DELL PowerStore Expansion Enclosure Instructions

: June 9, 2024
: Dell

Table of Contents

Welcome
Recommended Code Release
PowerStore Upgrade Readiness
Knowledge Base Articles
PowerStore Simple Support Matrix
Host Configuration Guide
Performance / Best Practices
From Itzikr’s Blog
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

DELL PowerStore Expansion Enclosure Instructions

Welcome

We are pleased to introduce the fourth edition of the PowerStore Bulletin. This technical newsletter is produced by the PowerStore Engineering Technical Services team. Our goal is to provide the PowerStore community with information about product releases, best practices, and product tips.

Recommended Code Release

Dell EMC has established recommendedcode versions for PowerStore to ensure stable and reliable environments. As a best practice, Dell EMC recommends that you operate at the recommended code levels for your PowerStore. There may be features, enhancements or fixes in newer code that may benefit or be required for a specific environment. Dell Technologies Support Services can provide you with guidance. Unless otherwise directed, continue to use the current target code for upgrades. Our target code is a highly trusted and recommended code release that is evaluated against criteria including runtime time in field, number of installations, quality metrics, etc.

https://PowerStorekb175213

PowerStoreOS	Release Date	Release Notes	Target Code
2.0.0.0-1397847	July 2021	Release Notes
2.0.1.0-1452126	Sept 2021	Release Notes
2.0.1.1-1471924	Oct 2021	Release Notes
2.0.1.2-1522902	Dec 2021	Release Notes
2.0.1.3-1538564	Dec 2021	Release Notes	YES
2.1.0.0-1561821	Jan 2022	Release Notes

The following are some of the new features that have been introduced for PowerStore T in version 2.1.0.0. Support for “X” models is planned for a future release. Full listing of features and resolved issues can be obtained here https://PowerStore_2.1.0.0

Connectivity – Networks

Dell EMC SmartFabric Storage Software (SFSS) provides PowerStore customers the ability to configure NVMe/TCP using a central discovery method, instead of the direct discovery model that is traditional to ethernet protocols.
Upon an upgrade, existing Storage Networks will automatically be updated with the ability to useNVMe/TCP.
Users can create Storage Networks with iSCSI, NVMe/TCP, or both protocols enabled. The protocol can be assigned to the Storage Network during initial configuration or while adding a Storage Network to PowerStore T appliances.

Import

PowerStore version 2.1 supports agentless data import from hosts running the Windows 2022 operating system.
Adds to the types of host operating systems that PowerStore supports for agentless data import.

Hardware

DC powered support for PowerStore 500T DC. Can be connected to 48V directly without a converter.

PowerStore Manager (GUI)

When you create a volume, you must associate an application type and application with that volume. This feature provides application-level tagging and allows users to better organize and view how storage is being consumed within their environments.
PowerStore supports displaying a login message when users log in to PowerStore. A user with an Administrator or Security Administrator role can insert and update the message text and enable or disable if a message will be displayed

Security

PowerStore supports importing a third-party Certificate Authority (CA) signed server certificate into PowerStore to secure the Web traffic.
Security is improved in PowerStore versions 2.1 and later with the removal of support for DiffieHellman Module sizes that are less than 3072 bits.
FIPS 140-2 Certification for PowerStore 500T Model.

Storage-Block

The PowerSore appliance built in AI engine is enhanced to optimize I/O traffic between nodes in an appliance.
Support for Dynamic Node Affinity “Resource Balancer” which will automatically change Node Affinity of a volume based on performance of the system.

Virtualization

VMware vSphere 7.0 supports SCSI-3 Persistent Reservations (SCSI3-PRs) on a virtual disk (VMDK) level. Support for SCSI-3 PRs enables configurations of a Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC) across ESXi hosts with clustered VMDKs as shared disk resources. This feature is now supported in PowerStore models

Support

Support flexible expiration of licenses beyond the 30-day trial period.

SupportAssist

When SupportAssist is enabled, an Alert notification will advise users when an out-of-cycle Health Check package is available from Dell Technologies Support site.
A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) notice has been added in the PowerStore Initial Configuration wizard. The notice is for awareness and informs users that we will collect personal information (PI) via Support Assist when theyinstall PowerStore. The PIA notice can also be accessed through the SupportAssist feature in PowerStore Manager.
Offers a new option during the Initial Configuration Wizard workflow, by providing a checkbox to enable Remote Services Credentials in conjunction with SupportAssist configuration.
Primary and secondary contact fields are provided when configuring SupportAssist, but only the primary contact information fields are required. The secondary contact information is optional.

