simplex) LAN XenServer host 1 XenServer host 2 NIC0 NIC0 Co ntroller 0 Po rt 1 Controller 0 Port 0 MD3000i MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) UP TO FOUR DIRECT-ATTACHED SERVERS, SINGLE-PATH DATA, DUAL C ONTROLLERS (DUPLEX) This configuration contains up to four XenServer hosts, each with one NIC for iscsi connectivity, and an MD3000i enclosure with two RAID controllers. One port of each host's NIC is connected to one of the four ports across the two MD3000i RAID controllers. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy-chained to the MD3000i to provide additional storage capacity. See Figure 24 for an illustration of this configuration. Pool configuration is not possible in this configuration. 42 Solution Guide

43 Figure 24. MD3000i Up to Four Direct-Attached Servers, Single-Path Data, Dual Controllers (Duplex) LAN XenServer 1 XenServer 2 XenServer 3 XenServer 4 NIC0 NIC0 NIC0 NIC0 Co ntro ller 1 Port 1 Co ntro lle r 1 Po rt 0 Co ntro ller 0 Port 1 Co ntr oller 0 Po rt 0 MD3000i MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) UP TO 16 SAN-CONFIGURED SERVERS, SINGLE-PATH DATA, SINGLE CONTROLLER (SIMPLEX) This configuration contains up to 16 XenServer hosts, each with one or two NICs (bonded to provide high availability) for iscsi connectivity and an MD3000i enclosure with one RAID controller. One or two of each host's NICs are connected to an Ethernet switch, and the Ethernet switch has a connection to the I/O port on the MD3000i RAID controller. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy-chained to the MD3000i to provide additional storage capacity. As shown in Figure 25, XenServer hosts connected to same controller I/O port can be part of a single pool. Two NICs on the XenServer host can be bonded to provide high availability for the iscsi storage traffic. Please refer to Best Practices section 'IP Traffic Segregation and High Availability Configuration' for more details on how to configure high availability for IP storage. Solution Guide 43

44 Figure 25. MD3000i Up to 16 SAN-Configured Servers, Single-Path Data, Single Controller (Simplex) XenServer Pool A XenServer Pool B NIC0 NIC1 NIC0 NIC1 NIC0 NIC1 NIC0 NIC1 Ethernet Switch Con troller 0 Port 1 Controller 0 Port 0 MD3000i MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) UP TO 16 SAN-CONFIGURED SERVERS, SINGLE-PATH DATA, DUAL CONTROLLERS (DUPLEX) This configuration contains up to 16 XenServer hosts, each with one or two NICs for iscsi connectivity, and an MD3000i enclosure with two RAID controllers. One or two of each host's NICs are connected to an Ethernet switch, and the Ethernet switch has one connection to each of the two MD3000i RAID controllers. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy-chained to the MD3000i to provide additional storage capacity. As shown in Figure 26, XenServer hosts connected to same controller network port can be part of a single pool. XenServer hosts connected to Controller 0 can be part of one pool and XenServer hosts connected to Controller 1 can be part of another pool. At a given time, XenServer hosts in a pool can access LUNs controlled by either MD3000i RAID Controller 0 or Controller 1, but not both. Two NICs on the XenServer host can be bonded to provide high availability for the iscsi storage traffic. Please refer to Best Practices section 'IP Traffic Segregation and High Availability Configuration' for more details on how to configure high availability for IP storage. 44 Solution Guide

