NTSP Student Handout

1
Rev 4d
Nimble Technical Sales
Professional Accreditation
Nimble Storage Array Introduction,
Installation, and Maintenance
Rev 4d
Checking Your Enrollment
1. Login to http://university.nimblestorage.com/
2. Click My Account
3. Verify todays course is listed and then click Go
4. Ensure your status states Enrolled with an X next to it (Don t click the X )
5. If your screen looks different, ask your instructor for instructions
2
Classroom Network
SSID
Password
2
Rev 4d
Introductions
Name
Company
Position
Data storage background
What do you hope to get out of the course?
Rev 4d
In this course the following subjects will be discussed:
Section 1: CS-Series Array
Introduction
Section 2: Scale-to-Fit
Section 3: CASL Architecture
Section 4: Networking and Cabling
Section 5: Initial Installation
Section 6: Array Administration
Section 7: Working with Volumes
Section 8: Connecting to Hosts
Section 9: Snapshots
Section 10: Replication
Section 11: Data Protection and DR
Section 12: Maintenance and
Troubleshooting
Section 13: Support
Topics
3
Rev 4d
Section 1: CS-Series Array Introduction
Rev 4d
Raw versus Usable versus Effective Capacity
Raw
Capacity
Usable
Capacity
Effective
Capacity
Subtract
capacity
for
RAID-6
parity,
spares &
system
reserves
Add storage
capacity due
to inline
compression
(typical 30%
to 75%)
Raw: 24 TB Usable: 17 TB
Effective: 33 TB
(assuming 50% compression)
4
Rev 4d
Nimble Storage CS210 At a Glance
7
Model CPU DDR3
Memory
Ethernet
Ports
Cache
SSD
Data
HDD
Effective Capacity
0
2x
CS210 1 12GB 4x 1GbE 2x 80GB
or
160GB
8x 1TB
or
8TB RAW
4TB
9TB
No 10 GbE
option
Capacity Expansion Add up to 1 additional shelf
Scaling Performance Supports scaling cache (X2 and X4)
Rev 4d
Nimble Storage CS220 at a Glance
8
2012 Nimble Storage, Inc.
Model CPU DDR3
Memory
Ethernet
Ports
Cache SSD Cache
Total
Data
HDD
Eff. Capacity
0
2x
CS220
1 12GB
6x1GbE
4x80GB 320GB
12x1TB
or
12 TB
RAW
8TB 16TB
CS220G 2x1GbE
2x10GbE
Scaling Performance Scale Compute and Cache (x2, x4, or x8)
5
Rev 4d
Model CPU DDR3
Memory
Ethernet
Ports
Cache SSD Cache
Total
Data
HDD
Eff. Capacity
0
2x
CS240
1 12GB
6x1GbE
4x160GB 640GB
12x2TB
or
24 TB
RAW
17TB 33TB
CS240G 2x1GbE
2x10GbE
9
Scaling Performance Scale Compute and Cache (x2, x4)
Rev 4d
10
Model CPU DDR3
Memory
Ethernet
Ports
Cache SSD Cache
Total
Data
HDD
Eff. Capacity
0
2x
CS260
1 12GB
6x1GbE
4x300GB 1.2TB
12x3TB
or
36 TB
RAW
25TB 50TB
CS260G
2x1GbE
2x10GbE
Scaling Performance Scale Compute and Cache (x2, x4)
6
Rev 4d
11
Model CPU DDR3
Memory
Ethernet
Ports
Cache SSD Cache
Total
Data
HDD
Eff. Capacity
0
2x
CS420
(1)
2 24GB
6x1GbE
4x160GB or
4x300GB
640GB
to
1.2TB
12TB 8TB 16TB
CS440
24TB 17TB 33TB
CS460 2x1GbE
2x10GbE
36TB 25TB 50TB
Scaling Performance
Cache (x2, x4, or x8*)
*only the CS420 supports the x8 option
(1) Sold only with X2,
X4, or x8 options
Rev 4d
Hardware Tour - Front
3U
7
Rev 4d
Hardware Tour Controller Unit Front
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
CS-Series 210
HDD HDD blank blank
LEDs LEDs
PWR
SSD options*
*default configuration uses two SSD slots and two blanks
Rev 4d
Hardware Tour Controller Unit Front
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
CS220 and higher
HDD HDD SSD
8
Rev 4d
Disks
Disks:
16 hot swappable drive bays populated with:
8 or 12 SATA (with SAS interposers) or SAS disks
2 or 4 solid-state drives (SSD)
When replacing a drive, ensure you replace drives with
the appropriate type!
Rev 4d
Nimble ES-Series External Storage Shelf
Connect one per CS210 or up to three to the CS220 and
higher model numbers
Scale storage capacity non-disruptively
Uses 4 Lane 6Gb SAS connectivity from controller to shelf
Support redundant data paths from controller to
shelves
Each shelf is its own RAID Group
Spares assigned for each shelf
16
ES1-H25 ES1-H45 ES1-H65
Individual disk drive size 1TB Disks 2TB Disks 3TB Disks
Raw Capacity 15 TB 30 TB 45 TB
Effective Capacity
(w/ 0x-2x compression)
11 22 TB 23 45 TB 34 68 TB
Flash 160 GB 300 GB 600 GB
Connectivity 2x 6Gb SAS / IO module
IO Modules Dual hot-swappable SAS controllers
9
Rev 4d
Hardware Tour Front
HDD
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Expansion Shelf
HDD
SSD
Rev 4d
Hardware Tour - Back
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
7
10
Rev 4d
Hardware Components
Power supplies 2X 100-240V, 50-60Hz, 4-10 Amp
Power requirement 500 watts
Rev 4d
Controllers
Work in Active / Standby configuration
Hot swappable
Supports non-disruptive Nimble OS upgrades
Review all messages regarding controller failure to identify the proper
controller
Any of the following events can indicate that a controller has failed:
LEDs indicate that no activity currently occurs on the controller that was active
NVRAM LEDs are dark
Heartbeat LED is dark
Event appears in the Events list
Receipt of an alert email from the array
20 2012 Nimble Storage, Inc.
11
Rev 4d
Controllers Nimble OS Upgrade
One-click, zero-downtime Nimble OS upgrades
Before you begin:
Check your current version
Obtain the most recent version
Check system health
Rev 4d
Nimble OS Upgrade Process
Active Standby
Firmware
Active Standby
Failover
1. Load new firmware to standby
2. Reboot standby to run new rev.
3. Load new firmware to other controller
4. Reboot active to activate new rev.
causes failover and the standby
becomes active
Firmware
12
Rev 4d
Section 2: Scale to Fit
Rev 4d
Nimble Scaling for Mainstream Applications
Mainstream
Applications
P
E
R
F
O
R
M
A
N
C
E
CAPACITY
+ NODES + NODES + NODES
13
Rev 4d
Nimble Scaling for Mainstream Applications
Mainstream
Applications
P
E
R
F
O
R
M
A
N
C
E
CAPACITY
`
Real-time Analytics
VDI
SQL Server
Exchange
Backup, DR
Archival, Cheap and Deep
SharePoint
Oracle
Rev 4d
Scale Capacity by Adding Disk Shelves
Add capacity non-disruptively by
adding external disk shelves
A disk shelf contains high
capacity HDDs and a SSD
Add multiple disk shelves per
Nimble Storage array
Add up to three shelves
Only one shelf for the CS-210
Mix and match different capacity
shelves
Sufficient
performance,
but need
more capacity
P
C
Add
Once Expansion Shelves have
been added they cannot be
removed.
14
Rev 4d
Scale Capacity Cabling
4 Lane 6Gb cable
1 to 3 meters in
length
Do not connect
SAS cables to an
expansion shelf
until after the array
has been
upgraded to 1.4
Rev 4d
Adding a Shelf
1. Check to see if you have proper Nimble OS version
2. Cable new expansion shelf and power on
3. The new shelf is discovered by the control head
Newly discovered shelves will be shown as Available in the GUI/CLI
4. Using the GUI or CLI, activate the new shelf
28 2012 Nimble Storage. Proprietary and
confidential. Do not distribute.
15
Rev 4d
Adding a Shelf
Discovering
Available Activate In Use
Is there
data on
the
disks?
Foreign
Faulty
No
Yes
Force
Activate
Rev 4d
Scale Capacity Storage Pool
Storage pool grows when an expansion shelf is activated.
