IBM Support

5.2.11 Limitations and known issues for IBM Spectrum Control and Tivoli Storage Productivity Center for Replication

Preventive Service Planning


Abstract

This document provides Information about limitations and known issues that you might encounter when you use IBM® Spectrum Control V5.2.11.

Content

This document contains the following sections:


Support links and documentation

Installation, upgrade, and configuration

General IBM Spectrum Control issues

Language-related issues

Other monitoring products

Tivoli Common Reporting

Tivoli Storage Productivity Center for Replication

Documentation updates and corrections

Web Browsers

VMware vSphere

Support links and documentation

To access all of the support documentation, including alerts and APARs, go to the IBM Support Portal.



For information about the devices that are supported by IBM Spectrum Control, see the Supported Hardware, Products and Platforms Interoperability Matrix Links at http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21386446.

To see the IBM Spectrum Control V5.2.11 Quick Installation Guide and other publications, see the printable documentation download web site at
http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS5R93_5.2.11/com.ibm.spectrum.sc.doc/fqz0_r_printable_pdf_files.html

The IBM Spectrum Control V5.2.11 Knowledge Center is available here: http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS5R93_5.2.11/com.ibm.spectrum.sc.doc/tpc_kc_homepage.html.

For a list of the known issues with the IBM Spectrum Control support for Hitachi Data Systems Virtual Storage Platform, see http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21667294.

Product licenses for IBM Spectrum Control

IBM Spectrum Control V5.2.11 offers product licenses with differing functionality to meet your storage management needs. For information about these licenses, seehttp://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS5R93_5.2.11/com.ibm.spectrum.sc.doc/fqz0_r_product_packages.html

Option to install or upgrade reporting components might not be available when you upgrade from Tivoli Storage Productivity Center V5.2.x or IBM Spectrum Control 5.2.x to IBM Spectrum Control 5.2.11

The instructions for upgrading IBM Spectrum Control that are in the product documentation include steps for installing or upgrading Jazz for Service Management and Tivoli Common Reporting and IBM Spectrum Control reports during the upgrade process. However, the option to install or upgrade these reporting components when you upgrade Tivoli Storage Productivity Center V5.2.x or IBM Spectrum Control V5.2.x to IBM Spectrum Control V5.2.11 might not be available. The ability to install or upgrade reporting components during the 5.2.x to 5.2.y upgrade process depends on the status of your reporting environment before the upgrade as described in the technote at http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21687650.


Installation, upgrade, and configuration



SSLv3 disabled by default

Before you upgrade to IBM Spectrum Control 5.2.11 or later, read and understand the information in this security bulletin: Security Bulletin: Multiple vulnerabilities in IBM Java SDK affect Tivoli Storage Productivity Center October 2014 CPU.

SSLv3 (the legacy SSL protocol) has been disabled by default once you upgrade to Tivoli Storage Productivity Center 5.2.5 and later releases. To maintain compatibility between Tivoli Storage Productivity Center and storage systems or devices that support only SSLv3, you must upgrade the storage systems and devices to a level that provides TLS support (if available) or manually enable SSLv3 in Tivoli Storage Productivity Center using a script after you upgrade. Information about using the script to enable SSLv3 is provided in the link in the security bulletin.

The Supported Hardware, Products and Platforms Interoperability Matrix Links support pages have been updated to reflect known compatibility considerations related to this security update.

Related Information: Security Bulletin: Multiple vulnerabilities impact DS8000 HMC.

Linux Server Support

5.2.10 is the last version that will provide IBM Spectrum Control Server support on SuSE Linux.

Using a virtual private network connection to install IBM Spectrum Control can cause problems

Do not use a virtual private network (VPN) connection to install IBM Spectrum Control. This type of network connection can create problems with the installation.

If you are using a VPN connection, disconnect it before you install IBM Spectrum Control. After you install IBM Spectrum Control, you can reconnect the VPN connection.

 IBM Spectrum Control V5.2.11 installation might fail during the Storage Resource agent installation 


During the IBM Spectrum Control installation, the Storage Resource agent installation might time out, causing the product installation to fail.

To resolve this issue:
1. Edit the tpcsra.xml file in the  installation directory.  The default installation directories are
  • Windows: C:\Program Files\IBM\TPC\config\install\tpcsra.xml
  • Unix: /opt/IBM/TPC/config/install/tpcsra.xml

2. Change <property name="sra.timeout" value="600000" /> to <property name="sra.timeout" value="1200000" />.
3. Save your changes.
3. Start the IBM Spectrum Control installation program again and resume the Storage Resource agent installation.

Upgrade preinstallation validation exportLDAPRepositories failure with expired certificates


When you  upgrade from an earlier version of Tivoli Storage Productivity Center to the current version of IBM
Spectrum Control, you might encounter the following error message during the pre-upgrade process:
BPCIN0258E The LDAP configuration did not succeed. For more information, review the log files, and in the LDAP export
command output, search for "exportLDAPRepositories".

In the upgrade log files, exportLDAPRepositories might indicate a certificate expiration problem in the
WebSphere Application Server Web server.

To fix the expired WebSphere Application Server Web server certificates in Tivoli Storage Productivity Center, follow
these steps:

1.  Cancel the IBM Spectrum Control upgrade process.

2.  Stop the Tivoli Storage Productivity Center web server.  See http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS5R93_5.2.11/com.ibm.spectrum.sc.doc/fqz0_t_stopping_tpc_services.html.

3.  Back up the following files in the existing Tivoli Storage Productivity Center installation:

<TPC Installation Location>
\ewas\profiles\WebServerProfile\etc\key.p12
<TPC Installation Location>
\ewas\profiles\WebServerProfile\etc\trust.p12

4.  Copy the following files:

<TPC Installation Location>
\ewas\profiles\WebServerProfile\config\cells\WebServerCell\nodes\WebServerNode\key.p12
to   <TPC Installation Location>\ewas\profiles\WebServerProfile\etc\key.p12
<TPC Installation Location>
\ewas\profiles\WebServerProfile\config\cells\WebServerCell\nodes\WebServerNode\trust.p12
to   <TPC Installation Location>\ewas\profiles\WebServerProfile\etc\trust.p12

5.  Start the IBM Tivoli Storage Productivity Center web server.  See http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS5R93_5.2.11/com.ibm.spectrum.sc.doc/fqz0_t_starting_tpc_services.html.

