Pathlight® VX User’s Guide ADVANCED DIGITAL INFORMATION CORPORATION www.adic.
Copyright © 2005-2006 ADIC The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. This document contains proprietary information which is protected by copyright. All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, modified, distributed, or translated to another language without prior written consent of ADIC. ADIC USA 11431 Willows Road NE Redmond, Washington 98052-4952 Tel.
Contents 1 About This Guide and Pathlight VX 1 Product Safety Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Managing the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3 Getting Started with Pathlight VX 15 Logging On and Logging Off the Pathlight VX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Logging On the Pathlight VX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Logging Off the Pathlight VX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Starting Up and Shutting Down the Pathlight VX . . . . . . . . . .
Performing Advanced Tasks and Operations 81 Managing Media in the Pathlight VX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Setting Media Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Setting the Default Export Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Setting Default Media Access . . . . . .
7 Monitoring the Pathlight VX 131 Viewing Activity Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Checking System Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Understanding Service Tickets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viewing Service Tickets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
About This Guide and Pathlight VX This guide contains information and instructions necessary for the normal operation and management of the Pathlight VX. This guide is intended for anyone interested in learning about or anyone that needs to know how to operate, administer, and monitor the Pathlight VX. Note Be sure to read all operating instructions in this manual and in the System, Safety, and Regulatory Information Guide before operating this product.
Precautions To ensure system safeguards are met, observe the rules presented in this section. Managing the System • Read and follow all instructions in the order presented. • Follow all warnings that appear on the Pathlight VX and in the supporting documents. • Remove rings, watches, or other jewelry and neckties before you begin any procedures. • Use caution near any moving part and any part that may start unexpectedly such as fans, motors, solenoids, and so on.
Product Model Number The Pathlight VX models are as follows: Pathlight VX-450 and Pathlight VX-650. Explanation of Symbols and Notes The following symbols appear throughout this document to highlight important information. WARNING INDICATES A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS SITUATION WHICH, IF NOT AVOIDED, COULD RESULT IN DEATH OR BODILY INJURY. CAUTION Indicates a situation that may cause possible damage to equipment, loss of data, or interference with other equipment.
Getting More Information or Help iSuretyTM, ADIC's comprehensive service approach, leverages advanced data access and diagnostics technologies with cross-environment, multi-vendor expertise to resolve backup issues faster and at lower cost.
Description This chapter describes the Pathlight VX system and its individual components. Pathlight VX Overview The Pathlight VX backup and restore solution increases capacity and reduces the cost of disk backup by integrating disk and tape in a single, unified system. The Pathlight VX provides the off-site security, long term protection, and value of tape—all in a cost-effective, easy-to-manage solution.
Figure 1 shows a front view of the Pathlight VX, consisting of the Pathlight VX Controller (Management Server (MS), SNC, and in some configurations, an FC switch) and RAID storage disk. In Figure 1, the Pathlight VX bezel covers the components in the Pathlight VX Controller.
Pathlight VX Components The Pathlight VX contains the following components: • MS • SNC (either 1 or 2 FC blades)1 • FC switch (in High-Performance configurations) • RAID storage disk • Pathlight VX-450 uses 2 AX100SC enclosures as the RAID. • Pathlight VX-650 uses CX300 enclosures as the RAID. Each Pathlight VX contains one MS and one SNC. Together, these components constitute the Pathlight VX Controller. In High-Performance configurations, the Pathlight VX Controller also includes an FC switch.
SNC The SNC houses the FC blades1 and serves as a connectivity point for FC hosts. ADIC’s FC blade technology enables the blades to instantiate virtual tape drives and changers with which FC hosts can interact. These virtual devices are created using emulation software which allows them to respond to SCSI host commands exactly as a tape drive of an ADIC library changer.
RAID Storage Disk The Pathlight VX uses high-speed, low-cost AX100SC (SATA) or CX300 (ATA) RAID as its storage disk. The storage disk is presented as a RAID. When data is processed in the Pathlight VX, it is sent from the backup application to the SNC, assigned to a virtual library and virtual tape, and then written to the RAID storage disk. • AX100SC - The Pathlight VX-450 uses 2 AX100SC enclosures as the RAID component. Figure 5 shows the front of an AX100SC disk enclosure and identifies its LEDs.
Figure 7 SPS - front view M4 x 8mm drill mount M4 x 8mm drill mount Phillips screw Figure 8 Phillips screw SPS - back view Active On battery Replace battery Fault Figure 9 DAE - front view Enclosure fault LED Enclosure power LED Disk activity LED Disk fault LED 10 Description
Pathlight VX and Attached Physical Libraries The Pathlight VX may be attached to up to four physical (tape) libraries, which provides the advantage of long-term data storage. Although a physical library can be attached to the Pathlight VX, it is not a system component and is considered an external device. When a Pathlight VX user ‘exports’ virtual media from the system, data is moved to tape in the physical library.
Table 1 Physical Libraries Supported by the Pathlight VX (continued) Dell PV 132T a LTO-1 LTO-2 • Verify the library settings (Volser, ASC, Mixed Media, etc.). Dell PV 136T LTO-2 LTO-3 • Verify the library settings (Volser, ASC, Mixed Media, etc.). Dell PV 160T LTO-1 LTO-2 LTO-3 • Verify the library settings (Volser, ASC, Mixed Media, etc.). IBM 3582 a LTO-1 LTO-2 • Verify the library settings (Volser, ASC, Mixed Media, etc.).
Table 1 Physical Libraries Supported by the Pathlight VX (continued) STK L180 a LTO-1 LTO-2 • Verify the library settings (Volser, ASC, Mixed Media, etc.). STK L700 a LTO-1 LTO-2 • Verify the library settings (Volser, ASC, Mixed Media, etc.). a This library supports LTO-3 drives. However, LTO-3 drives are not supported if the library is used with the Pathlight VX.
Figure 11 Aggregation Decision Path: Pathlight VX-650 (Standard Configuration) Does the physical library have 2 FC ports, each of which communicates identical and complete information to Port 6 on each FC blade? yes Aggregation device not required no Aggregation device required Finish Figure 12 Aggregation Decision Path: Pathlight VX-650 (High-Performance Configurations) Can all data between the Pathlight VX and physical library be communicated on 3 or fewer FC ports? yes Aggregation device not r
Getting Started with Pathlight VX The procedures in this chapter describe basic Pathlight VX operations, including logging on and logging off the Pathlight VX User Interface, and starting up, shutting down and rebooting the system. This chapter also introduces navigation in the User Interface and describes how to change basic system settings.
2 Open a Web browser, either Internet Explorer or Netscape. Note The Pathlight VX User Interface supports these Internet browsers: • Internet Explorer 5.5 and later versions • Netscape 7.x For best results when using an Internet browser to access the Pathlight VX User Interface, verify these settings: • JavaScript (active scripting) is enabled in the Security settings of the browser. • Pop-up blocker is disabled. • Page caching is disabled.
Starting Up and Shutting Down the Pathlight VX Use the procedures in this section to start up and shut down the Pathlight VX (system software and hardware components). Starting Up the Pathlight VX • If the Pathlight VX rack has power distribution units (PDUs) or an equivalent mechanism, you can switch on all components at the same time. If the Pathlight VX was pre-racked when it was installed, then its rack contains PDUs.
9 Turn on each DPE. • If the back panel contains power buttons, place them in the on position. • If the back panel does not contain power buttons, plug each power supply/cooling module's power cord in an AC power source. 10 Turn on the MS by pressing the power button on the front panel. The MS turns on. The boot process takes approximately 25 minutes to complete; more time if the Pathlight VX is a High-Performance Configuration.
