What’s New in PowerStoreOS 2.1.1
Tue, 19 Apr 2022 10:00:08 -0000
|Read Time: 0 minutes
New releases continue to pile on for PowerStore, and today marks the most recent release with PowerStoreOS 2.1.1. This new release unlocks a lot of content for a service pack, but to fully understand what it delivers, we’ll need to revisit the previous release, PowerStoreOS 2.1.
PowerStoreOS 2.1 packed a lot into a minor release, including several key features on top of continued performance improvements and general enhancements. The anchor features were front-end NVMe/TCP access and integration with SmartFabric Storage Software. However, this release also included DC support for PowerStore 500, dynamic node affinity for improved storage intelligence, and various management, security and serviceability features.
The first service pack for PowerStoreOS 2.1, also known as PowerStoreOS 2.1.1, is supported on all PowerStore models, including PowerStore T and PowerStore X. If you recall, with the PowerStoreOS 2.1 launch in January, the new software was only made available to PowerStore T appliances. With this latest release, all software features introduced in PowerStoreOS 2.1 are now available on PowerStore X. Besides bringing the new set of features to PowerStore X, this release introduces several general system enhancements to both platforms, and specific improvements to PowerStore X models.
PowerStoreOS 2.1.1
PowerStoreOS 2.1.1 brings the features of PowerStoreOS 2.1 to PowerStore X appliances, plus some general system enhancements. Beyond the capabilities of PowerStoreOS 2.1, PowerStoreOS 2.1.1 also introduces vSphere 7 for PowerStore X, a brand new capability available in this latest release.
PowerStoreOS 2.1 for PowerStore X
Since PowerStoreOS 2.1.1 unlocks the new features of PowerStoreOS 2.1 on PowerStore X, it makes sense to recap those features here. The following features were all introduced in the previous release, and they are now fully supported on PowerStore X models:
NVMe/TCP: Support for host connectivity using NVMe over Ethernet fabrics with NVMe/TCP on existing embedded and IO module Ethernet ports.
- SmartFabric Storage Software (SFSS) support: A software product that enables an end-to-end automated and integrated NVMe/TCP fabric connecting NVMe hosts and targets.
- Dynamic node affinity: Dynamically-set node access when mapping volumes to hosts and the ability to automatically change node affinity for load balancing purposes.
- Customizable login message: Enables storage administrators to create, enable and disable a customizable login message.
- Application tags: Allows users to create application tags to label volumes for better organization and management.
- Thin packages and upgrades: Adds support for off-release packages such as hotfixes, disk firmware or improved health checks.
For more detail on the PowerStoreOS 2.1 release, make sure to check out the blog What’s New with the Dell PowerStoreOS 2.1 Release?.
vSphere 7 for PowerStore X
The jump from vSphere 6.7 to vSphere 7 delivers significant improvements to the ESXi nodes, which serve as the foundation of any PowerStore X cluster. A multitude of security enhancements ensure that your system has all the newest developments and improvements that were captured in vSphere 7.
Another change introduced in vSphere 7.0 is called vSphere Cluster Services (vCLS). This is a modification on how both vSphere DRS and vSphere HA are implemented for the ESXi cluster. This change ensures the continued functionality of vSphere DRS and vSphere HA in the event the vCenter Server instance becomes unavailable. Since both features are crucial to any PowerStore X cluster, this change will certainly be noticed by any observant virtualization administrator. Although hidden in the standard inventory view, the vCLS components appear as virtual machines when viewing the PowerStore vVol datastore.
After you deploy a PowerStore X cluster running PowerStoreOS 2.1.1, you can confirm the vSphere version running on the hosts by selecting them directly in vSphere. Note that as additional updates are released for PowerStore, the exact version of vSphere may not match the version captured in the screenshot below. Make sure to reference the PowerStore Simple Support Matrix to get the most up-to-date information on supported versions.
In addition to vSphere, PowerStore Manager also captures this information. From the Dashboard page, simply navigate to Compute > Hosts & Host Groups and note the ESXi Version column. This column is not enabled by default and must be added using the Show/Hide Columns option to the right of the table.
Upgrading to PowerStoreOS 2.1.1
All these new features sound great, but the next logical question is: How do I get this code running on my system? Thankfully, PowerStore fully supports a non-disruptive upgrade (NDU) to PowerStoreOS 2.1.1 on both PowerStore T and PowerStore X appliances.
PowerStore T upgrades
While much of the new content in PowerStoreOS 2.1.1 is directed toward PowerStore X systems, there are still several general system enhancements and bug fixes that will benefit PowerStore T appliances. PowerStore T upgrades are fully supported on systems running PowerStoreOS 1.X or 2.X. Make sure to download the latest version of the PowerStore Release Notes to determine which software upgrade packages are required based on the current version of code you are running. For all PowerStore upgrades, see the Dell EMC PowerStore Software Upgrade Guide on dell.com/powerstoredocs.
PowerStore X upgrades
PowerStoreOS 2.1.1 upgrades are fully supported on PowerStore X clusters running PowerStoreOS 2.0.X. If the cluster is running an earlier version, you can first perform an upgrade to PowerStoreOS 2.0.X. Once that is satisfied, ensure that the vCenter Server connected to the PowerStore X cluster is running a supported version of vSphere 7.0. To view the current list of supported vCenter Server versions, see the VMware Licensing and Support for PowerStore X table in the PowerStore Simple Support Matrix. Finally, make sure to see the Dell EMC PowerStore Software Upgrade Guide on dell.com/powerstoredocs.
Conclusion
The PowerStoreOS 2.1.1 release provides new capabilities to PowerStore X systems, unlocking NVMe/TCP, SmartFabric Storage Software support, vSphere 7, dynamic node affinity, and much more. Adding to these new features, several system enhancements and bug fixes are delivered for both PowerStore X and PowerStore T model appliances. With easy, non-disruptive upgrade options for all PowerStore models, this is a great release for any currently deployed system.
Resources
- Dell PowerStore: Technical Primer
- What’s New with the Dell PowerStoreOS 2.1 Release?
- PowerStore Simple Support Matrix
- Dell.com/powerstoredocs
Author
Ethan Stokes, Senior Engineering Technologist