6.  Restart the IBM Spectrum Control installation program to continue the upgrade process.

After upgrading from Tivoli Storage Productivity Center V5.1.1.x to IBM Spectrum Control V5.2.11 using silent mode, you cannot access the Spectrum Control GUI or Replication GUI by using your LDAP credentials

After upgrading from Tivoli Storage Productivity Center V5.1.1.x to IBM Spectrum Control V5.2.11 using silent mode, you will not be able to log in to the IBM Spectrum Control GUI or the Replication GUI using the LDAP credentials that you used with Tivoli Storage Productivity Center before the upgrade to V5.2.11.  This is caused by the federated repositories in WebSphere Application Server no longer recognizing your LDAP repository after the upgrade to IBM Spectrum Control V5.2.11.  However, you can log in to the IBM Spectrum Control GUI or the Replication GUI using the OS credentials or the file-based credentials that you used with V5.1.1.x.

To resolve this issue, use the instructions in the IBM Knowledge Center topic to add your LDAP repository back to the federated repositories:  http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS5R93_5.2.11/com.ibm.spectrum.sc.doc/fqz0_t_config_ldap_active_directory.html
After you complete this procedure, you should be able to log in to both the IBM Spectrum Control GUI and the Replication GUI using the LDAP credentials that you used with Tivoli Storage Productivity Center before you upgraded.

Error message BPCIN0224E is displayed during the pre-installation of IBM Spectrum Control on a Windows domain

If you specify a domain user account for the common user when you install IBM Spectrum Control, but a local user account was created during the DB2 installation, the following error message is displayed:

BPCIN0224E The user Domain Name\Domain User is a domain account and cannot be used to log in to DB2. You must enter a separate user name for DB2.

This error occurs when you click Next in the Single Server Installation Information page of the installation wizard.

To resolve this error:

1. Click Configure Database repository in the Single Server Installation Information page.
2. In the Configure the Database Repository page, enter the DB2 user name without a Windows domain name prefix, enter the password for the DB2 user, and click Validate.
3. When the validation is complete, click OK to exit the Configure the Database Repository page and return to the Single Server Installation Information page.
4. Click Next on the Single Server Installation Information page to continue the installation.

DB2 log messages ADM5530W can be ignored

ADM5530W messages in the DB2 Event Log and db2diag.log indicate that the materialized query table (MQT) is using the 'NOT LOGGED INITIALLY' option to improve database performance and create fewer transaction log entries. These messages do not require any user action and can be ignored.

To prevent these messages from appearing in the Event Log and db2diag.log, set the DB2 notifylevel and diaglevel parameters to 2. For information about how to set these parameters, see:

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSEPGG_10.5.0/com.ibm.db2.luw.admin.config.doc/doc/r0002358.html
and
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSEPGG_10.5.0/com.ibm.db2.luw.admin.config.doc/doc/r0000298.html

Installing Jazz for Service Management

The following information applies to the installation of Jazz for Service Management:
  • To install Jazz for Service Management and Tivoli Common Reporting, the following compressed files must be downloaded and extracted to a single directory (for example, c:\downloads\JazzSM):
    • Jazz for Service Management Version 1.1.0.3
    • Tivoli Common Reporting Version 3.1.0.1
    • Tivoli Common Reporting Version 3.1.0.2
    • IBM WebSphere Application Server Version 8.5.0.1

When you install Jazz for Service Management, you must use the IBM Spectrum Control installation program. If you do not use the IBM Spectrum Control installation program, you will experience the following types of issues:
  • The Jazz for Service Management Windows service is not created.


  • As a result, the Jazz for Service Management server does not automatically start when you restart the computer or log off of your Windows session. IBM Spectrum Control reports cannot connect to Jazz for Service Management. You must manually start Jazz for Service Management server every time you restart the computer or log off of your Windows session on which Jazz for Service Management is installed.

    To start the Jazz for Service Management server, run the following command:

    JazzSM_install_directory\profile\bin\startServer.bat server_name

    JazzSM_install_directory and server_name were specified when you installed Jazz for Service Management. The default JazzSM_install_directory is C:\Program Files\IBM\JazzSM, and the default server_name is server1.

    It might take a few minutes for the server to start.

    You can also return the name and status of the server by entering the following WebSphere® Application Server command:

    serverStatus -All
  • If you try to install Jazz for Service Management separately by using a Windows domain user account, the installation will fail.

The prerequisite checker checks the /usr directory instead of the /opt directory

On Linux and AIX operating systems, when you install Jazz for Service Management and Tivoli Common Reporting, instead of checking the /opt directory for free space, the prerequisite checker checks the /usr directory. Ensure that you have sufficient space in the /opt directory.

Discrepancy about the space requirement in the /opt folder to install Jazz for Service Management

Although you need 6 GB in the /opt folder to install Jazz for Service Management, the Prerequisite Scanner check states that you need only 4.6 GB.

To resolve this issue, before you install Jazz for Service Management, ensure that you have at least 6 GB of space in the /opt folder.

Unable to run Tivoli Storage Productivity Center reports when you upgrade from Tivoli Storage Productivity Center V5.1.1 to 5.2.1 or later on AIX operating systems


On AIX operating systems, before you upgrade from Tivoli Storage Productivity Center Version 5.1.1.2 to Version 5.2.1 or later or to Spectrum Control, verify whether Tivoli Storage Productivity Center reports work. If reports do not work, some of the files that were bound to DB2 may have been deleted. If this occurs, you cannot run Tivoli Storage Productivity Center reports.

Restriction: You must complete the following procedure before you upgrade. After you complete the procedure, verify that you can run Tivoli Storage Productivity Center reports, and then upgrade to Tivoli Storage Productivity Center Version 5.2.x or Spectrum Control.