45 Figure 26. MD3000i Up to 16 SAN-Configured Servers, Single-Path Data, Dual Controllers (Duplex) XenServer Pool A XenServer Pool B NIC0 NIC1 NIC0 NIC1 NIC0 NIC1 NIC0 NIC1 Ethernet Switch Controller 1 Port 0 Controller 0 Port 0 MD3000i MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) Creating an SR on MD3000i Follow the steps below to create a Storage Repository on a storage volume on PowerVault MD3000i. 1 Manually change the XenServer host's iscsi IQN to a string of your choosing by selecting the host in XenCenter, viewing its "General" tab, and clicking the "Edit" button. The "Edit General Settings" dialog box appears, where you can modify the iscsi IQN string. 2 Using MDSM interface, create virtual disks on MD3000i using steps described at support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/md3000i/en/ig/ PDF/IGbk0HR.pdf. Make sure that the XenServer host(s) have a physical path to the controller which owns the newly created virtual disk. 3 Run the Modular Disk Storage Manager and manually add the XenServer host(s) based on the new iscsi IQN entered in step 1: After opening the Modular Disk Storage Manager and selecting the MD3000i storage array to be configured, select the Configure tab. NOTE: In the examples to follow the Storage array sg23_training is an MD3000i with virtual disks already configured using the Create Virtual Disks selection. The new server being added to an existing host group is named Valhalla. Solution Guide 45

46 4 From the Configure tab, select Configure Host Access (Manual). Enter the host name for the server which has XenServer software installed. Select Linux as the host type. 5 From the next screen, specify the iscsi Initiator by selecting the New button (lower right on screen). On the Enter New iscsi Initiator screen enter the XenServer iscsi initiator name configured in step 1. The label is auto-populated from the server name. See Figure 27. Figure 27. iscsi Initiator Window 6 Host Group configuration starts from the subsequent screen titled "Configure Host Access (Manual) - Specify Host Group". If provisioning storage as shared storage for a XenServer pool, a host group must be defined so the MD3000i storage subsystem has a configured iscsi path to each of the hosts. 7 Select Yes: This host will share access to the same virtual disks with other hosts and determine which of the following two options applies to your host group: a If a new host group is desired, select the radio button for that option and enter a name for your host group using standard host naming conventions (i.e. no spaces, etc.). b Should you already have one or more host groups created, select the radio button enabling selection from a drop down list of existing host groups. This option is to be used when configuring the second, third, etc. host in a group. Once the host group is selected previously configured hosts for that host group will be displayed. Note that 46 Solution Guide

47 these are shown as Linux hosts even though they are configured as XenServer hosts. 8 Selecting Next provides a Confirmation screen in which the new server being configured is shown and the other previously configured associated hosts are named. For the first server configured in a new host group there will be no associated hosts listed under the Associated host group (see Figure 28). Figure 28. Modular Disk Storage Manager Configure Tab 9 Select Finish confirming the new host definition. This initiates the wizard configuration of the new host. 10 On completion, select Yes to proceed to the next host you wish to configure, or select No to end the configuration wizard. 11 Return to XenCenter and create a new Storage Repository by connecting to the desired XenServer host and clicking on its Storage tab. Click Add, choose the iscsi radio button for Virtual disk storage, and click Next. Solution Guide 47

48 12 Enter the name for the new SR in the name field, MD3000i controller portal IP address in the target host field, and 3260 in the port filed. Then click on "Discover IQNs" and "Discover LUNs" to populate the "Target IQN" and "Target LUN" fields. Select the appropriate LUN and click "Finish" to create a new SR. PowerVault NX1950 The Dell PowerVault NX1950 is a network-attached storage solution running the Microsoft Windows Unified Data Storage Server (WUDSS) operating system and is pre-configured with a PowerVault MD3000 Storage Array. The NX1950 Integrated can be deployed in two configurations: Basic, with one data-mover, or High Availability, with two data-movers. The PowerVault NX1950 integrates seamlessly with key NFS capabilities, including identity management, file permission mapping and symbolic links. For information on storage configuration of NX1950, refer to the NX1950 Deployment Guide at support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/pvnx1950/en/dg/dg_en.pdf. Additional details on NFS configuration may be found on the Microsoft website at technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/ecb3045e-6d7b- 4ce3-9e9c-d311d922713a1033.mspx. Reference Configurations This section describes the supported XenServer configurations with PowerVault NX1950. Dell supports NX1950 Integrated basic and HA configurations with Citrix XenServer software using only the NFS protocol and not iscsi. Citrix XenServer Dell Edition supports version 3 of the NFS protocol. S INGLE NODE OR CLUSTER CONFIGURATION This configuration contains up to 16 XenServer hosts, each with a NIC for storage traffic, connected to NX1950 basic (single NX1950 node) or NX1950 HA (two NX1950 nodes configured as a cluster). Each host's NIC is connected to an Ethernet switch, and the Ethernet switch has connections to each NX1950 NIC. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy-chained to the MD3000i to provide additional storage capacity. Storage Repositories on a XenServer host or a XenServer pool can be created on the NFS share on NX1950. See Figure 29 for an illustration of this configuration. 48 Solution Guide

