AX150-Series

Software Overview
March 5, 2007

This document presents an overview of all software you need to configure and monitor any AX150-Series storage system running the Navisphere Express management tool the Navisphere Storage System Initialization Utility, the Navisphere Server Utility, the Navisphere Express management tool, and the PowerPath path management tool. All AX150-Series storage systems ship with this tool pre-installed.
You can use Navisphere Manager, instead of Navisphere Express, to manage AX150-Series storage systems, but to do this, you must have upgraded Navisphere Express on the storage systems to Navisphere Manager with the software available in the AX-Series Navisphere Manager upgrade kit. After you upgrade to Navisphere Manager, you can use Navisphere CLI to manage the storage system. You can also install the enabler for the optional SAN Copy/E replication software, if you purchased this software.

Topics include Prerequisites ................................................................................. About the Navisphere Storage System Initialization Utility .............. About the Navisphere Server Utility ............................................... About the Navisphere Express management tool............................. About path management ............................................................... 2 3 4 5 10

Prerequisites
Before using any of the software listed above, refer to the Getting Started guide that ships with the storage system to complete the following tasks: Install the host bus adapters (HBAs) or network interface cards (NICs) and drivers in the servers attached to the storage system. Cable the server HBAs to the switch or directly to the AX150-Series storage system.

Software Overview

About the Navisphere Storage System Initialization Utility

For AX-series storage systems, use the utility to discover storage systems, set network parameters (IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway), and create management user accounts. In addition, for AX150 iSCSI storage systems, use the utility to set network parameters for the storage systems iSCSI data ports. You can run the Navisphere Storage System Initialization Utility from the server support CD or you can install it on a server that is connected to the storage system. We recommend that you install the utility on at least one server that is connected to the storage system.
Note: The Navisphere Initialization Utility runs on servers attached to CX3-series, CX700, CX500-series, CX300-series, and AX-series storage systems. AX150-series systems must be running FLARE 02.20.xxx.5.yyy or later. AX100-series systems must be running FLARE OE 02.16.xxx.5.yyy or later.

Software Overview

About the Navisphere Server Utility

The server utility allows you to perform the following three functions: Update server information to the storage system This option sends the server name and IP address to the storage system and, if needed later on, allows you to update or view this data. For Windows servers running Navisphere Server Utility version 6.20 or higher, if the Registration Service feature remains enabled after the installation of the server utility, the utility will automatically register the servers NICs or HBAs with the storage system and update server information whenever there is a configuration change (for example, when you mount new volumes or create new partitions). Configure iSCSI connections or Mutual CHAP Servers with Microsoft iSCSI initiators can configure iSCSI connections, such as logging on, logging off, or removing an iSCSI target, and can configure Mutual CHAP. In order to use this option, you must install the latest supported version of the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator software. This option is only available with Navisphere Server Utility version 6.20 or higher. Use the snapshot feature Storage systems running Navisphere Express can start and stop a snapshot on the source server (server assigned to the source virtual disk), or can allow or remove access to the snapshot by the secondary server (server assigned to the snapshot). You can run the Navisphere Server Utility from the CD or you can install it on the servers that are connected to the storage system. We strongly recommend that you install the utility on each server that is connected to the storage system.
Note: The server utility runs on servers attached to CX3-series, CX-series, and AX-series storage systems. AX150-series systems must be running FLARE 02.20.xxx.5.yyy or later. AX100-series systems must be running FLARE 02.16.xxx.5.yyy or later.

Software Overview

About the Navisphere Express management tool

Navisphere Express software is a storage-system-based management tool that consists of the AX150-Series storage-system integrated management software and a web-based user interface (UI). Both the management software and the UI are installed at the factory on the storage controllers in the AX150-Series storage system. The easy-to-use Navisphere Express UI is displayed in a common browser and provides the following: Security Storage configuration and allocation Data redundancy Status and configuration information display Event notification Data replication Data movement

Security
Navisphere Express security consists of three basic functions authentication, privacy, and audit. Privacy Navisphere Express encrypts all data that passes between the browser and the storage system. This encryption protects the transferred data whether it is on a local LAN or over the Internet. Audit Navisphere Express maintains an event log of critical storage-system events. Each entry includes the date and time the event occurred, the code associated with the event, and a description of the event. Authentication Navisphere Express security uses password-based authentication that is implemented by the AX150-Series storage-system integrated

Software Overview

management software installed on each storage system. You assign a username and password when you initialize the storage system.

Storage configuration and allocation

The Navisphere Express UI is displayed in a browser and is supported on the following operating systems: Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000 Red Hat Linux, SuSE Linux Novell NetWare Sun Solaris Navisphere Express lets you manage storage for one AX150-Series storage system at a time by creating disk pools, virtual disks, and hot spares. A disk pool is a set of disks on which you create one or more virtual disks. Each disk pool must include at least three disks, except in a RAID 1/0 disk pool, which must include at least two disks. Each disk pool supports 128 virtual disks. A virtual disk is a grouping of disk partitions (equal disk space from all disks) within a disk pool. The capacity of each virtual disk you create is distributed equally across the disks in the disk pool. A virtual disk looks like an individual disk to the servers operating system, and each virtual disk can be assigned to a different server. The shared storage control feature of Navisphere Express allows up to ten servers to access the storage on the storage system. In order to perform data I/O to a virtual disk, you must assign the virtual disk to a server. Figure 1 shows an example of three virtual disks in one disk pool. Each virtual disk is made up of partitions from each of the five disks in the disk pool.

