DELL-ScottH Welcome everyone to this weeks chat. Thanks for joining, we have Victor Teeter from Openmanage Network Manager, Engineering Lead, and Bruce Holmes from Powerconnect Engineering. James Meeker should be joining in a few, Product Manager for Powerconnect .....

DELL-ScottH
This topic was suggested by Geoff (gsherman) .. so Geoff do you have items you'd like to bring up for discussion ? ... and anyone else is welcome to chime in as well

gsherman
Yeah I have a few just to give some background on what products we use

gsherman
6248, 3548, 2724, etc

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DELL-ScottH
welcome jack !

gsherman
We are wondering if there is a better way to configure a redundant topology to allow for our Nas to interact with 2 seperate stacks of 6248 Switches currently we have one stack of 2 however in a master failure scenario the stack is forced to reboot

DELL-ScottH
use "action" -- "recent room history" to catch up

gsherman
This causes Iscsi devices to become disconnected

DELL-ScottH
bruce, any best practices, papers, articles, on this scenario ?

gsherman
Fyi the Nas unit requires an Lacp Lag to be established via 2 10gbps Fiber links

gsherman
How would Dell setup a storage unit to connect to Powerconnect Switches say consider an Iscsi San

DELL-BruceH
I would suggest standard practices. The Nas probably has redundant controllers. So run one to each stack. Am I missing something?

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gsherman
Yeah in order to failover in the event of a stack failure it will need a Lag setup between its 2 interfaces

DELL-ScottH
welcome James !

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DELL-BruceH
A lag setup between what 2 interfaces? the switch? the nas?

gsherman
Sorry Nas has 2 interfaces Ag1 and Ag2 for arguments sake

gsherman
Each of the 2 6248 Switches has an Xfp bay and 10G module

gsherman
Nas requires these 2 ports to be configured to a Lag via Lacp

gsherman
if the stack reboots due to master failure the slave switch reloads the config file and drop all connections until it boots back up

gsherman
this is by design so what we would need is 2 seperate stacks but is there a better way

DELL-BruceH
got it. If the nas requires an lacp lag, and does not have another set of redundant interfaces, then you are lagging it to a single logical switch (the stack). the stack is a single point of failure even if you are going to different switches in the stack. The single lag from the nas is also a single point of failure. To get redundancy, you need another interface from the nas to another switch (or stack).

gsherman
understood, how will Ip Addressing Match up to this unit basically provide a different Ip for each interface I suppose

DELL-BruceH
you would have to see what the nas requires for redundant interfaces. There would not be any switch requirement.

gsherman
got it

gsherman
I will look further into the Nas, if you have a sample of this setup I wouldn’t mind seeing it

james_h_meeker
You could also get a pipe between two L3 switches to create redundant fabric

DELL-BruceH
Is it an equal logic or Dell nas?

gsherman
No not in this case Blue Arc

DELL-BruceH
If not, I am sure the nas vendor has example configurations.

gsherman
Would there be convergence time in the redundant fabric

gsherman
while an example with Md3000i or Equallogic would be fine

DELL-BruceH
yes. but it would not be dependent on the switch. it would be dependent on the nas.

gsherman
the convergence time? Vrrp?

DELL-BruceH
can someone from Dell track down an Eql or Dell redundant nas config paper?

DELL-BruceH
Vrrp convergence time would be on the order of seconds. It would depend on how you configured it.

DELL-BruceH
I need to go to another meeting. I will try to stay on.

DELL-ScottH
ok, thanks bruce

gsherman
Thanks Bruce any thoughts on the priority of the 18lag limit per stack

DELL-ScottH
Victor, on the Omnm front, can you explain some of the features it provides over using simple web based interface ?

gsherman
We are really just using standard open manage

gsherman
we can pull the switches in this way

DELL-BruceH
lag limit is going to 24 in 2.1 firmware

gsherman
network manager is for larger installs no?

james_h_meeker
We have a number of white papers posted on the Eq site regarding disaster recover, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity located at the following link: http://www.equallogic.com/resources/whitepapersview.aspx?id=550

gsherman
any other killer features on the roadmap

gsherman
james good link thanks i will sign up

james_h_meeker
Omnm does require a dedicated system to install it on.

