Citrix® XenServer® 5.

0
Dell™ Edition
Solution Guide
Notes and Cautions
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of
your computer.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss of data if
instructions are not followed.

____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2008-2009 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc.
is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, OpenManage, PowerEdge, and PowerVault are
trademarks of Dell Inc.; AMD is a registered trademark and Opteron is a trademark of Advanced Micro
Devices Inc.; EqualLogic is a registered trademark of EqualLogic, Inc.; Intel and Xeon are a registered
trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries; Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista,
and Windows Server are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and/or other countries.; Xen, XenServer, XenCenter and XenMotion are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Citrix in the United States and/or other countries.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming
the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and
trade names other than its own.
April 2009 Rev. A01
Contents

1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Citrix XenServer Dell Edition Features . . . . . . . . . . 9

Citrix XenServer Dell Edition Licensing Options . . . . 11

Virtual Machine Operating System Support. . . . . . . 12

XenMotion Support Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 14

2 Installing and Configuring

Citrix XenServer Dell Edition . . . . . . . . . 15
Installing XenServer Dell Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Configuring the XenServer Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

3 XenCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Installing XenCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Removing XenCenter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

4 Systems Management
Using Dell OpenManage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Dell OpenManage Server Administrator . . . . . . . . 21
Dell Remote Access Controller . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Dell IT Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Contents 3
 Dell Systems Build and Update Utility . . . . . . . 22
Server Update Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Dell Update Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
IPMI Baseboard Management Controller . . . . . 23

Using Dell OpenManage in

Citrix XenServer Dell Edition Environment . . . . . . . 23

Using Dell IT Assistant in

a Citrix XenServer Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Change Management in XenServer Dell Edition . . . . 26

5 Configuring Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Local Storage Repository (SR) Configuration . . . . . . 29
Step 1: Creating a New Storage Volume . . . . . . 29
Step 2: Creating the Storage Repository . . . . . . 30

Deploying XenServer Dell Edition

With Dell Storage Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Dell PowerVault MD1000 and
MD1120 Storage Enclosure . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Creating an SR on PowerVault MD1000 or
PowerVault MD1120 Storage Enclosures . . . . . 35
PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure . . . . . . . . 35
Creating an SR on a
PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure . . . . . . . . 43
PowerVault MD3000i Storage Array . . . . . . . . 44
Creating an SR on
PowerVault MD3000i Storage Arrays . . . . . . . . 50
Dell EqualLogic PS Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Creating a Storage Repository on
Dell PS Series Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Creating an LVM Over iSCSI (lvmoiscsi) SR . . . . 58

4 Contents
 Moving an SR Between Hosts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Resizing An SR After Changing the Size

of An LVM-Based Storage Volume . . . . . . . . . . . 60

6 Recovering the
Citrix XenServer Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Database Backup From XenServer
Local Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Using the Recovery Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Restoring the XenServer Database . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Recovering XenServer After

a Board Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Resetting the Root Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Updating the XenServer

Image to A New Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

7 Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
High Availability Configuration and
IP Storage Traffic Segregation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Scripted Backup of XenServer Host Database . . . . . 68

Using Storage Array Snapshots for

LVM-Based Storage Repositories . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Shut Down VMs Before a Snapshot . . . . . . . . 70
Suspend VMs Before a Snapshot . . . . . . . . . 70
Snapshot a volume when VMs are running . . . . 71
Backup the VM Metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Contents 5
 Attach the SR Snapshot to the
Secondary XenServer Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Restore VM Metadata to
Recover VMs from a Snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Adjusting SCSI Timeouts to

Tolerate Storage Controller Failures . . . . . . . . . . 73
Adjusting SCSI Timeouts for
PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure . . . . . . . . 73
Adjusting SCSI Timeouts for
PowerVault MD3000i Storage Arrays . . . . . . . . 74

Configuring XenServer Management

Network for High Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

A Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Citrix XenServer Dell Edition
Local Console Menu Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Status Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Manage Server Using XenCenter . . . . . . . . . 76
Network and Management Interface . . . . . . . 76
Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Virtual Machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Disk and Storage Repositories . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Resource Pool Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
XenServer Details and Licensing . . . . . . . . . . 79
Hardware and BIOS Information . . . . . . . . . . 79
Keyboard and Time Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Remote Service Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Backup, Restore, and Update . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Reboot or Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Enter or Exit Maintenance Mode . . . . . . . . . . 82
Local Command Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

6 Contents
B Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
NIC Enumeration in XenServer Dell Edition . . . . . . . 83

C Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Supported Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Supported Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Supported Peripherals and
Device Drivers in Citrix XenServer Dell
Edition 5.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

D Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Contents 7
8 Contents
Overview
With the 64-bit open-source Xen hypervisor at its core, Citrix® XenServer
Dell™ Edition is a powerful virtualization solution that enables efficient
resource consolidation, utilization, dynamic provisioning, and integrated
systems management. XenServer Dell Edition has a small footprint and is
optimized to run from an internal flash storage in Dell PowerEdge™ systems.
For added flexibility, you can also install XenServer Dell Edition on a hard
disk drive.
Dell and Citrix have partnered to bring pre-qualified and virtualization-ready
platforms for today’s dynamic and growing data centers. This guide provides
information on XenServer Dell Edition features, supported hardware,
reference configurations, and best practices.

Citrix XenServer Dell Edition Features

This section describes the features of the XenServer Dell Edition.
• Factory installed from Dell — XenServer Dell Edition is factory installed
on select PowerEdge and blade systems. This reduces the installation
and deployment time required get your XenServer-based infrastructure
ready to run virtual machines (VMs).
• Integrated systems management and monitoring — XenServer Dell
Edition comes pre-installed with Dell OpenManage™ Server
Administrator. This enables systems management without any
additional need to install an agent on the host.
• XenServer Local Console — XenServer Dell Edition includes a XenServer
Local Console user interface to enable local administration of the host.
XenServer Local Console enables you to configure and view host specific
properties such as management network configuration, local storage for
VMs, etc. XenCenter®, the standard Microsoft® Windows® management
console for XenServer, is also available.