Segment Layer is updated with new ending block data
The segment layer provides a map between the Nimble file system addresses
and disk locations
The map is dynamically created for each incoming write request
Essentially the segment layer works as a traffic cop by directing writes to the
proper disks
16
Rev 4d
Expanding Existing System
50% Capacity
Fill Expansion
Shelf until
capacity
utilization
matches the
control head
Then balance capacity between them
Controller Shelf Expansion Shelf
2
1
50% Capacity
Rev 4d
Managing Internal Storage and Expansion Shelves
X X
NO
17
Rev 4d
Power On/Off Order
On
Power expansion shelves
first, then the controller
shelves
Off
Power off the controller
shelf and then the
expansion shelves
Rev 4d
Scale Compute The 400 Series Controllers
Provides additional processing power and memory
Provides two CPUs each with:
6 cores
12 GB of DRAM
Scales performance
Replaces existing controllers
A CPU is not installed into current controllers
+
18
Rev 4d
Controller Upgrade CS200 >> CS400
Standby Active Halt Standby
Remove
Labeled
Cables
Remove Controller
Insert
New 400 series Controller
Cable using
labels and
pictures
Make sure it is
Healthy and in
Standby
Failover to Active
Repeat steps for
this controller
Rev 4d
Nimble Array Scaling Compute
There is no CS420 array part number
CS420-{X2, X4, X8} only
Upgrading a CS220 to a CS420-X2, -X4,
or -X8
Cache is upgraded when scaling compute
on the CS220 array
Upgrading compute on CS240 and
CS260
Compute can be upgraded without
upgrading cache
36
19
Rev 4d
Controller Upgrade
Before you start:
Ensure you have Nimble OS version 1.4 or later
Ensure one controller is in active mode and the other is in standby
Note which controller is active and which is in standby
Note your current controller shelf model
Note your current SSD size
Rev 4d
Controller Upgrade CS200 >> CS400
1. Halt (shut down) the standby controller
Pre 2.0 release use the CLI:
hal t - - ar r ay <ar r ay name> - - cont r ol l er <A or B>
Post 2.0 release use the GUI go to Administration >> Array
2. Disconnect cables
3. Remove the controller
4. Insert the replacement controller
5. Connect all cables
6. Verify the controller powers up and is in standby mode
7. Perform a failover to the new controller
In the GUI go to Manage >> Array and click the Failover button
8. Repeat steps 1 7
9. Verify the model number has changed from 200 series to a 400 series
20
Rev 4d
Scale Cache X2, X4, and X8
Provides additional cache
Scales performance
There are two variations:
-x2 two-times the standard cache size
-x4 four-times the standard cache size
-x8 eight-times the standard cache size
Only for use with the CS220 and CS420 arrays
Only supported in FW 1.4.8 and up and 2.0.5 and up
+
Rev 4d
Nimble Storage Cache at a Glance
40
Flash Capacity CS210 CS220 CS240 CS260 CS420* CS440 CS460
Base 2X80
160
4X80
320
4X160
640
4X300
1,200
--- 4X160
640
4X300
1,200
-X2 4X80
320
4X160
640
4X300
1,200
4X600
2,400
4X160
640
4X300
1,200
4X600
2,400
-X4 4x160
640
4X300
1,200
4X600
2,400
--- 4X300
1,200
4X600
2,400
---
-X8 --- 4X600
2,400
--- --- 4X600
2,400
--- ---
Note there is no CS420 part number, only CS420-x2/4/8
Capacities are in megabytes (MB)
21
Rev 4d
Scale Cache Upgrade
1. Remove the bezel
2. Starting from the left remove the first SSD
3. Wait until the red LED under the slot lights up
4. Install the new larger SSD into the slot
5. Wait until the red LED turns off
6. Repeat steps 1-5 for remaining SSDs
7. Verify that the model number of the controller shelf and the capacity of
the SSDs have changed to x2, x4, or x8
8. Replace the bezel
Rev 4d
Utilize multiple arrays as a single storage entity
Scales bandwidth, CPUs, memory, capacity
Provides high performance with high capacity
Scale Out
Single
Management
IP
22
Rev 4d
Simplify Storage Management
Manage the scale-out cluster from
a single console
Add and remove storage arrays
Get status and view performance
and capacity reports
Create and manage storage
pools and volumes
Manage host connectivity to the
scale-out cluster
Automatic MPIO configuration
and path management
Discover/add data IP through a
single connection
Rev 4d
Scale Out Pool
23
Rev 4d
Scale Out Pool
Rev 4d
Scale Out Understanding Groups
Nimble Connection
Manager or PSP
plug-in for VMware
Switch 1 Switch 2
NIC 1 NIC 2
Automatic MPIO
configuration and path
management eliminates
manual connection setup
to individual arrays
24
Rev 4d
Section 3: Cache Accelerated Sequential Layout (CASL)
Rev 4d
Choices we need to make when choosing storage
Rank in Order
of Importance
Performance
Capacity
Cost
Reliability
25
Rev 4d
Data Layout Write in place file system (EMC, EQL)
Pros Cons
Simple to implement, long history
Good sequential read performance
without cache
Poor random write
performance
Slow, high overhead
compression
Rev 4d
Data Layout Hole filling (WAFL, ZFS)
Pros Cons
Good random write performance
until disk fills up
More efficient redirect-
on-write snapshots
Performance degrades over
time
Slow, high overhead
compression
WAFL Write Anywhere File Layout
ZFS Copy on write transactional model
26
Rev 4d
Data Layout Always write full stripes (CASL)
Pros
Good AND consistent write
performance
Very efficient snapshots
Fast inline compression
Efficient flash utilization,
long flash life
Ground up design
relies on flash
Enables variable block size
Uses a sweeping process to
ensure full stripe write space
Rev 4d
Sweeping
Data blocks are indexed as they are written
Over time the deletion of snapshots and data
leaves stale data blocks
Sweeping removes stale blocks and forms new
stripe writes with the remaining active blocks
27
Rev 4d
Building a New Array
How would you design a storage
solution around SSDs?
As a bolt on flash tier?
No flash optimization - SSDs grouped using RAID
Requires more expensive SSDs to obtain the high endurance required
Performance increase only seen on the flash tier
As a bolt on read cache?
No flash optimization - SSDs grouped using RAID to form a read
cache LUN
Required SLC SSDs to obtain the high endurance required
No improvement to write performance
Rev 4d
Solid State Drives - Tale of the Tape
SLC MLC
Density 16 Mbit 32 Mbit 64Mbit
Read Speed 100ns 120ns 150ns
Block Size 64Kbyte 128 Kbyte
Endurance 100,000 cycles 10,000 cycles
Operating Temp Industrial Commercial
SLC MLC
High density
Low cost per bit
Endurance
Op temp range
Low power consumption
Write/Erase speeds
Write/Erase endurance
Source:
Super Talent SLC vs. MLC: An
Analysis of Flash Memory
28
Rev 4d
The Nimble Way Purpose Built CASL
Flash is highly optimized - writes matched to erase block size which
minimizes amplification
Erase block size When data is written to flash it is written a byte at a time.
But when data is erased it is erased a block at a time. Thus if one bit changes
the entire block must be read, the cells erased and the remaining data written
back down along with the change
cell cell cell cell
1 Block
1
bit
1
bit
1
bit
1
bit
1
bit
1
bit
1
bit
1
bit
1
bit
1
bit
1
bit
1
bit
Rev 4d
Discussion: Disk Storage
What type of
RAID should
be supported?
Do we use
multiple RAID
groups or a single
storage pool?
29
Rev 4d
The Nimble Way Purpose Built CASL
Fine movement of data (4KB real time
movement)
Utilizes Cost-effective MLC flash without
RAID
Provides a high level of write
acceleration with the write-optimized
layout on flash AND disk
Mendel Rosenblum
Rev 4d
Inline Compression
DRAM
Universal Compression:
Variable-size blocks enable
fast inline compression, saving
30-75%
Elimination of read-modify-write
penalty allows compression of
all applications
NIMBLE
ARRAY
Data Path Write
N
V
R
A
M
N
V
R
A
M
Write Operation
1. Write is received by active
controllers NVRAM (1GB)
2. Write is mirrored to partner
controllers NVRAM
3. Write is acknowledged
4. Write is shadow copied to DRAM
5. System uses Lempel-Ziv 4 for
inline compression and a
modified LZ compression for pre
1.4 software releases.
Variable block based;
compresses all data into
stripes
Write Operation
controllers NVRAM (1GB)
controllers NVRAM
5. System uses Lempel-Ziv 4 for
inline compression and a
modified LZ compression for pre
1.4 software releases.
stripes
30
Rev 4d
What you need to know about Lempel-Ziv 4
LZ4 is a fast lossless compression algorithm
Provides compression speeds of 300 MB/s per CPU core
Provides a fast decoder that provides speeds up to and beyond 1GB/s per
CPU core. It can reach RAM speed limits on multi-core systems.
Rev 4d
Application Compression with Nimble
60
Taken from InfoSight Feb 2013
31
Rev 4d
Write Operation
controllers NVRAM
controllers NVRAM
5. System uses a modified Lempel-
Ziv for inline compression.
stripes
Write Operation
controllers NVRAM
controllers NVRAM
5. System uses a modified Lempel-
Ziv for inline compression.
stripes
Inline Compression
DRAM
Universal Compression:
Variable-size blocks enable
fast inline compression, saving
30-75%
Elimination of read-modify-write
penalty allows compression of
all applications
NIMBLE
ARRAY
Data Path Write
N
V
R
A
M
N
V
R
A
M
4.5 MB stripes
Many IOPS sent as a stripe reduces IOPS
between controller and disks
2
K
18K
6
K
8
K
7K
1
K
2
K
1
K
8
K
21 K
18K
3
K
11K
4
K
3
K
2
K
4K 21K 11K
Rev 4d
High-Capacity Disk Storage
All Data
Data Path Write
NIMBLE
ARRAY
Inline Compression
Write Optimized Layout
Random writes always organized
into large sequential stripes
All data is written sequentially in full
RAID stripes to disks. Because of
compression and the stripe write
there are fewer write operations
Large stripe written to disk in
one operation: ~250x faster
than write in place layout
Use of low-cost, high-density HDDs
coupled with compression lowers
costs substantially
DRAM
N
V
R
A
M
N
V
R
A
M
32
Rev 4d
DRAM
Large Adaptive Flash Cache
N
V
R
A
M
N
V
R
A
M
Cache-
worthy
Data
Data Path Write
Inline Compression
Smart Caching
MLC flash: Converting random writes to
sequential writes minimizes write
amplification, allowing the use of MLC
SSDs
No RAID overhead: Using flash as a
read cache avoids the overhead of RAID
protection
Compression: Data on flash is
compressed, saving space
Metadata in cache accelerates all reads
NIMBLE
ARRAY
All Data
Rev 4d
DRAM
N
V
R
A
M
N
V
R
A
M
Cache-
worthy
Data
Data Path Read
Inline Compression
Accelerated Reads
All random writes and any hot data is
written to Flash Cache.
