Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage Arrays

Release Notes
PS Series Firmware Version 6.0 FS Series Firmware Version 2.0

 Copyright 2012 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Dell and EqualLogic are trademarks of Dell Inc. All trademarks and registered trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without written permission is strictly forbidden. Published: November 2012 Part Number 110-6059-EN-R5

Table of Contents
1 About PS Series Storage Arrays
What's New in this Release (V6.0) GUI Enhancements Introduction of the PS-M4110 IPsec Support Group Manager GUI Available in Multiple Languages New Verify Option in MTU RAID 5 and No-Spare Configurations Not Recommended Self-Encrypting Drives Single Sign-On Support for PS6500ES, PS6510ES, and PS-M4110 with HDD/SSD Drives Synchronous Replication Volume Undelete Volume Unmapping Windows 8/Windows Server 2012 Support 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 7 9 10 10 12 14 14 16 16 16 20 20 20 21 21 21 22 22 26 27 28 28 28 29 29 30 30 31 33 33 35 36

2 System Limits and Compatibility

Control Module Support Configuration Limits Replication Partnerships Supported Manual Transfer Utility Versions

3 Installation Considerations
Updating PS Series Firmware Installing the Group Manager Online Help as a Local Resource

4 Known Issues and Limitations

New Features Require Version 6.0 on All Group Members System-specific Issues Replication Synchronous Replication Issues RAID Policy Conversions Control Module Failovers User Interface Data Center Bridging (DCB) IPsec Snapshot Borrowing Issues Accessibility Issues Group Manager CLI Audit Logging User Authentication Manual Transfer Utility Issues Other Issues Host Integration Tools

5 Product Documentation
Documentation Corrections Related Documentation Contacting Dell

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1 About PS Series Storage Arrays

This document describes important product information and restrictions for PS Series storage arrays running PS Series Firmware Version 6.0. This version of the firmware includes all corrections and enhancements made in prior releases.
Note: Unless otherwise noted, all information in this document applies to Version 6.0 of the PS Series Storage

Arrays and all future maintenance releases for Version 6.0. Dell EqualLogic PS Series storage arrays work in conjunction with the Dell EqualLogic FS Series appliances. You must upgrade the PS Series storage arrays to Version 6.0 before upgrading the FS Series appliances to Version 2.0. For product information about the Dell EqualLogic FS Series Appliances, refer to the Dell EqualLogic FS Series Appliances Release Notes, available at https://www.equallogic.com/support/.

Replication Technologies
Starting with PS Series Firmware Version 6.0, Dell EqualLogic supports two replication technologies for block volumes: The original replication technology, referred to as simply Replication or sometimes Auto-Replication, is a point-in-time replication solution that offers extended-distance replication. It provides incremental data synchronization between replicas at primary and secondary sites. The new replication technology, Synchronous Replication (also referred to as SyncRep) provides simultaneous writing of volume data across two different storage pools in the same PS Series group, resulting in two hardware-independent copies of volume data.

In addition to these two replication technologies, the latest Dell Fluid File System (FluidFS) Version 2.0 release available on FS7500 and FS7600 series NAS appliances allows you to replicate NAS containers between EqualLogic NAS clusters. This point-in-time NAS replication uses space-efficient snapshots of NAS containers to replicate file data. You can manage both block and NAS replication using the EqualLogic Group Manager interface. For more information about Dell EqualLogic replication technologies, refer to the Dell EqualLogic Group Manager Administrator's Manual.

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What's New in this Release (V6.0)

Version 6.0 of the PS Series Firmware includes a number of new features, described in the following sections.

GUI Enhancements
Version 6.0 introduces several new capabilities for the Group Manager graphical user interface (GUI).

Custom Session Banner

You can specify a customized banner to be displayed to users before they log in to Group Manager on your group. The banner can contain up to 1000 characters. This field accepts Unicode character strings. Depending on the characters you enter, the number of characters allowed may be less than the limit shown. The Edit screen for the banner accepts copied and pasted text or typed text.

Update Checking and Notification

When you log in to Group Manager, the system checks to see if Dell has released new information about the array firmware or host software. If Dell has released new firmware or software since the last time you logged (green arrow over a blue semicircle) appears on the bottom toolbar of the Group Manager in, an upgrade icon window. If you click the icon, a window appears with information on the available updates. To use the automatic notification feature, the system on which Group Manager is running must have access using HTTP to the Internet.

Session Idle Timeout

You can choose to have the group log out of idle sessions of the following types: GUI, SSH, Telnet, console, and FTP. The administrator can specify the idle time in minutes, with a minimum value of one minute. The Group Manager displays a countdown of the last minute before disconnecting an idle session, but all other sessions disconnect without warning (although the user interface displays a log message where appropriate).

Improved Replication Screens

The replication GUI has been redesigned and simplified for Version 6.0. The updated replication panels more clearly display information about delegated space, inbound replication, outbound replication, and status of inprogress replication operations. In addition, the replication partner configuration process now allows you to simultaneously configure volume and NAS container replication on the same partner.

Volume Folders
Volume Folders enable you to organize your volumes into folders in the Group Manager GUI. You can use this feature to group volumes according to department, function, or other criteria. Volume Folders are an organizational tool only and do not affect the volumes that the folders contain.

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The following configuration considerations apply to volume folders: A maximum of 128 folders are allowed per group. Volume folders cannot be nested. A volume folder can contain volumes of any type including classic, thin-provisioned, templates, thin clones, recovery volumes, and Synchronous Replication volumes A volume folder cannot contain a volume collection. Each folder name must be unique across the group. The maximum length of the folder name is 64 bytes. The administrator can enter a 64-byte description of the folder. The administrator can delete a folder, even if the folder contains volumes. Deleting a folder does not affect the volumes that are in the folder. The administrator can remove volumes from a folder; when the last volume is removed, the folder continues to exist. The administrator can view each of the volumes in a folder, provided other volume administrators did not create the volumes.

Introduction of the PS-M4110

Version 6.0 of the PS Series Firmware introduces the PS-M4110, a new storage blade array model designed for use in an M1000e blade enclosure. The PS-M4110 has the following features: Fourteen 2.5 inch drives, which are either SAS, Nearline SAS, or a combination of SSD and SAS drives. One or two Type 13 control modules running PS Series Firmware Version 6.0 or higher

The PS-M4110 can operate only when installed in a Dell M1000e Blade Enclosure, through which the array receives power and connects with your network. The M1000e blade enclosure can support four PS-M4110 blades per enclosure. The PS-M4110 supports the same system configuration limits as the other PS4xxx array models. See "Configuration Limits" on page 12 for more information.

IPsec Support
Version 6.0 of the PS Series Firmware introduces support for IPsec protection for secure communications between group member arrays and also between iSCSI initiators and a group. This support has been designed to comply with the US Government USGv6 requirements. You can use policies to configure your IPsec implementation to protect iSCSI traffic based on initiator IP address, a range of IP addresses, initiators on a specific subnet, or network protocol.
Note: IPsec is supported only for PS Series array models PS6xxx and PS41x0, as well as the PS-M4110. The

IPsec feature is available only if all members of the group are arrays that support IPsec.

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IPsec is a set of standardized protocols designed to enable systems on IP-based networks to verify each other's identities and create secured communication links. IPsec uses cryptographic security mechanisms for authentication and protection. IPsec verifies the authenticity of IP addresses and provides protection against certain types of security attacks, such as denial-of-service attacks and attacks that use fraudulent identity information. IPsec is supported for both IPv4 and IPv6 networks.
Note: For general information about IPsec, refer to the website of the Internet Engineering Task Force

(ietf.org), the organization that originally developed the IPsec protocols.