Shutting Down the Pathlight VX Shutting down the Pathlight VX consists of two tasks: • Shutting Down the System Software and the MS • Shutting Down the Hardware on page 21 CAUTION Rebooting the Pathlight VX causes access to virtual libraries to be interrupted. Note To shut down the Pathlight VX, you must be a user with Administrator privileges. Note Note the following before shutting down the Pathlight VX: • The SNC does not have power buttons. Each SNC uses either 1 or 2 power cords.
The Shutdown/Reboot screen appears. Shutdown 3 From the Shutdown/Reboot screen, select Shutdown and click Apply. The Progress Window appears and displays the status of the selected process. CAUTION • Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel the Shutdown process. If you close the window by clicking the X in the upper-right corner, you will not see a confirmation of the success or failure of the Shutdown process.
4 If the MS does not shut down in about 5 minutes, press the power button on the MS to power it off. power button CAUTION power LED The host ports on each FC blade are turned off while the Pathlight VX software shuts down. While the host ports are off, the FC blade's SFP lasers do not send a signal and the host port link LEDs are off. The FC blade's host ports and host port link LEDs do not turn back on until the Pathlight VX start up process completes with no errors.
5 Turn off the SPS by placing the power button on the back panel in the off position. When you turn off the SPS, the Activity LED goes dark and the On Battery LED comes on (amber). These LEDs are visible on the back panel of the SPS. Note The SPS LEDs stay lit for up to 90 seconds while the cache is flushed to disk. CAUTION Do not unplug the cable connecting the SPS to the DPE. Unplugging this cable can cause system errors.
As viewed from the rear of the rack, the SPS is installed on the right. In this case, you would turn off the DPE on the left. Turn off the left controller on the DPE. Note CAUTION Do not unplug the cable connecting the SPS to the DPE. Unplugging this cable can cause system errors. left power receptacle left power button right power button (do not turn off) right power receptacle (do not unplug) 7 Turn off each DAE.
8 If the Pathlight VX includes an FC switch, turn off the FC switch by placing the power buttons on the front panel in the off position. power button The shutdown sequence is complete for a Pathlight VX-650. WARNING SHUTTING DOWN THE PATHLIGHT VX DOES NOT POWER OFF THE RACK’S POWER SOURCE. IF MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES EXPOSE YOU TO THIS VOLTAGE, SHUT OFF THE RACK’S MAIN BREAKER AND ATTACH A SIGN WARNING OTHERS NOT TO TURN ON THE BREAKER WHILE MAINTENANCE IS IN PROGRESS.
Rebooting the Pathlight VX Rebooting the Pathlight VX power cycles the MS and SNC and then restarts the system. Rebooting the Pathlight VX enables changes to the system hardware and software to take effect. CAUTION Rebooting the Pathlight VX causes access to virtual libraries to be interrupted. Note To reboot the Pathlight VX, you must be a user with Administrator privileges. Use this procedure to reboot the Pathlight VX. 1 Log on as a user with Administrator privileges.
3 Select Reboot and click Apply. A dialog box prompts you to confirm the system reboot. 4 Click OK. The Progress Window appears and displays the status of the selected process. Note • Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking the X in the upperright of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is not shown. If Success displays in the Progress Window: The Pathlight VX successfully started the reboot process.
Navigating the Pathlight VX User Interface This is the Home page of the Pathlight VX User Interface. The Virtual Library Summary and the System Summary areas are identified. In the navigation bar, the Policies drop-down menu only appears if the Storage Policies (Disk Extension) Advanced Feature has been licensed. Virtual Library Summary System Summary Virtual Library Summary Virtual Library Summary information is available at the top of the Home page.
The Virtual Library Summary provides this information: • Libraries - Shows available virtual libraries in the Pathlight VX. To view a virtual library report, click Libraries. For more information, refer to Viewing the Virtual Library Summary Report on page 116. • Drives - For each virtual library, shows the total number of library drives, including active drives. To view a report, click Drives. Refer to Viewing the Virtual Drive Summary Report on page 119.
Menu Bar The menu bar, used to navigate through the Pathlight VX User Interface, is located at the top of every page. Table 2 describes the system status buttons. Table 2 Menu Bar System Status Buttons Button Description Home The Home link returns you to the Home page on the Pathlight VX User Interface. Help The Help link launches the Online Help on the Pathlight VX User Interface. Logout The Logout link logs you off Pathlight VX.
Modifying Basic Settings on the Pathlight VX This section includes procedures to modify basic settings on the Pathlight VX.
Applying the Pathlight VX License The Pathlight VX license key is entered when the Pathlight VX is installed and initially configured. If Advanced Features are later purchased, then a new license key must be applied so that the Advanced Features can be enabled. 1 From the menu bar, select Setup→License. The Setup - License screen appears. 2 In the Enter New License key field, enter the license key and click Apply. The license key is applied to the Pathlight VX.
4 Click Apply. The Progress Window appears, which contains information on the status of setting the internal backup schedule. Note Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking on the X in the upper-right of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown. • If Success appears in the Progress Window: The updated network settings were successfully applied to the Pathlight VX.
• Setting the Time - The time can be set manually or synchronized with NTP. • To manually set the time: a. In the Enter Time field, enter the local time and specify AM or PM. b. Go to Step 4. • To synchronize the time with NTP: a. In the NTP field, select Enable. b. In the Enter IP Address 1 field, enter the IP address of the NTP server with which to synchronize the Pathlight VX. Click Test to verify that the Pathlight VX can access the specified server. c.
Managing Support and System Notifications Pathlight VX offers several support and system notifications that alert recipients of system changes or problems that may require attention. The support notification alerts the ADIC Technical Assistance Center (ATAC) of Pathlight VX problems. System notifications provide email alerts to designated individuals. Note Before setting up a support or system notification, configure the e-mail settings for the Pathlight VX.
3 Enter valid values in the fields on the Setup - E-mail Configuration screen and click Apply. The Progress Window appears and displays the status of the selected process. Note 4 Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking on the X in the upper-right of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown.
4 Click Modify. The Modify System Email Notification screen appears. 5 In the New Settings column, select Enabled and click Apply. The Progress Window appears, which contains information on the status of the support notification. Note 6 Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking on the X in the upper-right of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown.
Disabling the Support Notification When disabled, the Pathlight VX Support Notification feature will not send an e-mail to ATAC about system conditions that require repair and impending system failures. The support notification can be enabled or disabled, but ATAC’s notification address (support@adic.com) cannot be deleted from the System Email Notifications screen. 1 From the menu bar, select Setup→Notification. The Setup - Notification screen appears. 2 Select the e-mail address to be modified.
Creating a System Notification The Pathlight VX System Notification feature sends e-mail to the designated recipient with information about system conditions that require repair and impending system failures. 1 From the menu bar, select Setup→Notification. The Setup - System E-mail Notifications screen appears. 2 Click Create to create an e-mail notification. The Create System E-mail Notification screen appears.
5 Click Apply. The Progress Window appears, which contains information on the status of the system notification. Note Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking the X in the upperright of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown. • If Success appears in the Progress Window: The system notification was created. • If Failure appears in the Progress Window: The system notification was NOT created.
Modifying a System Notification The System Notification feature sends an e-mail to a designated recipient with information about system conditions that require repair and impending system failures. Use this procedure to modify a system notification and change the email address of a notification recipient. 1 From the menu bar, select Setup→Notification. The Setup - Notification screen appears. 2 Select the e-mail address to be modified. 3 Click Modify.
Deleting a System Notification The System Notification feature sends a message through e-mail to a designated recipient with information about system conditions that require repair and impending system failures. Use this procedure to delete a system notification by removing the email address of a notification recipient. 1 From the menu bar, select Setup→Notification. The Setup - System Email Notifications screen appears. 2 Select the e-mail address to be deleted. 3 Click Delete.
42 Getting Started with Pathlight VX
Performing Basic Tasks and Operations Use this procedures in this chapter to perform basic tasks and operations in the Pathlight VX. This chapter also contains procedures for managing support and system notifications, FC Hosts, user accounts and virtual libraries, drives, and media.
