Replacing a Virtual Edge Appliance

This chapter describes how to replace a SteelFusion Virtual Edge in the case of an unexpected appliance or remote site failure. It includes the following sections:

The Virtual Edge appliance is installed on off-the-shelf hardware by system integrators. In the event of a catastrophic failure, you may need to replace the Virtual Edge appliance and remap the LUNs.

Note: The blockstore is a part of Virtual Edge. If you replace the Virtual Edge, the cached data on the failed blockstore is discarded. To protect the Virtual Edge against a single point of failure, consider an HA deployment of Virtual Edge.

1. Replace the hardware and deploy the Virtual Edge. This process is discussed in this chapter.

2. Follow the steps in the “Edge replacement” section of SteelFusion Design Guide, where details are provided for configuring the Virtual Edge and remapping the LUNs.

This section provides an overview of the basic steps to replace the Virtual Edge appliance hardware. For the detailed ESXi and Virtual Edge installation procedure, see ESXi and Virtual Edge installation.

The workflow requires that you work closely with the system integrator, and that they guide you through the recovery procedure.

1. Receive the RMA USB device or image from the system integrator. If you have received an image, see Creating the RMA USB device for details on what to do next.

2. Configure the new Virtual Edge appliance following the procedure in Appliance hardware BIOS configuration. Note that the PXE boot configuration steps in this section are not required. The system integrator will assist you with this procedure.

4. Press F11 to invoke the boot menu and select the attached USB device to boot. The vSphere ESXi hypervisor installs automatically on booting from the USB device.

5. Trigger the Virtual Edge deploy script to deploy the baseline version of Virtual Edge.

9. Once Virtual Edge is configured, contact Riverbed Support to perform the steps in the “Edge Replacement” section of the SteelFusion Design Guide.

The steps to configure the appliance hardware vary depending on the server vendor’s BIOS user interface. Usually, this configuration is performed when BIOS comes up. If you have any questions or issues, contact your hardware manufacturer. Your system integrator will assist you with this procedure.

1. If your appliance has a master power switch, ensure that it is in the off position.

4. Plug the straight-through cable into the primary port of the appliance and the LAN switch so that it is in the installation network.

The primary port can be any port on your LAN switch configured to connect to a host.

5. Using the appropriate hardware and software, connect to the console of the appliance.

7. Configure BIOS so that the disk for ESXi installation appears as first in the list.

ESXi kickstart installs ESXi using the command install --firstdisk —overwritevmfs.

8. Virtual Edge requires two RAID 1 or RAID 10 volumes. For details on volume sizes for your Virtual Edge model, contact your system integrator. Using the server vendor’s RAID configuration procedure, configure RAID volumes on the server hardware. Use two or more SSD drives to create a RAID 1/10 volume for the cache disks.

9. Use two or more HDDs or SSDs to create a RAID 1/10 volume for storing the blockstore.

11. Set up the boot settings to boot using the first disk on which ESXi will get installed.

If the system integrator shared the RMA image with you for download, they should also include the burn_rma_image utility to assist you in creating the RMA USB device. As a prerequisite, you should have a Linux box or VM in your environment with USB access enabled to burn the RMA Image onto a USB device.

2. The RMA USB device should be the only USB module attached on the appliance during the deployment procedure.

3. RMA installations are not supported over remote console, Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) console, or Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) console. The RMA USB device must be physically attached to the appliance.

4. Do not interrupt or stop the installation process. Any user interruption in the RMA procedure time will require a reboot of the appliance and you will need to restart the procedure.

1. Download the necessary files from the location specified by the system integrator.

5. Run the utility. The utility requires the RMA USB image path and, optionally, the USB device to write to.

Note: If you do not specify the USB device, the tool lists the attached USB devices and prompts you to select the USB device to use.

$ ./burn_rma_image --help

usage: burn_rma_image [-h] -i IMAGE [-u USB]

Burn RMA image to USB disk.

-h, --help show this help message and exit

-u USB, --usb USB USB disk path (i.e. /dev/sdb)

-i IMAGE, --image IMAGE

Path to RMA image file (i.e. RMA.img)

$ ./burn_rma_image -i rma_image

Following USB disks found:

1> /dev/sdd SMI Corporation USB DISK (4026MB)

Select the USB device [Q for quitting] : 1

Input RMA Image : usb-500GB

Output USB disk : /dev/sdd

Writing image to USB disk, All disk data will be erased.