To resolve this issue, complete the following steps:
  1. Log in to Tivoli Storage Productivity Center by using the root user name.
  2. At the command line, issue the following commands:
su - db2inst1
db2 terminate
db2 connect to tpcdb
db2 bind /opt/IBM/db2/V9.7/bnd/db2schema.bnd blocking all grant public sqlerror continue
db2 terminate

Unable to restart Jazz for Service Management services when Jazz for Service Management is installed without using the IBM Spectrum Control installation program

On the Windows operating system, if you installed Jazz for Service Management and Tivoli Common Reporting without starting the IBM Spectrum Control installation program, and you log off or restart your computer, Jazz for Service Management and Tivoli Common Reporting services do not automatically start. You must manually restart the Jazz for Service Management and Tivoli Common Reporting services. For information about restarting Jazz for Service Management and Tivoli Common Reporting services, see IBM Spectrum Control Knowledge Center. Search for Starting IBM Spectrum Control servers.

To resolve this issue, you must install Jazz for Service Management and Tivoli Common Reporting by using the IBM Spectrum Control installation program.

Restriction: If your computer is part of a Windows domain, to avoid the Access Denied message, you must run the startServer command with the runas parameter.

APAR IT06215: Uninstalling the Deployment Engine

The Knowledge Center and Installation Guide topic Uninstalling Tivoli Common Reporting and Jazz for Service Management does not contain information about how to remove the Deployment Engine, which is a component of Tivoli Common Reporting. For instructions about how to remove the Deployment Engine, see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSEKCU_1.1.0.3/com.ibm.psc.doc_1.1.0.3/tcr_original/ttcr_uninstal_manually.html.

You can see the status of this APAR here: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg1IT06215

Jazz for Service Management directories remain after you uninstall Tivoli Common Reporting

After you uninstall Tivoli Common Reporting, the follow directories might still remain in the C:\Program Files\IBM\JazzSM directory:
  • bin
  • etc
  • lib
  • logs
  • profile
  • reporting
  • var

Replacing existing server SSL certificates when upgrading from versions earlier than Tivoli Storage Productivity Center V5.2.2

Tivoli Storage Productivity Center Version 5.2.2 (or later) uses SSL certificates with 2048-bit encryption keys whereas previous versions of Tivoli Storage Productivity Center used 1024-bit encryption keys. If you upgrade Tivoli Storage Productivity Center from a version earlier than V5.2.2, your SSL certificates are not updated automatically to 2048-bit encryptions keys. If you want to use 2048-bit encryption keys with previous versions of Tivoli Storage Productivity Center, you must replace the default SSL certificates with custom SSL certificates.

For information about how to replace SSL certificates, see Replacing custom SSL certificates in the IBM Knowledge Center: http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS5R93_5.2.11/com.ibm.spectrum.sc.doc/fqz0_r_create_custom_certificate_ssl.html

If you chose to remain with 1024-bit encryption and at a later time want to deploy additional Storage Resource agents using the command line installation procedure from the installation image, and point those agents to an upgraded server, the agent installation will fail due to a certificate mismatch. To install V5.2.2 or later Storage Resource agents using the local command line, the 2048-bit certificates in the install image on the agent system must be replaced with 1024-bit certificates using the following steps.

Restriction: This process assumes that the Storage Resource agent disk image can be modified. If you are installing from a DVD, you must copy the installation files to a location where you have write access before you implement the following steps.

1. Copy <TPC_installation_directory>/data/sra/<agent_operating_system>/certs.zip from the upgraded Tivoli Storage Productivity Center server to <SRA_image_install_directory>/sra/<agent_operating_system> on the agent system.

2. Extract the zip file to <SRA_image_install_directory>/sra/<agent_operating_system>/certs.

Note: <SRA_image_install_directory> is the directory where the Storage Resource agent image was extracted. <agent_operating_system> is the directory that is named for the operating system where the agent is installed.

3. Install the Storage Resource agent with the appropriate option.


General IBM Spectrum Control issues


APAR IT21955: SVC stats record an incomplete picture of the port activity [<!--APAR 165427 / L2A 154650 -->]
 
In Spectrum Control, the IBM SAN Volume Controller (SVC) subsystem port zero buffer credit value is received directly from the SVC storage device and has certain limitations in terms of what traffic it measures. Due to the limitations Spectrum Control customers may notice a difference between the switch port metric value & the SVC port metric value. This is the result of SVC being unable to measure the raw traffic through the ports as some of it is hidden by the Emulex hardware.

You can see the status of this APAR here: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg1IT21955



APAR IT17688: Save button for storage system alert definition may be inactive after IBM Spectrum Control Upgrade
 
During the upgrade process, the update of the underlying value of some alert definitions might get corrupted.

To resolve this problem, complete the following instructions:

Go to the View Details page of the storage system that cannot save alert definitions:
a. Click Storage > Block Storage Systems.
b. Select the storage system with the alert definition problem.
c. Click Actions > View Details.
Click Alerts in the General list.
In the Alerts window, click the Definitions tab.
Click Storage Systems > General.
Enable the Status alert and set it to Unreachable from the drop down list.

You can see the status of this APAR here: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg1IT17688


Information about resources that use the iSCSI protocol is not shown in IBM Spectrum Control

IBM Spectrum Control does not collect iSCSI port information for storage systems and servers. Information about resources that connect to monitored storage systems using the iSCSI protocol is not shown in the web-based GUI. For example, information about iSCSI mapped volumes is not shown.

In Metro Mirror or Global Copy relationship, if a Peer to Peer Remote Copy (PPRC) is terminated and then deleted on one of the storage systems, the other storage system retains the relationship

If a storage system is not aware of the termination due to the loss of the PPRC path, volumes on that system might be counted as both unprotected and protected.

To correct the reporting, take one of the following actions:

  • Issue a terminate to the storage system, which retains the relationships.
  • Reestablish the PPRC paths and the relationship by using the dscli command or another copy services management tool (such as the CSM product).

