Dell PowerStore Importing External Storage to PowerStore Guide

Configuration changes during import

It is not advisable to make any configuration changes to source volumes and the hosts once PowerStore import is set up. For a simple change, such as a volume size change, refresh of the host from the orchestrator is preferred. However for other changes, such as CHAP settings, it is preferred that you make them before setting up the import. If such changes are inevitable, the following steps should be followed:

1. Remove the hosts from the PowerStore cluster. This removal is not the removal of the import host but the removal of the generic host from the PowerStore cluster. This removal ensures that the host entry is cleaned up in both the PowerStore cluster and in the import orchestrator.
2. Remove the source system from the import orchestrator.
3. Make the necessary configuration changes in the host, or source system, or both.
4. Based on the platform, a reboot of the host may be required.
5. Add the source system to the import orchestrator.
6. Add the host or hosts to the import orchestrator.
   NOTE: It may be necessary to clear some stale entries in the host.

After these steps, you can start to import volumes or CGs. It is preferred that no configuration changes are made once the import setup is done. Also, these changes should be avoided until after all imports are complete. It is also possible that, based on the type of change, not all the steps may be required. The above procedure is provided to cover all the cases.

If the PowerStore cluster SAN IPs are changed, removing and re-adding the hosts suffices. Removal and re-adding the source systems is not necessary. In this example, it may be essential to clean up some stale entries on the host so that the new IPs are effective without source system impact. If the changes involve some CHAP settings for the source volume, that would impact everything the host accesses and the PowerStore cluster accesses. In this case, you must remove and then re-add both the hosts and the source system. The procedure varies depending on what is changed. If you are unsure, it is recommended to do the entire procedure. As a best practice, any configuration change should be avoided once import has been set up.