Overview 9
 • High Availability — XenServer Dell Edition supports several features to
guarantee service uptime in the event of infrastructure failure. You can
configure resource pools for automated high availability. For example,
in the case of individual host failures, you can move VMs running on the
failed hosts to the next available system in the resource pool and restart
them.
• Optimized footprint and controlled environment — XenServer Dell
Edition is optimized for a smaller disk footprint and writes to flash storage.
Most of the XenServer Dell edition file system is Read Only and thus
provide a tighter control over the XenServer operating environment.
The XenServer Dell Edition host agent software has been significantly
optimized to minimize the number of write cycles. XenServer writes to
flash storage only when something important has changed and must be
recorded. Write minimization helps improve the life of the storage device.
• Improved reliability and diskless configurations — Running XenServer
Dell Edition on the internal flash storage of a system provides improved
reliability over running on traditional hard disk drives as it does not have
mechanical parts.
Since XenServer can reside on the internal flash storage of a system, there
is no need for local hard disk drives on the system. XenServer hosts can
connect to remote internet small computer system interface (iSCSI) or
Network File System (NFS) storage and take advantage of features such as
XenMotion to minimize VM downtime and workload migration. For more
information on the current support policy for diskless configurations, see
the XenServer Dell Edition Release Notes available on the Citrix XenServer
Dell Edition website at citrix.com/xenserver/dell.

10 Overview
 • Improved XenServer updates — To improve reliability of software
upgrades, the XenServer Dell Edition image contains a primary and
secondary copy of the XenServer file system. Any time an update is
applied, only the secondary copy is updated, leaving the primary copy in a
known good state. The secondary copy now becomes the primary image.
You can update the XenServer host by using the XenServer local console or
XenCenter.
NOTE: You can upgrade the XenServer host to release 5.0. For instructions on
upgrading XenServer Dell Edition from release 4.1 to release 5.0, see the XenServer
Dell Release Notes available on the Citrix XenServer Dell Edition website located at
citrix.com/xenserver/dell.
• Pre-certified and supported configurations — XenServer Dell Edition is
certified and fully supported by Dell for select server and storage
configurations.

Citrix XenServer Dell Edition Licensing Options

Dell provides the following licensing options for XenServer Dell Edition:
• Citrix XenServer Dell Edition supports XenServer Hosts with up to four
sockets, up to 128 GB of physical RAM, and no limit on the number of
concurrent VMs. The number of VMs is determined by the resources
available on the XenServer host. It also supports the following features:
– Live relocation (XenMotion) of VMs within the same resource pool
– Multi host management using a single XenCenter console.
• Citrix Essentials for XenServer Dell Enterprise Edition offers the
following features:
– Clustering of XenServer Hosts into resource pools
– Support for NFS, iSCSI, and Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) shared
storage repositories
– Additional Quality of Service (QoS) control for VMs

Overview 11
 The Citrix XenServer Dell Edition is pre-installed on PowerEdge systems. You
require a license key to enable Citrix Essentials for XenServer Dell Enterprise
Edition. You can use either of the options given below to obtain this license key:
• If you purchased Citrix Essentials for XenServer Dell Enterprise Edition,
you must redeem the activation code from the license card you received
with your system. You must redeem your authorization code(s) for
Enterprise license files from the Citrix Dell Edition Product Gallery
website at citrix.com/xenserver/dell. You need to register in this website.
• To purchase a Citrix Essentials for XenServer Dell Enterprise Edition
license key, visit the Dell- Virtualization with Dell and Citrix website at
dell.com/xenserver or contact your Dell sales representative.
NOTE: If you lose the license card you received with your system, Dell cannot issue
another one. Register the product immediately and ensure that you keep the license
card in a safe location.
You may apply your Enterprise license file(s) from the XenServer local console
or XenCenter.

Virtual Machine Operating System Support

XenServer VMs are created from templates. A template is a file that contains
all of the various configuration settings to instantiate a specific VM.
XenServer Dell Edition ships with a base set of templates—some that can
boot an operating system installation media, and others that run an
installation from a network repository. For a list of supported operating
systems and installation methods, see Table 1-1.
For more information on creating VMs of the various supported types, see the
XenServer Virtual Machine Installation Guide available on the Citrix
XenServer Dell Edition website at citrix.com/xenserver/dell.
Additionally, you can create VMs by importing an existing exported VM.
NOTE: The standard editions of XenServer provide two Debian templates. Each
template contains a complete basic Debian Linux distribution. Each template also
supports physical to virtual conversion (P2V) of existing instances of Red Hat®
Enterprise Linux® 3.6, 3.8, 4.2-4.3, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP2 and SP3
operating systems. Due to space constraints imposed by the flash media on which
XenServer Dell Edition runs, you cannot create VMs of these types with the
XenServer Dell Edition. However, you can import instances of VMs created and
exported with the standard edition of XenServer.

12 Overview
In general, when you install VMs, ensure that you follow the memory and disk
space guidelines of the operating system and any relevant applications that
you want to run. For information on the recommended memory and disk
space guidelines, see the XenServer Virtual Machine Installation Guide
available on the Citrix XenServer Dell Edition website at
citrix.com/xenserver/dell.
NOTE: Individual versions of the operating systems may also impose their own
maximum limits on the amount of memory supported (e.g., for licensing reasons).
NOTE: Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) installation of Linux VMs is not
supported at this time.

Table 1-1. Supported Operating Systems and Installation Methods for VMs

Operating System Vendor Installation Vendor Installation From

From Media Network Repository

Windows Vista® Enterprise X

Edition (32-bit) SP1
Windows Server® 2003, X
Enterprise, Data Centre, and
Small Business Server editions
(32-bit) SP0, SP1, SP2, and R2
Windows Server 2003 Server, X
Enterprise, Data Center, and
Small Business Server editions
(64-bit)
Windows XP SP3 X
Windows 2000 SP4 X
Community Enterprise X X
Operating System
(CentOS) 4.5-4.7
CentOS 5.0-5.2 (32-bit) X X
CentOS 5.0-5.2 (64-bit) X X
®
Oracle Enterprise X X
Linux 5.0-5.2 (32-bit)
Oracle Enterprise X X
Linux 5.0-5.2 (64-bit)

Overview 13
 Table 1-1. Supported Operating Systems and Installation Methods for VMs (continued)

Operating System Vendor Installation Vendor Installation From

From Media Network Repository

Red Hat Enterprise X

Linux 4.1, 4.4- 4.7 (32-bit)
Red Hat Enterprise X X
Linux 5.0-5.2 (32-bit)
Red Hat Enterprise X X
Linux 5.0-5.2 (64-bit)
SUSE Linux Enterprise X
Server 9 (32-bit) SP4
SUSE Linux Enterprise X
Server 10 (64-bit) SP1-SP2

XenMotion Support Requirements

XenMotion is the capability for a VM to be migrated between physical hosts
within a XenServer resource pool with no interruption in service. XenMotion
is only possible among hosts that are part of a resource pool. A resource pool is
an aggregate of one or more homogeneous XenServer hosts, and can support
up to a maximum of sixteen hosts.
Homogeneous XenServer hosts have the following features:
• Each CPU is from the same vendor
• Each CPU is the same model (except for stepping)
• Each CPU has the same feature flags
For more information on resource pool requirements other than processor
models, see the XenServer Administrator's Guide at available on the Citrix
XenServer Dell Edition website at citrix.com/xenserver/dell.

