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Trying to configure iSCSI multipath

Rimbalza
Aspirant

Trying to configure iSCSI multipath

Hi, using Pro 6.
I upgraded ti 4.2.19T4 to see if it does not crash after some seconds of heavy I/O with iSCSI. It continues to crash...
Now I'm trying to setup multipath to see if it has some effect, but found no indications in the docs on how to do it, and also found several bugs in the interface.
I'm using a system with italian regional settings, so IE uses italian as default lnguage. Loggin into the NAS results in the interface being displayed in italian.
First bug: deleting iscsi volumes requires to confirm the action by typing the phrase in english, while the message tells to type it in italian. Very poor, really.
Also if I use italian I'm able to see the "teaming" settings in the Interfaces menu, but the possible choices are not understandable for a person who really speaks italian. Also are not documented since the "more information" link points to a non existent web page.
So I switched to english language and, to my great surprise, teaming setting does not even appear. Switching back to italian shows teaming again. Really sad...

Apart from solving these bugs, is there anyone who has an idea how to set the ReadyNAS in iSCSI multipath mode? Which is the setting for the italian interface, or its position in the drop down so that I can configure it using the italian interface?

Thanks.
Message 1 of 10
Grievous
Aspirant

Re: Trying to configure iSCSI multipath

There isn't anything to configure for multipath on the ReadyNAS, it's all client side. If you're using Windows Server, you need to install the MPIO feature.

Regarding the delete confirmation, you mentioned volumes I assume you mean the LUN? I just checked and with the entire UI in Italian, the message on screen still indicates to type "DELETE ALL LUNS" and typing that does work. The same goes for trying to delete an individual LUN, I get prompted to type "DELETE LUN" and that works as well. Since it sounds like you're seeing something different than I am, can you post a screenshot so we can see exactly what you mean?
Message 2 of 10
Rimbalza
Aspirant

Re: Trying to configure iSCSI multipath

The "DELETE ALL LUNS" problem was solved cleaning IE9 cache/cookies/anything. The problem about italian version of the page being different from english one persists. Also the wrong link to the docs is there.
About multipath: I have dozens of 2008R2 server connected via multipath to other SANs, so I know how to configure it. The problem is that I found no way to tell the MPIO driver to use PRO6 disk as MPIO, so I thought I needed to enable something on the SAN (just like other SANs).
Could you please tell me what device id I need to put into the MPIO panel to have it work on PRO6? Each and every one I used was not working...
These are the steps I took, from the beginning, maybe someone find it useful being missing the documentation:
1) set the primary IP on the first interface to an address in the 10.x.x.x class
2) set the secondary interface IP to an address in the 192.168.x.y class
3) created an iSCSI LUN
4) Installed MPIO on Win 2008 R2
5) put the device id into the MPIO panel as per http://download.microsoft.com/download/ ... 8/mpio.doc (appendix b)
6) at reboot I connected iSCSI target using multipath option

This should lead to a mpioed disk, but it doesn't. Having done it lots of times, the only problem can be with device ids, but it seems I had no way to find out the right ones.
So could you please give me links to the docs about PRO6 iSCSI device IDs or post them on the forum for everyone to benefit? Data returned from mpclaim (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/libr ... 9743(WS.10).aspx) does not work also, and since it worked on the same machine with other SANs i thought it was a problem on the PRO6.
Thanks
Thanks
Message 3 of 10
Rimbalza
Aspirant

Re: Trying to configure iSCSI multipath

Also trying to use MCS, adding the second connection results in error:

The target name is not found or is marked as hidden from login

The target name cannot be changed and is taken from the first connection, so it cannot be wrong.

EDIT:
I managed to have it work, even in a bizzarre manner. You MUST configure the target WITH access control, and use your initiator name.

MPIO is still not working, I put every device id I can imagine to generate, but it does not capture the PRO6 disk...
Message 4 of 10
Grievous
Aspirant

Re: Trying to configure iSCSI multipath

Have you opened MPIO in windows, switched to the discovery multi-paths tab, checked the "Add support for iSCSI devices" box, added it, hit ok and rebooted the server yet?

Regarding the access control list, you should always use the access control list since it's the only way different initiators are aware of eachother when connected to the target. If you didn't have access control enabled and had 2 clients connect and start manipulating data(since it's treated as a block level device, not a normal network file access protocol) it's a very quick way to end up with corrupt data.
Message 5 of 10
Rimbalza
Aspirant

Re: Trying to configure iSCSI multipath

Grievous wrote:
Have you opened MPIO in windows, switched to the discovery multi-paths tab, checked the "Add support for iSCSI devices" box, added it, hit ok and rebooted the server yet?

Regarding the access control list, you should always use the access control list since it's the only way different initiators are aware of eachother when connected to the target. If you didn't have access control enabled and had 2 clients connect and start manipulating data(since it's treated as a block level device, not a normal network file access protocol) it's a very quick way to end up with corrupt data.