Required Action Procedure Unknown media in the system, indicate media pool is the requested action: This action appears when media is introduced into the Pathlight VX. You can either import the media into a selected media pool or cancel the import operation. To import media, refer to the steps below. To cancel the media import, refer to the steps on page 46. • To import the media into the Pathlight VX: 1 Click the link to view the media type. The Define Unknown Media screen appears.
Required Action Procedure Unknown media in the system, indicate media pool is the requested action: e. In the Select Export Rule drop-down list, select a media export rule. This parameter specifies a destination for the media when it is exported from the Pathlight VX. Available options are: • Export to I/E Station — This rule exports physical media from the Pathlight VX through a physical library’s I/E station.
Required Action Procedure Unknown media in the system, indicate media pool is the requested action: • To cancel the media import into the Pathlight VX: 1 Select media for which to cancel the import operation, check the Cancel Import box, and click Finish. You are prompted that the import operation will be cancelled and the selected media will be sent to the I/E Station. 2 Click OK. The Progress Window appears, which contains information on the status of the cancelled import operation.
Required Action Procedure Archived media returned, indicate resolution is the requested action: This action appears when previously archived physical media is re-inserted into a physical library attached to the Pathlight VX. 1 Click the link to view the message. 2 Select the media to resolve. 3 Select a method to re-introduce the archived media to the Pathlight VX. • Retain Virtual — Data on the physical media is deleted. The data on the virtual copy is retained.
Required Action Procedure An export has been requested for an archived media, indicate resolution is the requested action: This action appears when an export command has been issued for archived media. 1 Click the link to view the message. 2 Select the media to resolve.
Changing Library Modes (Online and Offline) In the Pathlight VX, you can change the operating modes of virtual and physical libraries. There are two library modes, online and offline. • Online - The library is in the normal operating state. In online mode, the library processes Pathlight VX commands. • Offline - The library is in an offline state. In offline mode, the library does not process Pathlight VX commands.
Changing Physical Library Modes You must take a physical library offline in these situations: • Before removing and replacing a drive in the library. • Before performing maintenance on the library. Use this procedure to change the library mode for a physical library. 1 From the menu bar, select Operations→Library Management→Physical→Library Mode. The Operations - Physical Library Mode screen appears and lists the physical libraries attached to the Pathlight VX.
3 Enter the new name of the physical library and click Apply. The Progress Window appears, which contains information on the status of the operation to rename the selected physical library. Note 4 Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking the X in the upperright of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is not shown.
Working with Virtual Libraries, Drives, and Media The Pathlight VX presents a virtual library, drives, and media to the Pathlight VX backup host and application. The virtual media presents the RAID disk capacity. The procedures in this section describe how to create, modify, and delete these virtual elements.
Working with Virtual Libraries Pathlight VX supports up to 32 virtual libraries in the Pathlight VX. The maximum number of virtual libraries that can be created is specified by your Pathlight VX license.Supported library types are: Pathlight VX, Scalar 100, Scalar 1000, Scalar 10K, Scalar i2000, and Scalar i500. Creating a Virtual Library To identify the number of virtual libraries for which the Pathlight VX is licensed, refer to Applying the Pathlight VX License on page 31.
4 • Select Type – The library type. Supported virtual libraries are: Pathlight VX, Scalar 100, Scalar 1000, Scalar 10K, Scalar i2000, and Scalar i500. Select the library type from the drop-down list. • Enter Name – The library name. • Enter Number of Slots – The number of library slots to create. • Select Type – The drive type. Supported drive types are: LTO-1, LTO-2, and LTO-3. Select the drive type from the drop-down list. • Enter Number of Drives – The number of drives to create.
5 Click Close to close the Progress Window. The Setup - Virtual Library screen appears, which includes the name and type of the newly-created virtual library. You are prompted to map the newly-created library to an FC Host. 6 Click OK. The Setup - Host Access screen appears. 7 Map the new library to an FC Host. For detailed steps, refer to Configuring an FC Host on page 70. 8 Do one of the following: • Create virtual media for the virtual library. Refer to Creating Virtual Media on page 61.
Modifying a Virtual Library Once a virtual library is created, you can modify these parameters: library name, library type, FC blade, slot count, and specify whether the library uses extended barcodes. If you need to change other library parameters, you must delete the library and create a new one with different parameters. For more information, refer to Deleting a Virtual Library on page 57 and Creating a Virtual Library on page 53. Use this procedure to modify a virtual library in the Pathlight VX.
Deleting a Virtual Library To delete a virtual library, you must first export all media from the library and then delete the library's drives. For more information, refer to Exporting Virtual Media on page 63 and Deleting a Virtual Drive on page 60. Use this procedure to delete a virtual library in the Pathlight VX. 1 Log on as a user with Administrator privileges. 2 From the menu bar, select Setup→Virtual Library. The Setup - Virtual Library screen appears.
Working with Virtual Drives In the Pathlight VX, virtual drives are located in virtual libraries. The total number of virtual drives that can be created across all virtual libraries is determined by your Pathlight VX license. To identify the number of virtual drives for which the Pathlight VX is licensed, refer to Applying the Pathlight VX License on page 31. Creating a Virtual Drive You can create up to 20 virtual drives per FC blade.
5 Click Close to close the Progress Window. After the Progress Window closes, the Setup - Virtual Drive(s) screen appears and you are prompted to map the newly-created drive to an FC Host. 6 Click OK. The Setup - Host Access screen appears. 7 Map the new virtual drive to an FC Host. For detailed steps, refer to Configuring an FC Host on page 70.
7 Click OK. The Setup - Host Access screen appears. 8 Map the modified virtual drive to a LUN. For detailed steps, refer to Configuring an FC Host on page 70. Related topics: Creating a Virtual Drive on page 58 Deleting a Virtual Drive Deleting a Virtual Drive A virtual drive can only be deleted if it is empty and does not contain any virtual media. 1 Log on as a user with Administrator privileges. 2 From the menu bar, select Setup→Virtual Drive. The Setup - Virtual Drive(s) screen appears.
Working with Virtual Media The total number of virtual media that can be created across all virtual libraries is determined by your Pathlight VX license and the system’s disk capacity. To identify the number of virtual media for which the Pathlight VX is licensed, refer to Applying the Pathlight VX License on page 31. Creating Virtual Media Virtual media must be created for each virtual library.
3 Define the parameters and click Apply. Note If adding the new media exceeds the amount of space available on the RAID, the error log reports ‘error creating media’. To make additional space available for the new virtual media, you must export media to the physical library or delete existing virtual media from the Pathlight VX, and then repeat this procedure. The Progress Window appears, which contains information on the status of the virtual media being created.
Exporting Virtual Media If data is stored on virtual media and the media is exported from the Pathlight VX, then the system writes the data to physical media (tape). The export operation should only be used if the Pathlight VX's backup application is not active to perform this function. CAUTION If you export virtual media with data written to it and there is no corresponding physical media to write the data to, then the process remains pending until media is added and the operation completes.
3 Select media to export. Do one of the following: • Select one or more virtual media to export by checking the box next to the media’s barcode. - OR • Narrow the media list: a. In the text box to the right of Apply Filter, enter barcodes, barcode ranges, wildcards(*) or any combination of these separated by commas. EXAMPLE: 00AB01, 00AB20-00AB50, AB*, *AB Note These filter values are case-sensitive. b. Click Apply Filter. 4 Click Apply.
Recycling Virtual Media Recycling virtual media resets to the beginning of the selected media, enabling it to be re-used in the Pathlight VX. Because of the reset, any data on the media will be lost when new data is written to the media. An export operation performed on blank media results in a de-allocation of the space used by the media. CAUTION Note The Recycle Media function resets to the beginning of the selected media; it does not purge data on the media.
