In this module, learn how to install Storage Configuration Manager, use Storage
Configuration Manager to create or modify custom zoning configurations, use
the LSI utility to create preboot RAID volumes, and use Storage Configuration
Manager for postboot RAID configuration. First though, let's review the concept
of zoning.
Zoning for Serial Attached SCSI, or SAS, is simply the mapping of I/O server ports to storage ports on the Serial Attached SCSI switch. When you map the storage ports you are using zoning to identify which storage drives are seen by which blade servers. For you, the server administrator, Serial Attached SCSI zoning enables you to control how to most effectively use your BladeCenter S servers and storage. When you complete your zoning configuration, you have created a fabric of communications among the blade servers, I/O ports, and storage disk drives.
You might have used Advanced Management Module for your initial configuration as covered in the Configuring BladeCenter S course. Now, you can use Storage Configuration Manager to modify the predefined configuration or create a new custom configuration. Let's learn more about using Storage Configuration Manager.
Storage Configuration Manager is a browser-based system management application that is compatible with IBM BladeCenter® units.
It can be installed from the CD-ROM shipped with your BladeCenter S unit or downloaded from the same web site as IBM® Director. The current Web address for downloading the most recent version of Storage Configuration Manager is listed in your BladeCenter Installation and User's Guide.
Storage Configuration Manager should be installed on a management workstation that can communicate with the BladeCenter storage components. It can also be installed with IBM® Director on an IBM Director management workstation that can access the BladeCenter S units. For machine and operating system requirements as well as instructions for installing Storage Configuration Manager, see the IBM BladeCenter Type 8886 Installation and User's Guide.
To view your zoning configuration, open Storage Configuration Manager on your console or workstation. Enter your operating system user ID and password. This is same login and password you use to log into your workstation.
The first time you use Storage Configuration Manager, launch the Initial Configuration Wizard. You begin by registering your SAS modules. Specify the IP address that was assigned to the module when you used the Advanced Management Module interface to initially set up the unit. Then, set the date and time for the SAS module by either entering the IP address of an NTP server or manually entering the date and time. Finally, you can change the passwords for all the users of your SAS connectivity module. A summary page will display your new initial configuration. Your next task is to modify the SAS zoning configuration.
To navigate to the SAS Zoning page, you can either click the links located on the main Welcome page, or you can use the left navigation. From the Welcome page, click All SAS Modules. On the following page, select a chassis or SAS module, and then select Configuration-> SAS Zoning from the drop down menu.
If you prefer to use the left navigation, select BC-S Non-RAID SAS Module. Click the plus symbol to expand the Configuration menu and then click SAS Zoning. The list of zoning configurations is displayed with the currently active configuration indicated by an icon. To modify a configuration, select a configuration and click Edit. The details for the selected configuration are displayed. To modify this configuration, select the blade server and then select the disk drives and external ports to which that server should have access.
To select the blade server, click the box that represents the server you want to associate with the external ports displayed in bay three or bay four. This action is the first step to create a zone between the blade server and the external ports. When your mouse rolls over one of the icons, the color and number of the selected server is then displayed in the box.
Next, select the disks in storage module one or storage module two that you want to associate with the server. To allow servers to access a specific storage module disk, click the disk drive icon, numbered from one to six, or click the box that corresponds to the blade server. The color and numbers in the small boxes associated with each disk icon correspond to the blade servers zoned to this storage module.
You can select external ports in the same way that you selected storage disks.
Now, select the external ports on the SAS connectivity modules in I/O bay
three and I/O bay four to associate, or zone, with the server. To allow the
selected blade server to access all the ports on a SAS connectivity module,
click Select All. Repeat this procedure for each blade server for which you
want to specify zoning.
After you make these changes, you'll need to save your new zoning configuration.
If you are specifying a predefined configuration, click Save As and create
a new name for the zoning configuration. This name should be 24 characters
or less and can be in ASCII-defined characters as well as spaces. In addition
to specifying the name, select one of the four user-defined configuration
stores from the dropdown list and enter a short description of your storage
configuration parameters.
A confirmation panel is displayed again. The new zoning configuration is automatically activated if you modified the currently active zoning configuration.
However, if the new configuration is not the currently active configuration, select it and then click Activate to immediately apply the changed zoning configuration.
Use the Backup option in the More Actions dropdown menu to back up the configurations on the SAS Module to a local file.
If needed, you can use the restore function to restore previously backed up configurations. From the More Actions list, select Restore. Then follow the onscreen instructions to locate and restore the configuration file.
After you configure your SAS zoning configurations using either the Advanced Management Module or Storage Configuration Manager, use the LSI Logic Configuration utility preboot program to configure the integrated storage that you zoned to each blade server into RAID arrays. To open the program, start the blade server and, when prompted, press Ctrl+C. Then, select the onscreen options that enable you to create RAID 0, 1 and 1e arrays.
After you configure your RAID storage pool, you have two options. A “best practice” is to configure a two-drive RAID 1 array for the boot volume for each blade server. When you use this technique, the only drives allocated to a specific blade are for your boot volume, and you are finished with the RAID configuration. Now, you can use Storage Configuration Manager to view your RAID configuration.
If additional drives are zoned to this blade server, you can use the LSI utility to configure additional RAID arrays for application volumes, or you can install your operating system and then use Storage Configuration Manager to finish the RAID configuration.
When you have finalized your storage configuration, install an operating system for each server, using your Microsoft® Windows® operating system CD or Linux® CD. If you are installing a Microsoft Windows operating system on your servers, you can use the IBM ServerGuide™ tool to simplify the Microsoft Windows operating system installation. IBM ServerGuide is shipped with your BladeCenter server or can be downloaded from http://www.ibm.com. Now you are ready to use your BladeCenter S unit.
Now you know that: SAS zoning is the mapping of I/O server ports to storage ports on the SAS switch. To view and modify your zoning configuration, use Storage Configuration Manager on your console or workstation. Locate the BC-S Non-RAID SAS Module option. Changing the zoning configuration is as simple as matching up three numbered and color-coded components: the blade server, the external ports and the disks within the storage modules. If you save your changes to the current active configuration file, zoning changes are immediately implemented. If the new configuration file name is different from the old configuration file, remember to click Activate to implement the changed zoning configuration. You can use the LSI utility that is installed with the Serial Attached SCSI expansion card to configure your drives and disks for RAID 0, 1 and 1e capabilities.