14 Overview
Installing and Configuring Citrix
XenServer Dell Edition
This section describes steps to install and setup the first boot for a Citrix®
XenServer® Dell™ Edition host.

Installing XenServer Dell Edition

If you downloaded XenServer Dell Edition from the Citrix or Dell website,
you must install the software on your system.
NOTE: If your XenServer host was factory-installed at Dell, you can skip the
following installation steps and proceed to "Configuring the XenServer Host" on
page 16.
To install XenServer:
1 Burn the downloaded ISO image to a media.
2 Insert the XenServer Installation media into the optical drive of the system
and boot to the media.
3 Select the installation target (flash device).
4 Select Removable media when you are prompted for an image media.
5 Confirm your selections.
The installer partitions the target device and the installation begins.
The time required to install XenServer Dell Edition varies according to
the size of the target device.

Installing and Configuring Citrix XenServer Dell Edition 15

 Configuring the XenServer Host
1 Connect the network cables to the appropriate NIC connectors.
NOTE: If you are going to separate the virtual machine (VM) or storage
IP traffic from the Management console traffic, ensure that your network
cables are connected appropriately.
2 Turn on the system. Citrix XenServer boots automatically.
NOTE: Ensure that you are booting from the flash device.
The XenServer local console menu is displayed after booting and provides
a range of management and configuration options for the XenServer host.
3 Change the root password when prompted.
4 If you have connected the Gb1 port, the XenServer management interface
is configured on Gb1 with the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) settings by default. It is recommended that you use a static
IP address and the physical interface as per your network environment.
5 Navigate to Network and Management Interface → Configure
Management Interface and select the physical network interface through
which you plan to manage XenServer.
6 Provide a valid IP address, netmask, gateway, and hostname for the
management interface.
XenCenter uses free-form names to refer to XenServer hosts. It is
recommended that you copy the hostname that you set to the XenCenter
name for the XenServer host.
7 In the Network and Management Interface window:
a Select Add/Remove DNS Server and add valid DNS server(s).
b Select Network Time Protocol (NTP) and configure your XenServer
host to synchronize with a NTP system if available in your network.
Your XenServer host is now configured.

16 Installing and Configuring Citrix XenServer Dell Edition

XenCenter
Citrix® XenCenter® is the client application for managing the Citrix
XenServer® host and its virtual machines (VMs). The following table
outlines the system requirements for XenCenter.

Table 3-1. XenCenter System Requirements

Operating system Microsoft® Windows XP®, Microsoft Windows Server®

2003, or Microsoft Windows Vista®, with .NET
framework version 2.0 or above installed
CPU Speed 750 MHz minimum, 1 GHz or faster recommended
RAM 1 GB minimum, 2 GB or more recommended
Disk space 100 MB minimum
Network interface card 100Mb or faster NIC

You can download the installer for XenCenter from the Citrix XenServer Dell
Edition website located at citrix.com/xenserver/dell or from the XenServer
host located at http://<xenserver IP address>.
NOTE: You need to register at the Citrix XenServer Dell Edition website located at
citrix.com/xenserver/dell to download the XenCenter installer from the website.

XenCenter 17
 Installing XenCenter
NOTE: Before installing XenCenter, uninstall all previous versions of the software
from your system.
1 Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the XenCenter installer
and locate the file. Double-click the icon to launch the application
installer.
2 Follow the instructions displayed in the installer window. When the
installer prompts you for an installation directory, choose one of the
following options:
a Click Browse to change the default installation location.
b Click Next to accept the default path C:\Program
Files\Citrix\XenCenter.
NOTE: By default, XenCenter allows you to save usernames and passwords.
To disable this feature perform the following steps:
a Open the registry editor and navigate to the key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Citrix\XenCenter.
b Add the AllowCredentialSave key with the string value false.
This prevents XenCenter from saving usernames and passwords,
and disables the Save and Restore Connection State option in the
Tools→ Save and Restore menu in XenCenter.
3 On the management station, start the XenCenter application.
4 In the XenCenter wizard, select Add New Server, provide the hostname/IP
address and login information for your XenServer. Click Connect.
You are now ready to start managing your XenServer host using XenCenter.
For more information on advanced setup procedures, see the product
documentation available on the Citrix XenServer Dell Edition website at
citrix.com/xenserver/dell.

18 XenCenter
5 If you purchased Citrix Essentials for XenServer Dell Enterprise Edition,
you must redeem the activation code from the license card you received
with your system. You must redeem your authorization code(s)for
Enterprise license files from the Citrix Dell Edition Product Gallery
website located at citrix.com/xenserver/dell. You need to register in this
website. For more information on activating the software, see "Citrix
XenServer Dell Edition Licensing Options" on page 11.
You may apply your Enterprise license file(s) by using the XenServer local
console or XenCenter.
• To apply the file in the local console, see "Install XenServer License"
on page 79.
• To apply the file in XenCenter, highlight the host, click the Server
drop-down menu, click Install License Key, and then select the file.

Removing XenCenter
1 Select Control Panel from the Start menu.
2 In Windows XP, 2000, or 2003, select Add or Remove Programs. In
Windows Vista, select Programs and Features.
A list of programs installed on the computer appears. Scroll down,
if necessary, and select XenCenter.
3 In Windows XP, 2000, or 2003, click the Remove button. In Windows
Vista, select Uninstall from the toolbar above the list of programs.
This removes the XenServer application.
4 A message displays when the removal is complete. Click OK to close the
message box.
NOTE: For complete information on using XenCenter to manage your Dell
XenServer host, see the Online Help. You can access Online Help by selecting
Help Contents from the Help menu. You can also press <F1> to access
context-sensitive help from any screen, dialog box, or wizard.

XenCenter 19
20 XenCenter
Systems Management Using Dell
OpenManage
Dell™ OpenManage™ Systems Management Software Suite is a suite of
system management applications for managing Dell™ PowerEdge™ systems.
This section lists the features available in OpenManage that are supported in
Citrix® XenServer® Dell™ Edition. This section also points out specific tasks
that are not supported.
For more information on each of these features, see the Dell Systems
Management: OpenManage website at dell.com/openmanage.

Dell OpenManage Server Administrator

Dell OpenManage Server Administrator provides single server management
with a secure command line or web-based graphical management user
interface. Citrix XenServer Dell Edition comes pre-installed with the majority
of OpenManage Server Administrator components, providing a ready-to-use
systems management framework without any additional software installation
requirement.
There are several sub-components in Server Administrator which are
described below.
• Instrumentation Services — Provides hardware instrumentation and
configuration information.
• Storage Management — Provides monitoring and instrumentation of the
storage connected to the Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) and
Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) families of controllers.

