IBM XIV Remote Support Center (XRSC) is upgrading its front-end servers

Content

Starting Q3 2016 the following took place:

1. Systems connected to IBM XRSC directly (without a proxy) obtains the addresses of the new front-end servers’ through automated distribution upon connection to XRSC.
2. Systems which are not directly connected to IBM XRSC obtains the new front-end servers’ addresses in one of the maintenance actions done by IBM, prior to January 2018.
3. Customers using systems that connect to XRSC through XRSCProxy required to update to a new version of XRSCProxy that includes the new front-end server addresses. IBM announced the availability of the updated XRSCProxy software levels on its IBM FixCentral website on September 7th, 2016 in the following link https://ibm.biz/Bdini8. In this website page click on the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy and there you can find the most current version.

Note: Please make sure to allow access to the new front-end servers from your internal network (firewall, etc.)

The following technical section contains the following:
A. Old Front Servers Information
B. New Front Servers Information
C. Connecting to the XRSC Front Servers Using the IBM XIV Management Tools
D. Connecting to the XRSC Front Servers Using the IBM XIV XCLI
E. IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy Server Configuration

A. Old Front Servers Information:
Name          Address              
front2        195.110.41.141    
front3        195.110.41.142      

B. New Front Servers Information:
Name          Address            Port      Priority   
front_bld     204.146.30.139     22        11
front_pok     129.33.206.139     22        11

Setting IBM XIV Remote Support Center Servers to New IBM Front Servers:
With the introduction of these new XRSC servers, local configuration on IBM XIV Gen2, IBM XIV Gen3 and IBM FlashSystem A9000/R, and the XIV Remote Support Proxy if being used, need to be connected prior to the current XRSC servers being retired so the new XRSC configuration can be pushed to the systems.

Note: Local XIV support center definitions automatically update to the latest front server locations once a successful connection has been made to any XRSC front server. If using the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy you must upgrade to Version 1.3.2.1 found on IBM FixCentral website in the following link https://ibm.biz/Bdini8. In this website page click on the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy and there you can find the most current version. Configuration of the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy must be completed on the server where it is installed.

C. Connecting to the XRSC Front Servers Using the IBM XIV Management Tools

The following process can be used to connect to the XRSC front servers on IBM XIV Gen2 and IBM XIV Gen3 using the IBM XIV Management Tools. Ensure that the most current version of the IBM XIV Management Tools is used when configuring the XRSC Support Centers to take advantage of the latest IBM XIV Management Tools enhancements.

Note: XIV Remote Support Connections require that any firewall which the connection must transit will allow outbound connectivity to the XRSC front server IP addresses at port 22. Please ensure that any firewalls between the XIV or XIV Remote Support proxy have updated rules to allow connectivity to the new IP addresses.

1. Connect to the XIV using the IBM XIV Management Tools with a user who is a member or the Storage Administrator user category and select the XIV which will be configured so that it has focus in the main IBM XIV Management Tools window. Select “Support Center” from the “Tools” menu option to open the “Support Center” Options Window.

2. Verify that the new XRSC Front Server addresses listed above are present in the Support Center server list. If the new XRSC Front Server addresses are not present in the list, select the “Support Center Connect” button to the right of the XRSC Front Server list to initiate a connection to the XRSC Front Servers. The new XRSC Front Server connections will be automatically added to the list of available XRSC front Servers.

3. If the XIV was already connected to the IBM XRSC Front Servers Support Connection and the new XRSC Front Servers are not present in the XRSC Front Server List, Disconnect the Support Connection by selecting the “Support Center Disconnect” button to the right of the XRSC Front Server list and then select the “Support Center Connect” button to the right of the XRSC Front Server list to reconnect and refresh the XRSC Front Server list.

4. If the connection fails, this indicates that the connection is being blocked between the XIV and the XRSC Front Servers. This connection requires that outbound TCP port 22 connectivity be enabled from the XIV to the IBM XRSC Front Servers. Review any firewall settings on network layer three devices which may be blocking the outbound port TCP 22 connection.

Once the network configuration has been updated to address any outbound TCP port 22 blocks between the XIV and the IBM XRSC Front Servers, re-initiate the Support Center Connection to apply the latest XRSC Front Server configuration.