3 Do one of the following: • Select the virtual media you want to recycle by checking the box next to the media’s barcode. - OR • Narrow the media list: a. In the Apply Filter field, enter barcodes, barcode ranges, wildcards(*) or any combination of these separated by commas. EXAMPLE: 00AB01, 00AB20-00AB50, AB*, *AB Note These filter values are case-sensitive. b. Click Apply Filter. 4 Click Apply. A dialog box appears and prompts if you want to recycle the media. 5 Click OK to recycle the media.
Deleting Virtual Media To delete virtual media, you must first export it from the Pathlight VX. For more information on this operation, refer to Exporting Virtual Media on page 63. 1 Log on as a user with Administrator privileges. 2 From the menu bar, select Operations→Media Management→Virtual→Delete. The Operations - Delete Virtual Media screen appears. This screen lists all existing virtual media that have been exported from Pathlight VX and are available for deletion.
5 Click OK to delete the media. The Progress Window appears, which contains information on the status of the virtual media being deleted. Note 6 Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking the X in the upper-right of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown. • If Success appears in the Progress Window: The virtual media was successfully deleted.
Setting Virtual Media Attributes Use this procedure to set (toggle) the Write Protect attribute on virtual media. When Write Protect is on (set to True), data cannot be written to the selected virtual media. When Write Protect is off (set to False), data can be written to the selected virtual media. Note 1 Scratch media cannot be write-protected in the Pathlight VX so they are not listed on the Operations - Virtual Media Attributes screen.
Managing FC Hosts Backup operations on the Pathlight VX are run on a backup application that is accessible through one or more FC Hosts. An FC Host only sees devices that have been mapped to a specific LUN. Use the procedures in this section to configure, modify, and remove FC Hosts associated with the Pathlight VX. Configuring an FC Host Use this procedure to configure an FC Host by specifying LUN mapping on the device. 1 From the menu bar, select Setup→Host Access.
4 Select an FC Host to configure and click Configure. The Configure Host - Host Name screen appears, where Host Name is the name of the FC Host. Note 5 If you want to view more information about a particular device, click the device name in the Device column. Do one of the following: • Change LUN mapping for a device; select a LUN from the drop-down list in the LUN column. • Map a LUN for each device: a. Click Map All at the lower-right of the page.
• Clear all mapped LUNs: a. Click UnMap All at the lower-right of the page. A confirmation message indicates that current LUN mappings are cleared. b. Click OK. 6 Note One device must be mapped to LUN 0 (zero). By default, Pathlight VX automatically maps the Pathlight VX Controller to 0 (zero). Note The FC Host can only detect the virtual libraries and virtual drives mapped to a specific LUN. If you select None for a specific device, the FC Host does not detect the device.
Modifying an FC Host Use this procedure to modify the name, type or WWN of an FC Host. If the default name Unknown appears as the name of an FC Host, use this procedure to modify the FC Host. Note 1 From the menu bar, select Setup→Host Access. The Setup - Host Access screen appears. 2 Select one or more virtual libraries. • To select one or more virtual libraries, check the box next to each library's name and click Next. • To select all of the virtual libraries, check the Name box and click Next.
5 Modify the name, type and/or the WWN of an FC Host. 6 Click Apply. The Progress Window appears, which contains information on the status of the modified FC Host. Note 7 Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking on the X in the upper-right of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown. • If Success appears in the Progress Window: The FC Host was successfully modified.
This screen lists the FC Hosts that are associated with the FC blades (SNC) in the Pathlight VX. 3 Select an FC Host and click Remove. A dialog box prompts you to confirm the removal of the selected FC Host. 4 Click OK. The Progress Window appears, which contains information on the status of the FC Host selected for removal. Note Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action.
Managing User Accounts The procedures in the section describe how to create, modify, and delete Pathlight VX user accounts. Creating User Accounts A Pathlight VX user account can be set up when the system is initially configured or at a later time. Users who do not have Pathlight VX Administrator privileges can only access a restricted number of Pathlight VX screens and are limited to performing administrative tasks on designated virtual libraries.
6 Click Finish. The Progress Window appears, which contains information on the status of the user account being created. Note 7 Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking on the X in the upper-right of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown. • If Success appears in the Progress Window: The new user account was successfully created.
5 Modify the user account as necessary. • Enter Password - The new user password. Note The password must be at least 6 characters (alphanumeric and/or any characters). Spaces are not allowed. • Confirm Password - The new user password is re-entered (confirmed). • Select Privilege - The user privilege. Select Administrator or User. 6 Specify the user account settings and click Next. 7 Modify the user’s library access, as necessary.
Deleting User Accounts Use this procedure to delete Pathlight VX user accounts. Note Only the Pathlight VX Administrator can delete a user account. CAUTION Note As a security best practice, ADIC recommends that you periodically change the default admin password for the Pathlight VX. For more information, refer to Changing the Admin Password on page 30. The Pathlight VX Administrator account cannot be deleted. 1 Log on as a user with Administrator privileges.
80 Performing Basic Tasks and Operations
Performing Advanced Tasks and Operations Use this procedures in this chapter to perform advanced tasks and operations in the Pathlight VX. This chapter contains procedures for managing different types of media and Advanced Features such as Archive, Early Tape Creation, and Storage Policies (Disk Extension).
1 Log on as a user with Administrator privileges. 2 From the menu bar, select Setup→Media Filters. The Setup - Media Filters screen appears. 3 • The internal backup media filter indicates physical (tape) media that are used for the Pathlight VX backup. • The '?' special character matches any individual character. • The '*' special character matches any number of characters. Enter a filter expression in the Enter Internal Backup Media Filter text box.
Setting the Default Export Rule The default export rule specifies the destination for virtual media when it is exported from the Pathlight VX. Use this procedure to set up the default export rule to apply to virtual media upon export. The default export rule only applies to new media introduced into the Pathlight VX, it does not affect media already in the system.
Setting Default Media Access Default media access defines how physical media exported from the Pathlight VX will be handled when it is imported back into the Pathlight VX. Available media access states are Scratch, Direct Access, Virtual, and Unknown. Depending on the access state selected, data on the media can be discarded, read back into the system directly from the media, or written to virtual media. Use this procedure to define media access for media has not yet been exported from the Pathlight VX.
4 Click Apply. The Progress Window appears, which contains information on the default media access state being changed. Note Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking the X in the upper-right of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown. • If Success appears in the Progress Window: The default media access state was successfully set.
Setting Media Access Rules Media access rules define how physical media exported from the Pathlight VX will be handled when it is imported back into the Pathlight VX. Available media access rules are Scratch, Direct Access, and Virtual. Depending on the access rule selected, data on the media can be discarded, read back into the system directly from the media, or written to virtual media. Use this procedure to define media access for media that has already been exported from the Pathlight VX.
• Narrow the media list: a. In the Apply Filter field, enter barcodes, barcode ranges, wildcards(*) or any combination of these separated by commas. EXAMPLE: 00AB01, 00AB20-00AB50, AB*, *AB Note These filter values are case-sensitive. b. Click Apply Filter. 4 In the Select New Access Rule drop-down list, select an access rule to apply when the media is imported into the Pathlight VX. Available media access rules are: • Scratch – Data on the media is not preserved and can be overwritten by new data.
Moving Media Within a Virtual Library Use this procedure to move virtual media to an empty drive or storage slot in a virtual library. The virtual library containing the media must be taken offline before the move operation can be initiated. 1 Log on as a user with Administrator privileges. 2 From the menu bar, select Tools→Media→Move Media. The Tools - Move Media screen appears and displays all virtual libraries in the Pathlight VX. 3 Select the virtual library containing the media to be moved.
6 Click Apply. You are prompted that after the move operation is complete, use the Pathlight VX backup application to audit the library. The audit determines the current location of virtual media in the library. 7 Click OK. The Progress Window appears. Note 8 Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking on the X in the upper-right of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown.