DELL-ScottH
Fyi, here's a starting point for info on Omnm --> http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/sitelets/solutions/management/network_overview

gsherman
Powerconnect 5448 vs 6248 in regards to Iscsi is there anything of interest to point out

DELL-ScottH
anybody have questions ? .. feel free to jump in, or lurk, either way is fine.

gsherman
sorry for hogging

james_h_meeker
Yes, the 5000 series has been optimizes for iscsi

james_h_meeker
it will auto detect a iscsi traffic and set the queue to prioritize the traffic

DELL-ScottH
You're not hogging, just letting others know we can handle multiple conversations

dpetrovski
Does Dell open Manage supports Snmp Mibs?

gsherman
interesting without having a sperate Iscsi Vlan

james_h_meeker
You can also monitor your targets from the Web Gui in the switch, this is unique with Dell's Powerconnect switches

DELL-ScottH
@dpetrovski, yes, you can import Mibs into Openmanage Ita

gsherman
just the 5000 Series or will these optimizations apply to the 6248?

james_h_meeker
Separate Vlans can be created, but not auto-created. That's driven by your application needs.

DELL-ScottH
@dpet, are you thinking about management of other vendors switches ?

DELL-Victor
Yes, Mibs are supported fully in Omnm (network Manager) , but less so in Ita

james_h_meeker
Today it's the current 5K Series only that has the auto iscsi optimization

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SteveAudette
However, it should be pointed out that you can configure the 62xx series for iscsi optimization-it's just not as easy.

gsherman
Interesting any documents on this would be great if its out there

dpetrovski
Is it possible to gather individual interface statistics with Dell open manage for ex. I would like to know how much traffic going over link and have a history.

SteveAudette
(I'm from Dell's Powerconnect support. Been distracted by other things to jump in earlier!)

gsherman
Thanks Steve

gsherman
So we are in the Md3000/1000 vs Md3000i/equallogic debacle

gsherman
3 Servers running Sql and Oracle fairly high I/o and latency is key as these are hosting platforms with subsecond responses desired

gsherman
hence the Iscsi questions just not sure I feel the speed is there

gsherman
scalability is superb

DELL-Victor
You can gather network stats in Omnm, much more than you can in Ita. Omnm allows you to capture and display (graphically) any counter in the Mib.

gsherman
Nas doesn’t allow various raid types hense why its a Nas vs a San we need to simulate some Raid 10 sets for Db Luns

DELL-ScottH
we have some Equallogic boxes on order, hopefully here soon, look for some things on the wiki to contribute to

gsherman
yeah seems like a killer product but in cost comparison to the Md series its a tough call

gsherman
for a small group of servers

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DELL-ScottH
Victor - what are the futures of Omnm, new versions in the works ?

gsherman
Steve any thoughts on the 3548 and when the external Pw supply is key. We are looking to power roughly 20-30 Ip Phones basic digital screens. Is it possible to track strain on the Pw supply from Poe

SteveAudette
Yes. From within the web interface and the Cli you can get a reading of how much power is being drawn.

DELL-Victor
3.0.2 should be available in July timeframe and will provide full support for the 35xx and 54xx. This version is free for the first 10 switches, then licenses will be available for scaling.

gsherman
havent taken it out of the box yet

SteveAudette
(this would be on the 35xxp models)

DELL-Victor
Yes, 35xxp as well

gsherman
great

gsherman
anything we should know on configuring this switch for a Voip setup in concordance with our 6248? We are segregating the Voice Vlan

james_h_meeker
Ensure you have measured your power requirements for your Rps unit.

SteveAudette
Sorry folks. Gotta run to another meeting. If you have questions, you can feel free to write me at steven_audette@dell.com

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gsherman
Thanks Steven

gsherman
So another useful item would be some basic management and monitoring tutorials for the high end Powerconnect lineup

DELL-Victor
A quick overview, Omnm can discover, monitor, and manage all Powerconnect managed switches (6xxx, 5xxx, and 3xxx models). Monitoring, you can see a picture of the front of each switch chassis and lights that are on. Create a network topology map, captures traps and display them in event manager, create graphs based on data from changing Mib values the user selects. Managing, you can deploy firmware, backup and restore switches (one at a time or as a group).

gsherman
Victor that sounds pretty good can we use Omnm as is now for the 6248 free?

gsherman
where can we locate this

DELL-Victor
yes you can use it for all of your 62xx switches for free

james_h_meeker
We have a demo / tutorial available on-line: http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/solutions/training.swf

DELL-Victor
www.dell.com/networkmanager will allow you to download it free.

DELL-ScottH
We're coming up on the hour, thanks to everyone for joining, anything that didn't get addressed, please start a thread on the Dell Techcenter Community ... James, Victor, Bruce thanks for guest hosting .... Todd what is next weeks topic ?

DELL-ToddM
Next week we will be disucssing Running Sql Server 2005 on Vmware

james_h_meeker
Elvis &
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DELL-ToddM
Or more generally virtualizing Sql Server 2005

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DELL-ToddM
I have a whitepaper in the works that should be out by this time next week that addresses the topic

gsherman
Anyone familiar with the Md3000? I did have one or two ???

DELL-ScottH
and if you have any suggestions for future topics, please let us know

gsherman
Yeah I think it would be useful to get sneak peaks into what is coming

gsherman
tips and tricks from the support group

DELL-ToddM
What is your question about Md3000?

