Dell EMC Isilon

OneFS
Version 7.1.1 - 8.1.0

Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist

Copyright © 2013-2017 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.

Published May 2017

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2 OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Introduction 5
Introduction..................................................................................................6
Provide feedback about this document........................................................ 6
Where to go for support............................................................................... 6

Chapter 2 Subscribe to Product Updates and Advisories 7

Subscribe to receive Isilon product alerts..................................................... 8
Subscribe to ETAs and ESAs....................................................... 8
Subscribe to product updates..................................................... 8

Chapter 3 Check Cluster Hardware 11

Periodically check the physical environment of the cluster......................... 12
Confirm room temperature........................................................ 12
Confirm room humidity.............................................................. 12
Confirm PDU voltage................................................................. 12
Check node ventilation paths..................................................... 13

Chapter 4 Check the OneFS File System 15

Check the available free space....................................................................16
Confirm file system capacity......................................................16
Confirm data protection levels.................................................................... 16
Confirm that the configured data protection levels are sufficient
to protect your data....................................................................... 16
Confirm that Virtual Hot Spare (VHS) is enabled........................................ 17
Confirm that VHS is enabled...................................................... 17

Chapter 5 Confirm Job Configuration and Status 19

Confirm the status of configured modules and jobs....................................20
Confirm the status of configured Snapshot, SyncIQ, and NDMP
jobs, and of configured data replication policies............................ 20

Chapter 6 Monitor the Cluster 21

Monitor the cluster to establish trends and baselines................................. 22
Review the cluster status.......................................................... 22
Configure notification rules....................................................... 22
Configure InsightIQ................................................................... 23
Enable EMC Secure Remote Services (ESRS).......................... 23

Chapter 7 Update Cluster Hardware and Software 25

Update the OneFS operating system, update drive and node firmware, and
install patches............................................................................................ 26
Upgrade OneFS.........................................................................26
Install patches........................................................................... 26

OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist 3

CONTENTS

Update node and drive firmware............................................... 26

4 OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist

CHAPTER 1
Introduction

l Introduction......................................................................................................... 6
l Provide feedback about this document................................................................ 6
l Where to go for support.......................................................................................6

Introduction 5
Introduction

Introduction
This checklist is designed to help you ensure that your Isilon cluster continues to
perform as designed and configured.
Depending on your workflow and physical environment, the frequency with which you
check the items listed in this document might vary from the recommendations in the
check list.

Provide feedback about this document

The links in this topic enable you to send feedback directly to the Isilon Information
Development team.
Your suggestions help us to improve the accuracy, organization, and overall quality of
the documentation. Send your feedback to https://www.research.net/s/isi-
docfeedback. If you cannot provide feedback through the URL, send an email message
to docfeedback@isilon.com.

Where to go for support

This topic contains resources for getting answers to questions about Isilon products.

Online support l Live Chat

l Create a Service Request
For questions about accessing online support, send an email to
support@emc.com.

Telephone l United States: 1-800-SVC-4EMC (1-800-782-4362)

support
l Canada: 1-800-543-4782
l Worldwide: 1-508-497-7901
l Local phone numbers for a specific country are available at
EMC Customer Support Centers.

Isilon The Isilon Community Network connects you to a central hub of

Community information and experts to help you maximize your current storage
Network solution. From this site, you can demo Isilon products, ask
questions, view technical videos, and get our latest Isilon product
documentation.
Isilon Info Hubs For the list of Isilon info hubs, see the Isilon Info Hubs page on the
Isilon Community Network. Use these info hubs to find product
documentation, troubleshooting guides, videos, blogs, and other
information resources about the Isilon products and features you're
interested in.

Support for IsilonSD Edge

If you are running a free version of IsilonSD Edge, support is available through the
Isilon Community Network. If you purchased one or more IsilonSD Edge licenses,
support is available through Isilon Technical Support, provided you have a valid
support contract for the product.

