Deploying HyperScale X Reference Architecture With Bonding (Active-Backup or LACP)

HyperScale X Reference Architecture nodes can be deployed with active backup or Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) bonding mode.

With active backup, the interfaces are bonded for redundancy (or fault tolerance mode). Only one interface works at any moment and the other one will work when the first one fails.

When using LACP, each pair of ports should be configured as an active port-channel, and not configured to negotiate the aggregation protocol.

Before You Begin

Verify the requirements needed for setting up the Bonded Topology in your environment.

Tip

Keep the network names and IP addresses listed in the Network Requirements section of Bonded Topology handy before you start the configuration.

Procedure

Log on to one of the nodes using the system console as described in Setting up the installation media. (Do not use PuTTy / SSH to setup the nodes.)
Launch the network configuration interface using the following command:
```
# hsxsetup
```
The Network Configuration page appears.
Create a data protection interface bond as follows:
1. Click Create bond.
  
  The Create bond dialog box appears.
2. From the Interfaces list, select the data protection interfaces. (enpsf3 or enpsf5)
3. From Bonding mode list, select either active-backup (Mode 1) or LACP (Mode 4).
  
  Note
  
  The same bonding mode must be used for both the data protection and storage pool interfaces.
4. Click CREATE.
  
  The bond1 interface appears in the Network Configuration page.
5. From the Network Type list, select CommServe Registration
6. Add the IP Address and Netmask in the respective boxes.
  
  Once completed your screen should be similar to the one shown in the following image:
Configure the storage pool interface (bonded) as follows:
1. Click Create bond.
  
  The Create bond dialog box appears.
2. From the Interfaces list, select the 2 interfaces that will form the storage pool bond. (For example, enpsf4 and enpsf6 .)
  
  Tip
  
  Hover the cursor over the interfaces to display the speed and MAC address of the physical interface.
3. From Bonding mode list, select either active-backup (Mode 1) or LACP (Mode 4).
  
  Note
  
  The same bonding mode must be used for both the data protection and storage pool interfaces.
4. Click CREATE.
  
  The bond2 interface appears in the Network Configuration page.
5. From the Network Type list, select Storage Pool. This interface will be be used exclusively for communication and replication between the HyperScale nodes.
6. Add the IP Address and Netmask in the respective boxes.
  
  Once completed your screen should be similar to the one shown in the following image:
Configure the DNS server(s) as follows:
1. In the Default Gateway box, add the IP address associated with the default gateway.
2. In the DNS Servers box, add the IP address associated with the DNS Server.
  
  Click the ADD button to add additional DNS servers. A maximum of 3 DNS servers can be added.
  
  Note
  
  Multiple DNS servers are recommended.
  
  Once completed your screen should be similar to the one shown in the following image: (The number of DNS servers may vary depending on the number of servers available in your environment.)
  
  Note
  
  Verify that the bonding mode is the same for both the data protection and storage pool bonds. Hover the cursor over the check box associated with the bond to view the bonding mode and other information associated with the interfaces.
3. Click CONFIGURE.
  
  The software validates the network. (This may take a few minutes to complete.)
  
  The Network Configuration Summary page appears.
Verify the network configuration and then click CONTINUE.

The Node Configuration dialog box appears.
Click one of the following:
- Click NO, EXIT to configure another node in the storage pool.
  
  Repeat the steps (step 1 through 6) from another node.
- Click YES, CONTINUE if this is the last node in the storage pool.
  
  The Setup Type page appears.
Click New storage pool setup and then click NEXT.

The Select Nodes page appears.
Select the nodes as follows:
1. Click the down arrow at the top right area of the page to view a list of available nodes.
2. Click and select the nodes that must be included in the storage pool.
  
  Note
  
  You can select up to 12 nodes at a time for the initial deployment. Nodes are listed by serial number. If one or more nodes are missing from the list, there is likely a cabling or network configuration issue. To troubleshoot, see Troubleshooting Network Configuration Errors.
3. Click NEXT.
  
  The selected nodes will be listed in the Select Nodes page.
  
  Once completed your screen should be similar to the one shown in the following image: (The number of nodes will vary depending on the number of nodes you select.)
4. Click NEXT.
  
  The Network Configuration Summary page appears.
Verify the summary for each node by clicking the tab associated with each node. Ensure that the nodes are accurately configured and then click NEXT.

Important

Verify that all nodes have identical information for the default gateway and DNS servers.

If an error is found, click Exit, login to the node in which the error is found and repeat all the steps to correct the error.

The Storage Pool Details page appears.
Add the following information:
1. In the Root password and Confirm password boxes, type a secure password for the nodes.
  
  Tip
  
  Hover the cursor over the Root password box to view the password requirements.
2. In the Storage pool name box, type a name for the storage pool associated with the cluster.
  
  The storage pool name can include numbers and alphabets. Special characters cannot be used in the storage pool name.
  
  Tip
  
  Note down the storage pool name. This will be helpful to identify the storage pool in the Command Center.
3. From the Time zone list, select the time zone in which the nodes are located.
4. Click START CONFIGURING.
  
  Note
  
  The setup process configures the network for the nodes. This will take some time to complete.
Check the status to ensure that all the nodes are reachable. (All the nodes should have a green status.) Click NEXT.

The Deployment Information page appears.
Click Connect to existing CommServe, and then click NEXT.

The Credentials page appears.
In the CommServe hostname (FQDN) box, enter a fully qualified host name of the existing CommServe server that you are connecting to.

Note

TCP Ports 8400 & 443 must be open from the nodes to the CommServe server for the registration to work.

In the Password box, enter the credentials that must be used to access the CommServe server and then click NEXT.

The software validates the information and will start the installation process. This process may take some time (approximately 45 minutes) to complete. You can monitor the progress using the progress bar.

Caution

Do not reboot or stop the installation during this process.

Once the installation is completed, the Installation page appears.
Click CLOSE.

What to Do Next

Complete the additional configurations that may be required to customize your environment. For more information, see What to do Next.