DELL-ToddM
We mostly have Md3000i in our lab.....

gsherman
sure so how can I determine if I am creating several virtual Luns how much space will be consumed

gsherman
I want to projects various size Luns of Various Raid Types and have them all run on the Md3000 with Md1000 addons

gsherman
is there a tool available to do this

gsherman
capacity planning etc

gsherman
can you expand a Lun once created

DELL-ScottH
so is this the question of Mb, Gb, and 1024 vs 1000

gsherman
negative

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gsherman
If I have 45 146gb Drives

DELL-ToddM
Not sure if there is a tool specific to Md3000

DELL-ToddM
Generally you can calculate useable storage based on Raid type that you select

gsherman
I create a Raid 10 Across 15 Drives another Raid 10 Across the Same physical drives how can I determine space available

DELL-ToddM
Raw / 2

gsherman
Basically I need to Create 3 500gb Raid 10 Luns 5raid 1 Sets at 200gb each
DELL-ToddM I don't remember if the Gui will tell you this during the creation or not

gsherman
Interesting it is possible to use the same physical disks on the Md3000 for multiple raid groups correct or am I misrepresenting

DELL-ToddM
There is a wizard to create the Raid 1/0

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DELL-ToddM
Physical drive can only be in one Raid Group

DELL-ToddM
Multiple Virtual disks can be defined for single Raid Group - dividing up the available space among them

DELL-ScottH
so from your description, looks like you need 5TB of raw spindle space to get your 3x500 and 5x200

DELL-ToddM
Have you seen the Disk Storage Manager tool for the Md3000 and Md3000i ?

gsherman
no not yet

gsherman
I read through the manual

DELL-ToddM
So it may be a litte confusing have just read the manual

DELL-ToddM
I haven't read the manual, but I have used the tool

DELL-ToddM
::biggrin

gsherman
is there a demo on this and its the same for the 3000i vs 3000

DELL-ToddM
(I actually read some of the manual)

DELL-ScottH
just researching for that now

DELL-ToddM
The tool is almost exactly the same for Md3000 and Md3000i

gsherman
Basically Todd the goal is high spindle count for Sql and Oracle in a Iscsi or Das scenario 3 Servers various raid group requirements

DELL-ToddM
There is basically an extra tab for iscsi on the Md3000i tool

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DELL-ScottH
www.dell.com/md3000i

gsherman
So basically to present 2 - 500gb Raid 10 Volumes with a spindle count of say 14 to a Server I will need to tie up 36 drives?

DELL-ScottH
wrong link .. use this one -- http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/pvaul_md3000i

gsherman
I will watch these for sure

DELL-ScottH
bottom right of page "interactive training"

DELL-ScottH
no

DELL-ScottH
you create the raid groups (disk spindles), then carve Luns from that group

DELL-ToddM
You assign the physical disks to a Raid group, then carve out the 500 Gb slices

gsherman
Perfect Clear now

DELL-ScottH
so you can have multiple Luns per Array disk grouping

DELL-ScottH
yeah, terminology sometimes confuses

DELL-ToddM
I have used Md3000 for Exchange and Sql testing - assigning Log and data Luns much as you are wanting to do

gsherman
So realistically I want a 1TB Raid 10 and I want 2X 500gb Luns

DELL-ScottH
useable?

DELL-ToddM
1 Tb useable or 2 Tb raw

gsherman
useable

DELL-ToddM
these are the same thing

DELL-ToddM
with a Raid 1/0

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gsherman
yeah

DELL-ScottH
just buy a bunch and send what you don't use to me and Todd, we need it in the lab :-)

gsherman
I will watch the demos just wasn't sure on calculating disk size and spindle count

gsherman
yeah will send those pronto 15K only

DELL-ScottH
k, the interactive demo will help

DELL-ScottH
for sure :-)

DELL-ToddM
Let us know if you have any questions after you check out the demo

gsherman
should let me see what I can do if I sent you guys exact requirements could it be simulated in the lab

DELL-ScottH
sure, I could knock out a camtasia screen capture on my md3000i, I've got free disks on it right now

gsherman
great scott what you email I will provide a better idea

DELL-ScottH
yes send me an email scott_hanson@dell.com

gsherman
whats*

DELL-ScottH
that's an underscore in there

gsherman
thanks got it

DELL-ScottH
thanks for joining and keeping the conversation going, later

gsherman
yeah we are glad to have a venue for the back and forth questions

gsherman
anyways I will send you an email in a bit

DELL-ScottH
glad to be of help, spread the word about the Dell Techcenter, we are trying to grow

gsherman
ok

DELL-ToddM
Thanks gsherman

DELL-ToddM
Talk to everybody next week!