Systems Management Using Dell OpenManage 21

 • DSM SA Connection Service — Provides remote or local access to
OpenManage Server Administrator from any system with a supported
web browser and network connection.
• DSM SA Shared Services — Runs an inventory collector at startup to
perform a software inventory of the system to be consumed by
OpenManage Server Administrator's Simple Network Management
Protocol(SNMP) and Common Information Model (CIM) providers. This
allows a remote software update using Dell IT Assistant.

Dell Remote Access Controller

Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) is designed to allow anywhere,
anytime "Lights Out" monitoring, troubleshooting, and system repairs and
upgrades independent of the operating system status.

Dell IT Assistant
Dell IT Assistant (ITA) provides an integrated view of Dell's comprehensive
suite of server monitoring and reporting tools. It includes one-to-many
management for Dell systems. ITA can also be used to perform BIOS and
firmware updates.
Hardware monitoring of Dell systems is supported with Citrix XenServer Dell
Edition. Power monitoring of Dell systems is supported on PowerEdge
systems that have power monitoring capability. Performance monitoring of
Dell systems is not supported with Citrix XenServer Dell Edition.

Dell Systems Build and Update Utility

The Dell Systems Build and Update Utility provides functionality to update
and deploy Dell systems. It contains basic functionality provided by Dell
OpenManage Server Update Utility and Dell OpenManage Deployment
Toolkit. The Dell Systems Build and Update Utility can be used to update the
system firmware, configure system components such as DRAC, and configure
RAID groups through a graphical interactive wizard.

Server Update Utility

The Server Update Utility helps simplify single server updates with the latest
system software features including inventories, reports, recommendations,
and checks for prerequisite conditions.
Only the command line option is supported with Citrix XenServer Dell Edition.

22 Systems Management Using Dell OpenManage

Dell Update Package
As the central component of the OpenManage server management family,
Dell Update Package framework helps you to update system software on your
PowerEdge systems in a scalable, non-intrusive way. Dell Update Package
features include:
• Self-extracting files allow you to update system software including
BIOS, firmware, drivers, OpenManage Server Administrator, etc.
• Pre-installation checks for prerequisites such as system model,
OS version, and dependent software to help you avoid
sequencing errors
• Intuitive dialogs to help simplify installation
• Scriptable and silent capabilities that can enable unattended
installation
Dell Update Packages for updating only system BIOS and firmware are
supported with Citrix XenServer Dell Edition. Since the majority of Citrix
XenServer Dell Edition image file system is Read-Only, driver and
OpenManage Server Administrator update packages are not supported.

IPMI Baseboard Management Controller

IPMI Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) provides a standard
interface for monitoring and managing Dell systems.

Using Dell OpenManage in Citrix XenServer

Dell Edition Environment
Dell OpenManage Server Administrator components come pre-installed in
Citrix XenServer Dell Edition and cannot be uninstalled or reinstalled. By
default, all installed OpenManage Server Administrator services start during
XenServer boot.
To start, stop, restart, or check the status of OpenManage services, log in to
the Local Console on your XenServer host and issue the following commands,
as needed:
# srvadmin-services.sh start
# srvadmin-services.sh stop

Systems Management Using Dell OpenManage 23

 # srvadmin-services.sh restart
# srvadmin-services.sh status
To disable OpenManage services so that services do not start at boot, login to
XenServer local console shell and issue the following commands:
# chkconfig --level 3 dsm_om_shrsvc off
# chkconfig --level 3 instsvcdrv off
# chkconfig --level 3 dataeng off
# chkconfig --level 3 dsm_om_connsvc off
# chkconfig --level 3 ipmi off
To enable disabled OpenManage services, log in to XenServer local console
shell and issue the following commands:
# chkconfig --level 3 dsm_om_shrsvc on
# chkconfig --level 3 instsvcdrv on
# chkconfig --level 3 dataeng on
# chkconfig --level 3 dsm_om_connsvc on
# chkconfig --level 3 ipmi on
To access the OpenManage Server Administrator Web-based interface, type
the following Web address in a supported browser window from a client
system to connect to the XenServer host:
https://<XenServer hostname/IP Address>:1311
NOTE: 1311 is the default port used by the OpenManage Web server.
The XenServer host firewall is pre-configured to allow ports used by
OpenManage Server Administrator, so no additional firewall configuration is
required. If you change the default OMSA port to other than 1311, make the
associated change in /etc/sysconfig/iptables and restart the iptables service on
the XenServer host:
$ service iptables restart
To check the version of OpenManage installed, execute the following
command on the XenServer local console shell:
$ omreport about
To view the system summary, execute the following command on XenServer
local console shell:

24 Systems Management Using Dell OpenManage

$ omreport system summary
For more information on using OpenManage to manage Dell systems, see the
PowerEdge documentation at
support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/svradmin.

Using Dell IT Assistant in a Citrix XenServer

Environment
ITA can be used for discovery, monitoring, and management of XenServer
hosts. IT Assistant uses SNMP to manage Dell systems running Citrix
XenServer Dell Edition.
To manage XenServer hosts using ITA, follow the steps below:
1 Specify SNMP community name: Log in to XenServer local console shell
and edit the following entries in the /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf file to set your
SNMP community name.
rocommunity <community name>
trapcommunity <community name>
2 Configure SNMP traps: Configure the SNMP daemon to send SNMP trap
messages to the management console. Edit /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf file and
edit the following line to the end of the file:
trapsink <ITA_IP_Address> <community name>
3 After making changes to /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf, save the file and restart
snmpd service:
# service snmpd restart
4 Using XenServer hostname or management IP address, perform a
discovery and inventory of XenServer host in IT Assistant. IT Assistant will
discover XenServer hosts and list them under the Servers category.
For more information on using IT Assistant to discover, inventory, monitor,
and manage Dell systems, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant
documentation available on the Dell Support website at
support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/smitasst.