Serves hot data from flash;
responds rapidly to changes
Reads 50x faster than disk
(200us vs. 10ms)
NIMBLE
ARRAY
All Data
33
Rev 4d
Data Path Reads
DRAM
N
V
R
A
M
N
V
R
A
M
Cache-
worthy
Data
Inline Compression
NIMBLE
ARRAY
All Data
1
3
4
5
2
Read Operation
1. Read from NVRAM
2. If not found, check DRAM
3. If not found, read from cache
If found, validate checksum,
uncompress, and return data
4. If not found, read from disk
If found, validate checksum,
uncompress, and return data
5. And, if cache-worthy, write to cache
Rev 4d
How does the read operation compare to others?
How might inline compression Vs. full stripe compression effect the
read?
How do you think a changed block is handled?
34
Rev 4d
Compression Performance Comparison During
Changed Block Operation
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
8 blocks grouped
& compressed
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Group placed into
N fixed size slots
Entire group read
& uncompressed
New group compressed
& re-written
Block updated
with new data
Fixed block Architecture CASL Variable Blocks
Individual blocks
compressed and
coalesced into stripe
Updated data block
compressed and
coalesced into new stripe
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 3
Other Array Manufacturers Nimble Storage
Rev 4d
Compression Performance Comparison For A Changed
Block
8 blocks grouped
& compressed
Group placed into
N fixed size slots
Entire group read
& uncompressed
New group compressed
& re-written
Block updated
with new data
Fixed block Architecture CASL Variable Blocks
Individual blocks
compressed and
coalesced into stripe
Updated data block
compressed and
coalesced into new stripe
Other Array Manufacturers Nimble Storage
Cost of fixed block architecture relative to CASL:
1. Additional M blocks read from disk
2. Additional CPU cycles for decompression &
recompression of all N blocks
3. Additional M-1 blocks written to disk
35
Rev 4d
Ideal for Exchange
Gain Performance
MAILBOXES PER DISK
Published and verified
Microsoft Exchange ESRP
benchmark results.
312
EquaLogic
32 disks for
10,000
mailboxes
294
EMC
34 disks for
10,000
mailboxes
187
NetApp
64 disks for
12,000
mailboxes
139
Compellent
72 disks for
10,000
mailboxes
Nimble
12 disks
for 40,000
mailboxes
3,333
10-24x
Save and Protect
COMPRESSION CUSTOMERS RETAINING
SNAPSHOTS FOR
>1 MONTH 1.8x
48%
Actual results
across all
Nimble
customers
deploying
Exchange
2010
Actual results
across all
Nimble
customers
deploying
Exchange
2010
We started out deploying SQL workloads primarily on
the Nimble array. Very quickly we realized we had
enough performance headroom to consolidate our very demanding
Exchange 2010 deployment on the same array.
Ron Kanter, IT Director, Berkeley Research Group
With Nimble, we were able to run 3 snapshot backups a day and
replicate offsite twice daily. Exchange users notice no performance
degradation. Backups take minutes, not hours. Snapshot backups
require very little space and are recoverable and mountable locally and
remotely. A mailbox or Exchange system can be recovered in literally minutes.
Best of all, we can regularly test our procedures for Disaster Recovery.
Lucas Clara, IT Director, Foster Pepper LLC
# of mailboxes per disk
Rev 4d
Data Security
Data on disk with no dirty cache - ever
RAID6
Tolerates 2 simultaneous disk failures
Checksum per block (data and index)
Checked on every read and by background scrubber
Mismatch triggers RAID-based reconstruction of stripe
Self-description per block (LUN, offset, generation)
Detects mis-directed reads and writes
Data on flash
Checksum per block (data and index)
Checked on every read
Mismatch causes removal from cache
Data in NVRAM
Mirrored to peer NVRAM
Dual failure data lost, but consistency preserved to last N minutes
36
Rev 4d
Summary
Intelligent data optimization
Sweeping
Inline data compression for primary storage optimization
The combination of SSDs and high-capacity disks in one device
Instant, integrated backups
Rev 4d
Summary
3 Unique Elements of Nimble CASL Technology
Fully integrated flash (unlike bolt on offerings)
Ground up data layout for flash AND disk to maximize flash benefit
A fully sequentialized write layout on disk and flash
Dramatic price/performance advantage WITH inline compression
Highly efficient snapshots (space AND performance)
37
Rev 4d
1
Rev 4
Section 4: Nimble Array Networking and Cabling
Rev 4
Understanding IPs
The array management IP address
Best Practice: This IP address can be used for data, but this is not
desirable: specific target IP addresses of the interface pairs should
be used instead.
The target discovery IP address
Best Practice: This IP address can be used for data, but this is not
desirable: specific target IP addresses of the interface pairs should
be used instead.
The data IP addresses
The two controller diagnostic IP addresses
2
Rev 4
Networking Terminology
Interface Pairs
Controller A eth1 & Controller B eth1
IP addresses float between
Controller A Controller B
Rev 4
Set iSCSI Timeout in Windows
Set the LinkDownTime to 60 seconds
The NWT can set the timeout value for you
Or set it manually:
see the Microsoft iSCSI guide at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/dd904411(WS.10).aspx
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E97B-
E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\instance-number\Parameters
MaxRequestHoldTime set to 60 seconds (0X3C)
LinkDownTime set to 60 seconds (0X2D)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Disk
TimeOutValue set to 60 seconds (0X3C)
3
Rev 4
Other OS Timeout Value Changes
Changing iSCSI Timeouts on Vmware
None Needed
Changing iSCSI Timeouts on Linux (iscsid.conf)
For Linux guests attaching iSCSI volumes
node.conn[0].timeo.noop_out_interval =5
node.conn[0].timeo.noop_out_timeout =60
Rev 4
MPIO
Setup MPIO on your server and make sure its active.
Review the Using MPIO section of the User Guide
This will require a reboot of the server to make both the registry
edit and the MPIO active so do this ahead of time so as to not
delay installation.
Nimble OS 2.0 and later Nimble Connection Manager sets up
the optimum number of iSCSI sessions and finds the best data
connection to use under MPIO. Includes a Nimble DSM that
claims and aggregates data paths for the Nimble array volumes.
4
Rev 4
Network Best Practices
Best Practice Details
Do not use Spanning Tree
Protocol (STP)
Do not use STP on switch ports that connect to
iSCSI initiators or the Nimble storage array
network interfaces.
Configure flow control on
each switch port
Configure Flow Control on each switch port that
handles iSCSI connections. If your application
server is using a software iSCSI initiator and
NIC combination to handle iSCSI traffic, you
must also enable Flow Control on the NICs to
obtain the performance benefit.
Rev 4
Network Best Practices
Best Practice Details
Disable unicast storm
control
Disable unicast storm control on each switch that
handles iSCSI traffic. However, the use of broadcast
and multicast storm control is encouraged.
Use jumbo frames
when applicable
Configure jumbo frames on each switch that handles
iSCSI traffic. If your server is using a software iSCSI
initiator and NIC combination to handle iSCSI traffic,
you must also enable J umbo Frames on the NICs to
obtain the performance benefit (or reduce CPU
overhead) and ensure consistent behavior. Do not
enable Jumbo Frames on switches unless Jumbo
Frames is also configured on the NICs.
5
Rev 4
Vmware Settings
Review the Nimble Vmware Integration Guide
Configure Round Robin ESX 4.1 only (4.0 will be different)
To set the default to Round Robin for all new Nimble volumes type the following, all on one line:
esxcli nmp satp addrule --psp VMW_PSP_RR --satp VMW_SATP_ALUA --vendor Nimble
Configure Round Robin ESXi5 only
To set the default to Round Robin for all new Nimble volumes type the following, all on one line:
esxcli storage nmp satp rule add --psp=VMW_PSP_RR --satp=VMW_SATP_ALUA --
vendor=Nimble
ESXi5.1 use the GUI to set Round Robin
Push out Vcenter plugin
With Nimble OS version 1.4 and higher use Administration >>Plugins
vmwplugin --register --username arg --password arg --server arg
Rev 4
Cisco UCS and ISNS
Cisco UCS Support
Formal Cisco UCS certification program Nimble will be listed.
Boot-from-SANnow officially supported in 1.4
Supported adapters: Palo-only(no other mezzanine adapters.)
Supported UCS version: UCS Manager v2.0(3)
Cisco UCS firmware version 2.02r full version string is 5.0(3)N2(2.02r)
Supported OSs: VMware esx4.1u1, ESX5.0u1, Windows 2008 R2, RHEL6.2, SUSE 11 Update 1
iSCSI iSNS Support
Protocol used for interaction between iSNS servers and iSNS clients.
Facilitates automated discovery, management, and configuration of iSCSI devices on a TCP/IP network.
Primary driver Microsoft HCL Certification requires it.
Managed via the Nimble CLI only.
6
Rev 4
Cabling Multi-switch Connectivity
Host
eth1 eth2
Active link
Standby link
eth5 eth6 eth5 eth6
Even ports to one switch
Odd ports to the opposite switch
Rev 4
What is wrong with this configuration?
If a switch fails controllers
cannot perform a proper
failover since their sibling
interface does not have
connectivity.
Host
eth1 eth2
eth5 eth5 eth6 eth6
7
Rev 4
Section 5: Installation
Rev 4
First Steps
End users: Login to InfoSight at https://infosight.nimblestorage.com
8
Rev 4
First Steps
Rev 4
First Steps
Once you have logged into InfoSight download the
following:
Latest Release Notes
Latest User Guides
Latest CLI Reference Guide
Nimble Windows Toolkit
VMware Integration Toolkit (if applicable)
Related Best Practice Guides
9
Rev 4
Pre-Install Checklist
Complete Checklist and review in advance
of on-site visit
Send to Nimble Support for review
Create physical topology with customer and
validate against best practices
Perform an on-site visit prior to the
installation
Rev 4
Pre-Install Checklist
Collect all necessary data to perform an installation
Organized in the same order that you will be entering in the data
Can be left with the customer
18 2012 Nimble Storage. Proprietary and confidential. Do not distribute.