Do you want to continue[Y/N]:y

USB creation successful.

The RMA USB device is a bootable USB that can image a system with the appropriate version of ESXi and deploy the vSFED VM. This section covers the steps involved in installing ESXi and deploying Virtual Edge.

• Contact your system integrator for assistance in configuring the appliance and preparing it for deployment.

• The hardware must meet the Virtual Edge requirements in the “Hardware and software requirements” section of the Virtual SteelFusion Edge System Integrator’s Guide.

1. Attach the RMA USB device to the appliance and ensure that there are no other USB modules attached.

2. Press F11 to invoke the boot menu, and select the attached USB device to boot.

The vSphere ESXi hypervisor installs automatically on booting from the USB device.

Note: The steps to boot from a USB device depend on the appliance you are using. Consult the user manual for the appliance for details on selecting the correct USB device for booting.

3. Once the appliance boots from the USB device, the ESXi hypervisor is automatically installed on the appliance.

$ cd /vmfs/volumes/datastore1

$ sh vsfed_install/install_vsfed.sh -d <datastore-name>

You can specify any datastore name that meets VMware’s guidelines and does not contain a space.

$ sh install_vsfed.sh -d datastore1

INFO: datastore datastore1 present on the system.

INFO: Datastore datastore1 present on the path /vmfs/volumes/datastore1.

INFO: Found the system logs directory as /vmfs/volumes/597eaae6-1badda4a-0925-0cc47aac02de/systemlogs.

INFO: No logfile named /vmfs/volumes/597eaae6-1badda4a-0925-0cc47aac02de/systemlogs/install_vsfed.log found on the system. Creating.

INFO: Successful in creating the logfile /vmfs/volumes/597eaae6-1badda4a-0925-0cc47aac02de/systemlogs/install_vsfed.log

INFO: Using the logfile /vmfs/volumes/597eaae6-1badda4a-0925-0cc47aac02de/systemlogs/install_vsfed.log for logging.

INFO: Installation environment initialized. Proceeding.

INFO: Checking usbarbitrator status

INFO: 1 USB attached on the appliance. Checking if the USB is a valid RMA Disk.

INFO: Found valid RMA Disk as /vmfs/devices/disks/mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0. Checking for corruption.

INFO: USB /vmfs/devices/disks/mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0 is valid. Proceeding with extraction of file.

INFO: USB Key attached on the system.

INFO: Free space on datastore1 = 468260 MB

INFO: Required space = 10240 MB

INFO: Copying deploy script from USB.

INFO: Executing deploy script.

INFO: Using the datastore provided for installation files.

INFO: Datastore datastore1 present on the system

INFO: Found the default datastore as /vmfs/volumes/597eaae6-1badda4a-0925-0cc47aac02de

INFO: Checking logfile /vmfs/volumes/597eaae6-1badda4a-0925-0cc47aac02de/systemlogs/install_vsfed.log.

INFO: Directory present /vmfs/volumes/597eaae6-1badda4a-0925-0cc47aac02de/systemlogs.

INFO: Checking logfile /vmfs/volumes/597eaae6-1badda4a-0925-0cc47aac02de/systemlogs/install_vsfed.log. File present.

INFO: No existing stale machines found on the appliance.

INFO: Cleaning all the old folders

INFO: Checking vSFED on the appliance passed.

INFO: Removing stale files.

INFO: File /vmfs/volumes/597eaae6-1badda4a-0925-0cc47aac02de//vsfed-package-dir not present on the appliance.

INFO: Success in removing any stale files on the appliance.

INFO: 1 USB attached on the appliance. Checking if the USB is a valid RMA Disk.

INFO: Found valid RMA Disk as /vmfs/devices/disks/mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0. Checking for corruption.

INFO: USB /vmfs/devices/disks/mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0 is valid. Proceeding with extraction of file.

INFO: Copying data from USB device. Please do not unplug the device.

INFO: Copying vsfed_rma_package.tar.gz from USB

INFO: Copying SHA1SUM from USB

INFO: Success in copying files from USB.