Group Manager GUI Available in Multiple Languages

In Version 6.0 of the PS Series Firmware, the Group Manager GUI is available in multiple languages. The language kits will be available shortly after the English version is released. Refer to Updating Firmware for Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage Arrays for instructions on installing and using the language kits.

New Verify Option in MTU

Version 6.0 of the PS Series Firmware includes support for Version 1.2.3 of the Manual Transfer Utility (MTU). MTU Version 1.2.3 introduces a new Verify option that you can select when you start MTU. If you select the Verify option, as you transfer files, MTU verifies that the files are readable on the device to which they are transferred and that the data in the transferred files is identical to the data in the source volume. When you select the Verify option, the Phase column on the MTU main panel during a copy displays either Copy or Verify depending on which operation has occurred. During the load operation, the Phase column shows only the Load status.

RAID 5 and No-Spare Configurations Not Recommended

Beginning with this release, the Group Manager GUI no longer includes the option for configuring a group member to use RAID 5 for its RAID policy. RAID 5 carries higher risks of encountering an uncorrectable drive error during a rebuild, and therefore does not offer optimal data protection. Consequently, Dell recommends against using RAID 5 for any business-critical data. RAID 5 may still be required for certain applications, depending on performance and data availability requirements. To allow for these scenarios, you may still use the CLI to configure a group member to use RAID 5. For a complete discussion of RAID policies on PS Series systems, review the Dell Technical Report titled PS Series Storage Arrays: Choosing a Member RAID Policy , which can be downloaded from either of the following locations:

www.equallogic.com/resourcecenter/documentcenter.aspx en.community.dell.com/techcenter/storage/w/wiki/equallogic-tech-reports.aspx
In addition, Dell recommends against using RAID configurations that do not use spare drives. You should convert all group member that are using a no-spares RAID policy to a policy that uses spare drives.

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Self-Encrypting Drives
A self-encrypting drive (SED) performs Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption on all data stored within that drive. SED hardware handles this encryption in real-time with no impact on performance. To protect your companys valuable data, an SED will immediately lock itself when it is removed from the array or is otherwise powered down. If the drive is lost or stolen, its contents are inaccessible without the encryption key. Dell EqualLogic manages SEDs in a completely automatic fashion. You do not have to configure or set up drives, manage the encryption, or install a Key Management Service (KMS). Drives removed from an SEDsecured array cannot be unlocked, unless the majority of the drives (not including the spares) are compromised at the same moment. Refer to the Dell EqualLogic Group Manager Administrator's Manual for more detailed information about SED.

Single Sign-On
Version 6.0 of the PS Series Firmware introduces support for single sign-on, which enables users who have already logged into their PCs using Windows Active Directory (AD) credentials to log on to the Group Manager GUI without having to re-specify their AD credentials. To use this feature, you must configure the group so that it is directed to the same AD domain that authenticated the users when they logged on to their PCs.

Snapshot Space Borrowing

Version 6.0 of the PS Series Firmware introduces support for snapshot space borrowing, which enables you to temporarily increase the available snapshot space for a volume by borrowing from the snapshot reserve of other volumes and pool free space. Snapshot space borrowing enables you to prevent the oldest snapshots in your collection from being automatically deleted. When space is needed for other functions, the firmware automatically deletes the oldest snapshots from the volume that required the borrowed space. For example, when you create a new volume or when existing snapshots increase in size because of increased input and output to the volume. Snapshot space borrowing is intended as a temporary solution for snapshots; it is not meant to solve long-term free space issues or eliminate the need to provision snapshot reserve appropriately.

Support for PS6500ES, PS6510ES, and PS-M4110 with HDD/SSD Drives

With the V6.0 firmware, support for three new products is introduced. The PS6500ES, PS6510ES, and PS-M4110 offer tiered configurations in which solid-state disks (SSD) and serial-attached SCSI (SAS) drives reside in the same chassis. These products are optimized to provide SSD level performance and hard disk drive (HDD) level capacity for tiered applications. Only the RAID-6 Accelerated policy is supported on these array models. RAID-6 Accelerated provides RAID 6 dual-parity protection, while optimizing the use of solid-state drives for optimal performance. In these systems, one hard disk drive is configured as a spare that provides redundancy protection in the event of either an SSD or HDD failure. In the event of an SSD failure, the RAID set is reconstructed using the HDD spare. During this time, array performance is temporarily degraded. When the failed SSD is replaced, the data is

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copied back to the new SSD, the HDD returns to its status as a spare, and performance returns to optimal levels. Although the SSDs can be installed in any of the slots in the chassis and function correctly, it is recommended that you install them in slots 0 through 6 in PS6500 and PS6510, and slots 0 through 4 in PS-M4110 arrays. Refer to the hardware maintenance documentation for these appliances for information about how to identify the slot numbers.
Note: Maintaining an on-site spare for SSD drives shortens the period of performance degradation caused by

using the HDD spare in the SSD RAID set. You can also configure these types of arrays using the Remote Setup Wizard included with the Host Integration Toolkit.

Synchronous Replication
Version 6.0 introduces Synchronous Replication (sometimes referred to as SyncRep). Synchronous Replication maintains two identical copies of a volume across two different storage pools in the same PS Series group. When you enable Synchronous Replication for a volume, each write must go to both pools before it is acknowledged as complete so that two identical copies of the volume data exist simultaneously in two pools. This method is in contrast to non-Synchronous Replication configurations, in which volume data is located only in the pool to which the volume is assigned. Synchronous Replication ensures that a viable, hardware-independent copy of the volume is available in the event of a member failure. If the pool that is currently being used to access the volume becomes unavailable, the volume goes offline until the pool either becomes available again or the administrator manually fails over the volume to the other pool. Synchronous Replication also facilitates minimally-disruptive maintenance windows. If administrators need to take a group member offline, they can failover the Synchronous Replication volumes residing in the pool to which the member belongs; the volumes are unavailable to hosts only for the time required to perform the switch and for the volume to come back online. Synchronous Replication requires a PS Series group with two or more member arrays that you have configured to contain two or more storage pools. You cannot use Synchronous Replication at the same time that you are using standard replication on the same volume (although you can use both kinds of replications on different volumes in the same group).
Note: Some versions of Host Integration Tools do not support the Synchronous Replication feature. For more

information, refer to the compatibility matrix on the Dell EqualLogic customer support website at https://support.equallogic.com/compatibility.

Volume Undelete
Version 6.0 of the PS Series Firmware introduces support for volume undelete, which enables you to restore volumes deleted by mistake. To facilitate the restoration, the firmware places deleted volumes in a volume recovery bin, where they are preserved for up to one week, or until free space is required.
Note: If a volume contains no data, the firmware does not move it to the volume recovery bin when you delete

it.

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The firmware automatically purges volumes in the volume recovery bin after one week, or when space is needed. You can restore and rename a restored volume or purge it manually. If there is insufficient space to restore a volume, the firmware might restore it as a thin volume. The volume recovery bin is enabled by default. If you do not want to have volume data preserved in the volume recovery bin when volumes are deleted, you can disable this feature through the CLI only, using the CLI command recovery-bin volume disable.
Note: Some volume information is not restored when a volume is restored. This includes volume snapshots and

snapshot reserve, Synchronous Replication state, and RAID preferences.

