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Introduction | [ Back ] |
Note: Before you use the graphical user interface, you must completely install the Network Storage Agent.
Running the ras_install program (/opt/SUNWrasag/bin/ras_install), you add a web server service to the host on port 7654.
Maintain Hosts | [ Back ] |
The Master Configuration window enables you to maintain customer
information and site information, and to enter default storage logfiles
and local Network Storage Agent information. You can select the
monitoring frequency, which can vary from five to 120 minutes. This
window also enables you to turn on and turn off the monitoring on a
device-by-device basis.
You can use the Maintain Hosts window to maintain a list of hosts from where the Network Storage Agent is running. When the Network Storage Agent package is installed on a host, it registers with the master Network Storage Agent and an entry is added to this page. For this automatic registration to work, you must first install the master Network Storage Agent. Once all hosts are installed, you can access this page to change the configuration of each host.
The three main functions of this window are:
Device Discovery | [ Back ] |
You can use the Device Discovery function to request the Network Storage Agent to probe the environments for the desired device types.
Sun StorEdge A5x00 arrays, Sun StorEdge A1000 arrays and Sun StorEdge A3500-FC Raid Controllers are discovered on the data paths of each host. Sun StorEdge Network FC Switch-8 Switch-16 are discovered by parsing the IP address from the /etc/fcswitch.conf file. Sun StorEdge T3 arrays are discovered by filtering the /var/adm/messages.t3 for valid Sun StorEdge T3 array IP addresses.
The Subnet button enables you to go out on the LAN and find Sun StorEdge Network FC Switch-8s and Switch-16s and Sun StorEdge T3 arrays. You are required to enter the address of the subnet you would like searched, as well as the prefix to call the name of the device. The subnet functionality can search two subnets at one time (for example, Subnet 10.1.0 and Prefix 10Net).
Note: Sun StorEdge A5x00, Sun StorEdge A3500-FC, and Sun StorEdge A1000 arrays are discovered on the data paths of the hosts to which they are physically attached. Sun StorEdge T3 arrays are discovered by filtering the /var/adm/messages.t3 for Sun StorEdge T3 array IP addresses.
All discovery results are sent back to the host configured with a Master instance of the Network Storage Agent, which stores them in the main configuration file.
Enter missing devices manually using the Maintain Devices function.
Maintain Devices | [ Back ] |
Use the Maintain Devices window to configure the host to monitor each device.You can also use this window to change the name that the Network Storage Agent will use as a reference to that device through its email notifications.
NOTE: This will not affect the naming of the device from the perspective of the host's operating system.
Be aware of the host's access method when making decisions about which devices the Network Storage Agent will monitor.
Note: The Primary Host column lists the registered host that will do the actual device probing. The buttons indicate Sun Network Storage devices that are supported with this instance of the Network Storage Agent.
Add Devices | [ Back ] |
Use the Maintain Device: Add a New Device window to specify the following:
Once you have entered the required information and the configuration has been pushed to all Network Storage Agents, the rasagent program begins to monitor the devices.
Delete Devices | [ Back ] |
You can delete a device once the device has been removed from the site or if device monitoring is no longer needed.
To delete a device:
Local Email Notification | [ Back ] |
You can use the Notifications window to customize the generation of emails to yourself or to other administrators at their companies. For example, administrators who are interested only in high-priority alerts coming from Sun StorEdge T3 arrays can create a specialized notification for this instance only.
Alerts are sent only to valid email addresses that you have entered through the Email Notification function.
You can customize the following local notification types:
Note: The local notification feature is optional and does not affect the main transmission functions of the Network Storage Agent. The master instance of the Network Storage Agent is the only instance generating emails based on local notifications. Slave instances of the Network Storage Agent send their alerts to the master, which filters them and forwards them to the providers, if selected, and to local system administrators, if configured.
Network Storage Agent Providers | [ Back ] |
Network Storage Agent providers encode data and interface with transport mechanisms, which transmit information to the NSCC about configured storage devices.
The Network Storage Agent supports two providers: NetConnect and HTTP. The provider's main function is to relay events generated by health monitors. The providers do this either by pulling the events from the Persistent Data Manager (PDM) or by registering them with the PDM for a certain type of event.