INFO: Checksum test passed ...... continuing

INFO: Success in checking the file integrity

INFO: Extracting files for installation. This will take some time.

INFO: Success in extracting the packaged files.

INFO: Installing VIB package

Message: The update completed successfully, but the system needs to be rebooted for the changes to be effective.

Reboot Required: true

VIBs Installed: RBD_bootbank_rvbd-vsfed-iscsi-boot-discovery_5.0.0-1

INFO: VIB Package rvbd-vsfed-iscsi-boot-discovery installation is successful.

INFO: Success in vib installation

INFO: Number of bypass cards on ESXi box 0

INFO: Bypass Cards not detected in the appliance.

INFO: Success in writing the bypass card information.

INFO: 2-Socket-License applied.

INFO: Success in license installation.

INFO: Executing the installer.

Checking appliances for vSFED Deployment

Currently Installing Appliance

==============================

[INFO] No appliances are currently being installed.

[INFO] No installed appliance history in the installer.

Failed Appliance Installation

=============================

[INFO] No failed appliance history in the installer.

Appliance To Install

====================

Found appliance(s) to install. Press I to install from the current list, [Enter] to Rescan, or Q to quit: I

Enter the appliance to install [0,1,2,..]

Checking the appliance folder for the IP file.

Checking if the appliance is pinging. Please wait.

localhost is up. Able to ping the IP.

Installing model number : VSFE1000W0

9. Specify the username and password of the local ESXi appliance. Press Enter to accept the default username and password.

Enter the username [default is root] :

Enter the password [default is pa55w0rd] :

Connecting to the appliance to retrieve information.

Connected. Extracting the datastore information.

10. Select the datastores for installing the Virtual Edge on the right datastores.

Current Disks Without Datastore

===============================

===== ==== ==== ======= =======

Index Name Type Size GB Mounted

===== ==== ==== ======= =======

0 datastore3 NON-SSD 465 True

1 datastore1 NON-SSD 458 True

2 datastore2 NON-SSD 931 True

Creating datastores on the empty disks

======================================

Printing all disks without datastores

=====================================

[INFO] Obtaining the new list of datastores

===== ==== ==== ======= =======

Index Name Type Size GB Mounted

===== ==== ==== ======= =======

0 datastore3 NON-SSD 465 True

1 datastore1 NON-SSD 458 True

2 datastore2 NON-SSD 931 True

Select the datastores for deployment

====================================

===== ==== ==== ======= =======

Index Name Type Size GB Mounted

===== ==== ==== ======= =======

0 datastore3 NON-SSD 465 True

1 datastore1 NON-SSD 458 True

2 datastore2 NON-SSD 931 True

Enter the cache datastore. Must be > 130 GB. (R to Rescan): 1

Checking size and mount status.

Datastore is mounted.

Is this an SSD? [n (for No) / y (for Yes) / R to Rescan]: n

Enter the blockstore datastore. Must be > 520 GB. (R to Rescan): 2

Checking size and mount status.

Datastore is mounted.

Is this an SSD? [n (for No) / y (for Yes) / R to Rescan]: n

All inputs are correct. Proceeding.

===== ==== ==== ======= =======

Index Name Type Size GB Mounted

===== ==== ==== ======= =======

0 datastore3 NON-SSD 465 True

1 ds1_cache_hdd_localhost_110 NON-SSD 458 True

2 ds2_blockstore_hdd_localhost_450 NON-SSD 931 True

Deploying vSFED with the following details

===========================================

Blockstore Size : 520

Blockstore Datastore : ds2_blockstore_hdd_localhost_450

Cache Datastore : ds1_cache_hdd_localhost_110

vSFED Datastore : ds2_blockstore_hdd_localhost_450

MacFolder : localhost

Executing command for installation

==================================

python /vmfs/volumes/597eaae6-1badda4a-0925-0cc47aac02de/vsfed-package-dir/vsfed_rma_install/bin/deploy_vsfed.py -U root -P pa55w0rd -M VSFE1000W0 -I localhost -V ds2_blockstore_hdd_localhost_450 -C ds1_cache_hdd_localhost_110 -CS 130 -B ds2_blockstore_hdd_localhost_450 -BS 520 -c 4 -m 16384 -T thick -F localhost -t NOBYPASS -DDS /vmfs/volumes/597eaae6-1badda4a-0925-0cc47aac02de -d False >/dev/null 2>&1