Volume Unmapping
Version 6.0 of the PS Series firmware introduces support for using SCSI unmap operations to recover unused space previously allocated to volumes. As a host writes data to a volume, the array allocates additional space for that data. Prior to support of the volume unmapping feature, that space remained allocated to the volume, even if the data was deleted from the volume and hosts were no longer using it. This created a "watermark" effect; the array could not de-allocate the space, and therefore the space was unavailable for allocation to other volumes. With volume unmapping, the array can reclaim this unused space. When a host connected to a volume issues a SCSI unmap operation, the array deletes the data and de-allocates the space, making it available for allocation by other volumes. Volume unmapping requires that all group members be running Version 6.0 or later of the PS Series firmware. Space de-allocation occurs only if you are using initiators that are capable of sending SCSI unmap operations and only on a "best effort" basis. Although space de-allocation occurs on both thin provisioned volumes and regular volumes, the volume reserve size can potentially shrink as a result of unmap operations only on thin provisioned volumes. If space is de-allocated, that space might not be immediately available as free space for other volumes until the array deletes snapshots of those volumes. Unmap operations are supported in the following operating systems: VMware ESX 5.0 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.0 Windows 8/Windows Server 2012

Running Defrag Tools

Run defragmentation tools (such as fstrim, windows manual defrag, or esxtool), during periods of low I/O activity, since these operations might result in large numbers of unmapping operations and negatively impact array performance.

Unmapping and Replicated Volumes

It is not advisable to run operations that result in SCSI unmap operations (for example, format or defrag) on volumes on which replication (including Synchronous Replication) is enabled. Such operations on replicated volumes result in zeros being written to the destination sectors of the volume. This writing of zeros can cause the operations to take a very long time to complete, and no space is reclaimed. Therefore, Dell recommends that you disable unmapping on hosts or volumes (depending on the host operating

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system) that are using replicated volumes. Refer to the following sections for information on disabling and enabling unmapping in VMware ESX, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or Windows 8/Windows Server 2012 operating systems.

Using Unmapping with VMware

In VMWare ESX 5.0, automatic unmapping is enabled by default for deletion operations such as deleting or migrating a VM. However, Patch ESXi500-201112001, a recommended patch for ESX 5.0, disables automatic unmapping. If you are running this patch, you can enable unmapping using the -y argument to the vmkfstools utility, which performs manually invoked unmapping and space reclamation on a per volume basis. For more information about using vmkfstools, refer to the VMware Knowledge Base.

Using Unmapping with Red Hat Enterprise Linux

By default, unmapping is disabled in Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Linux file systems that support unmap operations, such as ext4 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, must be mounted with the -o discard option to enable free space recovery functionality. If the file system does not support the -o discardmount option, it does not support free space recovery on PS Series storage array volumes. When free space recovery via volume unmapping is enabled, very large files are deleted and their space is reclaimed. However, volume unmapping operations can stop new writes to the volume and adversely affect performance. This scenario is most likely with replicated volumes. Therefore, Dell recommends that you do not use volume unmapping with replicated volumes. Also, running mkfs, defragging, or deleting files on file systems mounted using the -o discard option can generate large numbers of unmap operations, which are not recommended for replicated volumes.

Using Unmapping with Windows 8/Windows Server 2012

By default, unmapping is enabled in Windows 8/Windows Server 2012, which automatically detects a volume's provisioning capabilities, including whether or not the volume can process unmap operations. When data is deleted from a volume in Windows, the corresponding space on the PS Series storage array volume is also freed automatically, thus maximizing the efficiency of the array. To disable unmapping in Windows 8/Windows Server 2012, issue the following command:
fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 1

To reenable unmapping, issue the following command:

fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 0

To check the current setting of unmapping, issue the following command:

fsuitl behavior query disabledeletenotify

Note: The disabledeletenotify setting is a global operating system setting that not only disables unmap

operations from being sent to the PS Series storage arrays, but also disables TRIM to SSDs. For more information about the fsutil utility, see technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc785435(v=ws.10).aspx Automatic defrag can generate a large number of unmap operations, which are not recommended for replicated volumes. Therefore, in Windows Server 12, turn off automatic defrag for replicated volumes.

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Windows 8/Windows Server 2012 Support

Version 6.0 supports the following features related to the Microsoft Windows 8/Windows Server 2012 operating system. Thirty-two node clusters Version 6.0 has been qualified with up to 32 Windows Server 2012 cluster nodes. Offloaded Data Transfers (ODX) Version 6.0 supports the Offloaded Data Transfers (ODX) feature. ODX promotes rapid and efficient data transfer using intelligent storage arrays such as the PS Series storage arrays. ODX is automatically enabled in Windows Server 2012. ODX maximizes the capabilities of your arrays by streamlining the movement of data between volumes, including data on virtual hard disks (VHDs), SMB/CIFS shares, and physical disks. ODX offloads the resource load of Windows 8 data transfers that use native methods (such as RoboCopy, copy/paste, and drag-and-drop) from server CPU and memory, as well as from the network, to the storage array itself. By offloading the resource load to a high speed SAN, ODX optimizes throughput and reduces drain on Windows server resources. Volume unmapping Version 6.0 supports using SCSI unmap operations to recover unused space previously allocated to volumes. See "Volume Unmapping" on page 7 for more information.

2 System Limits and Compatibility

This section includes information about supported control modules, configuration limits, replication partnerships, and manual transfer utility versions.

Control Module Support

Table 1 describes the supported control modules and the array models that use them. The first column lists and describes control modules, the second lists the supported numbers and types of drives, and the third lists the supported array model(s).

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Table 1: Control Module Support

Control Module Descriptiona Drive Type and Maximum Quantity Array Modelsb

Type 17Two 10Gb Ethernet ports (one copper, one SFP+), labeled Ethernet 0 and Ethernet 1. One port can be active at a time. One additional port labeled MANAGEMENT, restricted to management network use. Model 70-0478 (Yellow/Gold Label) Type 14Two 10Gb Ethernet ports (one copper, one SFP+) labeled Ethernet 0 and Ethernet 1. One port can be active at a time. One additional port labeled MANAGEMENT, restricted to management network use. Model 70-0477 (Orange Label)

12 x 3.5" or 24 x 2.5" Type: SAS, Nearline SAS, or SSD PS4110

24 x 2.5" or 24 x 3.5" Type: SAS, Nearline SAS, or SSD PS6110

Type 13 One 10Gb Ethernet port, connected through 14 x 2.5" the backplane. Type: SAS, Nearline SAS, or SSD Model 70-0450 (No Label)
Type 12Two Ethernet ports. One additional port labeled MANAGEMENT, restricted to management network use. Model 70-0476 (Purple/Magenta Label) Type 11Four Ethernet ports. One additional port labeled MANAGEMENT, restricted to management network use. 12 x 3.5" or 24 x 2.5" Type: SAS, Nearline SAS, or SSD 24 x 2.5" or 24 x 3.5"

PS-M4110

PS4100

Type: SAS, Nearline Model 70-0400 (Green Label) SAS, or SSD Type 10Two 10Gb Ethernet ports that use optical or copper SFP+ modules. One port labeled MANAGEMENT, 48SAS or SATA 16 SAS (Black latch) or restricted to management network use SATA (Gray latch) Model 70-0300 (Orange Label) Type 8Three Ethernet ports, with one restricted to man- 16SAS (Black latch), agement network use or 16SATA (Gray latch) Model 70-0120 (Purple Label) 48SAS or SATA16 Type 7Four Ethernet ports SAS (Black latch) or Model 70-0202 (Green Label) SATA (Gray latch)

PS6100

PS6510, PS6010

PS4000

PS6500, PS6000 PS5500

Type 6Three Ethernet ports Model 70-0111 (Gray Label with brown stripe)
Type 5Three Ethernet ports Model 70-0115 (Olive Label)

48SATA 16SATA (Gray latch) 16SAS (Black latch) 16SAS (Black latch)

PS5000E
PS5000X, PS5000XV, PS3000X, PS3000XV PS3000X, PS3000XV

Type 4Three Ethernet ports

Model 70-0111 (Gray label) Type 3Three Ethernet ports Model 70-0101 (Blue label)

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Control Module Descriptiona

Drive Type and Maximum Quantity

Array Modelsb

Type 2Three Ethernet ports Model 70-0011 (Blue Label) Type 1Three Ethernet ports Model 70-0001 (Dark gray label)

14SATA 14SATA

PS50E to PS2400E PS50E to PS2400E

a) The 70-0111 model number is common to both the Type 4 and Type 6 control modules. b) Regulatory compliance numbers E01J, E02J, E03J, E04J, and E05J apply to Dell EqualLogic PS Series

arrays. See the Safety, Environmental, and Regulatory Information document for more information about specific array models.