Systems Management Using Dell OpenManage 25

 Change Management in XenServer Dell Edition
Dell Update Packages for supported PowerEdge systems are available for
download from the the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. IT
Assistant provides a centralized software update capability. You can load Dell
Update Packages and System Update Sets (system bundles) into the IT
Assistant repository, either from the Dell Server Updates media or from the
Dell support website. Updates can also be individually applied locally on each
XenServer host.
Before applying an update to the system, make sure all the VMs on the system
are powered down or the host is in maintenance mode so that there are no
active VMs on the XenServer host.
To download a DUP for XenServer host:
1 Go to support.dell.com.
2 Select Drivers and Downloads.
3 Select the appropriate system model (example: PowerEdge 2950) or enter
the Service Tag of the system.
4 For Operating System, select Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
5 Click to expand BIOS, and then click Dell - BIOS.
6 Download the Update Package for Red Hat Linux and the GnuPG
signature file.
To upgrade the system or device firmware or BIOS using ITA, create a
software update task:
1 Download the corresponding BIN and .sign files from the Dell support site
as mentioned above.
2 In the ITA console, add the DUP package to the IT Assistant repository
through the Manage→ Software Updates tab.
3 Create a task for Software Update and provide the required host details.
NOTE: ITA uses the SSH port for installation of DUP packages. Ensure that SSH is
enabled on the XenServer host. If disabled, you can enable SSH from XenServer
local console→ Remote Service Configuration→ Enable/Disable Remote Shell.

26 Systems Management Using Dell OpenManage

Another method is to upload the update package to XenServer host using a
file transfer program and execute the package. Perform the following as a root
user:
1 Upload the update package (*.BIN file) to /var/tmp.
2 Login to XenServer local console shell.
3 Execute the command # ./<xxxx.bin>
NOTE: xxx.bin is the name of the DUP file.
4 Follow the instructions provided by the update package.
5 Reboot the system if required by the update package.
For more information on using DUP with ITA, see the Dell™ OpenManage™
IT Assistant documentation available on the Dell Support website at
support.dell.com.

Systems Management Using Dell OpenManage 27

28 Systems Management Using Dell OpenManage
Configuring Storage
Local Storage Repository (SR) Configuration
A local storage repository (SR) is a storage for virtual machines (VMs) on the
local hard disk drives of a Dell™ PowerEdge™ system. Depending on the
storage configuration of the server, a local SR may be automatically created
during the Citrix® XenServer® Dell™ Edition boot. A local SR is
automatically created on the system if the local storage volume has a Dell
utility partition (UP) or a Dell UP and a Dell No Operating System (NOS)
partition.
Typically, a system ordered with local storage and XenServer is configured
with both Dell UP and NOS partitions. Therefore, a Local SR named Local
Storage is created at first boot.
If no SR is created, follow the steps below to create a new SR.

Step 1: Creating a New Storage Volume

Using the storage controller BIOS or OpenManage Server Administrator
Storage Manager, create a new storage volume on the XenServer host.

Creating a Volume Using Controller BIOS

A new storage volume can be created from the storage controller BIOS.
To create a new virtual disk using the controller BIOS, follow the appropriate
set of instructions for your controller card from your controller card
documentation available from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

Configuring Storage 29
 Creating a Volume Using Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage
Management
You can create a new storage volume or virtual disk on the disks attached to
Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller(PERC) or Serial Attached SCSI (SAS)
storage controllers, as illustrated in Figure 5-1 using OpenManage Server
Administrator Storage Management. To create a new virtual disk, follow the
steps in the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management
User's Guide available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com

Step 2: Creating the Storage Repository

After you create a new storage volume/virtual disk, create an SR on the new
volume, as illustrated in Figure 5-2.
CAUTION: Creating an SR on a storage volume completely erases any data on
the volume.
1 On the XenServer local console, go to Disk and Storage Repositories→
Claim Local Disk as SR.
2 Press <F8> to erase the disk and continue the SR creation process.
3 Select the newly-created storage volume device and press <Enter> to
create an SR.
4 Press <F8> to confirm the creation of SR.
The process may take several minutes to complete.
5 After the SR is created, press <F8> to reboot the server to complete the
SR creation process.

30 Configuring Storage
Figure 5-1. Create Virtual Disk Using Dell Open Manage Storage Manager

Figure 5-2. Create SR On the Newly Created Virtual Disk

Configuring Storage 31
 Deploying XenServer Dell Edition With Dell
Storage Arrays
This section describes reference configurations and deployment steps to
use Dell PowerVault™ and EqualLogic® storage arrays with Citrix XenServer
Dell Edition.

Dell PowerVault MD1000 and MD1120 Storage Enclosure

• The PowerVault MD1000 is capable of housing up to fifteen 3.5-inch disk
drives. This direct-attached storage enclosure supports both SAS and
Serial ATA (SATA) disk drives.
• The PowerVault MD1120 storage enclosure is capable of housing up to
twenty-four 2.5-inch SAS disk drives.
• Each port on the PERC 6/E enables up to three PowerVault MD1120
storage enclosure to be daisy-chained to a single host. Alternatively,
the PowerVault MD1120 storage enclosure’s disk drives can be split
between two systems.
• You must set the enclosure mode switch to the mode you want to use
before the you turn on the enclosure.
• Shared storage for XenServer resource pools is not supported in the
PowerVault MD1000 or PowerVault MD1120 storage enclosure host-based
RAID solution.

32 Configuring Storage
Reference Configurations
• Unified Mode — A unified configuration is one in which your PowerVault
MD1000 or PowerVault MD1120 storage enclosure is connected to one
host. In unified mode, your enclosure can be one of up to three enclosures
daisy-chained to a single port on the PERC 6/E card in your XenServer
host. See Figure 5-3 for an illustration of this configuration.

Figure 5-3. PowerVault MD1000 or PowerVault MD1120 Storage Enclosures – Unified

Mode

PERC 6/E

PowerVault MD1000/
MD1120 storage enclosures
in unified mode

Optional two expansion

enclosures

• Single Host, Split Backplane — In this configuration, one host contains

two PERC 6/E cards. The hard drives are split into two groups. On the
PowerVault MD1000 storage enclosure, eight drives are controlled by one
PERC 6/E, and seven drives are controlled by the other PERC 6/E. On the
PowerVault MD1120 storage enclosure, twelve drives are controlled by
each PERC 6/E. Daisy-chaining PowerVault MD1000 or PowerVault
MD1120 storage enclosures is not supported in split mode. See Figure 5-4
for an illustration of this configuration.

Configuring Storage 33
 Figure 5-4. PowerVault MD1000 or PowerVault MD1120 Storage Enclosures – Single
Host, Split Backplane

XenServer host

PERC 6/E PERC 6/E

• Dual Host, Split Backplane — In this configuration, the hard drives are
split into two groups with the first group controlled by one XenServer host
and the second group controlled by the other XenServer host. Daisy
chaining PowerVault MD1000 or PowerVault MD1120 storage enclosures is
not supported in split mode. See Figure 5-5 for an illustration of this
configuration.

