Upgrade MD3220i fails / mismatched controllers

Hi,

You mentioned it is running 08.20.12.60, would be both of the controller you manage to check or just 1 of them?

Can you let me know the link to the firmware update that you have downloaded and the filename.

Is both controller the same type controller? Is there any DPN# of both controller?

Is the storage working, or you just got it and trying to do updates?

Hi Joey,

Both controllers are running the same firmware and NVSRAM. The only differences I can spot are controller 0 is DPN

0770D8A01 while controller 1 is DPN 0770D8A04, they seem to have slightly different SD cards for cache backup, and the ALUA/AVT status difference.

My hosts are ESXi, which detect the array as ALUA capable. They detect two paths as dead and two active, and when the access storage it immediately causes all disk groups to fail over to controller 1, prompting a "not on preferred controller" warning in the MD.

I'm getting firmware from https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=4cp5x

Thank you,

Eric

Hello,

Do you know the history on this system?

Was it working and now it is not? Was anything changed around the time the issue started?

Could you post picture of the Controller label showing DP/N number?

Controller 0 is DPN 0770D8A01 Controller 1 is DPN 0770D8A04.

*I'm not finding those part numbers as valid Dell part numbers.

The firmware link you have looks to be correct.

For a discrepancy between the host port type representations in RAID Controller Module 0 and RAID Controller Module 1 on your Dell PowerVault MD3220i storage array, address this issue step by step:

Verify Hardware Configuration:

Ensure that both RAID controller modules (Module 0 and Module 1) are correctly installed and operational.

Check the physical connections, cables, and any relevant switches or routers.

Host Port Types:

Each RAID controller module typically has multiple host ports (iSCSI or FC) for connecting to hosts.

Confirm that the port types (iSCSI or FC) match between the two modules.

Mismatch Resolution:

If the port types indeed do not match, you’ll need to align them:

iSCSI Ports: If using iSCSI, ensure that both modules have the same number of iSCSI ports and that they are configured consistently.

Fibre Channel (FC) Ports: For FC, verify that the port speeds and WWN (World Wide Name) settings match.

Configuration Consistency:

Check the configuration settings for both modules:

Access MDSM (Modular Disk Storage Manager): Log in to the MDSM interface to review the settings.

CLI (Command-Line Interface): Use the CLI commands to inspect and modify configurations.

Rescan Hosts:

After making any changes, rescan the hosts connected to the storage array.

This ensures that the updated port configurations are recognized by the hosts.

Thanks for your replies, and sorry for the delayed response. I had to travel to look at this since it's at a different site.

I inherited this setup. It's in production, and I don't have access to the individual who purchased and implemented it.

Both modules are are copper iSCSI on all host ports. The ports are all configured appropriately, I've worked with MD3's in the past.

I think the main issues is controller 0 says no ALUA and controller 1 says OK. This is giving the error when trying to upgrade as well as causing the ESXi probalems.

Thanks,

Eric

Hi,

Thanks for the pictures and confirmation. I don't have a MD to check on the CLI, but can you check if it is possible to try to enable ALUA via command set storageArray ALUAEnabled = true. Or you can try check there is any option to enable it by Storage Management. 

The storageArray object doesn't have that as a settable property.

The host profiles seem to be stored in NVSRAM, which is how I initially got to attempting an upgrade. I started with attempting to re-flash just the NVSRAM, but can't find a download for the current running firmware, which lead to trying to upgrade, which lead me to ask for help, haha.

Curious if I offline and pull one controller, proceed with an upgrade on the other, then reinstall the second controller if that will get them back in sync. If I can find a download for N26X0-780890-001 specifically, I'd prefer just to reflash the NVSRAM, not the entire firmware.

Finally, can't find a specific answer on this, but if running on a single controller and flashing only NVSRAM, will it be disruptive? Maintenance window on this isn't the end of the world, but is highly disruptive...

Thanks,

Eric

Hello,

Did you get the Private Message I sent on 3/4/24 with direction to pull logs and post to your case?

I can resend it if you didn't.