6 OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist

CHAPTER 2
Subscribe to Product Updates and Advisories

l Subscribe to receive Isilon product alerts.............................................................8

Subscribe to Product Updates and Advisories 7

Subscribe to Product Updates and Advisories

Subscribe to receive Isilon product alerts

To ensure you receive information about new Isilon technical advisories (ETAs) and
security advisories (ESAs), and to receive information about new Isilon products,
updates, and patches, visit the Online Support site and subscribe to receive alerts.
l For the most up-to-date list of Isilon ETAs, see the Technical Advisories (ETAs)
for Isilon OneFS page on the Isilon Community Network site.
l For the most up-to-date list of Isilon ESAs, see the Isilon Security Advisories
(ESAs) page on the Isilon Community Network site.
l For the most up-to-date list of patches that are available for the version of OneFS
running on your cluster, see the Current Patches document on the Online Support
site.

Subscribe to ETAs and ESAs

Visit the Online Support site to subscribe to Isilon ETAs and ESAs.
Before you begin
View the video, How to subscribe to ETAs and ESAs, for a demonstration of how to
subscribe.
Procedure
1. Log on to the Online Support site.
2. Click on the profile icon in the upper right corner of the page.
The Account Settings and Preferences page appears.
3. Click on Subscriptions & Alerts.
4. Under Alerts, click on Product Advisories.
The Product Advisories dialog appears.
5. Under Manage Your Alerts, type Isilon in the All EMC Products field.
A list of Isilon products appears.
6. Select an Isilon product for which you want to receive ETA or ESA alerts, and
then click Add Alert.
The product name is added to the My Advisory Alerts list
7. To the right of the product name, check the box in the ETA and ESA columns to
receive ETAs and ESAs related to that product
To remove a product from the list, click the X to the right of the check boxes.

Subscribe to product updates

Visit the Online Support site to subscribe to Isilon product updates.
Procedure
1. Log on to the Online Support site.
2. Click on the profile icon in the upper right corner of the page.
The Account Settings and Preferences page appears.
3. Click on Subscriptions & Alerts.

8 OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist

 Subscribe to Product Updates and Advisories

4. Under Subscriptions, click on Product Updates.

The Product Updates dialog appears.
5. Type Isilon in the Add Subscription field.
A list of Isilon products appears.
6. Select an Isilon product about which you want to receive updates, and then
click Add Subscription.
To remove a product from the list, click the X to the right of the check boxes.

Subscribe to product updates 9

Subscribe to Product Updates and Advisories

10 OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist

CHAPTER 3
Check Cluster Hardware

l Periodically check the physical environment of the cluster.................................12

Check Cluster Hardware 11

Check Cluster Hardware

Periodically check the physical environment of the cluster

Confirm the cluster's physical environment meets the requirements defined in the
Isilon Site Preparation and Planning Guide.
See the Isilon Site Preparation and Planning Guide for information and best practices
for setting up the physical environment for an Isilon cluster.

Note

You can check the temperature of a node and confirm other thresholds—for example,
voltage—by running the isi_hw_status command. For a list of the parameters you
can use with the isi_hw_status command, run the command with the -h
parameter.

Confirm room temperature

Periodically confirm that the room in which the cluster is kept, is maintained within the
required temperature range.
Procedure
1. Daily: Confirm that the ambient temperature of the room in which the cluster is
housed is between 50–95° Fahrenheit (10–35° Celsius)
You can check the temperature of a node by running the following command on
the node:
isi_hw_status -t

You can check the temperature of all of the nodes in the cluster by running the
following command on any node:
isi_for_array isi_hw_status -t

Confirm room humidity

Periodically confirm that the humidity of the room in which the cluster is kept, is
maintained within the required range.
Procedure
1. Weekly: Confirm that the relative humidity of the room in which the cluster is
housed is between 5 and 95 percent.

Confirm PDU voltage

Periodically confirm the voltage being supplied by the Power Distribution Unit (PDU).
Procedure
1. Weekly: Confirm that the PDU is supplying the correct voltage to nodes in the
cluster.
For information about the correct PDU voltage for nodes in the cluster, see the
Isilon Site Preparation and Planning Guide.

12 OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist

 Check Cluster Hardware

Check node ventilation paths

Periodically confirm that nodes in the cluster are adequately ventilated.
Procedure
1. Weekly: Inspect all node chassis to confirm that the node ventilation paths are
unobstructed.