Figure 5-5. PowerVault MD1000 or PowerVault MD1120 Storage Enclosures – Dual

Host, Split Backplane

XenServer host XenServer host

PERC 6/E PowerVault MD1000/ PERC 6/E

MD1120 storage array

34 Configuring Storage
Creating an SR on PowerVault MD1000 or PowerVault MD1120 Storage
Enclosures
The process to create an SR on virtual disks on the PowerVault MD1000 or
PowerVault MD1120 controller is the same as creating an SR on the local hard
disk storage of the host. For more instructions on creating an SR on the
PowerVault MD1000 or PowerVault MD1120 storage enclosures, see "Local
Storage Repository (SR) Configuration" on page 29.

PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure

The PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure is designed for high availability,
offering redundant access to data storage. It features dual active or active
RAID controller modules, redundant power supplies, and redundant fans.
The PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure is designed for high-performance
environments that inlcudes either of the following:
• Two-node fully redundant XenServer hosts
• Multi-host storage access for up to four servers.
XenServer hosts connected to same RAID controller module can share
storage volume on the PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure. You can migrate
VMs across two hosts using XenMotion.
• Built for high-performance, the PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure is a
modular disk storage array capable of housing up to fifteen 3.5-inch SAS or
SATA disk drives.
• The PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure is expandable by simply adding
up to two additional PowerVault MD1000 expansion enclosures.
• The entire array subsystem is managed from a single, user friendly software
application — known as the Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM)—
which streamlines the management and maintenance of storage as it scales.
• In-band management of a PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure from a
XenServer host is not supported.
• To manage PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosures using MDSM, install
the MDSM software on a separate supported Micorsoft® Windows® or
Redhat® Linux management station.
Citrix XenServer Dell Edition includes the Dell Remote Access Controller
(DRAC) multi-pathing driver that enables high availability configurations
with PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosures.

Configuring Storage 35
 Reference Configurations
• Single Host with a Non-redundant Data Path — This configuration
contains one XenServer host with one SAS 5/E card and one PowerVault
MD3000 RAID enclosure with one RAID controller. One port of the
SAS 5/E card is connected to one PowerVault MD3000 RAID controller.
Two optional PowerVault MD1000 storage enclosures can be daisy-chained
to the PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure to provide additional storage
capacity. See Figure 5-6 for an illustration of this configuration.

Figure 5-6. PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure– Single Host With a Non-redundant
Data Path

XenServer host

PERC 6/E

Controller 0
Port 0 PowerVault MD3000
storage array

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage
array

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage
array

36 Configuring Storage
 • Redundant Data Paths for Single-HBA Host Server — This configuration
contains one XenServer host with one SAS 5/E card and one PowerVault
MD3000 RAID enclosure with two RAID controllers. One port of the SAS
5/E card is connected to the first port of the PowerVault MD3000 RAID
controller 0, while the second port of the SAS 5/E card is connected to the
first port of the PowerVault MD3000 RAID controller 1. Two optional
PowerVault MD1000 storage enclosures can be daisy-chained to the
PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure to provide additional storage
capacity. See Figure 5-7 for an illustration of this configuration.
If a path between the host and PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure fails,
the LUNs failover to the other controller, thus maintaining storage access
to the XenServer host.

Figure 5-7. PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure – Redundant Data Paths for Single-
HBA Host Server

XenServer host

SAS 5/E SAS 5/E

Port 1 Port 0

Controller 1 Controller 0
Port 0 Port 0

PowerVault MD3000 storage array

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage
array

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage
array

Configuring Storage 37
 • Up to Four Hosts with a Non-redundant Data Path — This configuration
contains up to four XenServer hosts, each with one SAS 5/E card, and a
PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure with two RAID controllers. Each of
the four ports of the PowerVault MD3000's RAID controllers are connected
to one port of each host's SAS 5/E card. Two optional PowerVault MD1000
storage enclosures can be daisy-chained to the PowerVault MD3000 RAID
enclosure to provide additional storage capacity.
In this configuration, hosts connected to same controller can be made part
of a XenServer pool. As shown in Figure 5-8, XenServer 1 and XenServer 2
can be part of a single pool, sharing LUNs controlled by PowerVault
MD3000 controller 1. Similarly XenServer 3 and XenServer 4 can be part
of another pool sharing LUNs controlled by PowerVault MD3000
controller 0. If a path of controller fails, no failover is available in the
configuration.

Figure 5-8. PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure – Up to Four Hosts With a

Non-redundant Data Path

LAN

XenServer 1 and 2 XenServer 3 and 4

SAS 5/E SAS 5/E SAS 5/E SAS 5/E

Controller 1 Controller 0
Ports 1 and 0 Ports 1 and 0

PowerVault MD3000 PowerVault MD1000

(optional) storage
array
PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage
array

38 Configuring Storage
 • Redundant Data Paths for Two Single-HBA Host Servers — This
configuration contains two XenServer hosts, each with one SAS 5/E card,
and a PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure with two RAID controllers.
The first port of each host's SAS 5/E card is connected to the first PowerVault
MD3000 RAID controller, while the second port of each host's SAS 5/E card
is connected to the second PowerVault MD3000 RAID controller.
Two optional PowerVault MD1000 storage enclosures can be daisy-chained
to the PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure to provide additional storage
capacity. See Figure 5-9 for an illustration of this configuration.
In this configuration, XenServer 1 and XenServer 2 can be part of a single
pool, sharing LUNs controlled by either PowerVault MD3000 controller 0
or controller 1. If a path between the host and PowerVault MD3000 RAID
enclosure fails, the LUNs failover to the other controller, thus maintaining
storage access to the XenServer hosts.

Figure 5-9. PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure – Redundant Data Paths for Two
Single-HBA Host Servers

XenServer Host 1 XenServer Host 2

SAS 5/E SAS 5/E SAS 5/E SAS 5/E

Port 1 Port 0 Port 1 Port 0

Controller 1 MD3000 Controller 0

Ports 1 & 0 Ports 1 & 0

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage
array

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage
array

Configuring Storage 39
 • Redundant Data Paths for Two Dual-HBA Host Servers — This
configuration contains two XenServer hosts, each with two SAS 5/E cards,
and an MD3000 enclosure with two RAID controllers. The first SAS 5/E
card of each host is connected to the first MD3000 RAID controller,
while the second SAS 5/E card of each host is connected to the second
MD3000 RAID controller. Two optional MD1000 enclosures can be daisy
chained to the MD3000 to provide additional storage capacity.
See Figure 5-10 for an illustration of this configuration.
In this configuration, XenServer 1 and XenServer 2 can be part of a single
pool, sharing LUNs controlled by either MD3000 RAID controller 0 or
controller 1. If a path between the host and MD3000 fails, the LUNs will
failover to the other controller, thus maintaining storage access to the
XenServer hosts.