Configuration Limits
Table 2 describes the supported configuration limits for a PS Series group running Version 6.0 of the PS Series Firmware. The first column lists configuration attributes, the second column lists the supported limits for groups containing only PS4X00 arrays, and the third column lists supported limits for all other group types, including groups of mixed array types.
Note: For the purposes of this table, a PS4XXX array is defined as any array in the PS4000-series family,

which includes PS4000, PS4100, PS-M4110, and PS4110 systems. There can only be two PS4XXX-series arrays in a mixed group of multiple array types. A group consisting entirely of PS4XXX-series arrays may only have two members. When a group contains a mix of PS4XXX arrays and other array models, the higher limits prevail.

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Table 2: Configuration Limits Configuration

Volumes and replica sets per group Volume size a

Groups of PS4XXX only 512 15 TB 32 4 2048 128 128 64

All Other Groups 1024 15 TB 256 32 10,000 512 512 64

Volumes that have replication enabled (outbound)b Volumes that have Synchronous Replication enabled Snapshots and replicas per group Snapshots per volume Replicas per volume Schedules (snapshot or replication) per volume or volume collectionc Persistent Reservation registrants per volume Replication partners per group Replication partners per volume Members per group Members per pool Pools per group Recommended minimum free space per pool Volumes per collection Collections per group (snapshot and replication) Volume connections (each time an iSCSI initiator connects to a volume counts as a connection)d e Access control records per volume and its snapshots Simultaneous management sessions (any combination of GUI, telnet, or scripting sessions) Thin-provisioning limits (minimum allocation) Administrator accounts per groupf SCSI Power Fencingg IPSec Policies IPSec Security Parameters IPSec Certificatesh

1024 per pool 512 per pool 1024 per group with 2 pools 4096 per group with 4 pools 16 1 2 2 2 5% of total pool capacity or 100GB per pool member, whichever is less. 8 100 512 per pool 1024 per group with 2 pools 16 7 10% of volume size 100 Up to 16 nodes 256 256 9 16 1 16 8 4 5% of total pool capacity or 100GB per pool member, whichever is less. 8 100 1024 per pool 4096 per group with 4 pools 16 7 10% of volume size 100 Up to 16 nodes 256 256 9

a) Practical maximum volume size is specific to your operating system. A PS Series group can create and present

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volumes up to 15 TB.

b) To avoid service outages or possible loss of connectivity during failovers, Dell recommends increasing initiator timeouts for groups with
more than 512 connections. See the iSCSI Initiator and Operating Systems Considerations document for more information.

c) This limit applies to all groups running Version 4.1.4 or later of the firmware. d) To avoid service outages or possible loss of connectivity during failovers, Dell recommends increasing initiator timeouts for groups with
more than 512 connections. See the iSCSI Initiator and Operating Systems Considerations document for more information.

e) Inbound replication connections count towards the total number of connections. f) This number includes local accounts, the built-in grpadmin account, and any remotely-authenticated accounts added to the group. g) SCSI fencing is not supported for Red Hat Enterprise Linux. See the iSCSI Initiator and Operating System Considerations document for
more information.

h) This value includes one Local and one Root CA certificates; the remaining are intermediate CA certificates.

Replication Partnerships
Replication is supported only between certain Firmware versions. Table 3 shows whether replication is supported between any two partners running different firmware versions (If you are running firmware earlier than V3.0, contact your support provider). The first column lists firmware versions on the primary group, and the second column lists the supported firmware versions for the replication partners. Table 3: Replication Support - Partner Firmware Matrix
Firmware on Group Firmware on Partner

V6.0 V5.1.x, V5.2.x V5.0.xa V4.2.x, V4.3.x V4.1.x V4.0.x V3.2.x, V3.3.x V3.0.x, V3.1.x

V5.1.x, V5.2.x, V6.0.x V5.0.x, V5.1.x, V5.2.x, V6.0.x V4.2.x, V4.3.x, V5.0.x, V5.1.x, V5.2x V4.1.x, V4.2.x, V4.3.x, V5.0.x V4.0.x, V4.1.x, V4.2.x, 4.3.x V3.2.x, V3.3.x, V4.0.x, V4.1.x, V4.2.x V3.0.x, V3.1.x, V3.2.x, V3.3.x, V4.0.x V3.0.x, V3.1.x, V3.2.x, V3.3.x

a) Template volumes and thin clones can only be replicated between partners running version 5.0 firmware or later.

Supported Manual Transfer Utility Versions

The Manual Transfer Utility is available as a downloadable kit. Beginning with version 1.2.1, the Manual Transfer Utility can run on Linux systems in addition to Windows systems. The Manual Transfer Utility has its own documentation, provided in the download kit.

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Table 4 lists the supported PS Series firmware releases for use with the Manual Transfer Utility. Table 4: Manual Transfer Utility Support
Manual Transfer Utility Version Supported Firmware Release(s)

V1.2.3 V1.2.1 V1.1.2

V5.1, V5.2, V6.0 V5.0, V5.1, V5.2, V6.0 V4.3, V5.0

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3 Installation Considerations
This section includes information about software installation.

Updating PS Series Firmware

Refer to Updating Firmware for Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage Arrays Storage Array for prerequisites, instructions, limitations, and supported upgrade paths for updating array firmware. Before upgrading array firmware, you also should review the latest revisions of the following documents: iSCSI Initiator and Operating System Considerations Dell EqualLogic FS Series Appliances Release Notes

Note: All group members must be running the current firmware version for the latest features and fixes to

known issues to take effect.

On Firmware Upgrades, an Email Message is Sent to Dell Support If You Have the E-mail Home Feature Enabled.
If the group has the E-Mail Home feature enabled, email is sent to Dell EqualLogic customer support when you update the group members. You can temporarily disable the E-Mail Home feature (either in the GUI or in the CLI with the grpparams email-contact command). If you choose to perform the update via the CLI, you can also disable the E-Mail Home feature during the update by entering n (for no) at the prompt asking whether to send email to customer support.

Installing the Group Manager Online Help as a Local Resource

When you launch the online help for EqualLogic PS Series Group Manager, the default location is a Web server at http://psonlinehelp.equallogic.com/V6.0/groupmanager.htm. If you cannot access the Internet, you can download the online help kit and install it locally. 1. Open a web browser and navigate to http://support.dell.com/equallogic. 2. Select the Login to your Dell EqualLogic PS Series Customer Support Account link. 3. Log in using your Customer Support Account. 4. From the Downloads menu, click PS Series Firmware.