The types of providers are briefly described in the following sections:
Note: The host with the Master agent must be the same host that is configured as the relay in a Net Connect Provider configuration.
The Master Agent has additional functions that allow it to work as a collection point for all the events generated by the Slave agents. Periodically, the Master polls each Slave to ask for messages that need to be transported.
The SRS Net Connect Relay periodically polls the Master agent for messages to be sent back to Sun and transports them via the Internet.
Push Configs | [ Back ] |
The Push Configs function is used to update all the Slave hosts configuration files with any and all updates that have been made using the Admin GUI on the Master.
The Push Slave Configs button in the Maintain Hosts window has the same functionality.
These slave configurations contain a subset of the main configuration and apply only to a specific Network Storage Agent configuration.
Start/Stop Agents | [ Back ] |
You can control the Agent activity to temporarily stop the Network Storage Agent from running on a selected host. You can also use this window to avoid creating email notifications on false errors when a device is being tested and faults are injected intentionally.
NOTES:
Start/Stop Devices | [ Back ] |
The Start/Stop Devices window allows you to deactivate monitoring on a device-by-device basis.
NOTE: Monitoring continues when the device is deactivated. However, email notifications will not occur for any faults that are detected while the device monitoring is in this state. Consequently, any errors that may have been detected will be logged and sent via the Providers, but not via email notification.
Test Email | [ Back ] |
Use the Test Email window to send test emails and a message and to verify that the mailing capability of the Network Storage Agent is installed and working properly.
If you leave the Message text box blank, the test email contains a canned message with the words Test Message in the subject line.
Review Configuration | [ Back ] |
Instrumentation | [ Back ] |
Instrumentation enables you to review all FRU level information of a selected device and its access components that are known by the Network Storage Agent.
Instrumentation agents are very different from one another because they are specialized modules designed to probe a specific type of device. Each of them produces reports and, when available, reads new entries into the logs accessed by the /var/adm/messages function in the Log section of the Admin GUI.
To view instrumentation reports:
Message Summary | [ Back ] |
The Message Summary feature enables you to generate a report from the /var/adm/messages files. The last run is available for review.
You can scan the /var/adm/messages.t3 log file by either checking the
Snapshot | [ Back ] |
Snapshot enables you to schedule the execution of the configuration snapshot and to display the last run.
To schedule execution:
Revision Checking | [ Back ] |
Revision Checking allows you to check the current revisions of software and firmware. On Sun StorEdge A5x00 arrays, StorTools Revision Check also checks for a valid minimum disk configuration.
Only the last run is available for review.
Snapshot History | [ Back ] |
Sun StorEdge StorTools SnapShot History enables the Network Storage Agent to display a list of previously-stored configuration snapshots, with the most recent snapshot first.
To display SnapShot history, choose a host from the [Select Slave Host] menu and click Go.
Using the SAN Functionality | [ Back ] |
The Network Storage Agent's graphical SAN interface displays all fabric components and the state of those components. Fabric components include HBAs, switch ports, storage controllers, and disks, along with more specialized components such as fans, batteries, power, and volumes.
Each of these components is represented by a red, yellow, or green box. Only events are represented, and events can be the result of thresholds. Each time a threshold is met, a link event is generated and the corresponding link turns red.
Display Topology | [ Back ] |
Information about disks, ports, controllers, and the HBA is saved into the topology database and correlated with all Network Storage Agent instrumentation information.
The SAN Topology modules discover and manage all SAN components and links. Each slave has a local topology database, and each master has access to all slave topologies.
Merge Topologies | [ Back ] |
By merging topologies, multiple host topology drawings are combined into a single drawing.
Clear Topologies | [ Back ] |
By clearing previously-stored information about a host's topology, you force the SAN agents to collect new information and draw a new, updated topology.
FC Check | [ Back ] |
The SAN Health Check functionality verifies the health of physical fibre channel links by extracting and comparing link status information from all attached storage devices and switches, and then displaying error counters.
To start the Health Check function, choose a host from the [Select Slave Host] menu and click Go.
FC Utilities | [ Back ] |
SAN FC Utilities allows the user to display FC counter information.