Figure 5-10. PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure – Redundant Data Paths for Two
Dual-HBA Host Servers

XenServer Host 1 XenServer Host 2

SAS 5/E SAS 5/E SAS 5/E SAS 5/E

Controller 1 MD3000 Controller 0

Ports 1 and 0 Ports 1 and 0

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage
array

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage
array

40 Configuring Storage
 • Redundant Data Paths for Dual-HBA Host Server, Two SAS Links —
This configuration contains one XenServer host with two SAS 5/E cards
and a PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure with two RAID controllers.
One port of the first SAS 5/E card is connected to the first MD3000 RAID
controller, while one port of the second SAS 5/E card is connected to the
second PowerVault MD3000 RAID controller. Two optional PowerVault
MD1000 storage enclosures can be daisy-chained to the PowerVault
MD3000 RAID enclosure to provide additional storage capacity.
See Figure 5-11 for an illustration of this configuration.
If a path between the host and PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure fails,
the LUNs failover to the other controller, thus maintaining storage access
to the XenServer host.

Figure 5-11. PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure – Redundant Data Paths for
Dual-HBA Host Server, Two SAS Links

XenServer Host 1

SAS 5/E

Controller 1 Controller 0

PowerVault MD3000

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage
array

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage
array

Configuring Storage 41
 • Redundant Data Paths for Dual HBA Host Server, Four SAS Links —
This configuration contains one XenServer host with two SAS 5/E cards
and a PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure with two RAID controllers.
One port of the first SAS 5/E card is connected to the first port of the
PowerVault MD3000 RAID controller 0, and the other port of the first SAS
5/E card is connected to the first port of the PowerVault MD3000 RAID
controller 1. One port of the second SAS 5/E card is connected to the
second port of the second PowerVault MD3000 RAID controller 0, and the
other port of the second SAS 5/E card is connected to the second port of
the PowerVault MD3000 RAID controller 1. Two optional PowerVault
MD1000 storage enclosures can be daisy-chained to the PowerVault
MD3000 RAID enclosure to provide additional storage capacity.
See Figure 5-12 for an illustration of this configuration.
If a path between the host and MD3000 fails, the LUNs will failover to another
available path, thus maintaining storage access to the XenServer host.
Figure 5-12. PowerVa ult MD3000 RAID Enclosure – Redundant Data Paths for Dual
HBA Host Server, Four SAS Links

XenServer Host

SAS 5/E SAS 5/E

Controller 1 MD3000 Controller 0

Ports 1 & 0 Ports 1 & 0

PowerVault
MD1000 (optional)
storage array

PowerVault
MD1000 (optional)
storage array

42 Configuring Storage
Creating an SR on a PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure
Follow the steps below to create an SR on a storage volume on a PowerVault
MD3000 RAID enclosure.
1 Create and configure a virtual disk using the MD3000 Modular Disk
Storage Manager software (installed on your management station). Ensure
that the newly-created virtual disk is controlled by the RAID controller to
which your XenServer hosts have access.
2 Map the newly-created virtual disk to the XenServer hosts. For more
information on managing hosts and virtual disks on the MD3000, refer to
the MD3000 Users Guide available on the Dell Support website at
support.dell.com.
3 If configuring storage on MD3000 for a XenServer pool, add all hosts to
the XenServer pool.
Ensure that the newly-created virtual disk is visible to all mapped hosts.
Log in to the XenServer local console shell on each XenServer host and
type the following command:
# mppBusRescan
4 On the XenServer host or pool master, identify the disk ID of the
PowerVault MD3000 storage volume:
Type the following command to get the SCSI device name for the storage
volume:
# /opt/mpp/lsvdev
The output of this command is similar to one below:
[root@xs1~]# /opt/mpp/lsvdev
Array Name Lun sd device
-------------------------------------
MD3000_Array1 0 -> /dev/sdc
Note the SCSI device name (/dev/sdX) and find the corresponding disk ID
in the output of the following command:
# ls -ltr /dev/disk/by-id

Configuring Storage 43
 The output of this command is similar to one below:
scsi-36001c23000c967da00000bae47ecaeeb ->
../../sdc
5 Type one of the following commands to create an SR on the MD3000
virtual disk:
If adding storage to a pool:
# xe sr-create content-type=user name-label=
<label_of_SR> shared=true type=lvmohba device-
config:device=/dev/disk/by-id/<disk_id>
If adding storage to a stand-alone host:
# xe sr-create content-type=user name-label=
<label_of_SR> type=lvmohba device-
config:device=/dev/disk/by-id/<disk_id>
NOTE: <disk_id> is the ID noted in step 4.

PowerVault MD3000i Storage Array

• The Dell PowerVault MD3000i storage array consists of a standard or high-
availability configuration.
• The standard model has a single controller with two 1GbE ports. It can be
deployed to support up to 16 hosts non-redundantly.
• The high-availability model has dual controllers with two 1GbE ports per
controller for a total of four 1GbE ports. The dual controller option can
connect up to 16 fully-redundant hosts.
• The entire PowerVault MD3000i storage array is managed from a single,
user-friendly software application—known as the Modular Disk Storage
Manager (MDSM)—which streamlines the management and
maintenance of storage as it scales.
• In-band management of an PowerVault MD3000i storage array from a
XenServer host is not supported. To manage PowerVault MD3000i storage
arrays using MDSM, install the MDSM software on a separate supported
Micorsoft Windows or Linux management station.

44 Configuring Storage
XenServer Dell Edition comes pre-installed with the open-iSCSI initiator
that can be used to connect to PowerVault MD3000i storage arrays.
Alternatively, a software iSCSI initiator inside a virtual machine (VM) can be
used to add a storage volume from PowerVault MD3000i storage array. By
default, the physical network interface on which the XenServer management
interface is configured is chosen to route the IP storage traffic. However,
a physical interface or a bond of multiple interfaces can be configured to
segregate storage traffic from management traffic. For more details on
specific configuration steps, see "High Availability Configuration and IP
Storage Traffic Segregation" on page 67.
NOTE: For specific steps on using MD3000i with an iSCSI initiator running inside a
virtual machine, see the Software Installation section of MD3000i Systems
Installation Guide available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

Reference Configurations
This section describes reference XenServer configurations with PowerVault
MD3000i storage arrays using the software iSCSI initiator pre-installed in
XenServer Dell Edition. At any given time, a XenServer host or pool can
access LUNs on the PowerVault MD3000i storage arrays through a single
controller only and a single path on that controller. Controller failover is not
supported at this time.
NOTE: Multi-pathing is currently not supported on XenServer hosts connected to a
PowerVault MD3000i storage array.

