Array Setup and Networking
1748011 Members
4855 Online
108757 Solutions
New Discussion юеВ

Re: OS 5.2 Replication type Synchronous and Partner not showing in Volume Collection

 
SOLVED
Go to solution
Fred Blum
Valued Contributor

OS 5.2 Replication type Synchronous and Partner not showing in Volume Collection

We have upgraded to 5.2. I have set cli command ""group тАУedit тАУdefault_iscsi_target_scope group". I created a new volume and saw LUN 0 added.. There are still existing volumes for which I need to schedule downtime in order to unexport them and change the initiator. 

When I try to create a new volume collection it does not show Replication type "Synchronous" and Replication Partner. 

I do not understand why not. Only volumes that are GST should be able to be added to this Volume Collection. 

Am I missing something?

TIA,

Fred

 

 

9 REPLIES 9
Nick_Dyer
Honored Contributor

Re: OS 5.2 Replication type Synchronous and Partner not showing in Volume Collection

Fred,

probably worth a quick call to Nimble Support to get you up and running.

Nick Dyer
twitter: @nick_dyer_
Fred Blum
Valued Contributor

Re: OS 5.2 Replication type Synchronous and Partner not showing in Volume Collection

First response from support was that they don't know the procedure I am trying to perform to get an existing group and volumes to perform sync replication and after installation of the witness to peer persistance (automatic failover). I have refered them to the HPE Peer Persistance Deployment Guide and https://newman.cloud/en/2019/05/28/sync-replication-and-peer-persistence-setup-hpe-nimble/

I now have one GST Volume with the Group Initiator and three existing VST volumes with the volume inititiator. From what I understand the synchornous replication is set tru creating a volume Collection, but the synchronous replication option is not visible in the create Volume Collections screen in my OS 5.2.

Regarding the witness.

5. Witness installation. As mentioned before, this is optional and required only if we ant ASO (Automatic SwitchOver), which is automatically brings the Peer Persistence synchronously replicated volume to тАЬactiveтАЭ state on the surviving array. If manual failover is enough this can be skipped. Currently witness is an RPM file, which can be downloaded from HPE Infosight and can be installed on a CentOS machine (minimum 7.2). Later there will be an appliance for this, but not yet public. Important to open up firewall тАУ if there is any тАУ as arraysтАЩ management IP should reach it over port 5395.

From your blog: 

- If using Automatic Switch Over (ASO) for application transparent failover, the witness client will need to be located in a third failure domain. Look for this to be offered as a service using a cloud closer to HPE's heart in the future...

Any news when this service will be available?

Regards,

Fred

 

 

Nick_Dyer
Honored Contributor

Re: OS 5.2 Replication type Synchronous and Partner not showing in Volume Collection

Fred,

That doesn't sound like a typical Nimble Support response - what is the support case number please?

Yes - you will find sync replication as an option under your volume collection once you've grouped your two arrays together, with two different pools, and have them showing as pool partners (upstream/downstream).

Screenshot 2020-07-08 at 10.53.10.jpg

 Screenshot 2020-07-08 at 10.53.19.jpg

 

Are your volumes that you're also trying to synchronously replicate set to be GST rather than VST?

Within NimbleOS 5.2 - the witness now is available as an OVF for you to deploy anywhere you see fit, it doesn't have to be an RPM which you have to maintain on a homebrewed Linux build.

Cloud witness as a Service is coming.... but nothing to update at this time.

Nick Dyer
twitter: @nick_dyer_
Fred Blum
Valued Contributor

Re: OS 5.2 Replication type Synchronous and Partner not showing in Volume Collection

Hi Nick,

 

Are there additional settings related to the pool partners that need to be set for sync repl?

Pool partner.png

These were automatically created before setting Group in the CLI for new volumes and can therefor not be removed to recreate them. Are there additional settings that need to be set or changed tru the CLI?

My problem is this:

Volumecollection.png

There is no replication type and replication partner to be used.

case 03746544.

Regards,

Fred

 

Nick_Dyer
Honored Contributor
Solution

Re: OS 5.2 Replication type Synchronous and Partner not showing in Volume Collection

Fred,

i just remembered you're on NimbleOS 5.2 - the replication type has moved to being part of the schedule of your volume collection, as we now support fan-out 3DC replication (not with synchronous yet, but coming soon).

Screenshot 2020-07-08 at 12.35.19.jpg

 

Do you see this (similar to my screenshot?)

Also i see that Nimble Support are working with you remotely to resolve too.

Nick Dyer
twitter: @nick_dyer_
Fred Blum
Valued Contributor

Re: OS 5.2 Replication type Synchronous and Partner not showing in Volume Collection

Thanks Nick,

I found it. I see how it was double in a sense but it also seems counter intuitive moving it that way especially with regards to setting a schedule for snapshots and a setting under replication type synchronous as replicate after every 1 snaphot. 

sync.png

 

Synchronous should always be what it says, always on replication = synchronous replication.  

How are we to interpret this setting Replicate after 1 snapshot in regards to synchronous? Shouldn't it dissapair with synchronous? Or should it read Replicate snapshots after every 1 snapshot?  

Thanks again,

Fred

 

Sheldon Smith
HPE Pro

Re: OS 5.2 Replication type Synchronous and Partner not showing in Volume Collection

Periodic Snapshots provide protection from external volume corruption (for example, ransomware). Something damages the upstream volume, synchronous replication will carefully replicate that corruption to the downstream volume. It's rather nice to be able to promote a good earlier snapshot pair just in case.

You can still have hourly and daily or whatever snapshots for rollback insurance. And for any policy or even legal reasons.


Note: While I am an HPE Employee, all of my comments (whether noted or not), are my own and are not any official representation of the company

Accept or Kudo

Nick_Dyer
Honored Contributor

Re: OS 5.2 Replication type Synchronous and Partner not showing in Volume Collection

Indeed. taking local and remote snapshots are highly recommended, and give you an extra safety net should something go awry (hopefully not). Snaps have no performance overhead and are very space efficient.

Even if you DONT take snapshots on volumes, NimbleOS will take hidden hourly snapshots for you for that proverbial safety net.... but you need to speak with Support to restore data from them.

Nick Dyer
twitter: @nick_dyer_
Sheldon Smith
HPE Pro

Re: OS 5.2 Replication type Synchronous and Partner not showing in Volume Collection

Just be aware there's only one hidden hourly snapshot per volume. It might be a very small window to get Support to restore that data.


Note: While I am an HPE Employee, all of my comments (whether noted or not), are my own and are not any official representation of the company

Accept or Kudo