Check node ventilation paths 13

Check Cluster Hardware

14 OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist

CHAPTER 4
Check the OneFS File System

Confirm the cluster has sufficient free space and that the file system is adequately
protected.

l Check the available free space........................................................................... 16

l Confirm data protection levels............................................................................16
l Confirm that Virtual Hot Spare (VHS) is enabled................................................ 17

Check the OneFS File System 15

Check the OneFS File System

Check the available free space

Ensure that the minimum available-space requirements for the cluster, each node, and
critical directories are met before you upgrade.
The total amount of used space on the cluster must not exceed 90 percent, and the
total amount of used space on each node must not exceed 92 percent. In addition,
there are minimum space requirements for critical directories including the root
partition (/), the /ifs directory, the /var partition, and the /var/crash directory.
Consuming more than the recommended amount of available storage space on the
cluster or in a pool in the cluster can have a major impact on your workflow and on the
cluster's data protection capabilities. In addition, if there is insufficient free space
available on the cluster or in critical directories, you might be unable to apply patches,
firmware updates, and operating system upgrades.

Confirm file system capacity

Confirm that critical directories have sufficient available free space.
Before you begin
Review the Best Practices Guide for Maintaining Enough Free Space on Isilon Clusters
and Pools.
Procedure
1. Weekly: Check the root partition to confirm that it is less than 95% full.
2. Weekly: Check the /var partition to confirm that it is less than 75% full.
3. Weekly: Check the /var/crash to confirm that it is less than 90% full.

Confirm data protection levels

OneFS uses data redundancy across the cluster to prevent data loss in the event of a
drive or node failure. Protection is built into the file system structure and can be
applied to individual files.

Confirm that the configured data protection levels are sufficient to protect
your data
Before you begin
Review the N + M data protection section of the Isilon OneFS: A Technical Overview
white paper.
Procedure
1. Monthly: Confirm that protection levels are set to the desired level.
2. Every six months: Reassess data protection levels to meet new requirements
as hardware and workflow configurations change.
3. After a node or drive is smartfailed, confirm that a FlexProtect job ran and
completed successfully.
4. If the cluster experiences a node outage or drive failure, confirm that the
cluster still meets the hardware requirements to maintain its configured
protection levels.

16 OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist

 Check the OneFS File System

Confirm that Virtual Hot Spare (VHS) is enabled

If a drive fails, OneFS requires sufficient available disk space in order to smartfail the
drive and re-protect the drive’s data. The VHS feature allows you to set aside disk
space to ensure that the cluster always has enough space available to smartfail a failed
drive.

Confirm that VHS is enabled

Before you begin
Review the Virtual Hot Spare section of the Storage Pools chapter in the OneFS CLI
Administration Guide or OneFS Web Administration Guide.
Procedure
1. Every six months: Confirm that VHS is enabled and that sufficient space is
allotted to it.
l In the OneFS web administration interface, on the Storage Pools >
SmartPools Settings page, confirm that VHS is enabled and configured as
desired.
l In the OneFS CLI administration interface, run the following command:

isi status -p -q

Confirm that Virtual Hot Spare (VHS) is enabled 17

Check the OneFS File System

18 OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist

CHAPTER 5
Confirm Job Configuration and Status

l Confirm the status of configured modules and jobs........................................... 20

Confirm Job Configuration and Status 19

Confirm Job Configuration and Status

Confirm the status of configured modules and jobs

Over time your environment and workflows might change. Periodically confirm that
configured jobs and modules continue to meet your needs.
For information about configuring Snapshots, SyncIQ, NDMP, and data replication
policies, see the OneFS CLI Administration Guide or OneFS Web Administration Guide.

Confirm the status of configured Snapshot, SyncIQ, and NDMP jobs, and
of configured data replication policies
Procedure
1. Monthly: Confirm that configured Snapshots are created and deleted on
schedule.
2. Monthly: Confirm that configured SyncIQ jobs complete without error.
3. Monthly: Confirm that configured backup jobs begin and complete on
schedule and without error.
4. Monthly: Review configured data replication policies to ensure that they
continue to adequately protect your data as your workflow and environment
evolves.

20 OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist

CHAPTER 6
Monitor the Cluster

l Monitor the cluster to establish trends and baselines.........................................22

Monitor the Cluster 21

Monitor the Cluster

Monitor the cluster to establish trends and baselines

Establishing baselines can help you identify unexpected behavior before it adversely
affects performance, and can help you to assess whether hardware upgrades are
required to better support your workflow.