49 Figure 29. NX1950 Single Node or Cluster configuration LAN XenServer host XenServer host NIC0 NIC0 Ethernet Switch NIC1:0 NIC0:0 NX1950 (optional redundant node) MD3000 MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) S INGLE NODE OR CLUSTER CONFIGURATION WITH TEAMED NICS This configuration contains up to 16 XenServer hosts, each with one or two (bonded) NIC ports for NFS traffic connectivity, connected to NX1950 basic (single NX1950 node) or NX1950 HA (two NX1950 nodes configured as a cluster). The NX1950 node contains one or two teamed NICs to server NFS traffic. All of each host's NIC ports are connected to a single Ethernet switch, and the Ethernet switch has connections to each NX1950 NIC port. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy-chained to the MD3000 to provide additional storage capacity. Storage Repositories on a XenServer host or a XenServer pool can be created on the NFS share on NX1950. See Figure 30 for an illustration of this configuration. Solution Guide 49

50 Figure 30. NX1950 Single Node or Cluster configuration with teamed NICs LAN XenServer host XenServer host NIC0 NIC1 NIC0 NIC1 Single Ethernet Switch NIC1:1 NIC1:0 NIC0:1 NIC0:0 NX1950 (optional redundant node) MD3000 MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) S INGLE NODE OR CLUSTER CONFIGURATION WITH TEAMED NICS AND REDUNDANT SWITCHES This configuration contains up to 16 XenServer hosts, each with two bonded NIC ports for storage connectivity, two Ethernet switches, and a single node or dual node NX1950 with two teamed NIC ports for serving NFS traffic connectivity. The first of each host's NIC ports is connected to one Ethernet switch, while the second of each host's NIC ports is connected to the second Ethernet switch. The two Ethernet switches are connected to each other. The Ethernet switches have connections to each NX1950 NIC port. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy-chained to the MD3000 to provide additional storage capacity. Storage Repositories on a XenServer host or a XenServer pool can be created on the NFS share on NX1950. See Figure 31 for an illustration of this configuration. 50 Solution Guide

51 Figure 31. NX1950 Single Node or Cluster configuration with teamed NICs and redundant switches LAN XenServer ho st XenServer host NIC0 NIC1 NIC0 NIC1 Redundant Ethernet Switches ISL NIC1:1 NIC1:0 NIC0:1 NIC0:0 NX1950 (optional redundant node) MD3000 MD1000 (optional) MD1000 (optional) Creating an SR on NX Setup your NX1950 as a NFS server and create a NFS share. View the Microsoft Services for NFS Configuration Guide in the NX1950's Windows Unified Data Storage Server environment. This document includes instructions on how to use the Identity Mapping Setup wizard. After completing the initial configuration of Microsoft Services for NFS, you can use the Microsoft Services for NFS console for maintenance and administration of the NFS. 2 Run XenCenter and create an SR by connecting to the desired XenServer host (or pool master, if adding storage to a pool) and clicking on its Storage tab. Click the "Add " button, choose the NFS radio button for Virtual disk storage, and select Next. Enter the name for the SR in the name filed and NFS share in the Share Name field. Click the "Scan" button to scan for any existing SRs on the share. Otherwise click "Finish" button to create a new SR. Solution Guide 51

