WindowsAdminGuru BLOG

This tip might help you guys to check the 'Native MPIO' setting on Windows 2008 Server from command line - To check the Native MPIO (Microsoft Multipath I/O) on Windows 2008 Server - If the Native MPIO is enabled, will show like below (DSM - Device Specific Model) If the Native MPIO is NOT enabled and installed some other vendor specific will show like below - (this server has Veritas Storage Foundation, hence showing like this)

powermt.exe command line commands list with options This command used to check / grab information about devices, ports, multipathing checking etc from command line interface. Here is the link to know more about 'powermt.exe' command. (Powerpath Software) http://www.scribd.com/doc/8223701/powerpath-cli-commands If you don't find this powermt.exe file in your machine, there is no Powerpath software installed.

This diagram shows three different ways in which the same 6 LUNs could be laid out on a RAID Group In example number 1, the two heavily utilized LUNs have been placed at the beginning and end of the LUNs in the RAID Group, meaning they were the first and last LUNs created on the RAID Group, with lightly utilized LUNs between them. Why this could be a disadvantage to the LUNs, RAID Group, Disks, is that Example 1 would see a much higher rate of Seek Distances at the Disk Level. With a higher Seek Distance rate, comes greater latency, and longer response times for the data. The head has to travel, on average a greater distance between the two busiest LUNs across the disks. Example 2 has the two heavily utilized LUNs adjacent to each other at the beginning of the RAID Group. While this is the best case scenario for the two busiest LUNs, it could also result in high Seek Distances at the Disk Level because the head would be traveling between the busiest LUNs and then seeking a great d...

The examples above are from an output of running the get Raid Group command from Navisphere Command Line Interface. Both RAID Groups are configured as Raid type 1_0. In an earlier blog we discussed the importance of configuring RAID 1_0 by separating the Data disks and Mirrored Disks across multiple buses and enclosures on the back of the Clariion. This diagram is to show how you could verify if a RAID 1_0 Group is configured correctly or incorrectly. The reason we are showing the output of the RAID Groups from the command line is this is the only place to truly see if the RAID Groups were configured properly. The GUI will show the disks as the Clariion sees them in the order of the Bus and Enclosure, not the order you have placed the disks in the RAID Group.

Physical Container-Front End Ports Speeds naviseccli –h 10.124.23.128 port –list -sfpstate naviseccli –h 10.124.23.128 –set sp a –portid 0 2 naviseccli –h 10.124.23.128 backendbus –get –speeds 0 SP Reboot and Shutdown GUI naviseccli –h 10.124.23.128 rebootsp naviseccli –h 10.124.23.128 resetandhold Disk Summary naviseccli –h 10.124.23.128 getdisk naviseccli –h 10.124.23.128 getdisk 0_0_9 (Bus_Enclosure_Disk - specific disk) Storage System Properties- Cache Tab naviseccli –h 10.124.23.128 getcache naviseccli –h 10.124.23.128 setcache –wc 0 –rca 0 –rcb 0 (to disable Write and Read Cache) naviseccli –h 10.124.23.128 setcache –p 4 –l 50 –h 70 (Set Page Size to 4 KB, Low WaterMark to 50%, and High WaterMark to 70%) naviseccli –h 10.124.23.128 setcache –wc 1 –rca 1 –rcb 1 (to enable Write and Read Cache) Storage System Properties- Memory Tab naviseccli –h 10.124.23.128 setcache –wsz 2500 –rsza 100 –rszb 100 naviseccli –h 10.124.23.128 setcache –wsz 3072 –rsza 3656 –rszb 3656...

From SAN Surfer and if you have HP SIM installed on your server, can also check from there. You can uses one of the following ways to view WWNs: HBAnyware utility ( Emulex HBA only) SANsurfer utility ( Qlogic HBA only) SAN switch’s name server output If none of the above mentioned tools are accessible you can try Fibre Channel Information Tool utility FCINFO.EXE available for download from Microsoft Download web site. It works on Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows 2000 systems and comes in a form of MSI package for x86, IA64 or x64 platforms. However, as stated in the Release Notes the Fibre Channel Information Tool does not have to be installed to work correctly. Three core files must be copied in a common folder if the Fibre Channel Information Tool is not installed using the MSI installer: FCINFO.EXE, HBAAPI.DLL, HBATAPI.DLL. Fibre Channel Information Tool utility is also included in the Microsoft Product Support Reporting Tool and other v...