Rescanning after 10 seconds

Currently Installing Appliance

==============================

2017-07-31 04:32:22: Creating a disk with name [ds2_blockstore_hdd_localhost_450] VSFED/vsfed_blockstore.vmdk Size as 520 GB

2017-07-31 04:32:22: Creating a disk with name [ds1_cache_hdd_localhost_110] VSFED/vsfed_cache.vmdk Size as 130 GB

2017-07-31 04:32:33: Task Creating a disk with name [ds1_cache_hdd_localhost_110] VSFED/vsfed_cache.vmdk Size as 130 GB is 5% complete. Time elapsed is 0 mins

[INFO] No installed appliance history in the installer.

Failed Appliance Installation

=============================

[INFO] No failed appliance history in the installer.

Appliance To Install

====================

[INFO] No appliances to install, rechecking after 10 seconds

Rescanning after 10 seconds

Currently Installing Appliance

==============================

2017-07-31 04:32:22: Creating a disk with name [ds1_cache_hdd_localhost_110] VSFED/vsfed_cache.vmdk Size as 130 GB

2017-07-31 04:32:33: Task Creating a disk with name [ds1_cache_hdd_localhost_110] VSFED/vsfed_cache.vmdk Size as 130 GB is 5% complete. Time elapsed is 0 mins

2017-07-31 04:32:43: Task Creating a disk with name [ds2_blockstore_hdd_localhost_450] VSFED/vsfed_blockstore.vmdk Size as 520 GB is 1% complete. Time elapsed is 0 mins

..................................................

Currently Installing Appliance

==============================

2017-07-31 05:48:19: Task Correcting disk format is 100% complete as reported by Esxi. It takes around 20 mins to complete. Time elapsed is 3 mins

2017-07-31 05:48:29: Task Correcting disk format is 100% complete as reported by Esxi. It takes around 20 mins to complete. Time elapsed is 3 mins

2017-07-31 05:48:39: Task Correcting disk format is 100% complete as reported by Esxi. It takes around 20 mins to complete. Time elapsed is 3 mins

[INFO] No installed appliance history in the installer.

Failed Appliance Installation

=============================

[INFO] No failed appliance history in the installer.

Appliance To Install

====================

[INFO] No appliances to install, rechecking after 10 seconds

Rescanning after 10 seconds

Currently Installing Appliance

==============================

[INFO] No appliances are currently being installed.

Failed Appliance Installation

=============================

[INFO] No failed appliance history in the installer.

Appliance To Install

====================

[INFO] No appliances to install, rechecking after 10 seconds

Installation successful.

===================================================================

VSFED VM Installation report

===================================================================

VM Registration Status : Yes

CPU Cores per Socket : 2

No. of Virtual CPUs : 4

No. of bypass cards on ESXi box : 0

List of vSwitches on ESXi box :

vSwitch - vSwitch0 : Yes

vSwitch - AuxNet : Yes

vSwitch - DataNet0 : Yes

vSwitch - DataNet1 : Yes

vSwitch - LANNet0 : Yes

vSwitch - WANNet0 : Yes

vSwitch - LANNet1 : Yes

vSwitch - WANNet1 : Yes

List of Virtual Machine port groups associated with VSFED VM:

SSD datastore name : ds1_cache_hdd_localhost_110

SSD datastore capacity : 458 GiB

List of Files on SSD Datastore :

VSFED/vsfed_cache-flat.vmdk : Yes

VSFED/vsfed_cache.vmdk : Yes

HDD datastore name : ds2_blockstore_hdd_localhost_450

HDD datastore capacity : 931 GiB

List of Files on HDD Datastore :

VSFED/vsfed_blockstore-flat.vmdk : Yes

VSFED/vsfed_blockstore.vmdk : Yes

VSFED/vsfed_flat.vmdk : Yes

VSFED/vsfed.vmdk : Yes

VSFED/vsfed.vmsd : Yes

VSFED/vsfed.vmx : Yes

Software iSCSI adapter : True

rvbd-vsfed-iscsi-boot-discovery VIB package : Yes (Reboot required for VIB activation.)

