Welcome to the VNXe Series: Allocating and Managing Storage for Generic iSCSI.

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This course discusses the concepts and tasks required to integrate the VNXe Series platform
into a Generic iSCSI environment. Focus is placed on the features of the VNXe Series and its
configuration.
This course is intended for those with knowledge of iSCSI who are responsible for managing
the VNXe Series.

This module provides an overview of the Generic iSCSI solution. It explains how the VNXe
integrates into a Generic iSCSI environment.

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VNXe Series: Allocating and Managing Storage for Generic iSCSI

Here is a typical iSCSI environment.The iSCSI clients are accessing storage on the iSCSI Servers.
When the VNXe is introduced, the iSCSI disks are migrated to the VNXe for the benefits of
storage consolidation, management and protection. The clients iSCSI volumes now reside on
the VNXe.

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[Insert Course Title]

In order to provide this transparent storage capability the operating system uses the iSCSI
protocol to access the remote storage on the VNXe. The iSCSI protocol is a block-level protocol,
like the SCSI protocol, but instead of being limited to a locally connected cable, it can be
transmitted over network switches and routers. The iSCSI server connects to the VNXe using an
iSCSI initiator; . The iSCSI initiator can be implemented as software or as hardware. Once
configured, the iSCSI Initiator establishes a connection with the VNXe. Optionally, this
connection can be secured by using CHAP, the Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol, to
validate each end of the connection.
Once the iSCSI connection to the VNXe is established and the storage is formatted at the
operating system level, the host can utilize it to store its data.

If multiple iSCSI attached hosts are being configured, it may be helpful to configure an Internet
Storage Name Server (iSNS) in the environment. An iSNS server provides a centralized
configuration repository of iSCSI resources, and can reduce the amount of manual configuration
required on servers.

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Shown are the requirements for implementing VNXe Generic iSCSI storage.

VNXe Series: Allocating and Managing Storage for Generic iSCSI

In the most simple configuration, iSCSI Hosts can connect to storage on the VNXe using the same
network interface cards (NICs) that iSCSI application users use to access the iSCSI Host. However,
as you can see from this diagram, there is contention for bandwidth on both the iSCSI Host NICs
and the network overall. To alleviate this potential bottleneck, and ensure that the Host can
access the virtual disks in an optimal environment, it is recommended to have at least one
additional NIC in the Host that is connected to a private network, that is used for only iSCSI
traffic. By doing this, the load can be distributed across multiple components.

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This module explains how to allocate iSCSI VNXe storage for iSCSI Hosts.

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Here are the high-level steps required to allocate iSCSI storage on the VNXe and then configure
the Host to utilize that storage. The first step is to validate the iSCSI Server configuration . The
iSCSI server should have been configured during the VNXe initialization process. If it is not
configured, or if you wish to configure an additional iSCSI server, do so now. For more
information on configuring an iSCSI server, see the course titled VNXe Series: How to Connect
and Configure Your System for the First Time. Once the iSCSI server is correctly configured,
configure the iSCSI Virtual Disks on the VNXe. This includes configuring iSCSI Host access to the
VNXe Virtual Disk .
Next, on the iSCSI Host, optionally configure and install the Celerra VSS Provider and
multipathing. Then, install and configure the iSCSI Initiator . This will allow you to connect to
the iSCSI Virtual Disk on VNXe. Once visible to the server, it can be initialized for use by the
operating system. Finally, you can use the migration method of your choice to move data from
the local storage to the VNXe storage, if necessary.

These steps will be discussed in more detail throughout the remainder of this course.

VNXe Series: Allocating and Managing Storage for Generic iSCSI

The first step is to validate that an iSCSI server has been created. In this example, the iSCSI server
has been created.

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VNXe Series: Allocating and Managing Storage for Generic iSCSI

Creating Generic iSCSI storage is accomplished through Unisphere, the VNXe Management Interface.
The Create Generic iSCSI Storage Wizard steps are listed. Step details will be described on the following
slides and the entire process with be demonstrated later in the course.

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VNXe Series: Allocating and Managing Storage for Generic iSCSI

Next, the storage pool is selected and the storage size is configured. One storage pool called
Performance exists on this system. It has ~487GB of capacity available for configuration. The
size desired is specified here.
Thin provisioning is enabled here if desired. Thin provisioning provides the capability of
consuming the storage as needed. In this example, the size of the storage is 100GB. If thin
provisioning were enabled, the initial allocation for this virtual disk would be about 1GB, or 10%
of the size of the storage.

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VNXe Series: Allocating and Managing Storage for Generic iSCSI

When creating storage, you are prompted to select the protection strategy. The choices are no
protection, configure protection storage but no snapshot schedule, and configure protection
storage and a snapshot schedule.