Software Overview

Disk Pool

Disk

Disk

Disk

Disk

Disk

Virtual Disk 1 Virtual Disk 2 Virtual Disk 3

Figure 1 Multiple virtual disks in a disk pool

EMC3167

Navisphere Express lets you dynamically expand the storage capacity of a virtual disk, either by a percentage of the original disk, or by a specific amount. Before you expand a virtual disk, make sure that the virtual disk you want to expand is not participating in a snapshot session, and that the virtual disk does not already consist of the maximum number of eight components (the original virtual disk plus seven expansion disks). A hot spare is a single global spare disk, which serves as a temporary replacement for a failed disk in a disk pool. If you create a hot spare, and a disk in a disk pool fails, the storage system automatically rebuilds the failed disks structure on the hot spare. When the storage system finishes rebuilding the failed disk, the disk pool functions normally, using the hot spare instead of the failed disk. When you replace the failed disk, the storage system copies the data from the hot spare to the replacement disk. The storage system automatically frees the hot spare to serve as a temporary replacement again.

Data redundancy
Data redundancy is a method by which the data contained within a disk pool is protected against the failure of any single disk pool component. The AX150-Series storage-system integrated management software uses RAID (redundant array of independent disks) technology to improve data reliability and/or performance, and to provide data redundancy. The Navisphere Express operating environment lets you choose from two types of RAID technology - RAID 5 or RAID 1/0. RAID 5 technology reserves space on each disk in the disk pool for the parity information. Parity information lets the disk pool continue operating if a disk fails. For example, if a storage-system disk fails, and
Software Overview
7

you replace the failed disk with a hot spare or a new disk, the storage system rebuilds the disk pool using the parity information and the information on the working disks. During the rebuild operation, the storage system continues to function and gives users access to all data, including data on the failed disk. RAID 1/0 technology mirrors the data on one disk to another disk. This technology provides the highest data integrity. This RAID type is ideal for the same applications as the RAID 5 type, but where data integrity is more important than the cost of disk space.

Status and configuration information display

Navisphere Express lets you monitor the status of all storage-system components and of any critical storage-system operations. If you experience performance or configuration problems, the UI lets you generate diagnostic files that you can send to an authorized service provider for help in resolving any problems that the files detect.

Event notification
Navisphere Express lets you configure the storage system to send email notification of predefined critical storage-system events to one or more persons. To do this, enter the email addresses of the persons you want to receive notification and the IP address of the SMTP mail server that sends the email notifications. You can also configure the storage system to send SNMP traps by entering the IP address for an SNMP trap destination.

Data replication
The snapshot feature of Navisphere Express lets you create a point-in-time copy (snapshot) of a virtual disk. To use the snapshot feature, you must have a source server (server assigned to the source virtual disk) and a secondary server (server assigned to the snapshot). Use the snapshot for backup purposes or as a base for temporary operations on the copy of the production data without damaging the source data. Before you use either the Navisphere Server Utility to start the snapshot, you must allocate the required disk resources for the snapshot by preparing for a snapshot using Navisphere Express. Once the allocation operation is complete and the snapshot is in a Ready
8

Software Overview

state, you can start the snapshot on the source server, and then use the secondary server to access it. When you no longer require the snapshot data, you can remove access to the snapshot, and then stop the snapshot. Stopping the snapshot ends the point-in-time copy and frees up the snapshot disk resources for other snapshots to use. If, however, you do not want to start another snapshot for this source virtual disk, you can destroy the snapshot. This unallocates the snapshot disk resources that were allocated when you prepared the snapshot. For a storage system you can prepare up to eight snapshots per storage system, but only one snapshot per virtual disk.

Data movement
The SAN Copy feature of Navisphere Express is supported only on Fibre Channel storage systems. It is not supported on iSCSI storage systems.

The SAN Copy feature of Navisphere Express lets you exchange data between the virtual disks on storage systems and the LUNs on CLARiiON SAN Copy storage systems (storage systems running the SAN Copy software). SAN Copy transfers this data directly without using host resources.
An AX150-Series storage system cannot be a SAN Copy storage system.

SAN Copy supports two types of copy sessions full and incremental. A full session copies all the data on the source storage device to the destination storage devices. An incremental session copies only the data that has changed since the last copy session. A virtual disk on an AX150-Series storage system can be either a source or destination device for a full copy session, but only the destination for an incremental session. SAN Copy transfers data through a SAN (storage area network), and also supports protocols that use the IP WAN (Wide Area Network) to send data over extended distances. SAN Copy supports running multiple copies - each in its own copy session - simultaneously.

Software Overview

About path management

PowerPath software, installed on the server, provides path management for the connection paths between a server and the virtual disks in the storage system. It transfers I/O to a working path if one path fails and provides load balancing to distribute I/O load equally among paths. For more detailed information on path management software, go to the AX150 support website, or the AX150-Series Documentation CD, and under Technical descriptions, select PowerPath.

10

Software Overview

Copyright 20052007 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice. THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS." EMC CORPORATION MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this publication requires an applicable software license. Trademark Information For the most up-to-date listing of EMC product names, see EMC Corporation Trademarks on EMC.com. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.

Software Overview

11