52 Dell EqualLogic PS Series Dell EqualLogic PS Series iscsi arrays simplify storage deployment by offering high performance, reliability, intelligent automation, and seamless virtualization of a single pool of storage. Each PS Series array supports up to 16 SAS or SATA disk drives. Performance and capacity may easily be scaled by adding additional PS Series arrays. All PS Series models have dual active/passive controllers with three 1GbE ports per controller, for a total of six 1GbE ports, and may be connected to up to 512 hosts. By default, the physical network interface on which the XenServer management interface is configured is chosen to route the IP storage traffic. However, a different physical interface or a bond of multiple interfaces can be configured to segregate storage traffic from management traffic. Please refer to Best Practices section 'IP Traffic Segregation and High Availability Configuration' for more details on specific configuration steps. Reference Configurations BASIC CONFIGURATION This configuration contains XenServer hosts, each with a NIC for iscsi connectivity and a PS Series enclosure with redundant RAID controllers. Each host's NIC is connected to an Ethernet switch, and the Ethernet switch has connections to all six ports on the RAID controllers. See Figure 32 for an illustration of this configuration. Storage Repositories on a XenServer host or a XenServer pool can be created on the iscsi volumes on the EqualLogic array. 52 Solution Guide

53 Figure 32. PS Series Basic Configuration LAN XenServer host XenServer host E/d E/d Ethernet Switch Dell EqualLogic PS5000 series array M ULTI-HOST, HIGHLY AVAILABLE This configuration contains XenServer hosts, each with two NICs (bonded to provide high availability) for iscsi connectivity and a PS Series enclosure with redundant RAID controllers. Two of each host's NICs are connected to an Ethernet switch, and the Ethernet switch has connections to all six ports on the RAID controllers. See Figure 33 for an illustration of this configuration. Storage Repositories on a XenServer host or a XenServer pool can be created on the iscsi volume on the EqualLogic array. NIC0 and NIC1 on each XenServer host are bonded to provide high availability for the iscsi storage traffic. This configuration provides redundancy against host NIC and array controller failure. Solution Guide 53

54 Figure 33. PS Series Multi-Host, Highly Available LAN XenServer host XenServer host NIC0 NIC1 NIC0 NIC1 Ethernet Switch Dell EqualLogic PS5000 series array FULLY REDUNDANT This configuration contains XenServer hosts, each with two NICs (bonded to provide high availability) for iscsi connectivity and a PS Series enclosure with redundant RAID controllers. One of each host's NICs is connected to Ethernet switch 0, while the second of each host's NICs is connected to Ethernet switch 1. The two Ethernet switches are connected by two Inter Switch Links (ISLs). Ethernet switch 0 has connections to two ports on RAID controller 0 and one connection to RAID controller 1. Ethernet switch 1 has connections to two ports on RAID controller 1 and one connection to RAID controller 0. See Figure 34 for an illustration of this configuration. Storage Repositories on a XenServer host or a XenServer pool can be created on the iscsi volumes on the EqualLogic array. NIC0 and NIC1 XenServer host are bonded to provide high availability for the iscsi storage traffic. This configuration provides redundancy against host NIC, switch or array controller failure. 54 Solution Guide

55 Figure 34. PS Series Fully Redundant LAN XenServer ho st XenServer host NIC0 NIC1 NIC0 NIC1 ISL Red und ant Ethernet Switches Dell Eq uallo gic PS5000 series array Creating an SR on Dell PS Series Array 1 Configure the EqualLogic array, create a group, set a member RAID policy, and create a volume by following the instructions available in the PS Series Storage Arrays Quickstart guide available at 2 Return to XenCenter and create an SR by connecting to the desired XenServer host (pool master if adding storage to a pool) and clicking on its Storage tab. Click the Add button, choose the iscsi radio button for Virtual disk storage, and select Next. 3 Enter the name for the new SR in the name field, EqualLogic array group IP address in the target host field, and 3260 in the port filed. Then click on "Discover IQNs" to perform target discovery. Each volume on an EqualLogic array has a unique target name with LUN ID set to "0". Select the appropriate IQN and then click on "Discover LUNs" to discover the LUN associated with the target. Select the LUN and click "Finish" to create a new SR. Moving an SR Between Hosts If you wish to remove an SR from an existing XenServer host and use it with a different host, perform the following steps: Solution Guide 55