Review the cluster status

Regularly monitor cluster and node status.
Procedure
1. Daily: Check the status of all nodes in the cluster
l On clusters running OneFS 7.2 or earlier, run the following command:

isi status -D

l On clusters running OneFS 8.0 or later, run the following command:

isi status --all-nodes

2. Daily: Review used and free space for the cluster and each node. If the
cluster or a node has less free space available than expected, check each node
to determine whether any drives are not in a [HEALTHY] state.
l In the OneFS web administration interface, click the node ID number in the
Status section of the Cluster Status page.
l In the OneFS command-line interface, run the following command:

isi_for_array isi devices

3. Daily: Review cluster throughput.

4. Daily: Review CPU usage.
5. Daily: Review client connections.
6. Daily: Review active OneFS events.
For more information about events, see the Isilon OneFS Event Reference.
l If there are any active events at the Critical severity level, contact Isilon
Technical Support.

Configure notification rules

OneFS events are individual occurrences or conditions related to the data workflow,
maintenance operations, and hardware components of your cluster. Notification rules
enable you to configure OneFS to alert you when events are detected.
Before you begin
Review the Introduction to system events chapter in the Isilon OneFS Event Reference.
Procedure
1. Configure notification rules to ensure that you receive and can review all
Warning, Critical, and Emergency level events.

22 OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist

 Monitor the Cluster

For information on configuring notification rules, see the Isilon OneFS Event
Reference.

Configure InsightIQ
InsightIQ provides tools to monitor and analyze historical data from Isilon clusters.
Procedure
1. Install, configure, and run InsightIQ.
For more information about installing and configuring InsightIQ, visit the
InsightIQ - Isilon Info Hub.

Enable EMC Secure Remote Services (ESRS)

ESRS monitors your cluster, and with your permission, allows remote access to Isilon
Technical Support personnel to gather cluster data and troubleshoot issues.
Before you begin
Review the Remote support section in the in the OneFS CLI Administration Guide or
OneFS Web Administration Guide.
Procedure
1. Enable and configure ESRS.

Configure InsightIQ 23
Monitor the Cluster

24 OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist

CHAPTER 7
Update Cluster Hardware and Software

l Update the OneFS operating system, update drive and node firmware, and install
patches.............................................................................................................. 26

Update Cluster Hardware and Software 25

Update Cluster Hardware and Software

Update the OneFS operating system, update drive and node

firmware, and install patches
Subscribe to Isilon product updates and review documentation to ensure that you
have the most up-to-date software installed on the cluster.
After subscribing to product updates, as recommended, you will receive email
notifications when new maintenance releases, patches, and firmware are available for
download. For information about recently released patches, see Current Isilon OneFS
Patches. For information about the latest OneFS releases, see Current Isilon Software
Releases.

Upgrade OneFS
Isilon periodically releases new versions of OneFS and maintenance releases for
existing versions of OneFS. These releases include new features and resolve known
issues that might be relevant to you.
Before you begin
Review Current Isilon Software Releases.
Procedure
1. Every six months: Check for new releases that introduce new features that
could benefit your workflow.
Review the New features, Modifications and enhancements, and Resolved issues
sections in the OneFS Release Notes to determine whether your workflow
might benefit from an upgrade.
2. Every six months: Check for maintenance releases for your version of
OneFS.
Review the Modifications and enhancements and Resolved issues sections in the
OneFS Maintenance Release Notes to determine whether your workflow might
benefit from the changes introduced in a maintenance release.

Install patches
Check for patches that resolves issues that affect your workflow.
Procedure
1. Periodically check Isilon OneFS Current Patches for new patches that apply to
your system and are relevant to your workflow.

Update node and drive firmware

Isilon periodically releases node and drive firmware updates. These updates include
new features and resolve known issues that might be relevant to you.
Procedure
1. Every six months: Check for node and drive firmware updates.
Review the Latest Drive and Firmware Package Releases section of the Current
Isilon Software Releases document for the latest node and drive firmware
packages.

26 OneFS 7.1.1 - 8.1.0 Isilon Cluster Preventative Maintenance Checklist