Description

Context

We are operationalizing the IBM FlashSystem 7300. We need a central "How-to" document to onboard the team. A critical requirement is connecting ESX hosts, and supporting OpenShift (OCP) workers located in different clouds/VLANs, which requires strict traffic segregation using IBM Spectrum Virtualize Port Sets.

Goal

Produce a Confluence page (or Markdown repository) containing step-by-step procedures, architectural diagrams, and best practices to make it easier to use and manage our IBM storage

Scope of Documentation

The guide should aim to cover the following sections:

1. Initial Access & Architecture

_ _Management:* Accessing Service Assistant IP vs. Cluster IP (GUI and SSH).
_ _Storage Pools:* Explanation of the Data Reduction Pool (DRP) and RAID configuration (DRAID-6/NVMe).
_ _CLI Basics:* A cheat sheet of common svctask and svcinfo commands.

2. iSCSI Configuration (Standard)

_ Node vs. Port Logic:* Explanation that iSCSI targets are managed at the _node level but accessed via ports.
_ _Host Creation:* Defining Hosts using iSCSI Qualified Names (IQN).
_ _LUN Mapping:* Creating volumes and mapping them to Host objects.

3. Deep Dive: OCP Integration & Port Sets (VLAN Segregation)

This is a critical section for the multi-cloud enablement for scalelab.

_ Concept: Explain that _Port Sets* are used to group IP addresses and restrict Host access.

• Rule: Host A (Cloud A) mapped to PortSet A cannot discover targets in PortSet B.

_ _Step-by-Step Configuration Guide:*

Create Port Sets: Document the command to create sets (e.g., ocp-cloud-a, ocp-cloud-b).

VLAN Tagging: How to configure the Ethernet ports with VLAN IDs corresponding to the incoming Cloud provider links.

IP Assignment: Instructions on assigning IPs to specific ports AND associating them with the specific Port Set.

* Example: mkip -node 1 -port 1 -portset ocp-cloud-a -ip [IP] -prefix [CIDR] -vlan [VLAN_ID]

Gateway/Routing: If OCP workers are L3 routed (different subnets), document how to set the Gateway on the IP definition.

Host Association: Crucial step—when creating the OCP Host object, it must be assigned to the corresponding Port Set.

4. Fibre Channel (FC) Configuration

_ _Zoning Prereqs:* WWPN checklist for our servers.
_ _Host Object:* Creating hosts using WWPNs.
_ _LUN Mapping:* Standard mapping procedures.

5. Advanced Topics & Maintenance

_ _FlashCopy:* Immutable snapshots
_ _Expand/Shrink:* Volume resizing procedures.
_ _Events:* Interpreting "Call Home" events.

6. Performance Tips & Tweaks

_ _Jumbo Frames:* Reminder to enable MTU 9000 end-to-end (Switch, OS, and FlashSystem).
_ _Queue Depths:* Recommend increasing queue depth (default is often 32) to 64 or 128 for OCP Worker nodes to handle "boot storms."
_ _Multipathing:* Document the required multipath.conf settings (see Technical Resources below).
_ _ESX host requirements:* Document how port binding should look and requirement of 'Delayed ACK' set to false.

Open Issues

• FC Switch Changes and Procedures including Zoning changes and adding new members
• Possible other sections regarding NVME over TCP and RDMA connectivity

Acceptance Criteria

• Document outlines the exact CLI sequence to isolate Cloud A traffic from Cloud B traffic using Port Sets.
• Includes a diagram showing the mapping: Cloud A -> VLAN 100 -> PortSet A -> Host Object A.
• Valid instructions for creating, then connecting lun with OCP/Linux workers via ISCSI and FC
• Reviewed by team members for missing sections or comments

   

Technical Resources (For Assignee Reference)

A. CLI Quick Reference for Port Sets

h1. 1. Create the Port Set
lsportset # check existing
mkportset -name portset_cloud_A

h1. 2. Assign IP to a physical port (e.g., port 1) with VLAN and Port Set
mkip -node 1 -port 1 -portset portset_cloud_A -ip 10.10.10.50 -prefix 24 -vlan 100

h1. 3. Create the Host and lock it to the Port Set
mkhost -name ocp-worker-01 -iscsiname iqn.2024-01.com.example:worker01 -portset portset_cloud_A

B. Recommended Multipath Configuration (multipath.conf)

For Red Hat / OCP (CoreOS) connecting to IBM 2145 (FlashSystem/SVC): Do not change product "2145" to "7300". The FlashSystem 7300 runs the Spectrum Virtualize OS, which reports its SCSI product ID as "2145" for all models in the family. Changing this will break multipathing

devices {
        device {
                vendor                  "IBM"
                product                 "2145"
                path_grouping_policy    "group_by_prio"
                prio                    "alua"
                path_checker            "tur"
                path_selector           "service-time 0"
                failback                "immediate"
                no_path_retry           "queue"
                rr_weight               "uniform"
                rr_min_io_rq            1
                fast_io_fail_tmo        5
                dev_loss_tmo            infinity
        }
}

Note: The no_path_retry "queue" and dev_loss_tmo infinity settings are critical for preventing I/O errors during brief network disruptions or controller failovers.