56 1 Power down the VMs and export their metadata by following the instructions in "Export the VM Metadata" on page Select the SR in XenCenter and click Detach. 3 Attach the SR to the second host by using XenCenter. If the SR resides on an MD3000, follow the instructions in "Attach the SR Snapshot to Secondary XenServer Host" on page Import the VM metadata by following the instructions in "Import VM Metadata to Recover VMs From A Snapshot" on page 75. Resizing An SR After Changing the Size of An LVM-Based Storage Volume If you change the size of a LVM-based volume (SAS, iscsi or Fibre Channel), say due to need for more storage for virtual machines you increase the size of the volume on your iscsi storage array, the size of the Storage Repository on that volume does not get updated. Perform the following steps to adjust the size of the SR: 1 Shutdown all virtual machines on the SR 2 Note the UUID of the Storage Repository. This can be done using the xe sr-list command on the XenServer host and identifying the SR by its name label. 3 Identify the Physical Block Device (PBD) UUID corresponding to the SR. This can be done by executing the following command on XenServer: # xe sr-param-list uuid=<sr UUID> grep PBD where <SR UUID> is the UUID of SR noted in step 2. 4 Unplug the Physical Block Device (PBD) corresponding to the Storage Repository. # xe pbd-unplug uuid=<pbd UUID> where <PBD UUID> is the UUID of PBD noted in step 3. 5 Plug the PBD. # xe pbd-plug uuid=<pbd UUID> 6 Find the physical volume device SCSI device mapping name on which the SR exists. 56 Solution Guide

57 Identify the volume group (VG) corresponding to the SR. Issue the following command on XenServer host: # pvs The output of this command should be similar to one below: PV VG Fmt Attr PSize PFree /dev/sdd VG_XenStorage-058e9a1d-9b7e-71bc- 7a4c-5b78d6e30bcb lvm2 a G 38.00G /dev/sde VG_XenStorage-4684b6c6-be6d b7b5-834a1fd30f65 lvm2 a G 45.99G The volume groups (VG) are named as VS_XenStorage-<SR UUID>. Using the SR UUID noted in step 2, identify the correct volume group and the corresponding Physical Volume (PV) from the output of the above command. 7 Resize the Physical Volume: # pvresize /dev/sd<x> 8 Scan the Storage Repository: # xe sr-scan uuid=<sr UUID> 9 The SR size now gets updated to the new size of the physical volume. 10 Power on the Virtual Machines. Recovering the XenServer Host and VMs We recommend that, whenever possible, you leave the installed state of XenServer Dell Edition servers unaltered. That is, treat XenServer hosts as if they are appliances and do not install any additional packages or start additional services on them. XenServer uses a per-host database to store metadata about VMs and associated resources such as storage and networking. When combined with storage repositories, this database forms the complete view of all VMs available across the pool. To make your XenServer deployment readily recoverable, be sure to back up this database regularly. Solution Guide 57

58 Database Backup From XenServer Local Console For the standard single XenServer case, you can back up the database using the XenServer local console. To back up the XenServer database with the XenServer local console: 1 Insert a removable media device (USB stick) to save the backup. 2 Select Backup, Restore and Update from the XenServer local console menu and press ENTER. 3 Select Backup Server State and press ENTER. You will be prompted to select which removable media device you want to write the backup to. Select the appropriate device and press ENTER. 4 You will be prompted to provide a filename for the backup. Type the desired filename and press ENTER. The backup file will be written to the selected media. 5 Remove the media with the backed-up file and store it in a safe place for possible later use to recover XenServer state. Backing up the database for single-server and pooled servers using XenCenter or the XenServer CLI is described in Appendix B of the XenServer Installation Guide at Using the Recovery CD In case the flash storage becomes corrupted or fails and needs to be replaced, you can recover the factory-installed XenServer image by using the Recovery CD, which can be downloaded from After recovering the factory-default image, you can restore the XenServer database and resume running your VMs. To recover the Dell Edition using Recovery CD: 1 Burn the downloaded Recovery CD ISO to a CD disc or attach the ISO to the host using DRAC virtual media option. 2 Insert the new flash storage in the server. 3 Boot the server from the CD. 4 The Recovery CD will prompt you to copy the image to the flash storage. It will then copy the factory default image to the device. 58 Solution Guide