Reassigning Physical Media to the Unknown Media Pool Use this procedure to change (reassign) selected physical media back to the ‘Unknown’ media pool if it was unintentionally assigned to a different media pool, such as Application, Internal Backup, Disk Extension, or Cleaning. After changing to the Unknown media pool, navigate to the Define Unknown Media screen and move selected media into the correct media pool.
Managing Offline Media After virtual media is taken offline and exported to a storage slot in the physical library as offline media, it can be either exported to the I/E station for removal from the physical library or imported to a virtual library in the Pathlight VX. From the menu bar, select Operations→Media Management→Physical→ Application. The Operations - Manage Application Media screen appears. 6 Select an offline media operation.
7 Click Apply. The Progress Window appears. Note • • Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking on the X in the upper-right of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown. If Success appears in the Progress Window: • For the Export option, the offline media was successfully exported to the I/E station. • For the Import option, the offline media was successfully imported to the virtual library.
Removing Media from the Pathlight VX Use the procedures in this section to remove different types of media from the Pathlight VX by sending it to the I/E station of an attached physical library. You can remove Application, Cleaning, Disk Extension, Internal Backup, and Service media. Removing Application Media Use this procedure to remove application media from the Pathlight VX by sending it to the I/E station of an attached physical library.
Removing Cleaning Media Use this procedure to remove cleaning media from the Pathlight VX by sending it to the I/E station of an attached physical library. 1 From the menu bar, select Operations→Media Management→Physical→Cleaning. The Cleaning Media - Remove screen appears and lists the cleaning media in the Pathlight VX. For each media, the following information is provided: the media's barcode, media type, and library where the media is located. 2 3 Select one or more cleaning media to remove.
Removing Disk Extension Media Use this procedure to remove Disk Extension media from the Pathlight VX by sending it to the I/E station of an attached physical library. Note 1 Disk Extension (storage policies) is a licensable feature. This operation can only be performed if storage policies is licensed on the Pathlight VX, and Disk Extension media have been introduced into the system. From the menu bar, select Operations→Media Management→Physical→Disk Extension.
Removing Internal Backup Media Use this procedure to remove internal backup media from the Pathlight VX by sending it to the I/E station of an attached physical library. Note 1 If you remove all internal backup media from the Pathlight VX, then you cannot save system backups to tape. From the menu bar, select Operations→Media Management→Physical→Internal Backup. The Operations - Manage Internal Backup Media screen appears and lists the internal backup media in the Pathlight VX.
Removing Service Media Use this procedure to remove service media from the Pathlight VX by sending it to the I/E station of an attached physical library. 1 From the menu bar, select Operations→Media Management→Physical→Service. The Service Media - Remove screen appears and lists the service media in the Pathlight VX. For each media, the following information is provided: the media's barcode, media type, and library where the media is located. 2 3 Select one or more service media to remove.
Managing Disk Extension Media Use the procedures in this section to manage Disk Extension media. Reclaiming Space on Disk Extension Media Over time, the media used for storage policies (known as Disk Extension media) develops wasted space as it is used in the Pathlight VX. Wasted space is a normal by-product of using Disk Extension media in the system. This space will be automatically reclaimed when virtual media are recycled and as backups expire.
5 Click OK. The Progress Window appears, which indicates that the request to reclaim wasted space on the selected Disk Extension media has been processed. Note 6 Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking the X in the upper-right of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown.
Note These filter values are case-sensitive. b. Click Apply Filter. 4 Click Apply. The Progress Window appears. Note 5 Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking on the X in the upper-right of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown. • If Success appears in the Progress Window: The selected Disk Extension media was successfully changed to a usable state (Unsuspect and Available).
Managing Internal Backup Media Use the procedures in this section to manage Internal Backup media. Managing Internal Backup Media If internal backup media have been marked as Unavailable, the system administrator can use this screen to make the media available again or remove the media from the Pathlight VX. 1 Log on as a user with Administrator privileges. 2 From the menu bar, select Operations→Media Management→Physical→Internal Backup. The Operations - Manage Internal Backup Media screen appears.
• If Failure is shown in the Progress Window: • For the Make Available option, the selected internal backup media was not made available for use in the Pathlight VX. • For the Remove option, the selected internal backup media was not removed from the Pathlight VX and sent to the I/E station of a physical library attached to the system. To view the troubleshooting procedures, click View Recommended Actions.
Working with Advanced Features Use the procedures in this section to enable and disabled Pathlight VX Advanced Features, such as Archive, Early Tape Creation, and, if licensed, Storage Policies (Disk Extension). Enabling Advanced Features Pathlight VX offers Advanced Features such as Archive, Early Tape Creation, and, if licensed, Storage Policies. By default, Advanced Features are disabled. Use the Enabling Advanced Features screen to activate these features.
4 Configure the Advanced Feature. Both Early Tape Creation and Storage Policies require additional configuration after they are enabled to be fully functional in the Pathlight VX. • If Early Tape Creation is selected: a. Specify the following parameters: • Enter Maximum Concurrent Processes - The maximum number of Early Tape Creation media operations (concurrent processes) that can be active at one time.
• If Storage Policies is selected: a. Decide whether you want to create an application window to suspend storage policies on the Pathlight VX. • If you want to create an application window, specify values in the Enter Start Time, Enter End Time, and Select Days parameters and click Next. • If you do not want to create an application window, check the No Application Window box and click Next.
d. Click Apply. The Progress Window appears. Note Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking on the X in the upper-right of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown. • If Success appears in the Progress Window: Storage Policies were successfully enabled. • If Failure appears in the Progress Window: Storage Policies were NOT enabled. To view the troubleshooting procedures, click View Recommended Actions.
3 Click OK. The Progress Window appears. Note 4 Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking on the X in the upper-right of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown. • If Success appears in the Progress Window: Archive was successfully disabled. • If Failure appears in the Progress Window: Archive was NOT disabled. To view the troubleshooting procedures, click View Recommended Actions.
Managing Storage Policies Storage policies is a licensed Advanced Feature of Pathlight VX that defines how to store media. Storage policies are user-defined management functions that automatically create one or more copies of data on tape and then release the data on disk as it ages. If you are licensed to use storage polices, you can manage them from the Setup Policies screen.
• Defining Policy Parameters: Policy parameters based on user requirements for specific data sets. • # of Copies - This parameter is configured based on concerns about physical media. While tape has a low risk of media errors, a user may want to make multiple copies of virtual media to protect against physical media failures. If multiple copies are created, they will always be created on separate physical media so the loss of a single tape does not result in total data loss.
1 Log on as a user with Administrator privileges. 2 From the menu bar, select Policies→Setup Policies. The Setup - Storage Policy screen appears. 3 Create or modify a storage policy. • If you want to create a storage policy: a. Click Create. b. In the Enter Name text box, enter a name for the new policy. c. In the Protection text boxes, enter protection information. d. In the Enter Virtual Media on Disk text box, enter capacity management information. e. Click Apply.
Configuring Early Tape Creation Early Tape Creation is a way to generate a physical copy of virtual data prior to an export (realize) operation being requested. Using the ETC feature enables export operations to complete faster. Note 1 Early Tape Creation only applies to virtual media with a physical counterpart in an attached tape library. If the virtual media does not have a physical counterpart, Early Tape Creation does not generate a physical copy.
Archiving Media Use the Archive Media feature to select physical media to remove from a physical (tape) library while the media's virtual counterparts are retained in the virtual library. This feature enables administrators to move physical media to a vault outside of Pathlight VX, but to continue using the virtual counterparts (available from the Pathlight VX backup application). The write-protect feature (if enabled) prevents updates to the data on the virtual counterparts.