Provisioning fails with ADD_PORTS_TO_HOST message on XIV 11.5.0 when modifying host

When trying to provision storage from an XIV 11.5.0 system, the provisioning task fails with an "ADD_PORTS_TO_HOST task failed" message when trying to provision storage to a host that is already defined on the XIV subsystem. This can happen when the host definition does not contain all the Fibre Channel ports that IBM Spectrum Control is trying to assign the volume to.

For example, if you try to provision storage to a host that has 2 Fibre Channel ports and the host is
already defined on the XIV 11.5.0 system but with only one of the Fibre Channel ports, the assign job will fail and the second port will not be added to the host.

This condition does not occur when IBM Spectrum Control is creating the host definition, or when an existing host definition already has all ports defined. This issue does not occur with XIV 11.4 systems, and 11.5.1 or later systems.

Workaround: modify the host definition on the XIV 11.5.0 system to contain all the Fibre Channel ports, then run a probe of the XIV 11.5.0 system in IBM Spectrum Control or upgrade to XIV 11.5.1 or later.

Enabled ethernet port that is not connected to a switch can cause the GUI to hang

On some IBM servers running Windows 2012, an enabled ethernet port can cause the IBM Spectrum Control web-based GUI to stop responding if the port is not connected to a switch. This condition causes a DB2 SQL -911 error and also causes the IBM Spectrum Control GUI to stop responding.

To prevent this, disable the ethernet port or configure the port by using the instructions here: https://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/bladectr/documentation/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.bladecenter.hs22.doc/dw1iu_t_lan_over_usb_install_windows_driver_install.html.

In Cognos not all data for GPFS/GSS/Spectrum Scale systems is represented correctly
  • GPFS/GSS/Spectrum Scale file systems are not correctly represented in Cognos reports that are included with IBM Spectrum Control.
  • Information is not collected about NFS and CIFS exports that are defined on a GPFS/GSS/Spectrum Scale clusters.

The probe fails for an IBM Spectrum Scale storage system that is configured for object storage

To probe an IBM Spectrum Scale storage system that is configured for object storage, the IBM Spectrum Control server must be able to connect to the OpenStack Swift and Keystone endpoints that are used to access object services.

If any of the object service endpoints are unreachable by the IBM Spectrum Control server, the probe of the object storage system might fail. For example, you might see the following error message in the probe log:
HWNEP0287E Error when collecting Accounts information from Object Storage Service using REST protocol.


To resolve this problem, complete the following steps:
1. To list the URLs for the Keystone and Swift services, run the following commands as user root on one of the GPFS cluster nodes that are configured for object storage.
. ~/openrc
openstack endpoint list

2. Ensure that the IBM Spectrum Control server can connect to the IP addresses and host names that are included in the URLs for the Keystone and Swift services.
For example, the URL for the Keystone service might be http://gpfs420proto1:5000/v3. In this case, the IBM Spectrum Control server must be able to connect to the gpfs420proto1 host name.

Configuring the collection of performance data for IBM Spectrum Scale

Before you can collect performance data for IBM Spectrum Scale, the IBM Spectrum Control server must be able to connect to port 9084 on the node where the collector component of the IBM Spectrum Scale performance monitoring tool is running. This condition applies to IBM Spectrum Control Version 5.2.8 or later.

If the collector node is unreachable by the IBM Spectrum Control server, you might see the following message when you add IBM Spectrum Scale for monitoring:
HWNPM0281I Performance monitoring is unavailable for resource 
<resource_name>because an agent for monitoring the resource was not defined. 

To resolve this problem, complete the following steps:
1. Determine the node that is configured as the collector node by viewing the /opt/IBM/zimon/ZIMonSensors.cfg file on one of the sensor nodes. The collector node is set in the host property of the collectors section in this file. For example,
collectors =
{
       host = "node3" 
       port = "4739"
}
2.  Ensure that the host property is set to one of the following options:
- An IP address that can be reached by the IBM Spectrum Control server
- A host name that can be resolved to a reachable IP address by the IBM Spectrum Control server

For more information about configuring the collection of performance data for IBM Spectrum Scale, see
http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS5R93_5.2.11/com.ibm.spectrum.sc.doc/tpch_t_configuring_pm_scale.html

Switches from a subordinate server with Unknown condition are seen as Normal on the rollup master server

If a subordinate server is at a level lower than Spectrum Control 5.2.10, switches in an Unknown condition will be seen as Normal on the rollup master server.
Upgrade the subordinate server to get the correct status shown on the master server.

Fabrics on master server are not displayed under Rollup Fabrics reports after upgrade from Tivoli Storage Productivity Center or Spectrum Control to Spectrum Control 5.2.10 or later

When Tivoli Storage Productivity Center or Spectrum Control is upgraded to Spectrum Control 5.2.10, fabrics on the master server are not displayed under Rollup Fabrics reports. Once fabrics have been probed on the upgraded master server, they will appear in the Rollup Fabrics reports.

Unassigned Volume Space and Assigned Volume Space values are slightly different between the subordinate server and the rollup server.

Due to differences in the methods used to calculate Unassigned Volume Space and Assigned Volume Space, there may be minor variations between the rollup and subordinate servers. The value recorded in the subordinate server resource list panel is the definitive one.

Disable Windows User Account Control to edit configuration files

On Windows installations, if you installed IBM Spectrum Control by using a domain user account, you must disable User Account Control to edit the IBM Spectrum Control configuration files.

Incorrect roles-to-group mappings in Tivoli Storage Productivity Center Version 5.1 (or later) result in login issues after you upgrade to IBM Spectrum Control 5.2.8 or later.

In Tivoli Storage Productivity Center Version 5.1 (or later), if you did not complete a correct roles-to-group mapping, you can experience login issues in the web-based GUI after you upgrade to Version 5.2. These issues occur because there was no roles-to-group mapping validation in previous Tivoli Storage Productivity Center versions.

Tip: Role-to-group mapping is defined as one group that is mapped to one role and this group is declared at the operating system level.