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5. Click the appropriate version number. Notice that more options are displayed. 6. Click the version number in the Download Page section. 7. Look for the Documentation section. Click the Downloadable Online Help Files under Other Documents. 8. Uncompress and copy the folder contents to a folder on the local disk, a network share, or Web server repository. The top-level file in the help hierarchy in this folder is groupmanager.htm. 9. Launch the PS Series Group Manager GUI in a separate browser window and log in. 10. In the GUI, click Tools to expand the Tools options. Click User preferences. This opens the Modify user preferences dialog box on the General tab. 11. In the Location of online help files field, enter the help folder location. Note that this is where you copied the help in step 9 above. Click OK. Here are some examples for proper formatting:
file:///c:/V6_OLH http://<servername>/V6_OLH file:///system.directory.company.com/myhelpshare/V6_OLH

12. Click any help icon (?) in the PS Series Group Manager GUI to test the validity of the revised help location.

Troubleshooting and Constraints

Browser Security. Depending on your browser choice and the local Internet security settings, you might need to configure browser access to the help folder. For example, for Internet Explorer, you might need to add the help URL to the list of trusted sites: 1. Launch Internet Explorer, and go to Tools, then Internet Options. 2. Click the Security tab; click Trusted Sites, and then click Sites. 3. Add the group's IP or management address to the list of trusted sites, using the format: http://<group_ip_ address> (for example, http://10.127.12.123). 4. Uncheck the option to require server verification. Click Close. 5. Click OK to close the Internet Options dialog box. Java Version. Depending on the version of Java installed on your system, Internet Explorer will not display the PS Series online help locally if you run the PS Series GUI as a browser applet. This is due to a regression in some versions of Java, and you might not see the problem using browsers other than Internet Explorer. You must install and use the standalone EqualLogic PS Series Group Manager application as follows: 1. Do not close the IE browser window. 2. Click Logout to log out of the Group Manager.

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3. Wait for the EqualLogic PS Series Group Manager welcome screen (http://<group_ip_ address>/welcome.html). 4. Click Launch as an application. A Java window opens briefly, followed by the Downloading Application dialog, which closes automatically on completion. 5. You can then log into the group and repeat the steps in "Installing the Group Manager Online Help as a Local Resource" on page 16 to set your user preferences to point to the local online help. A PS Series Group Manager launch icon appears on your desktop, named for your PS series group. 6. When you no longer need the application, use the Windows Control Panel or the Java Control panel to remove the application.

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4 Known Issues and Limitations

The following restrictions and known issues apply to this version of the PS Series Firmware. For information about known issues and restrictions from other releases, see the Release Notes for those versions. For issues about Dell EqualLogic FS Series Appliances, refer to the Dell EqualLogic FS Series Appliances Release Notes. For issues and limitations pertaining to host operating systems and iSCSI initiators, refer to the iSCSI Initiator and Operating System Considerations document.

New Features Require Version 6.0 on All Group Members

All features introduced in Version 6.0 of the PS Series Firmware require that all members in the group be running the Version 6.0 release or later in order for the feature to be fully functional.

System-specific Issues
The issues listed below only apply to the Dell EqualLogic products specified therein.

Location Change for Service Tag Labels

The separate service tag labels on the rear of all arrays will be discontinued in future shipments. The service tag number will be printed on the D-label along with the array serial number and the other information currently on the D-label located on the rear chassis flange. This is different from what is shown in the Hardware Maintenance manuals for the following array models: PS4000, PS6000, PS6010, PS6500, and PS6510. Service tag labels for the PS6500 and PS6510 are also located on the upper-right front of the array (behind the bezel).

Failed Power Cooling Modules Marked as Healthy

The Group Manager GUI may incorrectly display a disabled or failed Power Cooling Module as being healthy if one or more of the fans it contains have failed. This issue applies to the following array models: PS6100 (Type 11 control modules) PS4100 (Type 12 control modules) PS6110 (Type 14 control modules) PS4110 (Type 17 control modules)

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Replication
Incorrect "Partner Down" Error Messages
In very rare cases, replication of a volume on a primary group remains in a "partner down" state, indicating that the secondary group is unavailable. This issue is most likely to occur after an increase in delegated space on the partner. As a workaround, cancel the in-progress replication for the volume. You can either immediately rereplicate the volume, or wait until its next scheduled replication. If that doesn't work, disable and re-enable replication on the base volumes.

Minimum Free Space Required on Remote Replication Partner

There must be at least 20 GB of free space available on a remote replication partner running Version 6.0. This free space will not be used to store replicated data, but is required in order for the replication process to complete correctly.

Synchronous Replication Issues

Synchronous Replication not Supported for Dell EqualLogic SRA Volumes
Synchronous replication is not supported for volumes created for VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) and managed by VMware SRM and Dell Equallogic Storage Replication Adapter (SRA).

Performance Issue when Using SyncRep

Synchronization of large SyncRep volumes is an I/O-intensive activity. During this process, performance degradation may occur.

RAID Policy Conversions

Capacity Changes After RAID Conversions
After you convert a member from one RAID policy to another (and restart the member), the member might report a different amount of usable capacity than if you had initially configured the member with that RAID policy. The number of spares the array has might be different also. This issue applies to arrays running PS Series Firmware Versions 4.1 and later.

Best Practices for RAID Conversions

RAID policy conversions are I/O-intensive activities and performance degradation may occur while they are in progress. As a best practice, perform policy conversions when the system is not undergoing heavy usage.

RAID Conversion From No-Spares To Spares Does Not Work

RAID conversion from a no-spares policy to a spares policy appears to work, but it actually converts to nospares, resulting in no change.

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Control Module Failovers

Automatic Restart of Arrays in Standby Mode
If the active control module is removed from an array that is in Standby mode, the array will automatically failover to the secondary control module and restart. This behavior is normal for an array in standby mode. If you are performing service operations on your array that require it to be offline, use the array shutdown option instead.

User Interface
Browser Requirements
The GUI supports the following browser and Java Run-Time Environment combinations:
Browser Java Version Operating System

Internet Explorer 6.x and higher

JRE 1.6x, 1.7x

Windows x86/64bit (2003, 2008, Windows XP, Windows 7) Windows x86/64bit (2003, 2008, Windows XP, Windows7), Linux Mac OS X Windows x86/64bit (2003, 2008, Windows XP, Windows 7)

Mozilla Firefox 3.6 and JRE 1.6x, 1.7x higher Safari 5 and higher JRE 1.6x, 1.7x Google Chrome 12 and JRE 1.6x, 1.7x higher

Browser requirements for the Group Manager GUI are as follows: Screen resolution requirements vary by language and are listed below. For optimal resolution, make sure your screen width has at least this many pixels: English: 1280 German: 1440 Spanish: 1580 French: 1580 Japanese: 1580 Korean: 1280 Chinese: 1280 If support for Java is not included with your operating system, you must download and install Java support from http://www.java.com to use the GUI. You must have JavaScript enabled to ensure that applets resize correctly. If you are installing the GUI as a Java application on a local system, you must enable the Java Temporary Internet Cache; otherwise the GUI installation fails. If you are running Windows 2003, the default security level for the Internet zone is High, which prevents most Java applications from running and results in the following message:

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Your current security settings prohibit running ActiveX control on this page. As a result, the page may not display correctly.

To use the GUI, you must add the group IP address to the list of trusted sites. In addition to ports 3002 and 3003, the GUI uses the standard HTTP port (80). Although the GUI does not require you to use HTTPS, if the Encrypt Communication checkbox is selected when logging in, all data moving between the browser and the array is SSL-encrypted. If you are running a 64-bit browser, you must use a 64-bit Java installation to access the Group Manager GUI. If you are using Internet Explorer 9 to access the Group Manager GUI, your browser must have Compatibility Mode enabled and be running Java 1.6.0_24 or later. To change the security level, select Tools, then Internet Options, then Security.

