Linux: Installing Mellanox VSA

Installation Prerequisites

VSA is dependent on the following RPMs as prerequisites. Before installing VSA, ensure that the following are installed:

sg3_utils: SCSI Generic utils, required by VSA management.
sg3_utils-libs: Libraries needed for the utils (on RHEL).
mdadm: Required to create, manage, and monitor Linux MD (software RAID) devices.
device-mapper: User-space files and tools for the device-mapper.
lvm2: Required for managing physical volumes and creating logical volumes.
Python
- python
- python-twisted-web is needed by vsacli-2.1.1-2.el6.noarch
- python-twisted-conch is needed by vsacli-2.1.1-2.el6.noarch

Installing

The VSA.tgz archive file contains the installation file install.vsa-<x.x.x.el>.tgz for Linux distributions:

RedHat
CentOS

The ./install.sh installation script:

Installs the package content.
Creates VSA users.
Configures/initializes the VSA services to start upon reboot.

The installation adds 3 users who can all log in using remote shell (SSH):

vsadmin is the privileged user who has access to all features.
vsuser is the non-privileged user without access to configuration commands.
vsfiles has limited remote SFTP access to VSA log and configuration files.

NOTE: Before installing VSA, ensure that SE Linux is disabled.

tar -xzvf install.vsa-<x.x.x.el>.tgz
cd release.vsa-<x.x.x.el>
./install.sh

VSA License

Save the license file on your local computer, or on the master and standby nodes in a cluster installation, under /opt/vsa/files/.

Viewing License Information

[root@blade7 vsa]# vscli --lic
1 licenses
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Software name |  Customer ID    |     SN     |     Type      |   MAC Address   |   Exp. Date   |Limit| Functionality | Status |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|VSA            |Boston Solutions |4076        |Evaluation     |NA               |2013-12-31     |1    |Standard       |Valid   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

VSA Script

The vsa script is a helper tool to enable easy management of the different VSA services and to initiate VSA cluster management operations. To view the different options, type vsa --help

Starting VSA

vsa start

Quick Configuration

First, complete the VSA and license installation, then run VSCLI. Before any configuration step, ensure you are in config mode. To enter config mode, type config.

[root@Blade7 vsa]# vscli

Welcome to Mellanox Storage Accelerator console!, Ver 2.1
Type: help or help <command> for more details
Type: help quick for quick step by step configuration guide

*** Evaluation License: 123 days left before it expires, make sure to obtain a Permanent License ***

VSA-root> config
VSA-/#

Initiator Configuration

Overview

The Linux initiator stack contains two sets of elements:

iscsi-initiator-utils (user space management utilities):
- iscsid(8) daemon
- iscsiadm(8) administration utility
- iscsi service
- additional utilities
iSCSI kernel modules:
- scsi_transport_iscsi
- libiscsi
- iscsi_tcp (the TCP transport)
- ib_iser (the iSER transport)
- additional transports

For the RHEL, OEL, and CentOS distributions, install the iSCSI initiator package using

yum install iscsi-initiator-utils

Recommended Platforms

The OFED 1.5.x series supports the iSER initiator transport only for RHEL 5.4

For other distributions, OFED-based setups are possible with OFED 1.4.x only.

We strongly recommend using the iSCSI and IB stacks provided by the Linux distribution, which support RHEL 5.4, RHEL 5.5, RHEL 5.6, and RHEL 6.
We recommend using IB stacks provided by the Linux distribution, not from the OFED version.

Notes:

The kernel modules in iSCSI depend on other modules (crypto, IB, etc.).

These modules might come from different and potentially unsynchronized sources, leading to binary or version incompatibility.

Configurations with mixed OFED and Linux distribution versions are not supported. Thus, when using OFED packages, avoid situations where the iSCSI and/or iSER modules are from the Linux distribution, while IB modules are from OFED, or vice versa. Mixed configurations lead to symbol inconsistency, preventing ib_iser from loading.

Install IB stack provided by the Linux distribution using the standard yum(8) mechanism with a dedicated yum group, which incorporates the various IB packages.

The group name for the EL (RHEL, OEL, CentOS) 5.x series is different from the group name for the EL 6.x series.

The commands to install the group on both environments are:

on EL 5.x:

yum groupinstall "OpenFabrics Enterprise Distribution"

on EL 6.x:

yum groupinstall "Infiniband Support"

In the 5.x series, the IB stack service is called "openibd", and in the 6.x series "rdma". A service start is required following the installation.

Open iSCSI Initiator Configuration

Configure the network device (IPoIB for Infiniband) and verify its operation
Verify connectivity between the Linux client and the VSA provider. From the Linux client,run the ping command to the relevant IP address in the VSA server (the address/interface that will be used for the iSER or iSCSI connection).
Start the iscsi service (/etc/init.d/iscsi for RH and /etc/open-iscsi for SLES)
Perform iSCSI discovery with the VSA target using the iscsi_discovery script (provided in the VSA installation tar file):
```
iscsi_discovery <ip-addr>
```
where <ip-addr> is the target's IPoIB address. If the target transport was explicitly set to be iser, use:
```
iscsi_discovery <ip-addr> -t iser
```
Verify that a node was created for the discovered target, and that the transport to be used is iser. Log in to the target, and verify that a session is established using the following sequence of commands (<target-name> represents the target discovered previously):
```
iscsiadm –m node
```
```
iscsiadm –m node –T <target-name> | grep transport
```
```
iscsiadm –m node –T <target-name> --login
```
```
iscsiadm –m session
```

If the initiator failed to connect to VSA after discovery:

Ping the VSA server IP address to verify connectivity (from the client).
Verify that the VSA server has a valid target that is mapped to the everyone server group or to a server group with the client IP in the ips list. Verify that this target driver is iser.
Verify that the firewall is not turned on in the VSA provider machine or in the Linux client.