3 In the Select Desired Operation area, select an operation to perform. • Create physical tapes - This option synchronizes data on the virtual media and its physical counterpart. Data on the virtual and physical media must be synchronized before media can be archived. When this operation is selected, the Operations - Archive Media screen lists virtual media that are candidates for data to be synchronized. For each media, the barcode, media type, library containing the media, and media state are listed.
Reverting Archive Media To disable the Archive feature, all archive media must be reverted or brought back into the Pathlight VX. Use this procedure to revert archive media. After you have completed this procedure, refer to Disabling Advanced Features on page 106 to disable Archive. 1 Identify the archive media to revert. a. On the menu bar, select Setup > Advanced Features. The Setup - Advanced Features screen appears. b. Select Archive and click Next.
Pathlight VX Reports The Pathlight VX includes robust reporting functionality that provides information about the system’s status and operations. Use the procedures in this chapter to run Pathlight VX reports and interpret reported data.
Viewing the Virtual Library Summary Report The Virtual Library Summary Report lists the virtual libraries configured on the Pathlight VX. The contents of this report vary depending on whether you are a user with Administrator privileges or not. If the report spans multiple screens, use the left and right arrows at the bottom right of the window to scroll through the screens. The report lists up to 100 media entries per screen. 1 From the menu bar, select Reports→Library Summary→Virtual.
About the Library Drives Report The Library Drives Report lists drive information for the selected library. The contents of this report vary depending on whether you are a user with Administrator privileges or not. If the report spans multiple screens, use the left and right arrows at the bottom right of the window to scroll through the screens. The report lists up to 100 listings per screen.
About the Library Slots Report The Library Slots Report provides slot information for the selected library. The contents of this report vary depending on whether you are a user with Administrator privileges or not. If the report spans multiple screens, use the left and right arrows at the bottom of the window to scroll through the screens. The report lists up to 100 listings per screen. • Slot – For each slot, its element address.
Viewing the Virtual Drive Summary Report The Virtual Drive Summary Report lists the virtual drives configured on the Pathlight VX. The contents of this report vary depending on whether you are a user with Administrator privileges or not. If the report spans multiple screens, use the left and right arrows at the bottom of the window to scroll through the screens. The report lists up to 100 drive entries per screen. 1 From the menu bar, select Reports→Drive Summary→Virtual.
Reports About Physical Libraries, Drives and Media Use the procedures in this section to view reports about physical libraries, drives, and media. Viewing the Physical Library Report The Physical Library Report lists the physical (tape) libraries attached to the Pathlight VX. 1 From the menu bar, select Reports→Library Summary→Physical. The Physical Library Report appears and lists the following information for each physical library: 2 • Name – The name of the physical library.
Viewing the Physical Media Report The Physical Media Report lists the media currently located in the physical (tape) libraries connected to Pathlight VX. If the report spans multiple screens, use the left and right arrows at the bottom right to scroll through the screens. The report lists up to 100 listings per screen. 1 From the menu bar, select Reports→Media Summary→Physical. The Physical Media Report appears.
• Used – The storage capacity that has been used on the physical media. Note 2 On Disk Extension media, data may be compressed when it is stored on the media. This compression can cause the value in the Used column to exceed the total storage capacity of the media. • Free – The storage capacity that is available on the physical media. • % Used – The percentage of storage capacity that has been used on the physical media.
Reports About System Configuration Use the procedure in this section to view the System Configuration Report. Viewing the System Configuration Report The System Configuration Report lists configuration information for Pathlight VX components. 1 From the menu bar, select Help→System Configuration. The System Configuration Report appears and lists configuration information for the FC blade, RAID, Management Server, FC HBA on the Management Server, FC switch and Utility Module.
Viewing the Storage Policy Report The Storage Policy Report lists the storage policy associated with the Pathlight VX. For each storage policy, the name of the policy, number of copies of associated data, number of associated virtual media, minimum time before virtualized data is written to Disk Extension media, and minimum time before data (written to Disk Extension media) is a candidate for removal are listed. The total number of storage policies is listed in the upper right of the screen.
Reports About System Activity Use the procedures in this section to view reports about system activity in the Pathlight VX. Viewing the Library Mailbox Report The Library Mailbox Report provides mailbox information for the selected mailbox slots. Each library contains the same number of drive slots and mailbox slots. However, the mailbox slot count cannot exceed 250 slots. For example, if there are 552 library drive slots, then the mailbox drive slot count can only be 250.
Viewing the Media Tracking Report The Media Tracking Report lists all media in the Pathlight VX. The report provides a state code and description for each listed media. The state code is an internal number used primarily for serviceability. 1 From the menu bar, select Reports→Media Tracking. The Media Tracking Report appears. For each piece of virtual media, the report lists the following information: 2 • Virtual Location – The virtual library that contains the virtual media.
Viewing the Offline Media Report The Offline Media Report lists all offline media in the Pathlight VX. 1 From the menu bar, select Reports→Offline Media. The Offline Media Report appears and lists the following information for each offline media: 2 • Barcode – The barcode number of the offline media. The barcode number matches the barcode of the corresponding media in the physical library. • Library – The library that contains the offline media. • Type – The media type of the offline media.
Viewing the Pending Activity Report The Pending Activity Report provides information on operations and actions pending in the Pathlight VX. 1 From the menu bar, click Reports→Pending Activity. The Pending Activity Report appears and lists this information: 2 • Library – The library associated with the pending action. • Barcode – The barcode associated with the pending action. • Type – The media type of the media associated with the pending action. • State – The status of the pending action.
Viewing the System Backup Report The System Backup Report lists backups of the Pathlight VX system, saved to disk or tape. For each backup, the date and time of the backup (Creation Date), location where the backup is saved (Location), name of the backup file (File Name), and size of the backup file (Size) are listed. The total number of system backups are listed in the upper right of the screen. 1 From the menu bar, select Reports→System Backup.
130 Pathlight VX Reports
Monitoring the Pathlight VX Use the procedures in this chapter to monitor system activity in the Pathlight VX, such as viewing administrative alerts and messages. This chapter also contains procedures to view, modify and close service tickets.
Viewing Activity Status The Activity Status screen displays administrative alerts and informational messages about system activity in the Pathlight VX. 1 Log on as a user with Administrator privileges. 2 From the menu bar, select Tools→Activity Status. The Tools→Activity Status screen appears. This page lists the alerts and messages related to system activity on the Pathlight VX: 3 • Item - Lists the Pathlight VX item (a media's barcode, Archive, or Audit) about which the message was generated.
Checking System Status Use this procedure to check the status of the Pathlight VX. 1 Log on as a user with Administrator privileges. 2 Do one of the following: • In the lower-right of the Pathlight VX User Interface, click System Status. • From the menu bar, click Tools→System Status. • In the Subsystem Status section, select the component. Note When selecting this option, all open service tickets for the selected component are listed. The Tools - System Status screen appears.
Understanding Service Tickets Administrative users use the Pathlight VX User Interface to view service ticket information. When an event in the Pathlight VX is detected and localized isolation and recovery is attempted, the event is reported to one of the monitoring daemons. The monitoring daemon reports the event to the service daemon. The service daemon then logs the event and applies additional logic to determine whether the event warrants a service ticket.
Viewing Service Tickets View Pathlight VX service tickets to view details of the System Status notification and a suggested resolution of the reported problem. 1 Do one of the following: • Click System Status. - OR - • Select Tools→System Status. The Tools - System Status screen appears. The System Status screen lists the following information. • Ticket – Service ticket numbers, which can be listed in ascending or descending order by clicking the top of the column.
2 Scroll through the list of service tickets, select the ticket to be viewed, and click Details. The Ticket Details screen appears. The Ticket Details screen lists the service ticket number, date and time when the ticket was last accessed (either opened or closed), ticket status (open or closed), a summary of the problem, and a detailed information about the problem. Note The time indicated in the service ticket may not match the Pathlight VX system time.