Pre-Installation Checklist
10
Rev 4
Before You Begin
Important: The computer used to initially configure the array must
be on the same physical subnet as the Nimble array, or have
direct (nonrouted) access to it.
Ensure Adobe Flash Player is installed
Rev 4
Prerequisites
Before launching the NWT:
Set a static IP: Set your IP address to the same subnet as your array
management IP address will be on.
Have your array controllers A & B correctly cabled to your switch fabric per
the previous drawings.
Complete all your switch configurations for Flow Control, J umbo Frames,
Spanning tree, Unicast, etc.
Install the Nimble Windows Toolkit (NWT) on the Laptop or Server your
installing with.
11
Rev 4
Nimble Windows Toolkit Installation
The Nimble Windows Toolkit (NWT) includes
Nimble Protection Manager (NPM)
Rev 4
12
Rev 4
Installer needs to modify a few iSCSI timeout values.
Installer will update them only if they are smaller than
recommended values. Do you want installer to update
the values? Click Yes to update and continue. Click No
to continue without updating the values.
Rev 4
13
Rev 4
NWT Nimble Array Setup Manager
1) Start the Nimble Array Setup Manager 2) Select the Array to install and click Next
Rev 4
3) Enter the array name
Make it useful such as
row and rack number
4) Set your management IP
address Subnet mask &
Default Gateway
5) Enter and confirm your
array password
6) Click Finish
14
Rev 4
7) Click Close. Your
default browser window
will be opened and
directed to the
management IP. If it
does not open a browser
and point it to your
management IP address
You should get this screen
after a few seconds.
Rev 4
Nimble Install Nimble Array Setup Manager
Enter Management IP
If you get this screen click
this selection to continue
NWT should take you straight to the Nimble
Array Setup Manager screens. If not, you may
see this screen.
15
Rev 4
Log in with the password
you just set
Rev 4
16
Rev 4
Set the physical
IP addresses
Set the iSCSI
Discovery IP
Set the physical
IP addresses
Rev 4
Typical CS240 Configuration
CONTROLLER A
Diagnostic IP 1 (associated
with any physical port)
CONTROLLER B
Diagnostic IP 2 (associated
with any physical port)
Array Management IP Address and Target IP Address
(floating, shared by controllers)
Management
& replication
Data ports
17
Rev 4
Set the Domain
and DNS servers
Rev 4
Set Time Zone
and NTP server
18
Rev 4
Set From Address
Set Send To Address
Check send copy to
Nimble storage
Set SMTP Server
EnsureAuto Support in
enabled
If using an HTTP Proxy check here
Rev 4
Your Nimble Storage array is ready to use. Before you start using your
array, there are a couple of things you should do to ensure smooth
operations.
You must add the management IP address and the controller support
addresses you provided to
Your mail servers relay list.
You will also need to open the following firewall ports:
SSH 2222 hogan.nimblestorage.com (secure tunnel)
HTTPS: 443 nsdiag.nimblestorage.com (software downloads,
autosupport, heartbeat.
19
Rev 4
Nimble Install - WEB
Rev 4
Nimble Install Post Initial Setup
Open the AutoSupport screen:
Administration >>Alerts &
Monitoring >>
AutoSupport/HTTP Proxy
20
Rev 4
Nimble Install Post Initial Setup
Check Send AutoSupport
data to Nimble Storage
Click Test AutoSupport Settings
You should receive an email with a case for the test
1
2 3
Click Send
AutoSupport
Rev 4
Post-Install Checklist
Verify an Autosupport email was received
Dont leave site without performing this step!
Ensure you have updated firmware
Ensure you perform a failover of the controllers
Check VMware paths (to be discussed in later section)
21
Rev 4
Incoming ports use to be aware of
To use: Open local
port:
For local IP addresses: Notes:
SSH 22 Array management IP
HTTP 80 Array IP
GUI (HTTPS) 443 Array management IP HTTP (port 80) communication is
redirected to HTTPS
iSCSI 3260 Discovery and data IP Needed for data access
SNMP 4290 SNMP daemon
GUI charts,
NPM
4210 Array management IP
Control 4211 Array management IP
Replication
(data)
4213 Array management IP
Rev 4
Outgoing ports use to be aware of
To use: Open
local port:
For local IP addresses: Notes:
External NTP 123 NTP server IP UDP port
External DNS 53 DNS server IP UDP andTCP port
SMTP Usually 25 Mail/SMTP server IP Needed for email alerts
SNMP 162 Needed for traps
SSH/SSHD 22 support.nimblestorage.com Needed for manual SCP of
diagnostic information
22
Rev 4
Section 6: Array Administration
Rev 4
GUI Interface
https://{arrays management IP address}
23
Rev 4
GUI Tour
Capacity Performance Events
Rev 4
GUI Tour
24
Rev 4
Hardware Icons
Rev 4
GUI Tour Hardware Icons
Disk drive is healthy
Disk drive is designated as a spare
SSD is healthy
Disk is failed or missing
Rebuilding disk
Foreign disk
Empty slot
A fan is faulty
A hardware event has occurred
25
Rev 4
GUI Tour Volume Icons
Volume is online
Volume is offline
Volume is offline due to a fault
Volume replica
Volume collection
Volume is running out of space
Rev 4
GUI Tour Replication Task Icons
A replication task is scheduled
A replication task is pending
A replication task is in progress
A replication task failed
26
Rev 4
GUI Navigation
Links
Side menus
Pull down menus
Rev 4
Performance Monitoring Monitor >> Performance
27
Rev 4
Performance Monitoring Interfaces
Rev 4
Space Usage Graphs
28
Rev 4
Command-Line Interface At-a-Glance
Admin (same password as GUI) for customer/SE use
CLI Access
Everything is available in the CLI
ssh (putty) to management to Support IP addresses
Serial access using dongle
115200, 8bits, No parity, 1 stop, Null-modem cable
Never leave home without it!
Commands
All commands follow similar form:
<cmd>--list ; --info ; --edit ; --help
man <cmd>
vol, ip, subnet, route, nic, volcoll, stats
help (to see them all)
Refer to the Nimble CS-Series Command Reference Guide
Rev 4
MIB II
MIB II Support
Customers use SNMP to view their Nimble array with existing Management Software
E.g. Solarwinds, Nagios, Cacti, MG-SOFT MIB Browser
MIB II is the second version of MIB
Mandatory for every device that supports SNMP
Support for SNMP v1 and v2, but not v3
29
Rev 4
Section 7: Working with Volumes
Rev 4
Volumes Overview
RAID 6
Storage Pool
Volume
Physical storage
resource
Logical storage
resource
30
Rev 4
Thin Provisioning
RAID 6
Storage Pool
Consumed Space
Volume
Space from the pool
is consumed as data
is written
Rev 4
Volume Reserves
RAID 6
Storage Pool
Volume Reserve Volume
A reservation reserves a
guaranteed minimum
amount of physical space
from the pool for a volume
31
Rev 4
Volume Quotas
Volume Quota
Volume Reserve
A quota sets the amount of a volume that can be consumed before an alert is
sent and writes are disallowed.
Volume
Pool
Rev 4
Performance Policy
Select a pre-defined policy or
create a custom policy
Custom policies:
Provide a name based on the
application
Block size should be <=the
application block size
Compression on/off
Caching on/off
Block size cannot be changed
on a volume without data
migration
62
2012 Nimble Storage. Proprietary and confidential. Do not distribute.
32
Rev 4
Access Control (Initiator Groups)
Access control which hosts have access to a volume
Best Practice: Always limit access to a host initiator group
Allow multiple initiator access For use with clusters, not MPIO
63
Rev 4
Initiator Groups
A set of host initiators (IQNs) that are allowed to access a specified
volume.
Can be created at volume creation or as a separate task
Manage >>Initiator Groups
An IQN can only be assigned to one initiator group.
33
Rev 4
Initiator Groups
Initiator Name is the real IQN
not an arbitrary name
Case sensitive
Seldom use IP
Multiple initiators for ESX,
MSCS
Initiator Groups are applied to:
Volumes
Volumes+Snapshots
Snapshots only
Rev 4
Volume Collection
A grouping of volumes that share
snapshot/replication schedules
All volumes in a group will be snapped and
replicated as a group
Best practice: Create a volume collection
for each application
Oracle Database and log files
Ensure you do not create overlapping
schedules
66
Volume Collection
34
Rev 4
Volume Collection >> App Synchronization
App flushes/quiesces I/O
while we take a snapshot
and then unfreezes
VMFS consistent
snapshots
SQL consistent snapshots
Exchange consistent
snapshots
SQL/Exchange uses MS
VSS framework and
requires NPM on the
Application Host more
later
Rev 4
Protection Template
Protection templates are sets of defined schedules and retention limits
Created apart from a volume
Manage >>Protection >>Protection Templates
68
35
Rev 4
Viewing Volume and Replica Usage
Rev 4
Creating a Volume
Demonstration
and Lab
36
Rev 4
1
Rev 4
Section 8: Connecting to Hosts
Rev 4
Connecting the host
Initiator Target
iSCSI Portal: A targets IP and TCP port number pair (default 3260)
Discovery: The process of an initiator asking a target portal for a list of it's
targets and then making those available for configuration
2
Rev 4
iSCSI IQN
iSCSI Qualified Name
iqn.2007-11.com.nimblestorage:training-vob104e23787e0f74.00000002.736e4164
iqn.2007-11.com.nimblestorage
1 2 3 4
1. Type iqn or IEEE EUI-64 (eui)
2. Date Year and month the naming authorities domain name was registered
3. Naming Authority Domain name for this target
4. String After the colon anything the naming authority wants to include
Rev 4
Connecting to Windows Hosts
3
Rev 4
Windows iSCSI Target/Initiator
1. Open your iSCSI initiator management
tool and select the Discovery tab.
