After you have completed all the initial tasks of setting up the system, you are ready to launch the management GUI, and configure the SAN Volume Controller system. This e-Learning module introduces you to the management GUI and guides you through several system setup tasks, including configuring the system, licensing functions, configuring single and multiple site topology, configuring external storage, setting up email event notifications, creating hosts, creating and mapping volumes and other configuration tasks.
The first time you launch the management GUI, a wizard is displayed to guide you through some initial system setup tasks. Read the license agreement and indicate whether you agree with the terms. You are now ready to log in to the management GUI. The superuser will be required to log in for the first time, and you will be asked to change your password.
The System SetUp Welcome screen displays the steps needed to configure your system including naming the system, setting the date and time, adding licensing information, configuring system topology and setting email event notifications. Click Next and the System Name field will appear. Enter a name for the system and then click Apply and Next..
You are now ready to configure the date and time settings. There are two options for configuring the date and time. You can enter the date and time manually or specify a network address for an NTP server. Once the date and time are entered, click Apply and Next to access the Licensed Functions panel.
A license must be purchased for each enclosure that is attached to, or externally managed by the SAN Volume Controller system. There are 2 licensing options: Standard Edition or Entry Edition. If you choose Standard Edition, begin by selecting the number of terabytes that are available for your license for Virtualization, FlashCopy mappings, Global and Metro Mirror and Real-time compression.
To configure system topology, choose either Single site or Multiple sites, also known as stretched system. If you select Single Site, click Apply and Next to set up email notifications. If you need to configure multiple sites, select the multiple sites button, Apply and Next, to access the Site Names panel. Enter the name of the site that contains half the nodes on the system. In the Site Two box, enter the name of the site that contains the other half of the nodes on the system. In the Site 3 box, enter the name of the site that is used for quorum management. If the connection between Site 1 and Site 2 is lost, the quorum disks on this site determine which set of nodes, either Site 1 or Site 2, can continue processing requests until the connection is re-established. If you have multiple sites, the SAN Volume Controller system gives you the option to assign nodes between sites. For example, if the first node is located at Site 1 and you are on Site 2, you have the option to move the node according to the site or site name. Click the radio button, located between the node dropdown boxes, to reassign the nodes.
As you can see, Node 1 is now located on Site 2. This can be reversed if you need to reassign nodes. The second radio button can scan for other node candidates if you are configuring a system with more than 2 nodes. You can also add a node from the dropdown menu. Choose the node which complies with the correct panel ID for that site (if you have more than two nodes in the cluster). When a node has been added, the node icon changes from gray and now shows an actual node icon. When you have finished assigning nodes, click Next.
External storage can be optionally assigned to a site at this time. It can also be done later in the management GUI by clicking on the Pools icon, External Storage option. To assign a storage controller to a specific site, you must first choose the controller which you want to assign to a specific site. Right click on the desired controller and select Modify Site, which will open the dropdown menu to select the site. Choose the site where the controllers are located. When you have selected the site, press Next and in the screen shown, you will see the site name. Repeat the same steps for all of the controllers and then click Next to complete the External Storage site assignment.
If you have previously configured email event notifications during initial set up, you can either update your information or click Apply and Next to continue. If you did not configure email event notifications during initial set up, it is highly recommended that you do so now. Email event notifications, will automatically notify IBM support centers when problems occur. Enter the complete company name and address. Next, enter the information for the person at your company whom the support center should contact. Enter the IP address and server port for one or more of the email servers that you are providing.
If you did not opt for automatic storage configuration during initial setup, you can configure the storage by creating one or more storage pools. Go to the MDisks by Pools panel. Click Create Pool, and enter the name of the new storage pool. Optionally, you can choose a different icon to represent the storage pool. Select the managed disks to include and click Create to complete the process. You can modify, delete, and create additional storage pools in the MDisks by Pools panel.
The following screen displays the message that the Call Home email notification is automatically configured. Next, add or delete email addresses of those users who are to receive event notifications. For more information, see the Events and notifications e-Learning module.
Review the final summary page, and click finish to complete the System Setup wizard.
The Add Hosts suggested task panel will prompt you to create settings for hosts connected to the system. You need to create a host object for every host system that will use the volumes. To create a host, click Add Host, then select Fibre Channel or iSCSI as the host type. Enter a name for the host. You can configure various host and port options depending on the host type you are creating. Select Create Host to complete this task. You can modify, delete, and create additional hosts later using the Hosts panel. For more information, see the Host attachment e-Learning modules.
You need to create a host object for every host system that will use the volumes. To create a host, click Create Host, then select Fibre Channel or iSCSI as the host type. Enter a name for the host and add one or more IQNs or World Wide Port Names (or WWPNs) for the available ports. The selected I/O groups will present volumes to this host. Select Create Host to complete this task. You can modify, delete, and create additional hosts later using the Hosts panel.
For more information, see the Host attachment e-Learning modules.
If you did not opt for automatic storage configuration during initial setup, you can configure the storage by creating one or more storage pools. Go to the MDisks by Pools panel. Click Create Pool, and enter the name of the new storage pool.Select the managed disks to include and click Create to complete the process. You can modify, delete, and create additional storage pools in the MDisks by Pools panel.
Creating volumes is another task that may be displayed on the Suggested Tasks pop-up. Go to the Volumes panel and click Create Volume. Select a preset and then select the storage pool. You can create volumes that are generic, thin-provisioned, mirrored, or thin mirrored. For Volume Details, enter a quantity, the total volume capacity for each volume that you want to create, and a name for the new volume. Click Create to complete this task. You can modify, delete, and create additional volumes at any time using the Volumes panel. For more information about volumes, see the Using Volumes e-Learning module.
After you have created at least one volume and added at least one host, you need to map the volumes to the hosts that can access them. From the Hosts panel, select a host and choose Host Mappings. A list of unmapped volumes is displayed on the left. Select the volumes that you want to map to this host, and click the right arrow, then click Map Volumes. You can use the Host Mappings panel to view and modify host mappings.
To configure internal storage, go to the Internal Storage panel. Select the flash drive that you want to configure. Click Configure Storage, and indicate whether you want to include the unused drives in your RAID configuration. Next, decide if you want to use the recommended configuration or a different configuration, and click Finish. The internal storage for that flash drive is now configured.
In this e-Learning module, you were introduced to the management GUI and learned how to perform several system setup tasks for the SAN Volume Controller system.For additional information, see the e-Learning modules and help topics in IBM Knowledge Center.