You probably didn't read the post above. I usually setup MPIO on dozen of servers based on 2008R2, so I have a pretty much precise idea on the way to perform it.
I asked for the device ids, but seems noone knows what I'm talking about. Reading the docs I linked is useful, really.
And yes, I know what is an iSCSI disk and the problems of parallel accessing them.

So back to my question: which device IDs does this device exposes? And are you sure it supports MPIO besides MCS? Are you able to point at some kind of documentation?

For the records: using MCS (round robin and weighted paths) the ReadyNAS badly crashes after 10 minutes of DPM writing on it at 90 Mb/sec (not that much indeed).
Is there anyone using PRO6 and DPM that completes a backup? I'm stuck with PRO6 not responding to ping probes on any interface...

p.s.
And yes, I rebooted lots of times, each one after adding new device ids to MPIO.
Message 6 of 10
Grievous
Aspirant

Re: Trying to configure iSCSI multipath

I read the docs you linked, and I've personally configured MPIO for use with iSCSI on the ReadyNAS. You need to connect to the NAS, add the iSCSI support like I mentioned, and then make the second connection with the initiator while checking the enable multipath box on the connect to target page. You can't manually add device hardware ID's after enabling iSCSI support and in server 2008 R2 you should see "MSFT2005iSCSIBusType_0x9" on the MPIO devices page.

edit: By the way, as I recall data protection manager requires the use of dynamic disks, you should consider reading the following post and it applies to more than just the ReadyNAS:
viewtopic.php?f=126&t=46169
Message 7 of 10
Rimbalza
Aspirant

Re: Trying to configure iSCSI multipath

Grievous wrote:
I read the docs you linked, and I've personally configured MPIO for use with iSCSI on the ReadyNAS. You need to connect to the NAS, add the iSCSI support like I mentioned, and then make the second connection with the initiator while checking the enable multipath box on the connect to target page. You can't manually add device hardware ID's after enabling iSCSI support and in server 2008 R2 you should see "MSFT2005iSCSIBusType_0x9" on the MPIO devices page.

edit: By the way, as I recall data protection manager requires the use of dynamic disks, you should consider reading the following post and it applies to more than just the ReadyNAS:
viewtopic.php?f=126&t=46169


Adding the second connection that way results in 2 disk seen by the disk manager, one being offline. Exactly as if the disks are not seen as MPIOed.
The link you posted is pretty old, and refers to something that doesn't apply to the problem I described, so I think you didn't even read my post.
To recap:
- I am referring to Windows Server 2008R2
- I DO connect the iSCSI volume via single path and MCS
- It FAILS to connect via MPIO, because the MPIO driver does not catch the device to be MPIOed. The process is described in the docs I posted, just read them.
- In any case, using single connection or MCS, the disk is correctly mounted at boot, DPM sees it ok, but during heavy load backups the NAS crashes and does not even responds to ping. I assume you know ping probes are not related to supposed offlining of disks. I have to POWER CYCLE the ReadyNAS to have it working, until the next backup of course. The same behaviour was proved with 4.2.17 and 4.2.19T4.
- The test with MPIO was to see if in that configuration the NAS can resist a backup
- The same DPM machines have MPIOed iSCSI connections to _real_ SANs, where they complete heavy load backup (sustained 200 mb/s full 2x1Gbit) without hassle.

The main problem is to have DPM to complete a backup on ReadyNAS. It only survives slow or small (some megs) ones.
Message 8 of 10
Grievous
Aspirant

Re: Trying to configure iSCSI multipath

I am also referring to server 2008 R2. I'm going to post a screenshot. I just configured an iSCSI target(172GB) on a Pro 2, the client is server 2008 R2.

I added iSCSI support to MPIO as I said, I made two connections to the same target with multipath support enabled just as I described(specified which IP's to use on the advanced page), and opened up the command prompt to display the current MPIO disk status as well as the device manager to show that there is no offline or duplicate disk listed.



I have told you exactly how I did it, provided as much information as I can in a single screenshot. If you follow my instructions it should work just fine. There is absolutely NOTHING to configure on the ReadyNAS other than adding the IQN for the initiator to the target's ACL.

Regarding DPM, I don't know what your other SANs are(the ReadyNAS isn't a SAN, it's a NAS) or how you're making the connection to those devices. All I can tell you is that dynamic disks and Microsoft's built in iSCSI initiator do not play nicely with eachother and this behavior has been observed on NAS devices that also support iSCSI besides the ReadyNAS.
Message 9 of 10
ksandbek
Aspirant

Re: Trying to configure iSCSI multipath

Just registered on here to say thank you Grievous for the generous detail and effort to explain this. :wink:

Kevin
Message 10 of 10
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