2. Click Discover Portal and add the
management IP address of the array
into the field. Click OK. The IP address
now appears in the list of targets.
3. Tab to Targets and click Refresh (in
the Discovered Targets area).
4. Select the volume to connect and click
Connect or Log In. If there are no
discovered entries in the list, type the
IP address or host name into the
Target field to discover them. Do not
select the control target. You may also
need to enter a CHAP secret or other
access record information.
Rev 4
Windows iSCSI Target/Initiator
5. On the dialog that is launched for connection, click the Advanced button to specify
physical port connections as described in Understanding IP addressing on page 29.
6. Select the adapter to connect with (usually Microsoft iSCSI adapter) and the target portal
IP address to use for the connection, then click OK.
7. Leave the volume selected for Add this connection to the list of Favorite targets if you
want the system to automatically try to reconnect if the connection fails, and select Enable
Multipath if the connection should use MPIO, then click OK.
8. Click OK to close the Initiator Properties dialog.
9. Move to the Disk Management area of your operating system to configure and map the
volume. Select Control Panel >Administrative Tools. Move to Computer Management
>Storage >Disk Management.
10. Right-click and initialize the new disk (volume). Important: Use the quick format option
when initializing a volume on Windows.
4
Rev 4
Connecting to VMware Hosts
Rev 4
Integration Guides
VMware Integration Toolkit Guide
Hyper-V Integration Guide
Nimble Storage Best Practices for Hyper-V
5
Rev 4
VMware Networking Best Practices
Do not use NIC Teaming on the iSCSI network
VMware and Nimble recommendation
Use 1:1 VMkernel to Physical ports
Even Better - 1:1:1 VMkernel to vSwitch to Physical
No additional steps to turn off NIC teaming in this case
VMkernel ports must be bound to the iSCSI Initiator
CLI command only in ESX 4.1 and in GUI for ESX 5
esxcli swiscsi nic add -n <vmknic>-d <vmhba>
Rev 4
VMware Multi-Path must be Round-Robin
Ensure you hit the Change button when
setting
Jumbo Frames (if used)
Must be set everywhere (array,
VMware, switches)
Every volume on array should be in an
Initiator Group
With ESX must use multi-initiator with
the Nimble Volumes
If you fail to do this and you have to
restart your ESX hosts one of your
hosts will become unusable due to
lack of access its VMDK
6
Rev 4
VMware Networking Setup
Only work with one Volume and one ESX host at a time
Given a vSwitch with two Physical Adapters vmnic1 and 2
configure them for iSCSI use:
1. Select the ESX Host and click on the configuration tab
2. Click on Networking in the Navigation Pane
3. Use the Add button to create two VMkernel ports and enable for
iSCSI and vMotion and name them iSCSI0 and iSCSI1
4. Disable NIC teaming
5. Enable iSCSI SW initiator if not already done
6. Add VMkernel Ports to iSCSI using CLI command if you are working
with ESX 4.1 or with the vSphere GUI if using ESX 5
Rev 4
Verify the number of expected paths for each Volume
( ESX Hosts * Physical Ports per Host * Array Data Ports )
( Count of subnets * Switches per Subnet )
In the array navigate to:
Monitor >> Connections
1 row for each volume initiator combination
Verification Formula
Note:
2 switches with same VLAN/subnet trunked together is 1 switch
2 switches with same VLAN/subnet NOT trunked is 2 switches
7
Rev 4
Verify the number of expected paths for each Volume
( ESX Hosts (always 1) * Physical Ports per Host * Array Data Ports )
In vSphere navigate to:
Select host >> Configuration >> Storage Adapter >>
iSCSI Software Adapter >> click rescan
Verification Formula
Note:
2 switches with same VLAN/subnet trunked together is 1 switch
2 switches with same VLAN/subnet NOT trunked is 2 switches
Rev 4
How many
Physical ports per host?
Array data ports?
ESX hosts connected?
Switch 1 Switch 2
2
2
4
2 X 2 X 4
1 X 1
=16
Expected paths?
Switches per subnet? 1
Number of subnets? 1
Subnet 1
ESX Host 1
NIC1 NIC1
ESX Host 2
NIC1 NIC1
Eth
1
Eth
2
Eth
3
Eth
4
Controller A
Eth
1
Eth
2
Eth
3
Eth
4
Controller B
1 Volume
8
Rev 4
How many
Physical ports per host?
Array data ports?
ESX hosts connected?
Switch 1 Switch 2
2
2
4
2 X 2 X 4
2 X 1
=8
Expected paths?
16
2
=
Switches per subnet? 1
Number of subnets? 2
Subnet 1
Subnet 2
ESX Host 1
NIC1 NIC1
ESX Host 2
NIC1 NIC1
Eth
1
Eth
2
Eth
3
Eth
4
Controller A
Eth
1
Eth
2
Eth
3
Eth
4
Controller B
1 Volume
Rev 4
What if
You lost a NIC, link or misconfigured the IP?
Where could you look to discover which
paths are missing?
The two easiest points to check would
be the switches view of the links and
the arrays view of the links. Switch 1 Switch 2
What would your path count be in the
iSCSI software adapter screen?
How many paths should there be?
How many paths are lost due to the failure?
=
Subnet 1
Subnet 2
ESX Host 1
NIC1 NIC1
ESX Host 2
NIC1 NIC1
Eth
1
Eth
2
Eth
3
Eth
4
Controller A
Eth
1
Eth
2
Eth
3
Eth
4
Controller B
1 Volume
8
2
6 Paths
9
Rev 4
What if
Switch 1 Switch 2
You lost a Eth 2 or misconfigured the IP
what would your path count be in the
iSCSI software adapter screen?
Subnet 1
Subnet 2
ESX Host 1
NIC1 NIC1
ESX Host 2
NIC1 NIC1
Eth
1
Eth
2
Eth
3
Eth
4
Controller A
Eth
1
Eth
2
Eth
3
Eth
4
Controller B
1 Volume
How many paths should there be?
How many paths are lost due to the failure?
=
8
2
6 Paths
Rev 4
Additional Troubleshooting
Verify physical connectivity (draw a picture)
May want to use switch commands to print connected MAC addresses
and compare with MAC address of array ports.
nic --list
Verify VLAN/Subnets are correct on all ports
Verify links are UP and IPs are correct on array
Under GUI navigate to Manage >>Array
ip --list
Clear all appropriate iSCSI static connections in VMware
before all rescans
10
Rev 4
Work on only one system at a time and check the following before moving to
another:
Check src/dest IP addresses of all connections on array:
GUI: Monitor::Connections
CLI: vol --info <volume name>
Check paths on VMware
Storage Adapters
iSCSI SW Initiator
Right click on device and select Manage Paths
Force a failover and check you still have the correct number of connections
As Root on active controller
ctrlr -list will display the active controller
reboot -controller A or B whichever is the active controller from above
Rev 4
When presented a performance
number, do you know how it was
achieved?
11
Rev 4
Performance Metrics
Latency
Milliseconds (ms)
Typically, 0.110ms
Random
Small IO size; e.g., 4KB
QD =1 I/O size
l
a
t
e
n
c
y
min latency
QD
l
a
t
e
n
c
y
min latency
Rev 4
Performance Metrics
Measuring Random I/O
I/Os per second (IOPS)
Typically, 1K100K IOPS
Small I/O size; e.g., 4KB
High QD; e.g., 16
I/O size
R
a
n
d
o
m

I
/
O
max IOPS
QD
R
a
n
d
o
m

I
/
O
max IOPS
Latency =1 / [average latency in seconds +average read/write seek time in seconds]
12
Rev 4
Performance Metrics
Sequential throughput
MBytes per second (MBps)
Typically, 1001000 MBps
Large IO size; e.g., 256MB
High QD; e.g., 16
I/O size
S
e
q
t
h
r
o
u
g
h
p
u
t
max MBPS
QD
S
e
q
t
h
r
o
u
g
h
p
u
t
max MBPS
MB/s =IOPS X KB per IO/ 1024 or simply MB/s =IOPS X I/O block size
Rev 4
Performance
IOmeter Nimble CS2xxG 1.4.7.0 NimbleCS4xxG 1.4.7.0
4KRND write IOPS 17,000 45,000
4KRNDreadIOPS 17,800 74,000
4KRND read/writeIOPS 16,800 59,000
256kSeqwritethroughput
(MB/S) 400 740
256kSeqreadthroughput
(MB/S) 900 1100
Random IOPS Measurement Method
IOPS =throughput/request_size
Request size: 4KB
Request order: random
Request queue depth (parallelism): 32
Volume size: 100GB
Volume block size: 4KB
J umbo Frames: Enabled
Sequential throughput Measurement Method
Request size: 256KB
Request order: sequential
Request queue depth (parallelism): 16
Volume size: 100GB
Volume block size: 32KB
J umbo Frames: Enabled
Sequential throughput is limited to 400-600 MB/s on 1GigE models (depending on number of assigned iSCSI data
ports)
13
Rev 4
Section 9: Snapshots
Rev 4
Snapshots
26
New Data
(non-snapped)
Snapped Data
14
Rev 4
Discussion: What are snapshots & how do they work?
What is a
COW?