59 5 When complete, remove the Recovery CD, reboot the server, and boot from the internal flash storage. Restoring XenServer Database After restoring the XenServer to the factory-default configuration, restore the backed-up XenServer database to regain your VMs and particular network and storage configuration. This process differs depending on whether you have a single host or a resource pool, and whether the restored XenServer is to be a member of the pool or a master. For the default case, you can use the XenServer local console. To restore the XenServer database with the XenServer local console: 1 Insert the removable media device with the backup (USB stick). 2 Select Backup, Restore and Update from the local console menu and press ENTER. 3 Select Restore Server State from Backup and press ENTER. You will be prompted to select which removable media device you want to restore the backup from. Select the appropriate device and press ENTER. 4 You will be prompted to select the backup file to restore from. Select the desired filename and press ENTER. The contents of the backup file will be restored to the XenServer media. 5 Remove the media with the backed-up file and store it in a safe place for possible later use. 6 When complete, reboot the server. If you were previously using a remote database, it must be set up once again. Ensure you use the same database. Follow instructions in "Setup of Remote Database on iscsi LUN for Diskless Hosts" on page 69. For full details on restoring the database for pooled XenServers, see the section "Backing up and restoring XenServer hosts and VMs" in Appendix B of the XenServer Installation Guide at Solution Guide 59

60 Recovering XenServer After a Board Replacement In the event of a motherboard change in your XenServer host, the system Service Tag must be reset to its original value for XenServer to function. Download the latest asset.com utility from ftp.us.dell.com/utility. From a DOS prompt, execute asset.com /s <service tag>. Resetting the Root Password If the root password on the XenServer host is lost or forgotten, it may be reset. Boot the host to media for a supported Linux distribution. At a console, perform the following steps: 1 mount LABEL=xe-state /mnt 2 Edit the /mnt/xe-*/etc/passwd file using a text editor such as vi. a Erase the characters on the first line after root, between the first and second colons. b Type a new temporary password. c Save and close the file. 3 umount /mnt 4 Reboot the server. 5 Change the password in the XenServer local console Change Password menu. Recovering Virtual Machines in a XenServer Pool In most typical environments two or more XenServer hosts are grouped together in resource pools. This approach offers a number of advantages such as centralized infrastructure management and VM failover. Virtual machines can be located on remote, shared storage to allow them to run on any physical server within the resource pool. If XenServer host maintenance is planned, VMs can be live migrated between servers with no service downtime using XenMotion. However, if a physical XenServer host fails, there are a number of steps that need to be completed depending on the type of failure. Figure 35 displays an overview of the corrective action that needs to be taken to recover virtual machines. 60 Solution Guide

61 Figure 35. Virtual Machine recovery flowchart S TEP 1 IS THE POOL MASTER DOWN? All commands within a XenServer pool are managed by the server known as the pool master. If the server that is currently designated as the pool master has failed, servers running on other hosts will continue to run but lifecycle management (e.g. starting/stopping VMs) within the pool will not be possible. NOTE: Under some circumstances (such as power outages) there may have been multiple XenServer host failures in the pool. The pool master should be the first server to concentrate the recovery effort on. If connection to the XenServer pool is not possible from XenCenter, or issuing commands at the command line of a surviving host (such as xe host-list) returns a message like Cannot perform operation as the host is running in emergency mode then the Master server cannot be contacted and is likely dead. NOTE: If the Master Server has NOT failed, skip forward to Step 3 Verifying which XenServer failed. S TEP 2 RECOVER POOL OPERATIONS (IF APPLICABLE) If recovery of the pool master is not possible within a short timeframe, it will be necessary to promote a slave server to a master to recover pool management and restart any failed Virtual Machines. Solution Guide 61