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VNXe Series: Allocating and Managing Storage for Generic iSCSI

Next, iSCSI host access is defined. If the iSCSI host already exists in the configuration, simply
select it and specify access.
If it does not, the new iSCSI host needs to be defined. In this example, it does not already exist
so Create New Host is selected.
The Create New Host wizard requires the IP address and IQN number of the iSCSI host that the
storage is being created for.

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[Insert Course Title]

Hosts are granted access using two pieces of information: The IP Address or DNS Name, and the IQN. In
order to obtain the iQN, you will need to launch the iSCSI Initiator on the host. The iSCSI Initiator is
software that takes disk I/O requests and forwards them to the network instead of a local disk. For
Windows 2003 systems, you will need to download and install the iSCSI Initiator software.
For Windows 2008, the iSCSI Initiator software is installed as part of the operating system but needs to
be enabled. You can do this in one of two ways. The first method is to click the iSCSI Initiator entry in
the Control Panel. This will generate a prompt notifying you that the service is not set to automatically
start. If you click the YES button, it will start the service and change it to start automatically. The
second method is to use the Services Panel. From here, it is treated as any other service. Simply
configure the service to start automatically and click the start button to activate it now.

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[Insert Course Title]

Once the iSCSI Initiator is started, you can launch it from the Control Panel or the Start Menu. Navigate
to the Configuration Tab and note the Initiator Name. That is the IQN that is required to configure the
storage on the VNXe. Please note that the iSCSI Initiator looks slightly different on Windows 2003,
Windows 2008 R1 and Windows 2008 R2. This course was developed using Windows 2008 R2.

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This demonstration shows the process of creating an iSCSI Virtual Disk on the VNXe.

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This module explains how to attach iSCSI VNXe storage to iSCSI Hosts.

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VNXe Series: Allocating and Managing Storage for Generic iSCSI

Here are the steps required to attach VNXe iSCSI storage to an iSCSI Host.

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VNXe Series: Allocating and Managing Storage for Generic iSCSI

If you choose to implement multipathing on the iSCSI Host, these are the options:
EMC PowerPath on any Windows or Linux server
Windows Server 2008 native failover
Linux native multipath failover
Any of these options will provide path failover should one of multiple paths (connections) to the
VNXe system fail.

Module 4 includes a discussion about multipathing, and the installation and configuration of
PowerPath and Windows MPIO. Please view the optional module if you plan to implement
multipathing for iSCSI.

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VNXe Series: Allocating and Managing Storage for Generic iSCSI

The Celerra VSS Server Provider for iSCSI runs as a Windows service and provides the interface
between the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and certain VNXe functions. The
Celerra VSS Provider for iSCSI enables VSS requestor applications, such as VSS-enabled backup
applications, to make shadow copies of VNXe iSCSI virtual disks. This provider is available from
the software downloads section of the EMC Online Support website.
VSS provides the backup framework for Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 and
enables the creation of shadow copies point-in-time copies of data. VSS integrates with frontend applications so they can create and access shadow copies.
Because the Celerra VSS Provider for iSCSI is a hardware-based provider that works on the VNXe
iSCSI Servers, it reduces the load on the CPU and memory of the iSCSI host. It is also more
efficient in an environment where shadow copies of multiple volumes must be taken
simultaneously. This provider supports a maximum of 2000 snapshots. EMC Replication Manager
has a built in VSS hardware provider that replaces the Celerra VSS Provider for iSCSI in
configurations using Replication Manager to create consistent shadow copies.
EMC recommends that you install the Celerra VSS Provider for iSCSI on the host that will use the
Generic iSCSI storage with backup applications (such as Networker or VERITAS Backup Exec),
other than EMC Replication Manager.

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[Insert Course Title]

Several additional options can be configured within the iSCSI Initiator. One such option is the
iSNS server. As previously mentioned, using an iSNS server reduces the amount of manual
configuration that must be done on the host. If you have deployed an iSNS server in your
environment, you can configure it on the Discovery Tab of the iSCSI Initiator . Clicking the Add
Server button will open a dialog box where you can input the iSNS server information.
CHAP Authentication can also be configured. CHAP stands for Challenge-Handshake
Authentication Protocol. CHAP verifies the identity of the peer by means of a three-way
handshake. This authentication method depends on a "secret" known only to the authenticator
and the peer. The secret is not sent over the link. CHAP authentication can occur one-way or
both ways.