Rev 4
Snapshot Reserve
COW Snapshots
28
New Data
(non-snapped)
Snapped Data
Changed Block
15
Rev 4
Discussion: What are snapshots & how do they work?
What is a
ROW?
Rev 4
ROW Snapshots
30
New Data +
Changed Blocks
Snapped Data
Changed Block
16
Rev 4
File and Snapshot Lifecycle 09:00
A B C D
State of data at 09:00
filename
filename
A B C D
4-block file created
Rev 4
A B C D
filename
filename
A B C D
A B C D
Snap10
10:00 snapshot
10 snap!
17
Rev 4
A B C D
filename
filename
A B C D
A B C D
Snap10
10:00 snapshot
10 10 snap!
B
If block B is changed, the original
state can be recovered by rolling
back to the snap taken at 10:00
Rev 4
File and Snapshot Lifecycle 11
A B C D
filename
filename
A B C D
A B C D
Snap10
10:00 snapshot
10 10 snap!
B
A B C D
Snap11
11:00 snapshot
10 11
The next snap taken captures the
change made to block B
18
Rev 4
A B C filename
filename
A B C D
A B C D
Snap10
10:00 snapshot
10 10 snap!
B
A B C D
Snap11
11:00 snapshot
10 11
A B C D
Snap12
12:00 snapshot
A B C D
Snap13
13:00 snapshot
A B C D
Snap14
14:00 snapshot E
E
E
E
E
10 12 10 13 10 14
If block D is deleted, it can still be
recovered using the SNAP taken at
14:00.
Rev 4
A B C filename
filename
A B C D
A B C D
Snap10 10:00 snapshot
10 10
B
A B C D
10 11
A B C D
Snap12
12:00 snapshot
A B C D
A B C D
Snap14
14:00 snapshot
E
E
E
E
E
10 12 10 13 10 14
A B C
Snap15 15:00 snapshot (update E)
E
A B C
Snap16 16:00 snapshot (update E 2X)
E
A B C
Snap17 17:00 snapshot E
E
10 15 10 16 10 17
E
Note that the snapshot pointers
never change, they are immutable.
They disappear when the snapshot
reaches the end of its retention
cycle, at which point the snapshot is
deleted along with its pointers.
8
Actual
Blocks Stored
39
Apparent
Blocks Stored
8
Full Backups
19
Rev 4
A B C filename
filename
A B C D
A B C D
10 10
B
A B C D
10 11
A B C D
A B C D
A B C D
Snap14
14:00 snapshot
E
E
E
E
E
10 12 10 13 10 14
A B C
E
A B C
E
A B C
E
10 15 10 16 10 17
E
8
Actual
Blocks Stored
39
Apparent
Blocks Stored
8
Full Backups
Restoring is easy. If the deletion of
Block D signalled the start of a
sequence of unwanted events, then a
roll back to the snapshot taken at 14:00
is required.
Rev 4
A B C filename
filename
A B C D
A B C D
10 10
B
A B C D
10 11
A B C D
Snap12
12:00 snapshot
A B C D
A B C D
Snap14
14:00 snapshot
E
E
E
E
E
10 12 10 13 10 14
A B C
E
A B C
E
A B C
E
10 15 10 16 10 17
E
8
Actual
Blocks Stored
39
Apparent
Blocks Stored
8
Full Backups
By restoring just the pointers from the
14:00 snapshot to the active file (or
filesystemor LUN), the state file (or
filesystemor LUN) at 14:00 can be
restored almost instantly, without
having to move any data.
20
Rev 4
Snapshot Status
Rev 4
Snapshots
Snapshot Quota
Snapshot Reserve
Snapped
Volume
Snapshot Reserve An accounting
for a set amount of space that will be
guaranteed available for the
snapshot.
Snapshot Quota An accounting for
the total amount of space a snapshot
can consume.
RARELY USED
21
Rev 4
Zero Copy Clone
Snapshots are ROW
Snapped data is held as a single dataset
New writes are directed to available space in the storage pool
Zero copy clone
Allows a volume to be created for online use based on a snapshot
Any changed data is handled like a ROW snapshot
Occupies no additional space until new data is written or changed
Pointers
Rev 4
Best in Class Space Efficiency
100%
75%
25%
Nimble
56%
44%
NetApp
68%
32%
Equallogic
150%
Nimble
w/compression
80%
NetApp
w/ dedupe
68%
Equallogic
Raw Capacity Usable Capacity (as % of raw) Effective Capacity (as % of raw)
All vendors
No snapshots
Snapshot space
Usable (physical) Capacity
Effective Capacity (w/compression)
Parity, Spares and Overheads
Usable capacity as a percent
22
Rev 4
Best in Class Space Efficiency
100%
Raw Capacity Usable Capacity (as % of raw) Effective Capacity (as % of raw)
8% 8%
32%
Equallogic
60%
44%
NetApp
4%
52%
Nimble
3%
72%
25%
144%
Nimble
w/compression
74%
NetApp
w/ dedupe
7.5%
Equallogic
All vendors
With snapshots
Snapshot space
Usable (physical) Capacity
Effective Capacity (w/compression)
Parity, Spares and Overheads
Usable capacity as a percent
Rev 4
Section 10: Replication
23
Rev 4
Replication Overview
What is replication
and how does it
work?
Rev 4
Introduction
Replication creates copies of volumes on a separate Nimble
array primarily for the purpose of off-site backup and
disaster recovery.
Asynchronous
Triggered by snapshots
Topologies supported: 1:1, N:1, bi-directional
Transfers compressed snapshot deltas
Replica volume can be brought online instantaneously
Controlled by two processes:
Management (scheduling)
Data transfer
24
Rev 4
Replication Overview
M
g
m
t
.

N
e
t
w
o
r
k
Replica
Snapshot
Replica
Partners
Upstream (Source)
Downstream (Destination)
Rev 4
One-to-One Replication
N
E
T
W
O
R
K
Single volume assigned to
Hourly
Replica of volume
assigned to Hourly
Multiple volumes assigned
to Daily
Replicas of volumes
assigned to Daily
25
Rev 4
Reciprocal Replication
N
E
T
W
O
R
K
Site A
Site B
Rev 4
Many-to-One Replication
N
E
T
W
O
R
K
Volumes assigned
to SQL
Replica of volumes
assigned to SQL
Volumes assigned to
Outlook
Replica of volumes
assigned to Outlook
Volumes assigned
to Hourly
Replica of volumes
assigned to Hourly
Volumes assigned to
datastore1
Replica of volumes
assigned to datastore1
Site A
Site B
Site C
26
Rev 4
How Replication Works The Basics
N
e
t
w
o
r
k
Replica
Snapshot
1. Create a replication partnership
2. Define replication schedule
3. At first replication the entire
volume is copied to the replica
partner
4. Subsequent replicas contain only
changes that have occurred
Rev 4
Volume Ownership
Volcolls, schedules, volumes have a notion of ownership
On downstream array, replicated objects are owned by upstream array
and cannot be directly modified
27
Rev 4
Software Components
Partner: identifies a Nimble array that will replicate to and/or from
Snapshot Schedule: attribute of a volume collection, details when
to snapshot and replicate and to which partner (one or more of
these per volume collection)
Throttle: provides the ability to limit replication transmit bandwidth
Rev 4
Partner
Identifies a Nimble array that can replicate to and/or from this array
Must be created on upstream and downstream arrays
Attributes:
Name: must match array name
Hostname: must match arrays management IP address
Secret: shared secret between partners (not currently enforced)
Connected: successfully established communications
Management process re-affirms 1/minute
Test function performs this on demand
Synchronized: successfully replicated configuration, updated as
needed and every 4 hours
28
Rev 4
Partner (contd)
Pause/Resume:
Terminate all in-progress replications inbound or outbound, to/from
this partner do not allow new ones to start until Resume
Persists across restarts
Test (button in GUI):
Perform basic connectivity test
Management process Controller -A to B and B to A
Data transfer process Controller A to B and B to A
Throttles:
Limit transmit bandwidth to this partner
Scheduling parameters include days, at time, until time
Existence is mutually exclusive with array throttles (a system can
contain array-wide throttles or partner-wide throttles, but not both)
Rev 4
Replication Partner Notes
Replication happens
on Management IP
You can have many
replication partners
You can pause
replication by partner
but NOT by Volume
Collection or schedule
29
Rev 4
Volume Collection Schedules
Groups related volumes into a set that is snapshotted and
replicated as a unit
Contains one or more Snapshot Schedules that specify:
When to take snapshots
To/from replication partner
Which snapshots to replicate (--replicate_every)
How many snapshots to retain locally
How many snapshots to retain on the replica
Alert threshold
Created on upstream array, automatically replicated to downstream
Rev 4
Volume Collection (contd)
Replicated as configuration data along with all snapshot schedules
that define a downstream partner
Sent to downstream partner as changes are made (transformed on
downstream, i.e. Replicate To Replicate From
Volumes created in offline state downstream as needed
Clones created downstream only if parent snapshot exists
Partner considered synchronized only if all relevant configuration
is successfully replicated (volcolls, schedules, volume creation)
30
Rev 4
Replication Schedules
Replication configured
using Volume Collection
schedule attributes
Different Schedules in
the same Collection must
replicate to the same
partner
Calculate your change
rate and bandwidth can
you get it all done??!!!
Rev 4
Snapshot Collection
Creation of replicable snapcoll triggers its replication to start
I.E. Replicate every #of snapshots
Counter starts at creation of the schedule and does not reset
Must replicate in the order they are created
Replication deferred if volume collection busy replicating prior
snapcoll
Replication will not proceed unless partner is synchronized
Replicable snapcoll cannot be removed by user unless replication to
the partner is paused
31
Rev 4
Snapshot Collection (contd)
Replication status:
Completed: Replication to partner is completed.
