Creating a cluster using the SAN Volume Controller Console

After you have created the cluster using the SAN Volume Controller front panel, you can use the Add SAN Volume Controller Cluster function from the SAN Volume Controller Console to identify the cluster to the IBM® System Storage® Productivity Center (SSPC) or the master console.

1. Start the SAN Volume Controller Console by selecting Start > All Programs > IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller > Launch SVC Console on your IBM System Storage Productivity Center (SSPC) or master console. The IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller Welcome panel is displayed.
2. If this is the first time that you have accessed the SAN Volume Controller Console, go to step 3. Otherwise, go to step 4.
3. Click Add SAN Volume Controller Cluster from the Welcome panel. The Adding a Cluster panel displays. Go to step 6 and proceed.
4. Select Clusters from the portfolio. The Viewing Clusters panel is displayed.
5. From the task list, select Add a Cluster and click Go.
6. The Adding a Cluster panel is displayed. Type the IP address of the cluster. This address should be the same IP address that you entered on the front panel. The SAN Volume Controller Console supports both IPv4 and IPv6 address formats. For IPv4, SAN Volume Controller Console supports the standard format for these addresses; 208.77.188.166 is an example of an IPv4 address. For IPv6 addresses, the following formats are supported:
   • Eight colon-separated groups of four hexadecimal digits; for example, 1234:1234:abcd:0123:0000:0000:7689:6576
   • Eight colon-separated groups of hexadecimal digits with the leading zeros omitted; for example, 1234:1234:abcd:123:0:0:7689:6576
   • Zero suppression format; for example, 1234:1234:abcd:123::7689:6576
     Note: You can only suppress one set of zeros in an address.
7. Select the Create (Initialize) Cluster check box to create the new cluster. If the cluster is already in use and you are adding this cluster to the list of managed clusters for this installation of the SAN Volume Controller Console, do not select the Create (Initialize) Cluster check box.

   Click OK. Depending on the browser type and version, a security alert might display. Complete the instructions that are presented on the browser's security panels.

8. The Connecting to ipaddress panel is displayed, where ipaddress is the IP address of the system that you are connecting to. Type the cluster user name superuser and the password that was generated when you created the cluster from the front panel.
9. Click OK.
10. On the Welcome panel of the Create Cluster wizard, click Continue. The Enter Cluster Settings panel is displayed.
11. Complete the Enter Cluster Settings panel.
    1. Type a name for your cluster. A valid cluster name is 1 to 15 ASCII characters. The following characters can be used: a - z, A - Z, 0 - 9, -, or _. The cluster name cannot begin with a number or the dash (-) character. You must choose a name that is different from any other cluster name in your storage area network, even remotely attached clusters. The cluster name forms part of the iSCSI qualified name (IQN) that might be used when connecting hosts to SAN Volume Controller using iSCSI. The cluster name should therefore be finalized before configuring any iSCSI hosts.
    2. Type the cluster superuser password that you want to use to access all cluster maintenance functions. This password must be different from the temporary cluster superuser password that was initially provided on the front panel of the node. The temporary cluster superuser password is used to create the cluster and to initially sign on to the cluster. Passwords must meet the following requirements:
       • Passwords are a maximum of 6 to 64 printable ASCII characters.
       • Passwords are case-sensitive.
       • The first or last character cannot be a blank character.
       Important: Record this password because you will need it to access the cluster after it is created.
    3. If you want the ability to reset the cluster superuser password from the front panel, accept the default setting for the Allow cluster superuser password reset from the front panel check box. With this option, you can reset the cluster superuser password from the front panel if the password is forgotten. You must ensure adequate physical security to the cluster hardware. If you do not have adequate physical security for the cluster hardware, deselect this option.
    4. Type the service password. The service password is used for routine cluster service activities. With a service password, the service user can access a limited subset of the maintenance functions available that is defined for the superuser. This can be useful if you want to give different users different levels of maintenance access. Re-enter the service password to verify the password.

       Passwords must meet the following requirements:

       • Passwords are a maximum of 15 alphanumeric characters.
       • Passwords are case-sensitive.
       • Valid characters are uppercase letters (A - Z), lowercase letters (a - z), digits (0 - 9), dash ( - ), and underscore ( _ ).
       • The first character cannot be a dash ( - ).
       Important: Record this password because you will need it if you cannot access the cluster using the cluster superuser ID and password.
    5. Type the service IP address for the cluster. The system uses the service IP address when an individual node is in service mode. The service mode IP address can be either a fixed IP address or Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) IP address. When using a fixed IP address, you cannot mix IPv4 and IPv6 addresses in the basic cluster configuration. Therefore, if the cluster IP address, previously configured on the front panel, is an IPv6 address, then the service IP address must also be an IPv6 address and similarly for IPv4. When using DHCP, an IP address is dynamically allocated when the node enters service mode. With DHCP, you can have multiple nodes in service mode simultaneously. Service mode IP addresses, including DHCP-assigned addresses, display on the front panel when a node is in service mode.
    6. Select the fabric speed. If your cluster contains nodes that automatically negotiate the fabric speed, this setting has no effect on those nodes. Node model SAN Volume Controller 2145-8F2 does not automatically negotiate its fabric speed and only operates at 1 or 2 Gbps; therefore, the fabric speed for these node models can be set at 1 or 2 Gbps. If your cluster contains nodes that automatically negotiate the fabric speed, set this value to 2 Gbps, even if the fibre channel operates at 4 Gbps.
12. Click Create New Cluster when you have completed this panel. After a few seconds, the cluster is created and the series of status panels are displayed. Click Continue on each of these panels. The License Setting panel is displayed.
13. Click Continue to complete the wizard. A message displays indicating that the cluster has been created successfully. Click the X that is located in the right corner of the window to close the wizard. You have successfully connected and configured the cluster. The cluster should be listed on the Viewing Clusters panel.