Auto-start VSFED VM : Yes

ESXi Installation log : /vmfs/volumes/ds1_cache_hdd_localhost_110//systemlogs/vsfed_kickstart_firstboot.log

VSFED deployment log : /vmfs/volumes/ds1_cache_hdd_localhost_110//vsfed-package-dir/nfs/installed/localhost/deploy_logfile.log

===================================================================

VSFED is installed correctly.

===================================================================

VSFED Installation Verification Log file : /vsfed_install_verification.log

===================================================================

INFO: Starting usbarbitrator service.

Now that you have installed ESXi and the vSFED VM, you configure the bypass card in order to make it available to the vSFED VM. If your server hardware does not have a Riverbed bypass card, you can proceed to Mapping ESXi virtual switches to physical uplinks.

1. Disconnect the target appliance from the installation network and connect it to the management network.

3. Using vSphere on any desktop on the management network, connect to the target appliance.

11. Click Configure Passthrough to display the Mark devices for passthrough window.

12. Select all the NICs corresponding to the Riverbed NIC from the list of available direct path devices.

If a NIC is currently in use, vSphere displays a dialog box prompting you to confirm making this NIC a pass-through device. Click Yes to confirm the change.

Note: If you are configuring the 10-G fiber card, select the Broadcom Network Controller as a pass-through device. The Broadcom Controller may appear as Unknown Controller.

The NICs are displayed in the DirectPath I/O Configuration page as available for direct access by the virtual machines on the host.

15. Ensure that the pass-through devices are appearing correctly. In the Inventory panel, select the host from the Configuration tab and select Advanced Settings.

Do you want to auto-configure using a SCC? no

Do you want to use the wizard for initial configuration? no

vsfed > configure terminal

vsfed (config) # reset factory

Resetting and halting the system... please wait.

After you have finished adding all bypass card NICs, they appear in the Hardware list of the Virtual Machine Properties window.

Figure: vSphere Virtual Machine Properties window - Riverbed bypass card mapped as PCI device

Note: If you are installing a 10-G fiber card, you also need to add the Broadcom Controller as a PCI device.

You need to map the virtual switches to physical uplink ports. Before you start, make sure that you are familiar with the physical uplink ports. For example, which uplinks are wired, and for what purpose.

Note: It is not necessary to map all the virtual switches. For details, see the SteelFusion Design Guide.

2. Select the Configuration tab, and then select Networking in the Hardware pane.

If the appliance does not have a bypass card the configuration appears as shown in Figure: vSphere Networking tab - appliance without a bypass card, displaying LAN and WAN vSwitches.

If the appliance has a bypass card, no LAN and WAN vSwitches will be displayed, as shown in Figure: vSphere Networking tab - for appliances with a bypass card.

3. Select Properties for the vSwitch you would like to map. The vSwitch Properties window displays.

10. Mark the uplink port on the appliance using a small label or similar method so the customer can clearly differentiate between each port.

11. Repeat Step 3 through Step 10 for all virtual switches to be mapped to a physical uplink.

After installation is complete, the system integrator will assist you in configuring the Virtual Edge appliance. For configuration details, see the “Configuring the Riverbed bypass card” and “Map ESXi virtual switches to physical uplinks” sections of the Virtual SteelFusion Edge System Integrator’s Guide.

Once Virtual Edge installation and configuration are complete and the vSFED VM is powered on, contact Riverbed Support to guide you through the Edge replacement procedure in the SteelFusion Design Guide.

• ESXi installation appears to be successful but you are unable to boot into the installed ESXi - The installation may have occurred on a disk different from the boot disk of the appliance. In the BIOS boot menu, select the appropriate disk for booting and ensure that proper boot order is maintained.

• Installation does not process stating that corrupted RMA disk is attached - The USB device may have not been written to correctly, or it may have been ejected before all the data was written to it. Recreate and/or rewrite the image on the USB device and retry.

• Unable to install from the KVM console or the remote console of the server - RMA installation does not support KVM or remote console installations. The customer will need to physically attach the USB device to the appliance.