Pending: Replication to partner not yet started (pending completion of
prior snapcoll)
In-progress: Replication in progress
N/A: Upstream: non-replicable, Downstream: always shows this status
Start time, Completion time, Bytes transferred
Rev 4
Replication QOS Bandwidth Limit
Support Multiple
QOS Policies
Applies to Partner
Can define a Global
QOS for all partners
Under Manage
Replication Partner
32
Rev 4
Replication Sequence
Replication episode:
In parallel for each volume in volcoll:
Identify common snapshot on downstream, traversing volume parentage
(i.e. for efficient clone support)
Management process checks to ensure replication is not paused and
volumes/volume collections are owed by the upstream array
Data transfer process begins to transfer data
Management process awaits confirmation from the data transfer process
that replication is complete.
Create snapshot collection on downstream after all volumes have
completed data transfer
Concurrency the data transfer process is limited to 3 streams
The mangement process periodically retries if resources unavailable
Rev 4
Replication Concepts
Upstream Array Downstream Array
Snap Snap
Snap Snap
10AM 10AM
11AM 11AM
Promote
11:30AM
Temp Upstream (Orig. Downstream Array)
33
Rev 4
Temp Upstream (Orig. Downstream Array)
Upstream Array
Snap Snap
Snap Snap
10AM 10AM
11AM 11AM
Promote
11:30AM
When you promote a downstream replication
partner, the system:
1. Suspends the replication relationship associated with the
volume collection.
2. Give ownership of volumes to the downstream array.
3. Creates a second (local) instance of the volume collection
and assumes ownership.
4. Clears Replicate From
5. Brings the most recently replicated snapshots online as
volumes. The contents of the newly available volumes are
then consistent with the last replicated snapshots.
6. Begin taking snapshots per defined schedules
Promote
Only use promote if the upstream array is no
longer available.
Rev 4
Upstream Array
Snap Snap
Snap Snap
Snap
10AM 10AM
11AM 11AM
Promote
11:30AM
12PM
Reconfigure role - downstream
Temp Upstream (Orig. Downstream Array) Temp Downstream (Orig. Upstream Array)
34
Rev 4
Snap Snap
Snap Snap
Snap
10AM 10AM
11AM 11AM
Promote
11:30AM
12PM
When you Perform a handover the system will:
1. Take all associated volumes offline
2. Takes a snapshot of all associated volumes
3. Replicates these snapshots to a downstream
replication partner
4. Transfers ownership of the volume collection to the
partner
5. Brings the newly replicated volumes online
6. Reverses replication roles/direction
Handover
Handover
Rev 4
Snap Snap
Snap Snap
Snap
10AM 10AM
11AM 11AM
Promote
11:30AM
12PM
Handover
Snap
Snap
Snap
Reverse roles
Automatic
Snap Taken
Before Restore
35
Rev 4
Demote
69
Rev 4
Demote
Demote: converts non-replica objects to replica objects (lossy
failback)
Offlines volumes
Clear Replicate to, set Replicate from (reverse rolls)
Use greater of local/replica snapcoll retention for replica
retention
Give ownership of volcoll objects to specified partner
Stop taking local snapshots
lossy since volume data is ultimately restored to that of
upstream partner
Data on the downstream is not replicated across to the upstream
36
Rev 4
Snap Snap
Snap Snap
Snap
10AM 10AM
11AM 11AM
Promote
11:30AM
12PM
Demote
Snap
Snap
Reverse roles
Rev 4
Debugging
Use partner info on upstream to determine connectivity,
configuration sync (may include details as to what is preventing
synchronization)
Use volcoll info on upstream to determine state of in-progress
replication (may include details as to state machine progress or
data transfer counts)
Per-partner and per-volume repl stats available (tx and rx byte
counts)
37
Rev 4
Replication Status
Can use stats command on CLI to view throughput history
Rev 4
1
Rev 4
Section 11: Data Protection & DR
Rev 4
Recovery Scenarios
Recovery from local snapshots
Single volume, volume collection
Replacing entire volume
Testing my DR site without interrupting replication
Use of clones
Full Disaster Recovery
2
Rev 4
Recovery Scenarios Recovery from local snapshots
1. Clone the snapshot (creates a first-class volume)
1
3
2
Rev 4
Recovery Scenarios Recovery from local snapshots
2. Add/adjust ACLs on the volume (host initiators)
3. Mount the volume (could require resignature)
4. Register the VM and ether
Perform a cold migration
Start the VM and to a Storage vMotion
5. Unmount the cloned volume
6. Delete the cloned volume
3
Rev 4
Recovery Scenarios
Restore to previous snapshot
1. Quiesce applications
2. Unmount the active volume(s) from the host(s)
3. Select the snapshot/snap-collection to restore
4. Click Restore
5. Mount the volume(s)
6. Start applications
Rev 4
Recovery Scenarios
Testing my DR site without interrupting replication
1. Go to downstream replica
2. Clone the snapshot (create a first class volume)
3. Add/adjust ACLs on the volume
4. Mount the volume
5. Interrogate/Test the data and applications (via Windows,
ESX, etc.)
6. Unmount the volume
7. Delete the cloned volume
4
Rev 4
Recovery Scenarios
Full Disaster Recovery (Primary site is inaccessible)
Failover to DR site
1. Promote downstream volume collections at DR site
2. Add/adjust ACLs on the volumes
3. Mount volumes to application servers (Windows/ESX)
4. Start production environment at DR site
Rev 4
Recovery Scenarios
Full Disaster Recovery (Primary site is inaccessible)
Failback to Primary site
1. Install new array and configure as downstream partner
2. Allow replication of volumes while still running at DR site
3. Gracefully shutdown apps at DR site
4. Perform Handover to primary site
5. Start production environment at primary site
5
Rev 4
Application-Integrated Data Protection
Rev 4
NTFS
VSS
NPM Protection for Windows Applications
Improved protection with fast snapshots,
Efficient capacity and bandwidth utilization
How it works:
1. Protection schedule triggers snapshot process
2. NPM talks to MS VSS service.
3. VSS tells Exchange to quiesce mail stores.
4. VSS tells NTFS to flush buffer cache.
5. VSS tells Nimble array to take a snapshot.
6. Nimble array captures near instant snapshots of all volumes
in collection.
7. Optional: NPM runs database verification on predefined
schedule to ensure consistency and truncates logs
8. NPM triggers WAN efficient replication on pre-defined
schedule
9. Optional: Existing backup software mounts snapshot for
weekly archive copy to tape
10. When needed, snapshots provide fast restore capability
snapshots
Backup
Server
NPM leverages VSS (Volume Shadow-Copy Service)
Mail stores
9
9
1
2
4
6
3
5
Tape
6
Rev 4
VMware Synchronized Snapshots
Nimble OS can take a VM
application consistent
snapshot
Define the vCenter host
At first use you will also
need to provide:
Username with
administrator access
Password for the
administrator
11
Rev 4
VMware Synchronized Snapshots
Return to the details page of the volume collection and click Validate to
ensure:
username and password are correct
user has the correct permissions
7
Rev 4
SRM with Nimble Storage Replication Adapter
VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager (SRM)
Host-based application that lets you set up disaster recovery plans for the
VMware environment before you need them.
SRM is a vCenter plug-in that allows disaster recovery tasks to be managed inside
the same GUI tool as your other VM management tasks.
SRM, when used with the Nimble Storage Replication Adapter, lets you create
and test a Nimble array-based DR recovery plan without having an impact on
your production environment.
In DR scenarios, your Nimble CS-Series arrays keep your data protected and
replicated for immediate availability from the DR replication partner.
Requires VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 4.1 and later
Rev 4
VMware SRM + Nimble Replication
Efficient DR Automation
Site Recovery
Manager
Site A (Primary) Site B (Recovery)
VMware
vCenter Server
VMware vSphere
Servers
Site Recovery
Manager
VMware
vCenter Server
VMware vSphere
Servers
Nimble arrays support SRM v4.1 and v5.0
Many new features in 5.0
Planned migration (vs. unplanned)
Use-case: Disaster avoidance, datacenter
relocation
Re-protection
Use-case: After a successful failover, reverse
roles of active/replica sites
Failback
Use-case: For disaster recovery testing with live
environments with genuine migrations return to
their initial site
Disaster Recovery Event
An initial attempt will be made to shut down the
protection groups VMs and establish a final
synchronization between sites
Scalability (#of VMs, protection groups etc.)
Storage Replication
8
Rev 4
SRM - Planned Migration
Ensures an orderly and
pretested transition from a
protected site to a recovery site
Ensures systems are quiesced
Ensures all data changes
have been replicated
Will halt the workflow if an
error occurs allowing you to
evaluate and fix the error
Start the virtual machines at
the recovery site
Systems will be application
consistent
Rev 4
SRM - Reprotection
Reverses replication
Ensures continued protection
For use after a recovery plan
or planned migration
Selecting reprotect will
establish synchronization and
attempt to replicate data back
to the primary site
Site Recovery
Manager
Site A (Primary) Site B (Recovery)
VMware
vCenter Server
VMware vSphere
Servers
Site Recovery
Manager
VMware
vCenter Server
VMware vSphere
Servers
Storage Replication
9
Rev 4
SRM - Failback
Failback will run the same workflow used to
migrate the environment to the recovery site
Will execute only if reprotection has successfully
completed
Failback ensures the following:
All virtual machines that were initially migrated to the
recovery site will be moved back to the primary site.
Environments that require that disaster recovery
testing be done with live environments with genuine
migrations can be returned to their initial site.
Simplified recovery processes will enable a return to
standard operations after a failure.
Failover can be done in case of disaster or in case of
planned migration.