D. Connecting to the XRSC Front Servers Using the IBM XIV XCLI

The following process can be used to connect to the XRSC Front Servers on IBM XIV Gen2, IBM XIV Gen3 and IBM FlashSystem A9000/R using the IBM XIV Command Line Interface (XCLI). Ensure that the most current version of the IBM XIV XCLI is used when connecting to the XRSC Support Centers to take advantage of the latest IBM XIV XCLI enhancements.

Note: XIV Remote Support Connections require that any firewall which the connection must transit will allow outbound connectivity to the XRSC front server IP addresses at port 22. Please ensure that any firewalls between the XIV or XIV Remote Support proxy have updated rules to allow connectivity to the new IP addresses.

1. Connect to the IBM XIV or IBM FlashSystem A9000/R being configured using the IBM XIV XCLI utility with a user account that is a member of the Storage Administrator user category.

2. List the current Support Server definitions by running the support_center_list command.

>> support_center_list
Name        Address          Port   Priority  
----------- ---------------- ------ ----------
front2      195.110.41.141   22     10
front3      195.110.41.142   22     10

Verify that the new XRSC Front Server addresses listed above are present in the Support Center server list.

3. If the new XRSC Front Server addresses are not present in the list, check the current status of the Support Center connection using the support_center_status command.


>> support_center_status 
State  Connected Sessions  Timeout (min)  Module      Connected Since
-----  ------------------  -------------  ----------  -------------------
Idle         0             no timeout     1:Module:1  2017-07-26 14:24:48

Destination  Auto Connect Active
-----------  -------------------
front2           no

4. If there is an active connection to the IBM Support Centers, disconnect the connection using the support_center_disconnect command and verify that the connection is no longer active using the support_center_status command.

>> support_center_status
State           Connected Sessions  Timeout (min)  Module Connected Since
--------------  ------------------  -------------  ------ ---------------  
No connection         0             no timeout    

5. Initiate a new support center connection by running the support_center_connect command and verify that the connection is active by running the support_center_status command.

>> support_center_status
State  Connected Sessions  Timeout (min)  Module      Connected Since
-----  ------------------  -------------  ----------  -------------------
Idle         0             no timeout     1:Module:1  2017-07-26 14:25:48

Destination  Auto Connect Active
-----------  -------------------
Front_bld          no

6. Validate that the new XRSC Front Servers are present within the support center configuration by using the support_center_list command

>> support_center_list
Name        Address          Port   Priority  
----------- ---------------- ------ ----------
front2      195.110.41.141   22     10
front3      195.110.41.142   22     10
front_bld   204.146.30.139   22     11
front_pok   129.33.206.139   22     11

7. If the connection fails, this indicates that the connection is being blocked between the XIV and the XRSC Front Servers. This connection requires that outbound TCP port 22 connectivity be enabled from the XIV to the IBM XRSC Front Servers. Review any firewall settings on network layer three devices which may be blocking the outbound port TCP 22 connection.

Once the network configuration has been updated to address any outbound TCP port 22 blocks between the XIV and the IBM XRSC Front Servers, re-initiate the Support Center Connection to apply the latest XRSC Front Server configuration.

E. IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy Server Configuration

The following process can be used to update the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy to take advantage of the new XRSC front servers. This procedure must be completed on the server running the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy by a user account with permissions to modify the /etc/xiv/proxy.conf file.

Note:XIV Remote Support Connections require that any firewall which the connection must transit will allow outbound connectivity to the XRSC front server IP addresses at port 22. Please ensure that any firewalls between the XIV or XIV Remote Support proxy have updated rules to allow outbound connectivity to the new IP addresses.

In most cases this will be a root or system administrator user account. For full instructions on configuring the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy please review the IBM RedPaper available at the address below:

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/STJTAG/com.ibm.help.xiv_rsp11.doc/docs/xiv_rsproxy_1.1.0_ug.pdf

Note: If using the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy you must upgrade to Version 1.3.2.1 found on IBM FixCentral website in the following link https://ibm.biz/Bdini8. In this website page click on the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy and there you can find the most current version.

1. Connect to the server where the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy is installed with a user account that has permissions to edit configuration files and restart system services.

2. Validate that the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy is working by initiating an XRSC connection from an XIV which has been configured to use the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy server.