Using the GUI with Tabbed Web Browsers

In Internet Explorer 7.0 and above, you can run multiple instances of the Group Manager GUI in separate tabs. When running multiple GUI instances, it is recommended that you launch GUI instances one at a time, and avoid scenarios in which multiple login dialog boxes are displayed at the same time. Otherwise, the Java Virtual Machine may become unresponsive and the browser application must be restarted. In Firefox, you can only run one instance of the Group Manager in a browser window.

Desktop Icon for Group Manager GUI Might Render Incorrectly

The desktop icon for launching the Group Manager GUI as a standalone application might render incorrectly on systems running Java Web Start for Java SE 6 Update 18 and later.
Note: This is a known issue with Java Web Start. For more information, visit:

http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=6926204

GUI Display Errors During Long Sessions

If a user has been logged into the Group Manager GUI for an extended period of time, such as more than 48 hours, elements in the GUI might not display properly and may display Java error messages. To resolve this, log out of the GUI and log back in again.
Note: This is a known issue with Java. For more information, visit: http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_

bug.do?bug_id=6887286

GUI Displays Inaccurate Volume Information During Resizing Operation

While a volume resizing operation is in progress, the volume distribution chart might not accurately reflect the size change and the distribution of the volume space across group members until the resize operation is complete. You can refresh the GUI to update the display.

Inaccurate Pending Data Transfer Value Following Completed Replication

After a volume is configured for replication, the Group Manager GUI might display an incorrect Pending Data Transfer value for the volume in the Replication Summary panel. The GUI will be updated to reflect the correct value the next time data is written to the volume. You can use the partner select outbound-replicaset select show CLI command to get the correct value at any time. In addition, while the replication is in progress, you can view the value in the GUI by navigating to Monitoring, then Replication, then Outbound Replication.

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Browser Must Be Restarted with Cleared Browser and Java Cache After Upgrade
After upgrading your firmware, you must complete the following steps: 1. Log out of any sessions you have open in the Group Manager GUI. 2. If you are using the Internet Explorer browser, complete these steps to clear your browser's cache: a. Select Tools, then Internet Options. b. In the Browsing History section of the General tab, select Delete. c. Verify that the Temporary Internet Files checkbox is selected. d. Click Delete. 3. If you are using the Mozilla Firefox browser, complete these steps to clear your browser's cache: a. Select Tools, then Clear Recent History. b. Set the Time range to clear to Everything. c. Under Details, verify that the Cache checkbox is selected. Select Clear Now. 4. Complete these steps to clear your Java cache: a. Go to Control Panel > Java. b. Under Temporary Internet files, click Settings. c. Click Delete Files. 5. Close all browser windows. 6. Relaunch the browser and log in to the Group Manager GUI

GUI Displays Incorrect Power and Battery Status for Control Modules
In some cases, after a control module has been upgraded or replaced, the Group Manager GUI may display a failed status for the control modules power supply or battery. The GUI will automatically update to reflect the correct status after a few minutes.

Uninstall Group Manager GUI Applications Before Deleting Groups

When removing all members from a PS Series group, first uninstall any instances of the Group Manager GUI that have been installed as applications on local hosts. If you delete the group members before uninstalling the applications, you will not be able to remove the applications from Windows systems using the Add/Remove Programs feature.

Cannot Simultaneously Modify a Volume and Change its Pool Membership

The Group Manager GUI and the CLI do not allow you to modify a volumes settings and change its pool membership in one operation. First, change the volumes settings. Then, after the configuration change has taken effect, move the volume to a different pool.

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Schedule Name Not Displayed for Scheduled Replications of Volume Collections

The Group Manager GUI might not display the correct schedule name for scheduled outbound replicas of volume collections.

Java Console Error Messages in Busy Groups

In groups containing high levels of replication and snapshot activity, the Group Manager GUI may write Illegal Argument Exception errors to the Java Console log. These errors are not indicative of an issue with group health or performance and can be disregarded. If the GUI becomes unresponsive after an error of this nature has been issued, refresh the browser window to correct the problem.

Firmware Upgrade Wizard Does Not Distinguish Between Failed and Missing Control Modules
The Firmware Upgrade Wizard in the Group Manager GUI displays the same error message, regardless of whether the array member being upgraded has a failed control module, or if it only has a single control module present: Single controller updates are not allowed from the GUI. Correct the problem or run the update from the CLI.

Group Manager GUI Does Not Support IPv6

The Group Manager GUI does not support IPv6 addresses. Use the CLI if you have IPv6 enabled.

Group Manager GUI Displays Rounded Volume Capacities

Volume capacities displayed in the Group Manager GUI may be rounded up by as much as 15 MB. This is normal behavior, and is the result of the array's internal calculations for capacity allocation.

GUI Might Not Recognize Upgrade Immediately

During an upgrade to Version 6.0, the Group Manager GUI might indicate that some members have not yet been updated, even though they have been updated to the newest firmware. In this case, the GUI might issue messages applicable to previous versions of the firmware instead of the current behavior. Pressing Refresh will cause the GUI to recognize that all members have been updated.

Standalone GUI With Java 7 Might Not Highlight the Next Button
The Group Manager GUI, when used as a standalone application with Java 7, might not correctly highlight the Next button during the volume creation or thin clone creation operations. If this occurs, click the Next button to proceed.

Messages Might Be Displayed on a Different Monitor

If you are running the Group Manager GUI on a system with more than two monitors, error messages or other pop-up windows might be displayed on a monitor other than the one where the GUI screen is open.

Errors Might Occur with Standalone Group Manager GUI and Java 6
The system might report java.lang.NullPointerExceptions if you are running the Group Manager GUI as a standalone application with Java 6. If you see these errors, try restarting the application or use the Group Manager GUI from a web browser instead of a standalone application.

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Cooling Fan Speed Reports Incorrectly

In the user interface, under the Cooling Fans section on the Enclosure tab, the fan speed is occasionally reported (incorrectly) as zero with a status of "critical" in RED font. When this occurs, check the health status. If the health status shows green, you can safely ignore the cooling fans section on the Enclosure tab.

GUI Does Not Return Correct Space Values For a Bound Volume
After binding a volume (CLI-only operation), if you modify the size of the volume, the GUI does not return the correct space values. Make sure you carefully monitor bound volumes to prevent out-of-space issues.

Updating Firmware Through GUI with Java 7 32-bit Fails

When 32-bit Java 7 is installed, selecting Update Firmware from either the Tools menu, or the Firmware tab in Group Configuration results in a Firmware update failure. Selecting View details displays the following: FTP Error: Unknown error. If this occurs, use the CLI to update the firmware.

Viewing the GUI In a Language Other than English When Using Java 7
If you are using Java 7, you must change the display language in order to view the GUI in a language other than English. Use this procedure to change the display language in Windows: 1. If you don't have the display languages installed other than the default that comes with OS, install the display language first. 2. Open Control Panel, Region and Language 3. Click on Keyboards and Languages tab 4. Change the Display Language in the Display language section.

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

The following issues apply when working with a group in which Data Center Bridging (DCB) is enabled.

Specifying the DCB VLAN ID When Creating or Expanding a Group

To add a new member to a group in which Data Center Bridging (DCB) has been enabled, or to create a new group in which DCB will be used, you must complete the following steps. 1. Connect to the member using a serial connection. 2. Enter Control+C to cancel the setup program. 3. At the CLI prompt, enter setup def_dcb_vlan_id vlan_id, where vlan_id is the DCB VLAN ID number used by the group; this must be a value from 0 to 4094. 4. Run the setup utility as documented in the array configuration instructions.
Note: The PS Series Group only uses VLANs in DCB-enabled environments.