To avoid this issue, after you upgrade to IBM Spectrum Control Version 5.2.8, log in to the web-based GUI by using one of the following credentials:
  • A valid root ID (on UNIX operating systems)
  • A valid administrator ID (on Windows operating systems)
The Administrator role in Version 5.2 was the superuser role in Version 5.1.

To correct the previous role-to-group mapping, after you log in to the web-based GUI, click Settings > User management.

Cannot report detailed back-end storage information for a DS5000 or a DS4000 system

If a SAN Volume Controller uses back-end storage from a DS5000 system or a DS4000 system, some information about the back-end storage might be missing. If you did not create explicit host connections for the back-end disks on the DS5000 or DS4000 system, the following problems might occur:
  • The CIM agent for the DS5000 or DS4000 system does not report any detailed information about the back-end storage.
  • IBM Spectrum Control cannot provide other information about the back-end storage for the consuming disk system. For example, IBM Spectrum Control cannot provide RAID information.

Therefore, you must create explicit host connections for the back-end disks on the DS5000 or DS4000 system. It is not sufficient to associate the back-end disks with the default host group.

IBM Spectrum Control cannot detect the mount status of file systems on Scale Out Network Attached Storage and Storwize V7000 Unified storage systems

If a file system is manually unmounted from an IBM® Scale Out Network Attached Storage (SONAS) or Storwize V7000 Unified storage system, IBM Spectrum Control cannot detect that the file system was unmounted. Because of this limitation, information that is displayed in the IBM Spectrum Control GUIs is not accurate and some storage-related actions on the file system might fail.

For example, when you provision storage, a file system on a Storwize V7000 Unified storage system might be recommended for provisioning. However, if that file system was manually unmounted after it was first detected by IBM Spectrum Control, the provisioning action will fail. An unmounted file system cannot be used for provisioning. To avoid this issue, ensure that the monitored file systems on the Storwize V7000 Unified storage system are mounted before you run the provisioning action.

A new IBM SONAS fileset might be mistakenly deleted

The fileset information was deleted in the other system before the new fileset with the existing ID was created.

If IBM Spectrum Control discovers a new IBM SONAS fileset, the ID of a deleted file set might be reused for the new file set. If you delete the older fileset in IBM Spectrum Control, the new file set is deleted instead. This issue occurs in the following circumstances:
  • A file set that is known to IBM Spectrum Control is deleted in a system other than IBM Spectrum Control.
  • IBM Spectrum Control retained the deleted file set information, either because the probe was not run after the file set was deleted or because the retention period of the file set has not expired.
The file set information was deleted in the other system before the new fileset with the existing ID was created.

The change password tool cannot restart the Device server

When you run the change password tool, the following message is displayed:
There was an error restarting the Device server. Restart the server manually.

To manually start the Device server, follow these steps:

On Windows operating systems:
  1. At the command prompt, go to the TPC_installation_directory\scripts directory.
  2. Run the stopTPCDevice.bat command.
  3. Run the startTPCDevice.bat command.

On AIX or Linux operating systems:
  1. At the command line, go to the TPC_installation_directory/scripts directory.
  2. Run the ./stopTPCDevice.sh command.
  3. Run the ./startTPCDevice.sh command.

Running multiple optimization recommendations at the same time results in a Pool Exhaustion Exception error

In some cases, running more than 15 optimization recommendations at the same time can cause one or more of the individual recommendation executions to result in a Pool Exhaustion Exception error. This can be caused by a lack of available resources in the operating system thread pool. You can manually complete the failed recommendations.

If this situation occurs frequently, contact IBM Support for assistance in reducing the number of concurrently running optimization recommendations.

Migrating an existing NetApp filer managed via a Storage Resource agent to NAPI-based management 

There is no direct way to change an existing NetApp filer, managed via a Storage Resource agent (SRA), to be directly managed via the NetApp (NAPI-based management). IBM Spectrum Control users wishing to change from SRA to NAPI for their existing NetApp filers should use the 'Add Device Wizard', specifying the NetApp credentials. IBM Spectrum Control will determine that the NetApp device is already monitored and will modify the data source information so the NetApp filer data is retrieved directly from the NetApp itself rather than from the SRA.

Changing the synchronization rate for volumes on SAN Volume Controller or Storwize family systems 

The synchronization rate on a SAN Volume Controller is the rate at which the volume copies synchronize again after synchronization is lost. 

IBM Spectrum Control can do tasks that significantly alter the structure of storage. For example, IBM Spectrum Control can add a mirrored volume copy, or migrate volumes from one pool to another by using storage optimization functions. When IBM Spectrum Control performs these tasks, a default synchronization rate of 100% is set. 

This synchronization rate can cause performance problems on all SAN Volume Controller volumes. However, you can use the tpctool command to change the synchronization rate. 

For more information about how to change the synchronization rate, see the "Changing the synchronization rate for volumes on SAN Volume Controller or Storwize family systems" technote at http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21972452.

You can follow the progress of the APAR related to this issue here:  http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg1IT11274.

Linux SRA Probes hang and remain "In Progress" forever

SRA probes run Logical Volume Manager (LVM) commands and these can hang causing the entire SRA to hang and appear to be "In Progress" indefinitely.

To verify that this is the situation causing the hang, view the SRA trace log on the SRA Deployment and verify that the last command was an LVM one.

To recover from this:
  1. Kill the hung SRA process
  2. Kill the hung LVM command
  3. From a command line, retry the LVM command and verify that it runs successfully. If it does not, use the LVM documentation to repair the LVM so that it does.
  4. Restart the SRA

You can follow the progress of the APAR related to this issue here:  http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg1IT15105

Export Performance Data Tool  

The output format from the exportPerformanceData Script has changed with this release. To minimize the impact of this and all future output format changes, users of the CSV files are encouraged to parse the column headers they are interested in.

Language-related issues


On AIX operating systems, if the language is set to FR_FR, text might not appear correctly on some installation pages

On AIX operating systems, if the language is set to FR_FR, the Welcome page and the Single Server Installation Information page may not display correctly. For example, text might be truncated or there might not be enough space between sentences.