This section is available only to trained service personnel who
have been granted access rights.
Fibre Channel counters can be displayed in graph or tabular format for A5K , Switches and T3. In
both format, it is possible to set a baseline for the counters and to have the
page refresh automatically. Devices can be selected from a list.
A predefined
list can be created in [Maintain List] and referred to as '*List' in each report.
For Storage devices, it is also possible to select a specific hba (*2) since FC counters
are kept for each device and for each path of an enclosure. For example, an A5K with
22 disks and both interface-boards connected can have 44 different CRC values.
These reports can be run on the master and all available slaves by selecting a
different host at the top of the page in [Select Slave Host] and pressing [GO].
Always press [Refresh] (*3) to display the reports.
- [A5K | Switch | T3] Data/Graph functions:
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-Verify topology can be used to validate a know topology against the rules for Python configuration.
-Sample Outputs includes a list of sample graphs with possible interpretation of the information.
Reviewing /var/adm/messages | [ Back ] |
The /var/adm/messages function enables you to review the content of the /var/adm/messages and /var/adm/messages.t3 log files from any host. Log entries are displayed from the end of the file going back, showing the most recent alerts first. The Network Storage Agent must be functioning properly on each host for the /var/adm/messages function to work.
To review the most recent events on a given host, choose a host from the HostName column and click the corresponding /messages link. The descending list of /var/adm/messages on the local host is displayed.
Reviewing the Event Log | [ Back ] |
To see the log for a host:
Reviewing the Alert Log | [ Back ] |
To see the log for a host:
Note: The intent of this log is not to view the content of the Alert, but rather to view the list of Alert types that have been generated. You can derive the actual content by scanning through the appropriate message logs or through the email that was sent for each notification.
Change System Time-outs | [ Back ] |
System time-outs are the values the Network Storage Agent uses to ensure it does not spend too much time waiting on a response for commands to return.
Display System Errors | [ Back ] |
The Network Storage Agent System Errors window displays system errors that have occurred on a given host.
When you select an existing host, the corresponding Network Storage Agent Error Logfiles window appears.
Erase Device Cache | [ Back ] |
When you select an existing device, the last report in the cache for that device is erased. This forces the Network Storage Agent to regenerate discovery events.
To erase a device's cache:
Caution: There are no safeguard questions for this function. Once you have selected a device, the instrumentation report for that device is immediately erased.
The [Erase All Files] function erases the cache of all the devices in the list. The list is removed once the erase has successfully completed. Although the device's cache is erased, the device will still be monitored.
Manually Run the Network Storage Agent | [ Back ] |
Although the Network Storage Agent is normally executed from the cron facility, the RUN option enables you to run the Network Storage Agent at any time.
Displaying Thresholds | [ Back ] |
The Thresholds window displays the thresholds that are used to monitor entries related to I/O interfaces in the /var/adm/messages files.
Configuring Email Addresses | [ Back ] |
You can forward a detailed report of the Network Storage Configuration via email that includes a list of all devices being monitored and the last instrumentation report available for each host.
To forward a Network Storage Configuration Report, type an email address into the Email Address text box and click EMAIL.
Changing Security Passwords | [ Back ] |
Password is an administrator window that enables system administrators to change the security password for the Network Storage Agent Admin GUI.
To change the security password, you must know the current password. If the current password is lost, use the save_password(1M) utility to create a new password.
Note:
Utilities Documentation | [ Back ] |
You can find online explanations of the various utilities associated with the Network Storage Agent online while using the Network Storage Agent Admin GUI. These utilities also have man(1) pages. These utilities include the following:
Help | [ Back ] |
The help for the GUI portion of the Network Storage Agent provides instructions for when you are interfacing with the various maintenance, monitoring, log review, and agent related system functions.
All Menus | [ Back ] |
This is used to display all the available options for each section in the left frame window all at once.
Fibre Diagnostics | [ Back ] |
Fibre Diagnostics is used to review the configuration from the topology drawing and/or execute StorTools tests.
Remove the Network Storage Agent | [ Back ] |
To remove the Network Storage Agent (SUNWrasag) package, use the pkgrm(1M) command:
# pkgrm SUNWrasag
END | [ Back ] |