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IPsec
Refer to the iSCSI Initiator and Operating System Considerations document for information about using IPsecenabled PS Series storage with hosts in your environment. You should also review the documentation for your host operating systems, HBAs, iSCSI initiators, and applications. There may be known issues or idiosyncrasies with their IPsec support that require additional planning or configuration.

Using IPsec with Windows Hosts

When configuring IPsec with Windows hosts, note the following: IPsec traffic is not always handled correctly by Windows if the IPsec policy is configured to protect only a subset of traffic between the host and the group. For example, if the IPsec policy protects only iSCSI traffic on port 3260, the Windows host may not reliably connect to the group. As a workaround, apply IPsec policies to all traffic passing between the group and Windows systems. IPsec must be configured using the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security. Do not use the IPsec option in the Microsoft iSCSI initiator, which does not have the capability to fully configure an IPsec configuration between the host and the group. Also, if you attempt to configure an IPsec connection using the iSCSI initiator, the system may not allow you to remove the partial configuration and replace it with a complete configuration created with the Windows Firewall.

For more detailed information about this issue, including how to clean up a configuration if you inadvertently configured IPsec from the iSCSI config wizard, refer to Microsoft's KB article 2721092, found at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2721092.

Root CA Certificate Can Be Accidentally Loaded as Intermediate CA

The ipsec certificate load command does not check the certificate chain at load time. As a result, the root CA certificate could accidentally be loaded with the intermediate keyword. This should not cause any difficulty as long as you also load the root CA certificate with the root-ca keyword.

Incorrect Help Text For IPsec Security-Association Delete Command

The ipsec security-association delete command incorrectly displays the following help text: Show ipsec security associations. The performance impact of IPsec varies by host and network configuration, and increases with the number of IPsec-protected iSCSI connections to the group. Based on these factors, you can expect that using IPsec will degrade I/O performance. Although PS Series group members use hardware to accelerate cryptographic operations, many initiators perform these operations in software, which can cause a further reduction in the speed of communications between iSCSI initiators and the group.

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Snapshot Borrowing Issues

Use Policy of Deleting Oldest Snapshots with Snapshot Borrowing
The snapshot policy for some volumes might specify that the volume is to be taken offline when a new snapshot exceeds the snapshot reserve space. If you enable the snapshot borrowing feature on such a volume and that volume has already exceeded its snapshot reserve, then the oldest snapshots will be deleted before snapshot borrowing is enabled, although new snapshots will use the borrowing feature. To avoid this issue, when you enable the snapshot borrowing feature for a volume, set the snapshot policy for that volume to delete the oldest snapshot before a new snapshot exceeds the snapshot reserve space. Alternatively, before you enable snapshot borrowing, increase the volume's snapshot reserve until it is no longer exceeded, change the policy to delete oldest snapshots, enable borrowing, and then reduce the snapshot reserve to the original amount.

Accessibility Issues
Display Issues with Java Access Bridge
When the Java Access Bridge is installed and used on a system accessing the Group Manager GUI, text and icons may display incorrectly when using the Tab key to navigate through the GUI. In addition, text and icons in table cells may display incorrectly when table items are selected with the mouse or the user navigates through the table using the Tab key. In both cases, the issues are corrected the next time the GUI refreshes. This issue only occurs when the Java Access Bridge is being used. On systems where it is installed but not used, this issue does not appear.

64-bit Screen Readers Require 64-bit Java Access Bridge

Visually-impaired users running screen readers (such as JAWS) on 64-bit operating systems must use version 2.0.2 or later of the Java Access bridge to access the Group Manager GUI. Earlier versions of the Java Access Bridge do not provide 64-bit support.

Browser Might Focus on Incorrect Location When Running Group Manager GUI in Browser
In the Group Manager GUI, the keyboard focus in the browser window might shift to an unexpected location when completing tasks in wizards or dialog boxes. In Internet Explorer, the focus may shift to the Logout link or to another unexpected location in the window. In Mozilla Firefox, the focus may shift away from the GUI altogether.

Group Manager CLI

Using Telnet To Log Into a Group
Windows telnet might not be configured to correctly handle the carriage return key. By default, telnet is set to return both a carriage return and a line feed. If this is the case, the most common indication is not being able to log in or enter parameters due to an unexpected line feed occurring.

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To correct this, use the telnet escape sequence (Ctrl-]) to return to the telnet prompt, and run unset crlf in the Windows telnet client. When you press Enter, you return to the PS Series Group Manager session and the carriage return key will work properly. You might have to log in again.

Inconsistent Display of Empty Volume Collections

Normally, when you delete the individual volumes that belong to a volume collection, the collection is also automatically deleted. However in some cases, the collection can still appear in the CLI output from the collections show command, but no collections will appear in the GUI. To fix the problem, identify and delete the empty collection using the following CLI commands:
collection show collection delete collection_name

Audit Logging
Bug 33632. Limitations of Administrator Auditing Capabilities
The following administrative CLI command is not written to the Audit log:
member select disk select clear-label

Audit Log Entries Visible to Administrators with Previously-Used Account Names

All accounts can always view their own audit log information, and new accounts with previously-used account names will be able to view audit records for the old account. As a security precaution, Dell recommends that administrator account names not be re-used after they have previously been deleted.

Duplicate Entries in Audit Log when Adding or Deleting LDAP Servers

When you add or delete multiple LDAP servers using the ldap server-list create or ldap server-list delete CLI commands, the Audit log displays one instance of the command for each server that was added or removed, even though only one command was entered. In addition, the log does not output correctly, with each servers IP addresses being listed alongside the server that follows it in the list.

User Authentication
Active Directory Subgroups Are Not Supported
If you are using LDAP, logins using a Windows Active Directory (AD) account are allowed only if you have configured the AD account directly under an AD group that has access to the group. Active Directory subgroups are not supported. If you have Active Directory accounts residing in subgroups, you can give the individual accounts access to the group as a workaround.

Active Directory Login Not Successful Unless User and Group Entries are Configured Under the Same BASE DN
If you are using LDAP, logins using a Windows Active Directory (AD) account are successful only if both the AD user entries and AD group entries exist under the BASE DN configured on the group.

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For example, suppose you set the BASE DN to OU=ou2,OU=ou1,dc=somecompany,dc=com and there is an AD group "sales" configured under ou2 that has authorization to login to the PS Series array. Only members of "sales" that are also configured under OU=ou2,OU=ou1,dc=somecompany,dc=com, are actually allowed to login to the array.

Manual Transfer Utility Issues

MTU Might Produce Errors With Windows 7 Enterprise or Windows 2008
If you are using Windows 7 Enterprise or Windows 2008 to replicate data using the Manual Transfer Utility (MTU), you might see errors related to the SAN disk being offline or read only. If this occurs, you must use DiskPart at the command line or Diskmanagement from Server\storage to make the disk available for use. For more information about this issue, refer to the Microsoft support article at

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971436/EN-US)

Other Issues
IPV6 Not Supported with iSNS
The iSNS client used with PS Series arrays does not support IPv6.

Temporary Loss of Serial Port Connectivity When All Ethernet Ports Are Disabled
Disabling all network interfaces on a group member will temporarily result in the complete loss of iSCSI and network management access to the member, including management access through the serial port. Approximately 30 seconds after the last network interface has been disabled, you can log into the array CLI through a serial connection using an account with group administrator privileges and reactivate the network ports.

