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The following section outlines the steps necessary to add the Isilon X210 nodes into a cluster, set up a functioning SMB share, designate a secondary subnet, and configure the SmartConnect feature in OneFS.
The first step in configuring the Isilon array is building the cluster. Once the array is powered on, a serial connection can be made to each node. Connect to the first node and use the cluster creation wizard to build the cluster. Table 8 shows the values that are used in this example. If any additional information is needed on the setup and configuration of the Isilon Array cluster, refer to the Isilon X210 Installation Guide.
Figure 25. Initial configuration wizard
The following table outlines the configurations in this example. The following configurations are discussed in this section:
The 10gige-1 and 10gige-2 interfaces for user connectivity are configured in the next section.
Table 8. Isilon configuration parameters
Parameter | Value |
Option | [ 1] Create a new cluster |
Configure root/admin passwords | "password" |
Configuration Name | Cluster-01 |
Cluster Encoding | [ 8] UTF-8 |
Interface int-a netmask | 255.255.255.0 |
Interface int-a IP Range | 10.10.10.1-253 |
Interface int-b netmask | 255.255.255.0 |
Interface int-b IP Range | 10.10.20.1-253 |
Failover IP range | 10.10.30.1-253 |
Interface ext-1 netmask | 255.255.255.0 |
MTU | 1500 |
Interface ext-1 IP pool | 100.67.170.140-148 |
ext-1 default gateway | 100.67.170.254 |
SmartConnect Zone name | Mgmtzone1 |
SmartConnect service IP | 100.67.170.149 |
DNS servers | 100.67.10.1 |
Search domain | dell.local |
Cluster date and time | Default |
Cluster join mode | Default |
Commit changes | Yes |
Note: Additional information and configuration for SmartConnect are provided in Setting up DNS for SmartConnect.
When the first node is configured and the cluster has been created, the other nodes can then be added into the cluster. All nodes can discover the cluster over the back-end network. The assorted options for back-end networking and Isilon are not covered in this document. For more information on the back-end network, refer to Isilon documentation.
To join a cluster, perform the following steps:
Figure 26. Join cluster
Once the cluster has been created, and each node has been added to the cluster, the rest of the configurations can be done through the OneFS web GUI. This section covers the creation of two subnets and their associated IP pools, as well as the addition of static routes to ensure end-to-end connectivity. This includes ensuring that the LACP option is selected and that the appropriate interfaces are selected.
Figure 27. OneFS Web GUI
Table 9. Subnet configurations
Parameter | Value |
Subnet Name | subnet1 |
Netmask | 255.255.255.0 |
Gateway Address | 172.16.1.254 |
MTU | 9000(Jumbo Frame) |
SmartConnect Service IP | 172.16.1.249 |
SmartConnect Service Name | sczone1.dell.local |
Subnet Name | subnet2 |
Netmask | 255.255.255.0 |
Gateway Address | 172.16.2.254 |
MTU | 9000(Jumbo Frame) |
SmartConnect Service IP | 172.16.2.249 |
SmartConnect Service Name | sczone2.dell.local |
Figure 28. LACP configuration
The next section covers the configuration of static routes within OneFS. This is necessary to enable traffic to cross between the two subnets.
Parameter | Value |
Subnet | 172.16.2.0 |
Netmask | 255.255.255.0 |
Gateway | 172.16.1.254 |
Parameter | Value |
Subnet | 172.16.1.0 |
Netmask | 255.255.255.0 |
Gateway | 172.16.2.254 |
Figure 29. Static routes
In addition to the Isilon nodes, each Windows server is configured in an LACP NIC team that utilizes the address hash setting. The specific configuration steps for a Windows NIC team can be found in Microsoft’s documentation, Create a New NIC Team on a Host Computer or VM.
This section covers the creation of a folder structure that is configured under OneFS Protocols Windows Sharing SMB. Once the folders are added to the Windows Sharing SMB section and the network is properly configured, the folder is accessible through a Windows server.
Figure 30. Directory creation
One of the features of the OneFS file system is SmartConnect. SmartConnect allows the workload to be dynamically reassigned to other nodes in the cluster in the event of a node failure. SmartConnect is a feature that must be configured. There is also a DNS dependency for SmartConnect to function properly. Configuring DNS host A records and Delegation zones is necessary. Once this is done, SmartConnect assigns the workload to each node using the round robin method. Using the FQDN that was configured previously for the SmartConnect zones is required. This section covers the completion of the SmartConnect configuration.
Note: Refer to Microsoft's DNS Resource Record Management for the specific steps in creating a DNS server.
Table 10. DNS parameters
Parameter | Value |
Forward Lookup Zone | dell.local |
Reverse Lookup Zones | 172.16.1, 172.16.2 |
Host A record for sczone1 | sczonea, 172.16.1.249 |
Host A record for sczone2 | sczoneb, 172.16.2.249 |
Delegation zone for sczone1 | sczone1.dell.local, 172.16.1.249 |
Delegation zone for sczone2 | sczone2.dell.local, 172.16.2.249 |
It is important that the DNS Host A record has a unique name that does not match the name that was assigned to the SmartConnect zone within the OneFS file system. The Delegation zone, however, needs a name that matches the SmartConnect zone. This ensures that a connection to sczone1.dell.local references the SmartConnect Zone 1 IP of 172.16.1.249. When this IP is referenced, it round robins through each node IP, assigning the workload to each node in turn, ensuring a balanced workload.