Some characters might not be displayed correctly in reports in PDF format

Characters from the Mongolian, Tibetan, or Yi languages are displayed as square boxes in reports in PDF format. To resolve this problem, you must enable IBM Cognos to display Chinese characters correctly. For more information about how to enable IBM Cognos to display Chinese characters correctly, see the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence 10.2.0 knowledge center. Search for Chinese characters.

PDF files do not export correctly in languages and locations with non-Latin 1 code pages

In the IBM Spectrum Control web-based UI, PDF files do not export correctly in languages and locations where non-Latin 1 code pages are used. When you try to export the file, the non-Latin 1 characters are stripped from the output.
The affected languages are:
  • Chinese (Simplified)
  • Chinese (Traditional)
  • Czech
  • Hungarian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Polish
  • Russian

When you export to CSV and HTML, the correct output is generated in all languages and locations.

You must use Tivoli Common Reporting to generate reports and export these reports as PDF files. For more information about exporting reports as PDF files, see IBM Cognos Business Intelligence knowledge center Version 10.1.1. Search for Export Data in PDF Format.

Other monitoring products


When reconfiguring a running monitoring agent, the agent cannot be restarted to use the new configuration

The IBM Spectrum Control Monitoring Agent can be used by the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server to monitor systems in your enterprise. This monitoring agent is an optional program that you can install and use in your enterprise. You can reconfigure a monitoring agent, if necessary, by using the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Services Console. If the monitoring agent is running when you reconfigure an agent, the agent must be restarted for the new configuration to take effect. If the agent is running, you are asked if you want to restart it. However, the restart operation fails. If errors are returned that indicate the agent was not stopped and started, use the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Services Console to manually stop and then start the monitoring agent.

IBM Spectrum Control data is not displayed on IBM Tivoli Monitoring: Tivoli Enterprise Portal desktop client in a distributed configuration

In some cases, the workspaces of the IBM Tivoli Monitoring Agent for IBM Spectrum Control do not display in the Tivoli Enterprise Portal (TEP) desktop client when the Tivoli Monitoring Agent is installed on the same server as the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Services, and the Tivoli Enterprise Portal server is installed on a different server. To resolve this, install the TEP user interface extension from the Tivoli Monitoring Agent package on the same machine that the TEP server is installed on.

Linux file system capacity is reported differently by IBM Spectrum Control and TADDM

The capacity of Linux file systems is reported differently by IBM Spectrum Control and Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager. The capacity value reported by IBM Spectrum Control is similar to the value reported by the Linux operating system.

Data displayed in other Tivoli products uses older data type labels

When IBM Spectrum Control data is displayed in other Tivoli products, such as Tivoli Business Service Manager and Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager, those applications use incorrect labels for some data types. The incorrect labels are from Tivoli Storage Productivity Center version earlier than V5.2.

Other Tivoli applications might also use GB or MB capacity values rather than GiB or MiB, which IBM Spectrum Control V5.2 and later use.

Examples:
Pre-TPC5.2.x LabelTPC 5.2.x Label
Volume Group CapacityPool Capacity
Volume Group Freespace Available Pool Space
Allocated CapacityAssigned Volume Space
Available CapacityUnassigned Volume space

Tivoli Common Reporting


Total capacity statistic in Tivoli Common Reporting reports is incorrect in some cases

If a group includes a volume that is configured as back-end storage for a storage virtualizer, the Total Capacity value for that group that is displayed Tivoli Common Reporting reports might not be correct.

Relationships between resources and fabrics and switches are not displayed correctly in Tivoli Common Reporting reports

If you select Reporting > Create capacity reports in the web-based GUI, you can create custom reports about capacity and relationships. The Capacity and Relationships package in Tivoli Common Reporting contains a new Fabrics and Switches folder. If you create a custom report that includes properties from both the Servers to Storage Systems folder and the Fabrics and Switches folder, the relationships between resources are not displayed correctly.

Performance reports are not available in Tivoli Common Reporting reports for FlashSystem™ 840, FlashSystem 900, and IBM Spectrum Scale™

To view performance metrics for those storage systems, use the IBM Spectrum Control GUI. For more information, see Monitoring the performance of resources.

Tivoli Common Reporting tasks might fail if not configured to use the correct DB2 instance on AIX and Linux

If you install more than one instance of DB2, you must ensure that either:
  • the Tivoli Common Reporting TPCDB data source uses the default DB2 instance, or
  • the TPCDB database is cataloged in the default DB2 instance.

Otherwise, Tivoli Common Reporting tasks might fail.

Back up the Tivoli Common Reporting database (TCRDB) regularly

Custom reports are stored in the Tivoli Common Reporting database (TCRDB). Back up this database regularly to prevent the loss of your custom reports if a problem occurs with the TCRDB.

Tivoli Storage Productivity Center for Replication


Documentation update: DS8000 storage system default ports

In table 2 of the Knowledge Center topic Ports, the System Storage DS8000 should include two default ports: 1750 and 1751. For more information, see the support topic for APAR IT0913 http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg1IT01913.

You can navigate to this Knowledge Center topic by using this path:
Tivoli Storage Productivity Center for Replication for System z 5.2.8>Product overview>Key concepts>Ports.

HyperSwap commands might unfence the alternate target device of a multi-target session type

Under some conditions when using the multi-target session type, HyperSwap commands might unfence the alternate target device , This can counteract the resiliency improvements in DS8870 for zOS HyperSwap Soft Fence, which prevents a host from reading or writing data on the previous primary storage system after a HyperSwap occurs. If the alternate target device is unfenced, it might access data from the previous primary PPRC site when an unplanned recovery occurs in your storage environment. To prevent this condition, make sure you know which volume you are using to IPL.

Unexpected behaviors occur in the Tivoli Storage Productivity Center for Replication GUI
When you upgrade to Tivoli Storage Productivity Center for Replication Version 5.2.x, behaviors such as these might occur on the GUI pages:
  • The page is loading for a prolonged amount of time.
  • The page is partially rendered.
  • Buttons and other items on the page do not work.
  • Images are missing from the page.