Deprecated Support for Multi-Router Traffic Grapher (MRTG)

Support for MRTG (Multi-Router Traffic Grapher) has been deprecated as of PS Series Firmware Version 4.1 and replaced with SAN HeadQuarters (SAN HQ). SAN HeadQuarters can be downloaded from the EqualLogic support website: https://www.equallogic.com/support/

Some Drives Do Not Display Speed Information

Some drive models do not carry information about their spin rate. Therefore, the Group Manager GUI and CLI will show a speed of Unknown (or 0 RPM) for some drive models.

Request SED Key Backup After Upgrade for Groups With Mixed Firmware Versions
If your group is a mixed group, with some members running Version 6.0 of the PS Series Firmware and some members running earlier versions of firmware, the system might not present the opportunity to make key backups for SED drives during setup. In this case, after you have upgraded the whole group to Version 6.0 or later, we recommend that you use the GUI or CLI to backup the key.

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Some System Messages for Unicode Fields Refer to Characters Instead of Bytes
Some system messages refer to the number of characters allowed in fields that accept Unicode characters. The limit actually applies to the number of bytes in the encoded string. Since some languages require two or three bytes per character, the actual limit in characters will depend on the particular characters used.

Five-Minute Schedules on Heavily Loaded Systems Might Not Run As Expected

On lower performance systems that are configured with close to the maximum number of snapshot and replication schedules running at the highest frequency, the snapshot and replication schedules might not run as often as expected.

Group Administrator Privileges Required to Move Volumes

You can only move volumes into, out of, or between folders if your account has Group Administrator privileges.

Incorrectly Configured DCB Switch Can Lead to an Ethernet Flow Control Issue
On 10G arrays, settings negotiated with a DCB switch that is incorrectly configured may result in there being no Ethernet flow control. When this occurs, a health condition displays a blinking yellow caution symbol in the GUI. The following warning is generated: Interface eth0 has negotiated DCB priority flow control with the switch. However, the switch did not configure iSCSI traffic for a lossless priority. No Ethernet flow control is enabled for iSCSI on this interface. To correct this issue, identify the switch the array is connected to. Refer to the switch administrators guide on how to enable priority flow control (PFC) for iSCSI, and modify switch configuration. If the switch doesnt support the iSCSI TLV, disable DCB for the ports the array is connected to and enable standard 802.3x flow control.

Incorrect Message when Deleting SyncActive Pool

If you attempt to delete the SyncActive pool for SyncRep volumes while the SyncAlternate cannot be contacted, the following error message is generated: Error - Cannot delete pool at this time because at least one member is currently unreachable. This error is misleading.

Error When Entering Incorrect Group Name

During the setup of a member that is joining an existing group, entering the correct group IP address, but incorrect group name will result in the following message:
Please run the reset command to remove any configuration and user data on the array and to reset the array to its factory defaults. Then run the setup command again.

If this occurs, you dont need to reset the array. If you retry the setup with a proper group name and IP address, the setup will succeed.

Host Integration Tools

Some of the new features in Version 6.0 of the PS Series Firmware are not supported by previously released versions of the Host Integration Tool. For information about which versions of the Host Integration Tools are supported in this firmware version, refer to the compatibility matrix on the

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https://support.equallogic.com/compatibility. Notes:
HIT for VMware v3.1.1, and earlier, is not compatible with Version, 6.0, of the PS Series Firmware. A later version must be installed prior to upgrading to Version 6.0, for compatibility. Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) v1.0.5 (for SRM 4), and earlier, and SRA v2.0 (for SRM 5) are not compatible withVersion, 6.0 of the PS Series Firmware. Later versions must be installed prior to upgrading to Version 6.0, for compatibility.

Refer to the compatibility matrix for the latest information. EqualLogic Extended Copy utility (eqlxcp.exe) Limitation with Cluster Shared Volumes
The EqualLogic Extended Copy utility (eqlxcp.exe), provided in the Host Integration Toolkit, is not supported for Microsoft Cluster Shared Volumes on arrays running Version 5.1 and later of the PS Series Firmware. The EqualLogic Extended Copy utility (eqlxcp.exe) is not needed with Window 8/Windows Server 2012.

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5 Product Documentation
This section contains information about product documentation.

Documentation Corrections
This section lists corrections and updates that apply to the PS Series Storage Array.

Front LCD Panel Disk Indicators Flash Conditions The Hardware Maintenance Guides and Disk Field Replaceable Unit (FRU) document for the PS6500 and PS6510 Series Arrays do not mention that the front LCD panel disk indicator will flash in the following cases, in addition to the documented condition of one or more drive failures:
If a RAID set is in a faulted state If multiple RAID sets are found If a drive is too small In lost block conditions If the write cache is lost or orphaned

Furthermore, the color of the indicator was incorrectly stated as yellow instead of orange.
This affects the following documents: PS 6500 Storage Arrays Hardware Maintenance Manual PS 6510 Storage Arrays Hardware Maintenance Manual

PS Series Storage Arrays Disk Drive Replacement (supports both PS6500 and PS6510 array models) PS6000 and PS4000 Hardware Maintenance Guides
In previously-published versions of the documents listed below, the disk error LED color is incorrectly listed as red instead of orange. The documents containing the error are: PS4000 Hardware Maintenance Guide, page 2-4, callout 4 in Table 2-1. PS6000 Hardware Maintenance Guide, page 2-3, callout 4 in Table 2-1.

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Omission in PS4100 Hardware Documentation

The PS4100 Storage Array Hardware Maintenance Guide omitted information about vertical failover from the "Dual Controller Configuration" section. The following vertical failover text, and accompanying graphic illustration, will be included in the next publication of this manual.

Dual Controller Configuration

Dual control module configurations support a feature called vertical failover. An Ethernet port on the active control module can fail over to the same Ethernet port on the secondary control module if a network path fails. The following illustration shows the recommended configuration to support vertical failover.

Installation Guides Refer to Setup Utility

The PS Series Storage Arrays Installation and Setup Manual for the PS6000 and PS6500 refer to a setup utility. This description of a utility is somewhat misleading; a more accurate description of this function would be the setup CLI command.

Error in PS4110 and PS6110 Array Setup Posters

A documentation error has been identified in the PS6110 and PS4110 array (in-box) hardware setup posters, titled Setting Up a PS Series Storage Array . The current (incorrect) text recommends that for the 10GBASE-T port, a CAT6 (or better) cable can be used for up to 45 meters. This text should recommend that for the 10GBASE-T port, a CAT6 (or better) cable can be used from 37 to 55 meters.

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Related Documentation

Related Documentation
PS Series Storage Arrays and FS Series Storage Appliances documentation includes the following: Release Notes. Provides the latest information about PS Series Storage Arrays and FS Series Appliances. Installation Guide . Describes how to set up the hardware and start using PS Storage Arrays and FS Series Appliances. Group Manager Administrator's Manual. Describes how to use the Group Manager GUI to manager PS Series Storage Arrays and FS Series Appliances. This manual provides comprehensive information about concepts and procedures. Group Manager CLI Reference . Describes how to use the Group Manager command line interface to manager a storage array or a group and individual appliances. Hardware Owner's Manual. Provides information on maintaining the PS Series Storage Array and the FS Series Appliance hardware.

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Contacting Dell

Contacting Dell
1. If you have an Express Service Code, have it ready. The code helps the Dell automated support telephone system direct your call more efficiently. 2. If you are a customer in the United States or Canada in need of technical support, call 1-800945-3355. If not, go to Step 3. 3. Visit support.equallogic.com. 4. Log in, or click Create Account to request a new support account. 5. At the top right, click Contact Us, and call the phone number or select the link for the type of support you need.

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