Modifying Service Tickets Use this procedure to add information to a service ticket related to system troubleshooting and to view the current status of a problem reported by the Pathlight VX. All modified entries are kept with the ticket number and ticket summary when the service ticket is closed. 1 Open and view a service ticket. Refer to Viewing Service Tickets on page 135. 2 Click Analysis. The Ticket Analysis screen appears.
Closing Service Tickets Use this procedure to close a service ticket. Note 1 You can analyze a service ticket after it has been closed. For more information, refer to Modifying Service Tickets on page 137. Modify the service ticket. Refer to Modifying Service Tickets on page 137. 2 Check the Close Ticket box. 3 Click Apply to close the service ticket. The Progress Window appears, which contains information on the status of the service ticket being closed.
Troubleshooting the Pathlight VX This chapter explains how to perform general troubleshooting on the Pathlight VX using service tickets generated by the system’s diagnostic software. How the Pathlight VX Reports Problems The Pathlight VX reports status through Pathlight VX diagnostic software. The Pathlight VX diagnostic software performs these functions: • Monitors the health of both software and hardware components. • Detects problems in the system.
Using Health Checks to Troubleshoot the Pathlight VX The Pathlight VX’s Health Check feature can be used to verify several aspects of Pathlight VX connectivity and function. A failed Health Check can help troubleshoot a problem in the Pathlight VX. Health Checks are available to test: • Visibility to drives in attached physical libraries. • Connectivity to the RAID component. • Basic RAID configuration parameters. • Functionality of individual drives in an attached physical library.
3 Do one of the following: • Perform a Health Check. Select a Health Check option from the list and click Apply. • Physical Drives Visibility Verification - Verifies that the Management Server and FC blade(s) have visibility to the same physical drives. • Access to RAID - Verifies basic connectivity to the RAID component. • RAID Parameter Check - Verifies that the RAID parameters are set to Pathlight VX-specific parameters rather than to the default parameters.
General Troubleshooting For many Pathlight VX problems, service tickets associate problems with specific FRUs. It is necessary to contact ATAC for assistance replacing FRUs. For contact information, refer to Getting More Information or Help on page 4. For Pathlight VX problems that are not specific to a FRU, follow these general troubleshooting procedures.
HTTP Proxy Settings When using a VPN or HTTP proxy connection to access the Pathlight VX User Interface, Internet Explorer only works properly if the HTTP proxy settings are correctly enabled. Use this procedure to enable the HTTP1.x proxy settings. 1 On the Windows Start menu, select Settings→Control Panel→Internet Options. The Internet Options window appears. 2 Click the Advanced Tab. 3 Scroll down the list to HTTP 1.x Settings. 4 Verify that Use HTTP 1.x is selected. 5 Verify that Use HTTP 1.
Working with the Pathlight VX System State The Capture State feature enables you to capture various sizes of log files for the Pathlight VX’s hardware and software components. Use the procedures in this section to capture a Pathlight VX system state and download it, as well as delete a system state capture. Capturing a System State Use the Capture System State feature to obtain and preserve detailed information about the current Pathlight VX state.
3 Select the type of the system state capture and click Apply. The Progress Window appears. Note 4 Once the Progress Window appears, you cannot cancel or stop this action. However, you can close the window by clicking the X in the upperright of the screen, but confirmation of success or failure is NOT shown. • If Success appears in the Progress Window: The system state was successfully captured. • If Failure appears in the Progress Window: The system state was NOT captured.
Downloading a System State Use the Capturing a System State feature to obtain and preserve detailed information about Pathlight VX hardware and software in logs that can be reviewed and analyzed. Use the Downloading a System State Capture feature to save the capture state to a local or network drive for system troubleshooting. 1 Click Tools→Capture State. The Tools - Capture System State screen appears and lists previous system state captures.
4 Click Save to save the zipped file to a local or network drive. The Save As screen appears. 5 Click Save.
Deleting a System State Use this procedure to delete a system state capture. Note 1 ADIC recommends that you delete system state captures for Pathlight VX problems that have been resolved. Failure to manage system state captures can cause the system to run out of disk space on the MS. Click Tools→Capture State. The Tools - Capture System State screen appears and lists previous system state captures.
Troubleshooting System Problems In most situations, a service ticket associates a Pathlight VX problem with a specific field replaceable unit (FRU). Once a specific FRU has been identified, either the problem with the FRU can be corrected or the FRU can be replaced.
Troubleshooting Cable Connections Cable problems on the Pathlight VX can be difficult to diagnose, because of the number and different types of cables used in the system. Typically, the Pathlight VX determines that communication errors are occurring on components connected by the suspect cable, not the cable itself. CAUTION When replacing cables on the Pathlight VX, use new cables instead of swapping FC cables from other components.
Interpreting Status LEDs Activity on the Pathlight VX and system status can be determined by observing LED activity on Pathlight VX components. An LED can be in one of the following states: • OFF (dark) • ON (lit steadily) • Flashing Note LEDs may flash while a component is booting. This is normal and does not indicate a problem unless they continue to flash after the boot process completes.
MS LEDs The MS has LEDs on both the front and back panels. The following section describes general status and activity information provided by these LEDs. MS Front Panel—Control Panel LEDs Activity and status on the MS can be determined through the activity of the control panel LEDs. Figure 13 shows their location and Table 6 describes their function.
MS Front Panel—SCSI Drive Carriers LEDs Each SCSI drive carrier on the MS provides two LEDs. Figure 14 shows their location and Table 7 describes their function. Figure 14 MS SCSI Drive Carrier LEDs green LED red LED filler module with no drive Table 7 MS SCSI Drive Carrier LED Activity LED Color State Description Green ON Indicates disk access. Red ON Indicates that the internal RAID drive has failed.
MS Back Panel—Power Supply LEDs Each MS power supply provides one status LED. Figure 15 shows its location and Table 8 describes its function. Figure 15 MS Back Panel—Power Supply LED power supply LED Table 8 MS Back Panel—Power Supply LED Activity LED Color State Description Green OFF Indicates that no power is supplied to the enclosure. Verify that the power cables are connected. ON Indicates that power is on.
MS Back Panel—FC HBA LEDs The FC HBA provides two status LEDs. Figure 16 shows their location and Table 9 describes their function. Note Figure 16 The location of LEDs on the FC HBA card may differ depending upon the card manufacturer. MS FC HBA LEDs green LED amber LED Table 9 MS FC HBA LED Activity LED Color State Description Green Amber OFF OFF Indicates that there is no power. Verify that the power cables are connected and the MS is turned on. Green Amber ON ON Indicates that power is on.
MS Back Panel—Ethernet LEDs The MS provides four Ethernet ports: two on the motherboard and two on a plug-in network card. Each port provides two LEDs. Figure 17 shows their location and Table 10 and Table 11 describe their function.
SNC LEDs Each utility module and FC blade on the SNC has three LEDs that provide general status and activity information. In addition, the FC blade has FC activity LEDs. SNC Front Panel—Utility Module LEDs Each utility module provides a vertical strip of three LEDs. Figure 18 shows their location and Table 12 describes their function.
Note Table 13 Note the blink pattern for the problem code so you can report it to ATAC, if necessary. For contact information, refer to Getting More Information or Help on page 4.
SNC Back Panel—FC Blade LEDs The front panel of each FC blade provides three status LEDs and six FC activity LEDs. Figure 20 shows their location and Table 14 describes their function. Figure 20 FC Blade LEDs FC1 FC3 FC5 PWR STS FC2 Table 14 FC4 FC6 RDY FC Blade LED Activity LED Color State Description FC1, FC3, FC5 Green Flickering I/O is occurring on the FC connection to the left of the LED. FC1, FC3, FC5 Green ON A connection exists, but there is no I/O.