If these behaviors occur, clear the cache for the web browser in which the Tivoli Storage Productivity Center for Replication GUI is running. For instructions on how to clear the cache for a specific browser, refer to the documentation for that browser.

Documentation updates and corrections


Incorrect swidtag for IBM Spectrum Control Standard Edition license

In the topic titled "Adding an installation license" located in the IBM Spectrum Control Installation Guide, the swidtag is incorrect for the IBM Spectrum Control Standard Edition license.
 
Incorrect swidtag:  Contains a double underscore between com and IBM:
Example:  ibm.com__IBM_Spectrum_Control_Standard_Edition-version.swidtag
 
Correct swidtag:  Contains a single underscore between com and IBM:
Example:  ibm.com_IBM_Spectrum_Control_Standard_Edition-version.swidtag
 
To view the topic in the IBM Spectrum Control Installation Guide, go here and search Adding an installation license:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS5R93_5.2.11/com.ibm.spectrum.sc.doc/fqz0_installguide.pdf?view=kc


Adding servers with Storage Resource agents

Documentation is missing information pertaining to adding servers by importing a configuration file. As described here:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS5R93_5.2.14/com.ibm.spectrum.sc.doc/tpch_r_wz_adding_servers_agent_import_list.html?pos=2

When adding one or more servers with Storage Resource agents by importing the configuration information from a comma delimited file, an additional parameter is required: WWPN

Here is the correction:
    The input file for importing server information can contain entries for one or more servers. Each line in the file represents a server that you want to add. Information about each server must be organized in the following format:
    host name or IP address,OS type,machine type,location,WWPN

Units of measurement for storage data in IBM Spectrum Control and the XIV management GUI
IBM Spectrum Control displays capacity values in base 2 (GiB), while the XIV management GUI displays capacity values in base 10 (GB, TB). Even though different units of measurement are used, the storage values are equivalent. For more information, see Units of measurement for storage data (http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS5R93_5.2.11/com.ibm.spectrum.sc.doc/fqz0_r_units_measurement_data.html ).

Incorrect license key file name for Standard Select Edition license
In the topic Adding an installation license, the name of the license key file for the IBM Spectrum Control Standard Select Edition license is incorrect. The correct name for the license key file is nodelock.SEL, and not nodelock.SE as stated in the topic.

Note: To view the topic Adding an installation license, go to Installing > Installing IBM Spectrum Control.

Update to the steps for viewing predefined reports
The documentation for Cognos BI reporting contains the instruction about how to access predefined reports:

Select Cognos > View predefined reports.

This instruction is incorrect. The correct instruction is:

Select Reports > Cognos - View predefined reports.

Update to the steps for creating custom Cognos BI reports
The documentation for Cognos BI reporting contains the following three topics about creating custom reports:
  • Reporting > Getting started > Creating custom reports
  • Reporting > Custom reports about performance > Creating custom performance reports
  • Reporting > Custom reports about capacity and relationships > Creating custom capacity and relationship reports

These three topics describe incorrectly the initial steps for creating a custom report with advanced formatting features. These steps are the correct steps:

a. Select Reports > Cognos - Create performance reports or Reports > Cognos - Create capacity reports.
b. In the Cognos Business Intelligence reporting tool, click the Home icon .
c. Click IBM Spectrum Control Packages.
d. Click Capacity and Relationships or Performance.
e. Click Launch > Report Studio.

Documentation is available to upgrade a DB2 server on Linux or UNIX operating systems

Documentation for upgrading a DB2 server on a Windows operating system is included in the IBM Spectrum Control Knowledge Center and IBM Spectrum Control V5.2 User's Guide. For documentation about how to upgrade a DB2 server on a Linux or UNIX operating system, see the IBM DB2 Version 10.5 Knowledge Center. Search for Upgrading a DB2 server (Linux and UNIX).

Incorrect file name for database maintenance tool

In the following topics in the Knowledge Center, the name of the database maintenance tool for Linux and UNIX operating systems is incorrect: The correct name of the database maintenance tool is runTPCDBMaintenance. That is, the file does not have a .sh extension.

Incorrect information about SNMP agent for Brocade switches and fabrics

In the Adding fabrics and switches topic in the Knowledge Center (https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS5R93_5.2.11/com.ibm.spectrum.sc.doc/fqz0_t_wz_adding_fabrics_switches.html), the information about the availability of an SNMP agent for Brocade switches and fabrics is incorrect. In three places, the topic refers to using SNMP agents with Brocade switches and fabrics. No SNMP agent for Brocade switches and fabrics is available. You must use a supported CIM agent for Brocade switches and fabrics.

Browser Issues


Browser displays a security certificate error

Some browsers will display: "There is a problem with this website's security certificate." when logging on. To continue to the web-based GUI, click "Continue to this website" and you will be returned to the previous page. This behavior does not occur on all browsers.


Limitations and known issues when using IBM Spectrum Control with VMware vSphere


The following limitations and known issues can occur when you use IBM Spectrum Control with VMware vSphere:

Following redeployment, the IBM Spectrum Control build version does not match the version number of the vSphere Web Client extension

After you redeploy the vSphere Web Client extension, the IBM Spectrum Control build version might not match the version number of the vSphere Web Client extension. To resolve this issue, complete the following steps to redeploy the extension:

1. On the vSphere Web Client computer that connects to the vCenter Server system where the extension is installed, go to the plug-in directory:
  • On Windows operating systems:
    • C:\ProgramData\VMware\vSphere Web Client\vc-packages\vsphere-clientserenity
  • On Linux operating systems:
    • /var/lib/vmware/vsphere-client/vc-packages\vsphere-client-serenity

2. Delete the packages for the vSphere Web Client extension. Package files use the following naming convention: com.ibm.tpc-TPC-build-number.