PowerStore Upgrade Readiness

The following should be adhered to when planning for a non-disruptive upgrade (NDU) within the PowerStore environment.

Pre-Upgrade Health Check

Perform a Health Check of the PowerStore appliance(s) being upgraded at least 7 days prior to the scheduled upgrade event.
Consult the Dell EMC PowerStore Upgrade Guide for procedural details of how to perform a Health Check.
Review the overall health state for each node in the appliance even if a green check mark is present indicating health of the node is OK. See https://PowerStoreHealthCheck
Review and ERROR and WARNING messages raised during the Pre-Upgrade Health Check and address each accordingly. Consult Dell Technologies Support Services for assistance.

Outstanding Alerts

Log into PowerStore Manager of the appliance being upgraded and review any outstanding alerts present by selecting the Monitoring tab.
Determine if any alerts are outstanding that require attention. Review alerts with a Critical, Major, or Minor severity. If possible, attempt to rectify any raised alerts reported.
Consult the Events and Alerts Reference Guide for actions to resolve outstanding alerts.
If needed, contact Dell Technologies Support Services for assistance with evaluating and addressing any outstanding alerts prior to proceeding with the upgrade.

Knowledge Base Articles

Knowledge Base articles have been published to address how to, best practices, known issues for specific PowerStore environments. You can access these KB’s through the following link and in many cases, these are in multiple languages.

This article covers the best practices for using USB devices with PowerStore products. https://PowerUSB
This article outlines PowerStore drive firmware upgrade package that was recently released (2022-Jan-20). https://PowerStoreDriveFirmware
This article contains the list of Top Services Topics for PowerStore identified by Dell EMC Support as the most Trending Topics. https://PowerStoreTrendingTopics
This article discusses internalM.2 Disk Alerts and possible causes and relevant remediation. https://PowerM.2

PowerStore Simple Support Matrix

Simple Support Matrices are produced through extensive testing by Dell EMC E-Lab. The PowerStore SSM is a configuration summary. The versions listed represents the supported Platform / Operating Systems, information on Backup & NDMP applications, Limits, Replication, AntiVirus, Dell TechnologiesEcosystem, Third-Party Ecosystem, Migration and VMware licensing / support, Refer to this link for the latest version February 21, 2022:

https://PowerStore-Simple-Support-Matrix

Host Configuration Guide

This document provides the latest guidelines and best practices on attaching and configuring external hosts to PowerStore systems. It includes information on topics such as multipathing, zoning, and timeouts.

https://PowerStoreHCG

Performance / Best Practices

Oracle: PowerStore Metro Node Best Practices

This article delivers guidance for using metro node in a Local configuration (metro local) with two PowerStore T model arrays in an Oracle 19c Oracle Standalone environment. The paper does not cover deployment of metro node on PowerStore T models.

The metro node appliance represents the next-generation architecture for continuous availability and data mobility and addresses these business continuity challenges. Metro node provides true active-active configurations by performing simultaneous writes at multiple storage arrays.

https://PowerStoreOracleMetroNode

MongoDB Solution Guide

This article offers a high-level overview of the PowerStore appliance and MongoDB. The document provides insights about using various MongoDB compression libraries and the integrated PowerStore advanced data reduction feature.

htpps://PowerStoreMongoDB

Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Best Practices

This article provides best practices for using Dell EMC PowerStore in a Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Big Data Clusters environment. This platform has different requirements compared to traditional versions of SQL Server. This document also provides recommendations, tips, and other guidelines for architecting and deploying SQL Server 2019 Big Data Clusters on Dell EMC\ PowerStore.

https://PowerStoreMicroSoftSQL2019

From Itzikr’s Blog

tzik Reich is Dell EMC VP Technology for PowerStore. In these blogs he focuses on PowerStore technologies and feature rich capabilities.

What is Dell EMC PowerStore

https://Part-19-VDI-VMwareHorizon
https://Part-20-ProtectingvVolsPowerProtect
https://PowerStoreRansomwareProtection
https://PowerStoreRemoteCopiesAppSync

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