Table 15 FC Blade PWR LED Numeric Fault Codes Fault Code Description Duration 1 Random access memory (RAM) test failure Constant 2 Vital product data (VPD) cyclic redundancy code (CRC) comparison failure Constant 3 Program flash CRC comparison failure Constant 4 Geographic address incorrect for blade type, using alternate Once 5 Invalid blade type Constant 6 Controller area network (CAN) controller initialization failure Constant 7 Timer interrupt test failure Constant Note 160 N
AX100SC LEDs AX100SC activity and status can be determined by observing the LEDs on the front and back panels. AX100SC—Front Panel LEDs The AX100SC front panel provides two status LEDs. Table 21 shows their location and Table 16 describes their function. Figure 21 AX100SC Front Panel—Power Supply/Cooling Module LEDs Power Fault Table 16 AX100SC Front Panel—Power Supply/Cooling Module LED Activity LED Color Status Meaning Power None OFF The power supply is off. Blue ON The power supply is on.
AX100SC—Back Panel LEDs The AX100SC’s power supply / cooling module provides five status LEDs. Figure 22 shows their location and Figure 17 describes their function. Figure 22 AX100SC Back Panel—Power Supply / Cooling Module LEDs Cache I/O LED cache charge LED Table 17 power SPA boot / fault power supply A fault AX100SC Back Panel—Power Supply / Cooling Module LED Activity LED Color Status Meaning Power None OFF The power supply is off. Green ON The power supply is on.
DPE/DAE LEDs Disk processor enclosure (DPE) and disk array enclosure (DAE) activity and status can be determined by observing the LEDs on the front and back panels. Note The graphic in Figure 23 shows the front panel of a DAE, not a DPE. The front panel of a DPE is similar, but it contains 6 disks instead of 15 disks as shown. The disks in both DPEs and DAEs provide two status LEDs. DPE/DAE—Front Panel LEDs The DPE/DAE front panel provides two status LEDs and each disk module provides two status LEDs.
Table 18 Front Panel—DPE/DAE LED Activity LED Color State Description Enclosure fault None OFF The enclosure is not experiencing a fault. Amber ON The enclosure is experiencing a fault. Enclosure power None OFF The enclosure is shut down. Green ON The enclosure is powered on. Disk activity None OFF The drive slot is empty, contains a filler module, or has been powered off by command because of a fault.
DPE—Back Panel Storage Processor LEDs Each DPE storage processor (SP) provides seven status LEDs on the back panel, five of which provide information. Figure 24 shows their location and Figure 19 describes their function. Figure 24 Back Panel—DPE SP LEDs BE 1 FE 0 reserved Table 19 Fault FE 1 power factory use only Back Panel—DPE SP Module LED Activity LED Color State Description BE 0 None OFF The designated connection is not active. Green ON The designated connection is active.
DAE—Back Panel LCC LEDs Each DAE LCC provides four status LEDs on the back panel. Figure 25 shows their location and Figure 20 describes their function. Figure 25 DAE Back Panel—LCC LEDs LCC fault LCC power Table 20 expansion link primary link DAE Back Panel—LCC LED Activity LED Color State Description LCC fault None OFF The LCC is not experiencing any faults. Amber ON The LCC or an FC connection is experiencing a fault. Also on during POST. None OFF The LCC is powered off.
DPE/DAE—Back Panel Power Supply/Cooling Module LEDs Each DPE/DAE’s power supply/cooling module provides three status LEDs. Figure 26 shows their location and Figure 21 describes their function. Figure 26 DPE/DAE Back Panel—Power Supply/Cooling Module LEDs blower fault Table 21 power fault power DPE/DAE Back Panel—Power Supply/Cooling Module LED Activity LED Color Status Meaning Blower fault None OFF None of the blowers has a fault. Amber ON One of the blowers has a fault.
SPS LEDs The standby power supply (SPS) provides four status LEDs. Figure 27 shows their location and Figure 22 describes their function. Figure 27 SPS Back Panel LEDs Active On battery Replace battery Fault Table 22 SPS Back Panel—LED Activity LED Color Status Meaning Active None OFF AC line input is turned off or not available. Green Blinking The battery is charging. AC line input is supplying the output from the SPS. Green ON The SPS is ready and operating normally.
FC Switch LEDs Status LEDs appear on both the front and back panels of the FC switch. FC Switch—Front Panel LEDs The FC switch front panel provides three status LEDs. Figure 28 shows their location and Figure 23 describes their function. Figure 28 FC Switch Front Panel LEDs port readiness LED power supply LEDs Table 23 FC Switch Front Panel LED Activity LED Color State Description Power Supply None OFF Power supply is not providing power.
FC Switch—Back Panel LEDs The FC switch back panel provides three status LEDs. Figure 29 shows their location and Table 24 describes their function. Figure 29 FC Switch Back Panel LEDs port status LED power/status LED Table 24 port speed LED FC Switch Back Panel LED Activity LED Color State Description Power/ Status None OFF The FC switch is off or its boot process is not complete or has failed. Verify that the FC switch is on and that it has completed its boot process.
Troubleshooting Audible Alarms Audible alarms can provide extra assistance when monitoring or troubleshooting the Pathlight VX. Note The utility module, FC blade, and FC switch do not have audible alarms. • If the MS sounds an alarm, then a sub-component has failed. To identify the failed component, refer to MS LEDs on page 152. • If the failing component cannot be determined: a. Check the Pathlight VX system status for a RAS event. Refer to Checking System Status on page 133. b.
172 Troubleshooting the Pathlight VX
Glossary AMC (ADIC Management Console) Contains client-server software. The AMC server is used to manage the storage area network (SAN) and the library. AMC version 4.0 is the first version of the software to provide access to two clients, the AMC client (which manages the SAN) and the LMC client (which manages the Scalar i2000 library). Pathlight VX is supported by AMC. ATAC (ADIC Technical Assistance Center) The ADIC customer help desk.
Community strings Statements describing administrative relationships between SNMP agents and community members. DAE (disk array enclosure) An intelligent, highly available, high-performance, high-capacity disk-array storage system that uses Fibre Channel Arbitrated as its interconnect interface. A DAE connect to another DAE or a DPE, and is managed by storage-system software in the DPE.
Host initiator A host bus adapter that provides the host with a Fibre Channel port capable of initiating SCSI commands at the host’s request. HBA (Host Bus Adapter) An I/O adapter that connects a host I/O bus to a computer’s memory system. HRS (Host Registration Service) A service that presents host information that the AMC server uses to manage host access and data retrieval. This information includes host name, host type, host connection and the online or offline status.
Media type A format/size of media, for example, LTO or LTO2. Midplane The DPE component that distributes power and signals to all the enclosure components. All FRUs plug directly into midplane connectors. NDMP (Network Data Management Protocol) An open standard protocol for enterprise-wide backup of heterogeneous network-attached storage.
SFP (small form-factor-pluggable) A hot-swappable input/output device that plugs into an Ethernet port or slot, linking that port with the network. SNC (storage networking controller) ADIC term for a storage networking appliance. The SNC enables high-performance, networked communications that support intelligence functionality within the Pathlight VX storage system. SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) The protocol governing network management and the monitoring of network devices and their functions.
178 Glossary
Index A C AC power, troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149 activity status, viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132 ADIC Technical Assistance Center, contacting . .4 ADIC, contacting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 admin password, changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 advanced features, disabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 advanced features, enabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 advanced features, working with . . . . . . . . . . .
virtual library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 virtual media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 deleting system state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148 disabling advanced features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 disabling support notfication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 disk extension media changing attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 managing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 reclaiming space . . . . . . . .
FC Hosts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 internal backup media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 offline media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 storage policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 user accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 manuals see documents media application, removing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 archiving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
media filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 setting default media access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 setting virtual media attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 shutting down hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 MS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 system hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 system software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 shutting down Pathlight VX . . . . . . . . . .
deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 modifying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 system overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 system software shutting down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 system state capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 downloading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
184 Index