Today I'm gonna publish a tip which relates to the Symmetrex storage devices which are connected to the Servers through fibre channel go to command line --> go to root c:\ type c:\inq -et (inq.exe should be available in your server / machine) EMC providing a little tool for Windows Servers called INQ.EXE. It will show you all the SAN storage that a server can currently see, no matter what vendor it is from. Great for mixed SAN environments. Example Screenshot:  

I originally posted a Top Ten acquisitions list in September, under the assumption that after the blockbuster HP-3PAR buyout we may have seen the last of the big storage acquisitions for the year. Wrong. The storage industry capped a crazy year of M&A fever with the EMC-Isilon and Dell-Compellent acquisitions. With those additions, I had to knock off from the list a few of the relatively minor acquisitions of the year, including SolarWinds’ acquisition of Tek-Tools and Exar’s buyout of Neterion. Here's my revised list of the Top 10 storage acquisitions of 2010, in ascending order: #10: PMC-SIERRA – ADAPTEC Throughout the 1990s, Adaptec was synonymous with SCSI, and had a lock on the SCSI controller/adapter market. The company reached its heyday when it racked up revenues of about $800 million in fiscal 2000. But Adaptec didn’t see the winds of change blowing. PMC-Sierra acquired Adaptec this summer for a mere $34 million. In addition to Adaptec’s technolo...

One key strategic decision that allowed for almost immediate failover to a DR site was replicating the boot volumes of tier 1 servers. I personally architected this with VMs, but the same can be done with a Windows server booting from the SAN. I have never personally done much booting from SAN with non-VMs. I tried this back in the Windows 2000 days, but there were issues with the page file. It makes it easier to manage as well because you don't have to build out a server on the target side, ensure that it is up to the same spec as the source, etc. When you power up the server in the DR site it not only has the replicated data LUNs, whether that be SQL, Exchange, flat files, etc., but you also have an exact copy of the underlying Operating System. I used RecoverPoint to do the replication. The last couple versions had the option to specifically replicate the boot volume and so it made it easy. One thing you really have to pay attention to is the necessity to quiesce or create p...

I ran into this error whilst trying to delete a snapshot created by SME. I found this page: http://www.oneandonemakesthree.com/?q=node/50 Which states: When you clone a LUN, you are left with snapshots that won't be deleted even after you delete the cloned LUN. These snapshots will start to consume huge amounts of space. If you try to delete the snapshot, it will say that the snapshot is busy and can't be deleted. You have to delete any snapshots that were taken while that LUN clone existed as the LUN clone exists in those snapshots. Issue the command: lun snap usage volume_name snapshot_name The will be the snapshot that is currently busy that you are trying to delete. The results of the command will be a list of snapshots that you have to delete before the busy snapshot can be deleted, and you can reclaim all that space.

Lets talk about SRDF feature in DMX for disaster recovery/remote replication/data migration . In today’s business environment it is imperative to have the necessary equipment and processes in place to meet stringent service-level requirements. Downtime is no longer an option. This means you may need to remotely replicate your business data to ensure availability. Remote data replication is the most challenging of all disaster recovery activities. Without the right solution it can be complex, error prone, labor intensive, and time consuming. SDRF/S addresses these problems by maintaining real-time data mirrors of specified Symmetrix logical volumes. The implementation is a remote mirror, Symmetrix to Symmetrix. ¨ The most flexible synchronous solution in the industry   ¨ Cost effective solution with native GigE connectivity   ¨ Proven reliability   ¨ Simultaneous operation with SRDF/A, SRDF/DM and/or SRDF/AR in the same system   ...

Single-initiator zoning rule :-- Each HBA port must be in a separate zone that contains it and the SP ports with which it communicates. EMC recommends single-initiator zoning as a best practice.   Fibre Channel fan-in rule:-- A server can be zoned to a maximum of 4 storage systems. Fibre Channel fan-out rule:- The Navisphere software license determines the number of servers you can connect to a CX3-10c, CX3-20c,CX3-20f, CX3-40c, CX3-40f, or CX3-80 storage systems. The maximum number of connections between servers and a storage system is defined by the number of initiators supported per storage-system SP. An initiator is an HBA port in a that can access a storage system. Note that some HBAs have multiple ports. Each HBA port that is zoned to an SP port is one path to that SP and the storage system containing that SP. Depending on the type of storage system and the connections between its SPs and the switches, an HBA port can be zoned through different switch ports t...

"x32 and x64 bit Latest Drivers Download Link for A8003A HBA Model - Emulex LPe11002" x32 bit http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareIndex.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodNameId=3954646&prodTypeId=12169&prodSeriesId=1809835&swLang=13&taskId=135&swEnvOID=1005 x64 bit http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareIndex.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodNameId=1143907&prodTypeId=12169&prodSeriesId=1809835&swLang=8&taskId=135&swEnvOID=1113