Rev 4
SRM - Disaster Recovery Event
When a disaster even occurs SRM will:
attempt to shut down the protection groups VMs
Attempt to establish a final synchronization between sites
Designed to ensure that VMs are static and quiescent before running the
recovery plan
If the protected site is not available the recovery plan will run to
completion even if errors are encountered
10
Rev 4
vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI)
vStorageAPIs for Array Integration (VAAI)
VAAI is a feature in the Nimble OS and supports:
Zero Blocks/Write Same primitive (fundamental operation)
hardware acceleration feature
Hardware Assisted Locking
SCSI Unmap
Rev 4
VAAI Write Same
When performing a deletion VMware I/O operations like VM creation,
cloning, backup, snapshots, and VMotion require that data be zeroed via
a process called block zeroing
The write same API speeds up this process by:
moving a large block of zeros and executing repeated writes on the array
The array handles this operation rather than having the host send
repetitive commands to the array
11
Rev 4
VAAI Support - Hardware Assisted Locking
Hardware Assisted Locking (ATS)
Enabled if array supports it
Allows an ESX server to offload the management of locking to the storage hardware
avoids locking the entire VMFS file system
Without ATS
a number of VMFS operations cause the file system to temporarily become locked for
exclusive write use by an ESX node. These can include:
Creating a new VM or template
Powering ON/OFF a VM
Creating deleting a file or snapshot
Moving VMs via vMotion
Rev 4
VAAI Support - SCSI Unmap
SCSI Unmap (space reclamation)
vSphere 5.0 introduced VAAI Thin Provisioning Block Space Reclamation Primitive (UNMAP) designed to efficiently
reclaim deleted space to meet continuing storage needs. In ESX5.1 it is enabled by default.
Before SCSI Unmap
Host deletes data
Array doesnt
understand that data
is no longer relevant.
Data remains on
array consuming
space.
With SCSI Unmap
Host deletes data
Array understands
and releases the
space.
Space is now
reclaimed and now
useable.
KB from VMware regarding SCSI Unmap:
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/
search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayK
C&externalId=1021976
Object-1 erased, server
does not inform storage
that space can be
released
Object-1 erased,
storage understands
and releases space
used
12
Rev 4
Nimble vCenter Plugin
The Nimble vCenter Plugin works with vCenter to:
clone datastores and snapshots
resize datastores
edit protection schedules
take snapshots and set them on/offline
restore from a snapshot
delete snapshots
The vCenter plugin requires ESX 4.1 or later
Rev 4
Registering the plugin
vmwplugin --register --username <username> --password
<password> --server <server_hostname-address-or-URL>
CLI
Review the Vmware Integration Guide 1.2 - Using Nimble's vCenter plugin, for details on
using this plugin
The plugin is not
supported for multiple
datastores located on
one LUN, one datastore
spanning multiple LUNs,
or if the LUN is located
on a non-Nimble array.
13
Rev 4
Section 12: Support
Rev 4
Proactive Wellness
26
Customer Site All Customer Sites
Nimble
Support
5-minute heartbeats
Comprehensive
Telemetry Data
Real-time analysis of over
150,000 heartbeats per day
Real-time analysis of over
150,000 heartbeats per day
2012 Nimble Storage. Proprietary and
14
Rev 4
Replication
conformance
to RPO
Alerts for
unprotected
volumes
MPIO
Misconfiguration
Warnings
Opportunities to
free up space
Connectivity and
health checks before
software upgrades
Proactive Wellness
27
Nimble
Support
5-minute heartbeats
Proactive wellness,
Automated case creation
Rev 4
Proactive Wellness
28
Nimble
Support
5-minute heartbeats
Proactive wellness,
Automated case creation
Secure remote support
15
Rev 4
Real-time monitoring & alerts
Instant Email Alerting
Easy and flexible setup
System alerts to Nimble Support and the
customer
All warning level and alerts
Proactive disk monitoring
System utilization
Protection (Snapshot) monitoring
From: <customer>
Sent: Monday, J une 20, 2011 2:03 PM
To: alerts
Subject: Nimble Alert on <array name> - WARNING: System temperature is warm
Time: Mon J un 20 14:03:01 2011
Type: 12323
Id: 76501
Message: current temperature for sensor bp-temp1 at backplane left side is 44 C
Array name: <name>
Serial: <AA..>
Version: 1.0.6.1-9650-opt
Automated case created
Nimble support proactively
contacts customer
Ability to remote in for real-
time troubleshooting
Rev 4
Real-time monitoring & alerts
Heartbeat Monitoring
Monitored systems send back a heartbeat every 5 minutes!
Nimble support monitors and reacts to heartbeat info collected:
System state (critical, error and warning counts)
Capacity information (space usage and compression)
Performance (R/W sequential and IOPs)
Et c. . . . . . .
16
Rev 4
Daily Health Check
Daily Auto-Support
Detailed system telemetry sent back every 24 hours
Analysis and resolution of all log events and alerts
Proactive disk monitoring, System performance and utilization analysis
Comprehensive automated daily health check
Alerts Support Engineers to issues that can be proactively resolved before
they affect business critical operations
Daily review of all
incidents (auto and
human initiated)
Rev 4
Secure Remote Support
VPN Tunnel
Ability to establish secure VPN tunnel from customer array to Nimble
Support to enable real-time diagnostics and problem resolution
Ability to download and run custom corrective scripts to prevent
conditions that may result in downtime
Customer has full control over enabling/disabling the tunnel
Customer authorizes and
enables VPN tunnel which
gives Nimble Support remote
access for troubleshooting
Nimble Support uses a
DSA public key to
connect to the array
WAN
Can you
please open
the tunnel?
17
Rev 4
InfoSight
Infosight consists of:
The InfoSight Engine: A data collection and analysis engine comprised
of powerful analytics, system modeling capabilities, and predictive
algorithms
The InfoSight Portal: A secure online portal which serves as a window
into the InfoSight Engine
Proactive Wellness: Proactive alerts for system health, performance,
and protection gaps
Rev 4
InfoSight
The benefits of Nimble Storage InfoSight for administrators include:
Manageability: Since InfoSight is cloud-based, no agents need to be
installed, and no data collection infrastructure is required
Usability: InfoSight enables proactive system health and support.
Insightful and actionable information is presented through intuitive
dashboards
Accessibility: InfoSight can be accessed from anywhere, anytime, on
any device. One-click reporting and export capability make it the simplest
way to monitor and manage Nimble Storage environments
18
Rev 4
InfoSight
Demonstration
Rev 4
InfoSight Tour
19
Rev 4
InfoSight Tour
Rev 4
InfoSight Tour
20
Rev 4
InfoSight Tour
Rev 4
InfoSight Tour
21
Rev 4
InfoSight Tour
Rev 4
InfoSight Tour
22
Rev 4
InfoSight Tour
Rev 4
Nimble Connect @ Nimblestorage.com
23
Rev 4
We Make It Easy!
Get Your ISAs to Reg, or DIY in a few easy fields
Registrations valid for 120 days
Required to engage Nimble Sales Teams with customer
within 30 business days
Download the Nimble Storage Mobile App from iTunes
App Store or Google Play
-Find Nimble contacts
-Locate Nimble Tech Specs
-Use Nimble Sales Tools
-Find Nimble events, references, solutions
Rev 4
Partner Portal Do You Have a Login?
24
Rev 4
Partner Portal Online GUI Demo
Rev 4
Support Process
Support Process
Call 1-877-3NIMBLE (US, Canada only) or +1 408-636-6347 worldwide
Email support@nimblestorage.com
Coverage
Telephone Support: 24x7
Email support: 8:00AM-6:00PM PST M-F
Support website: 24x7
Engineering Escalation: 24x7 on-call availability
SLA
P1 telephone response less than 30 minutes (current average is <5min)
Immediate escalation to Engineering.
P2 response less than 4 business hours
P3 response less than 8 business hours
Severity Definitions
P1 Not serving data; severe performance degradation; single controller not operational
P2 Performance degradation, intermittent SW faults, network degradation
P3 Problem or defect causing minimal business impact; request for information
25
Rev 4
Taking the Exam
49
Rev 4
Taking the Exam
Your are encouraged to use your notes and course book/PDF
Do not discuss answers with other students
You have 1 hour 15 minutes to complete
You will be given two chances to answer each question correctly (with
the exception of true/false)
You must score a 75% or higher to pass
26
Rev 4
Log in to Nimble University
University.nimblestorage.com
Rev 4
1. Have your instructor to document your outcome
If taking the exam from home take a screen capture for your records
2. Close the exam window
IMPORTANT: do not close the course portal window
3. The course portal will display:
4. DO NOT close the course portal window until the following is displayed:
Upon Completion
27
Rev 4
Appendix A - Maintenance
Rev 4
Hardware FRUs
Disk Drives (SSD and HDD)
Controllers
Power Supplies
All are non-disruptive replacements
28
Rev 4
Replacing a Drive
Indications that a drive has failed:
The LED is solid red or off (while others are on)
An event appears in the Event list
You received as alert email from the array
Only replace a disk drive with another disk drive, or
an SSD with another SSD. Do not replace an SSD
with a disk drive.
Rev 4
Replacing a Drive
1 2
3 4
29
Rev 4
Replacing a Controller
Indications that a controller has failed:
If the controller was in the active role, the LEDs indicate that no activity is
occurring
The power LED indicator is off
An even appears in the Event list
You received an alert email from the array
Rev 4
Replacing a Controller
1 2
3 4
30
Rev 4
Replacing a Power Supply
The following indicate that a power supply has failed:
The LED on the power supply is red or unlit
An event appears in the Event list in the hardware category
An email has been received from the array indicating a power supply failure
Rev 4
Replacing a Power Supply
31
Rev 4

NTSP Student Handout

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