3. Delete the TPCServerConfiguration.properties file. The file is stored in the following location:
  • On Windows operating systems:
      %PROGRAMDATA%\IBM\TPC

      For example, C:\ProgramData\IBM\TPC\ or %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\IBM\TPC
      For example, C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\IBM\TPC\
  • On Linux operating systems:
      /opt/IBM/TPC

4. Redeploy the vSphere Web Client extension.

5. Restart the VMware vSphere Web Client service.

6. Log in to the vSphere Web Client. From the vSphere Web Client Home tab, in the Administration section, click the IBM Spectrum Control icon. Confirm that the IBM Spectrum Control build version matches the version number of the vSphere Web Client extension.

Alerts omit the storage provider name

In the vSphere Client, the Events tab shows the Storage provider name that is associated with an alert. In the vSphere Web Client, the Events Console omits the Storage provider name.

The vSphere Web Client extension recovery after the vSphere Web Client server restarts

A vCenter Server provisioning task might stay in a Queued state during the approval process by the IBM Spectrum Control administrator. During this time, the vSphere Web Client server or the host machine might be restarted.

The vSphere Web Client can close a connection to the vCenter Server after a time-out. The default for this time-out is 120 minutes.

If a time-out occurs, the vSphere Web Client extension for IBM Spectrum Control restores the connectivity to the vCenter Server and IBM Spectrum Control when a user logs in to the vSphere Web Client. The status of the provisioning task is updated based on the status of the task in IBM Spectrum Control.

To start the recovery process, log in to the vSphere Web Client and go to one of the following panels in the vSphere Web Client extension:
  • IBM Spectrum Control provisioning
  • IBM Spectrum Control saving configuration information
  • IBM Spectrum Control storage system metrics

The All IBM Spectrum Control Actions string is not translated in some locales

Due to an error in the translation process, the All Spectrum Control Actions string is not translated in double-byte locales.

Deploying the vSphere Web Client extension on vCenter Server 5.5 fails on Windows 2008 or Linux

If you deploy the vSphere Web Client extension from a IBM Spectrum Control server onto a vCenter Server 5.5 that is installed on Windows 2008 or Linux, the deployment fails. The following message is displayed:
BTAVM2244E The remote registration of the vSphere Web Client extension for IBM Spectrum Control did not complete.

The deployment fails due to a handshake issue with the vSphere Client, vSphere PowerCLI, and vCenter Server 5.5.

To learn how to resolve this issue, go to the VMware Knowledge Base at
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice. Search for vSphere Client and vSphere PowerCLI
may fail to connect to vCenter Server 5.5 due to a Handshake failure (2049143).

Limitations when using vCenter 5.1
The following are limitations when using vCenter 5.1. They are resolved in vCenter 5.5.

Provisioning with VMware datastore creation to a clustered ESX 5.1 is partially complete
If you provision storage with datastore creation to two clustered ESX 5.1 hypervisors by using the vSphere Web Client extension, the datastore is not assigned to the second hypervisor. The datastore is not assigned because of a LUN snapshot issue in VMware vCenter Server.

To learn how to resolve this issue, go to the VMware Knowledge Base at http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice. Search for vSphere handling of LUNs detected as snapshot LUNs (1011387).

Storage DRS calls fail for datastore clusters with file system storage

When a IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider is added to the vCenter 5.1 Server, a datastore cluster that contains a NetApp datastore and an IBM® Scale Out Network Attached Storage datastore fails to log Storage DRS calls.

vCenter 5.1 Server does not send a storage DRS request to the IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider

In a datastore clustered NFS environment, vCenter 5.1 Server does not send a Storage DRS request to the IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider. System Capability and Storage Provider Namespace values are populated correctly.

IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider alarms might be displayed in the Events panel

IBM Spectrum Control alerts that are sent as alarms to the vCenter 5.1 Server from the IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider might be displayed in the Events panel, instead of the Alarms panel.

IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider SpaceCapacity alarm might behave inconsistently

If a VASA SpaceCapacity alarm is return to a LUN that does not belong to a datastore, an event is displayed in the vCenter 5.1 Server. If the LUN belongs to a datastore, two non-relevant events are displayed.

vCenter 5.1 Server does not display events from the IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider

The SMS log might show that events were received from the IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider and an attempt was made to post them to the vCenter 5.1 Server.

In the vSphere Client, click Home > Management > Events. The event from the VASA provider is not logged. In the vSphere Web Client, click Home > Monitoring > Event Console. The event from the VASA provider is not displayed.

vCenter 5.1 Server does not send a storage DRS request to the IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider

In a datastore clustered NFS environment, vCenter 5.1 Server does not send a Storage DRS request to the IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider. System Capability and Storage Provider Namespace values are populated correctly.

IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider alarms might be displayed in the Events panel

IBM Spectrum Control alerts that are sent as alarms to the vCenter 5.1 Server from the IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider might be displayed in the Events panel, instead of the Alarms panel.

IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider SpaceCapacity alarm might behave inconsistently

If a VASA SpaceCapacity alarm is returned to a LUN that does not belong to a datastore, an event is displayed in the vCenter 5.1 Server. If the LUN belongs to a datastore, two non-relevant events are displayed.

Alarms with the StorageFileSystem entity type are flagged as unknown

For the IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider alarms on StorageFileSystem objects that are returned to the vCenter 5.1 Server, an unknown vCenter identifier is displayed.
Delay in refreshing IBM Spectrum Control VASA provider data in Storage Reports after synchronization

VASA provider data can take some time to be displayed in Storage Reports after a successful synchronization.

The Volume Not Found alert might not be displayed in vCenter Server

The vCenter Server SMS log shows a generated alert, but the alert is not displayed on the vSphere Client or the vSphere Web Client.

[{"Product":{"code":"SS5R93","label":"IBM Spectrum Control"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU058","label":"IBM Infrastructure w\/TPS"},"Component":"--","Platform":[{"code":"PF002","label":"AIX"},{"code":"PF016","label":"Linux"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Version":"5.2.11","Edition":"All Editions","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB26","label":"Storage"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
22 February 2022

UID

swg21986557