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VNXe Series: Allocating and Managing Storage for Generic iSCSI

It is recommended that the Windows MaxRequestHoldTime parameter be set. The

Windows MaxRequestHoldTime parameter is the maximum time in seconds that requests
are queued if the connection to the target is lost and the connection is being retired. After this
hold period, the requests are failed, an error (no device) occurs, and the device (disk) is removed
from the system. If a virtual disk in a VNXe Generic iSCSI storage resource goes offline while a
snapshot of it is being taken, an error (delayed failure) occurs. To avoid either of these errors,
use the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) to adjust the value of the Windows
MaxRequestHoldTime parameter for the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator to 600 (decimal) or 258
(hexadecimal).
To configure MaxRequestHoldTime, use regedit.exe to access the registry. Find the
MaxRequestHoldTime parameter and change it as specified.

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[Insert Course Title]

If configuring iSCSI storage on a Windows 2003 Server, you will need to change the disk
alignment prior to formatting the disk. Earlier versions of Windows create logical partitions in
such a way that they are misaligned with the physical layout of disks, and as a result, can cause
performance degradation. While this is not readily apparent under light loads, intense I/O
applications can encounter severe performance bottlenecks. Properly aligning the partitions
before formatting them can alleviate these performance issues. Note that it is critical that this
process be executed before formatting and using the disks, as it is a destructive process which
will destroy any data stored on the disks. Windows 2008 is not affected by this issue.
This is done by using the diskpart utility, which is included in the operating system. There are
three steps involved in aligning the disk.

1. Launch diskpart.exe from the command line

2. Select the disk that you want to align

3. Create a partition on the disk

If unsure of the disk number, it can be obtained from the Storage Management section of
Computer Management or by using the diskpart command list disk.

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This demonstration shows the process of attaching a VNXe iSCSI Virtual Disk to an iSCSI Host.

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This optional module discusses how to configure high availability for an iSCSI connection.
View this module if you are planning to implement multipathing.

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[Insert Course Title]

The image depicted here shows a single server connected via iSCSI to the VNXe. The server is
utilizing a single NIC to connect to the VNXe. If for any reason, the NIC, or the switch it is
connected to, fails, the server will lose all connectivity to its storage.
Multipathing is a storage term that is used to describe utilizing multiple, redundant paths to a
storage resource. True multipathing requires that all components involved in connectivity be
redundant, or duplicated. This not only provides fault tolerance, it also provides additional
bandwidth that can be utilized to improve performance. Since duplicating all of the components
is not always feasible, it is possible to make portions of the solution redundant typically those
portions that have a higher chance of failure or disruption.
The simplest option is to add an additional NIC into the server , providing two paths into and out
of the server, as well as two IP addresses to prevent a duplicate IP error from compromising a
critical service. In addition, a second IP address can be assigned to the iSCSI server on the VNXe.
This can be done on the same Ethernet Interface that the first address is bound to, or on a
second interface, which provides better redundancy. Ultimately, the best form of protection is to
have a completely separate network connecting the second server and VNXe NICs, which is
configured to use different switches.

Multipathing requires additional software to be installed on the server. This can be either EMCs
PowerPath product, that is optimized to operate with EMCs various storage offerings, or
Microsofts Operating System Native software, known as MPIO. For Windows 2003, the MPIO
software is installed with the iSCSI Initiator. For Windows 2008, it is installed as a feature of the
Operating System.
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[Insert Course Title]

This demonstration shows how to install EMCs PowerPath multipathing software on a Windows
Server.

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[Insert Course Title]

Enabling the native MPIO in Windows 2008 is straightforward. From the Server Manager
console, select the Add Features option,. From the list, choose Multipath I/O and Install it. The
server may need to be rebooted once the installation is complete.

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[Insert Course Title]

Once the MPIO software is installed, it needs to be configured. Within the Control Panel, there
will now be an MPIO entry. Select this, and it will launch the MPIO Properties dialog box. Click
the Add button, and enter the information exactly as shown here EMC followed by 5 spaces
Celerra.

You will need to reboot once you make the changes.

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This demonstration shows how to configure Multipathing for iSCSI connectivity on a Windows
Server.

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[Insert Course Title]

Once PowerPath is installed, a triangular icon will display in the System Tray to show that it is
active on the host. You can use that icon to launch the PowerPath Console. The console
provides a graphical view of the storage connections on the host, including the connected arrays
and their associated IP addresses, and all attached disks. Selecting a disk will show the available
paths to it, and the Adapter will also show all paths to all disks. Note that only a single adapter
will show when using iSCSI, as it represents the iSCSI Initiator.

Once Multipathing has been configured, you will see two paths to each disk on the VNXe, one
for each session that is configured.

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[Insert Course Title]

This concludes the instructional portion of this training. These are the key points that have been
covered.
Please proceed to take the assessment.

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