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VNX, MDS, Cisco UCS, VMware -- and problems!
Anyone running a similar configuration?
ARRAY: VNX7500
SWITCH: Cisco MDS 9513
Cisco UCS
VMware 5.1
VMs are built and configured. All "boot from SAN". This is the odd thing that happens:
If we try to installed PowerPath 5.7 on any of the Windows VMs they simply BSOD. We can revert to previous known configuration but PP is still there. I can repair the PP installation which allows PP to load but it cannot see any of the attached VNX luns. When I check the configuration and look in device manager, all of the "System Devices" listed under PowerPath (such as EMC Powerpath DSM for Clarrion) have yellow "WARNING" signs on them which means, of course, they aren't working. EMC PowerPath Data Migration Manager, EMC PowerPath Generic Purpose Extension and EMC PowerPath Multipath Extension are all green and working. You just cannot see any paths.
The major issue, of course, is installing PowerPath which causes the Windows VM to BSOD. We have to figure out how we can install PowerPath without causing a BSOD. We have to use PowerPath because, even with the correct multipath configuration between the Windows VM and the VNX, we have a lot of Path Thrashing and the VMs drop luns. We know PowerPath should fix this problem but we can't even get PowerPath to install and work without causing a BSOD.
Any idea? I've opened up an EMC support ticket and I know we're not the first people in IT to trying to install PowerPath with our configuration. It's not like Cisco UCS isn't used anywhere else.
GearoidG
251 Posts
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April 15th, 2013 13:00
>>Not even PowerPath for ESX?
Thats for ESX though not the VM's
If you have Powerpath on your VM's thats a completely different scenario
There are lots of different versions of versions of drivers for the UCS for vmware so I wouldnt know where to start.
I meant to ask earlier actually is this a VBlock from VCE? or a standalone setup of UCS/VMware/EMC?
Cheers
Gearoid
Rainer_EMC
8.6K Posts
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April 15th, 2013 14:00
These are two different products
PowerPath/VE == installed on the vSphere server (ESX Kernel) – no PowerPath installed on the guest
PowerPath == installed in the guest OS
See:
http://powerlink.emc.com/km/live1/en_US/Offering_Technical/White_Paper/h8180-powerpath-load-balancing-failover-wp.pdf
http://powerlink.emc.com/km/live1/en_US/Offering_Technical/White_Paper/h6340-powerpath-ve-for-vmware-vsphere-wp.pdf
jarbarian
106 Posts
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April 15th, 2013 15:00
So this is a UCS Cisco Blade server, one path only to the host from the VNX array. I reduced it down to ONE path to the boot lun, installed PP 5.5 SP1, rebooted the server and I still have issues. When you look under the "Device Manager" and see "EMC PowerPath for Clariion" you can see a "caution" icon over the service and of course, I cannot see the only path to the boot lun in PowerPath.
At this point, I have no idea what's going on. This was EMC's suggestion when you boot from SAN to have only one path when installing PP (which goes way back to the old days how I did it with DMX-1000s/2000s) and yet, I still have the same problem.
Wondering if I need to rebuild the server to guarantee there are no registry punches (I used PowerPath CLI to make sure the registry punches were removed).
The VMs, I will worry about later. We need to get PowerPath to work on these blade servers working with PowerPath.
GearoidG
251 Posts
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April 15th, 2013 23:00
Ill be honest I hope at this stage you have a service request open with our Powerpath group?
My specialty is on the storage side, and if you have the basics set correctly on the storage side (Using CLARiiON Open/Array Comm Path on/Failover mode 4 per initiator ) there isnt a whole lot more on the array side of things that need to be configured
Regards
Gearoid
Rainer_EMC
8.6K Posts
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April 16th, 2013 03:00
Any reason to use PP 5.5 SP1 which is from 12/2011 when PP 5.7 is out since February ?
It goes EOPS on 8/2013 – so I would suggest to use a current software version – unless you have a good reason and a contract for extended support
I think you need to go through this methodically with support.
Most common reasons for multi-pathing problems:
Wrong or old HBA drivers
Incorrect failover mode or multi-pathing config
Missing client OS patches
Wrong zoning or switch settings
dynamox
2 Intern
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20.4K Posts
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April 17th, 2013 08:00
isn't that what i told you to try ?
jarbarian
106 Posts
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April 17th, 2013 08:00
Ok so here is the resolution. If you remember, back in the DMX-1000/2000/3000 days (and forward) when connecting a host as "SAN-BOOT" the #1 requirement was a SINGLE PATH from the host to the disk. So the normal process is:
1. Create a zone for a single path to a single hba to the array. No other paths at this time.
2. Create your lun and attach it to the storage group/host.
3. Boot the host, ensure only ONE path exists.
4. Build your O/S.
5. Install PowerPath 5.5 SP1 (not 5.7 as 5.7 still has issues).
6. Reboot the host, ensure you can see the Array/LUN/HBA in PowerPath (and only ONE path).
7. Zone in the rest of the SAN connections and add them to the storage group on the array.
8. Reboot the host, verify all paths are up and working.
Not sure if this a UCS issue, a Windows Server MPIO issue (most likely) or a combination of both of them, but following the above process I was able to get PowerPath 5.5 SP1 up and working when I followed that exact process. This is the "old school" was I used to do this when we were doing SAN-BOOT on physical stand-alone servers so it's no different on blade servers.
Let me know if you have any questions. If you ask me about PP 5.7 I don't have an answer to that other than EMC recommends PP 5.5 SP1 only.
jarbarian
106 Posts
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April 17th, 2013 08:00
Dynamox, you're always right. Never doubted you but UCS is new to me personally so....
Good job, by the way.
Rainer_EMC
8.6K Posts
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April 17th, 2013 09:00
Thanks for the feedback
jarbarian
106 Posts
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April 17th, 2013 09:00
Ok well as long as I have been around here, you are the expert! I appreciate it and hope adding the process here will help others as well! Gotta pass on that knowledge!
dynamox
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20.4K Posts
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April 17th, 2013 09:00
oh i am far away from being "always" right
..just wanted to know what you changed in the process to make it work.
dynamox
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20.4K Posts
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April 19th, 2013 13:00
interesting development, today i deployed brand new UCS infrastructure. Installed Win2k8 R2 on 3 blades (local storage, not booting from SAN), installed PowerPath 5.7. The minute i present VNX storage box BSOD and reboots, this happens on 3 servers. So i uninstalled PP 5.7 and installed PP 5.5 SP1 and have no issues. Looks like PP 5.7 is the culprit. Did you open a ticket with support about this ? If not i am going to open one ..i can easily reproduce it. We are running UCS 2.1.(1a)