Configuring Storage 45
 • One or Two Direct-Attached Servers, Single-Path Data, Single Controller
(Simplex) — This configuration contains one or two XenServer hosts,
each with one Network Identification Card (NIC) for iSCSI connectivity,
and an PowerVault MD3000i storage array enclosure with one RAID
controller. One port of each host's NIC is connected to one port on the
PowerVault MD3000i RAID controller. Two optional PowerVault MD1000
storage enclosures can be daisy-chained to the PowerVault MD3000i
storage array to provide additional storage capacity. XenServer hosts 1 and 2
as shown in Figure 5-13 cannot be a part of a pool.

Figure 5-13. PowerVault MD3000i Storage Array – One or Two Direct-Attached Servers,
Single-Path Data, Single Controller (Simplex)

LAN

XenServer Host 1 & 2

NIC 0 NIC 0

Controller 0 MD3000i Controller 0

Port 1 Port 0

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage array

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage array

46 Configuring Storage
 • Up to Four Direct-Attached Servers, Single-Path Data, Dual Controllers
(Duplex) — This configuration contains up to four XenServer hosts, each
with one NIC for iSCSI connectivity, and an PowerVault MD3000i storage
array enclosure with two RAID controllers. One port of each host's NIC is
connected to one of the four ports across the two PowerVault MD3000i
RAID controllers. Two optional PowerVault MD1000 storage enclosures
can be daisy-chained to the PowerVault MD3000i storage array to provide
additional storage capacity. See Figure 5-14 for an illustration of this
configuration.
Pool configuration is not possible in this configuration.

Figure 5-14. PowerVault MD3000i Storage Array – Up to Four Direct-Attached Servers,

Single-Path Data, Dual Controllers (Duplex)

LAN

XenServer 1 & 2 XenServer 3 & 4

NIC 0 NIC 0 NIC 0 NIC 0

Controller 1 MD3000i Controller 0

Ports 1 & 0 Ports 1 & 0

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage array

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage array

Configuring Storage 47
 • Up to 16 SAN-Configured Servers, Single-Path Data, Single Controller
(Simplex) — This configuration contains up to 16 XenServer hosts, each
with one or two NICs that are bonded to provide high availability for
iSCSI connectivity and an PowerVault MD3000i storage array enclosure
with one RAID controller. One or two of each host's NICs are connected to
an Ethernet switch, and the Ethernet switch has a connection to the I/O
port on the PowerVault MD3000i RAID controller. Two optional
PowerVault MD1000 storage enclosures can be daisy-chained to the
PowerVault MD3000i storage array to provide additional storage capacity.
As shown in Figure 5-15, XenServer hosts connected to same controller I/O
port can be part of a single pool. Two NICs on the XenServer host can be
bonded to provide high availability for the iSCSI storage traffic. For more
details on how to configure high availability for IP storage, see "High
Availability Configuration and IP Storage Traffic Segregation" on page 67.

Figure 5-15. PowerVault MD3000i Storage Array – Up to 16 SAN-Configured Servers,

Single-Path Data, Single Controller (Simplex)

XenServer Pool A XenServer Pool B

NIC 0 NIC 1 NIC 0 NIC 1

NIC 0 NIC 1 NIC 0 NIC 1

Ethernet Switch

Controller 0 Controller 0
Port 1 Port 0
MD3000i

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage array

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage array

48 Configuring Storage
• Up to 16 SAN-Configured Servers, Single-Path Data, Dual Controllers
(Duplex) — This configuration contains up to 16 XenServer hosts, each
with one or two NICs for iSCSI connectivity, and an PowerVault MD3000i
storage array enclosure with two RAID controllers. One or two of each
host's NICs are connected to an Ethernet switch, and the Ethernet switch
has one connection to each of the two PowerVault MD3000i RAID
controllers. Two optional PowerVault MD1000 storage enclosures can be
daisy-chained to the PowerVault MD3000i storage array to provide
additional storage capacity.
As shown in Figure 5-16, XenServer hosts connected to the same controller
network port can be part of a single pool. XenServer hosts connected to
Controller 0, Port 0 can be part of one pool and XenServer hosts connected
to Controller 1, Port 0 can be part of another pool. At a given time,
XenServer hosts in a pool can access LUNs controlled by either PowerVault
MD3000i RAID Controller 0 or Controller 1, but not both. Two NICs
(NIC0 and NIC1) on the XenServer host can be bonded to provide high
availability for the iSCSI storage traffic. For more details on how to
configure high availability for IP storage, see "High Availability
Configuration and IP Storage Traffic Segregation" on page 67.

Configuring Storage 49
 Figure 5-16. PowerVault MD3000i Storage Array – Up to 16 SAN-Configured Servers,
Single-Path Data, Dual Controllers (Duplex)

XenServer Pool A XenServer Pool B

NIC 0 NIC 1 NIC 0 NIC 1

NIC 0 NIC 1 NIC 0 NIC 1

Ethernet Switch
Controller 1 Controller 0
Port 0 Port 0

MD3000

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage array

PowerVault MD1000
(optional) storage array

Creating an SR on PowerVault MD3000i Storage Arrays

Follow the steps below to create an SR on a storage volume on a PowerVault
MD3000i storage array.
1 Change the iSCSI IQN of the XenServer host to a string of your choice by
selecting the host in XenCenter, viewing its General tab, and clicking the
Edit button.
The Edit General Settings dialog box is displayed, where you can modify
the iSCSI IQN string.
2 Using MDSM interface, create virtual disks on MD3000i using steps
described in Dell PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager User’s Guide
available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. Ensure that the
XenServer hosts have a physical path to the controller which owns the
newly created virtual disk.

50 Configuring Storage
3 From the Mappings tab in the Storage Array Profile window, note the
controller number which owns the newly-created volume. If you wish to
provide the XenServer hosts access to more than one volume, ensure all
the volumes are on the same MD3000i controller.
To change the controller that owns a volume, in the MDSM interface:
a Go to Modify→ Change Virtual Disk Ownership/Preferred Path.
b Select the appropriate Disk Group and the virtual disk.
c Select RAID Controller Module 0 or 1 as the virtual disk owner and
click Change.
4 Run the Modular Disk Storage Manager and manually add the XenServer
host(s) based on the new iSCSI IQN entered in step 1. After opening the
Modular Disk Storage Manager and selecting the MD3000i storage array
to be configured, select the Configure tab.
NOTE: In the examples to follow the Storage array “sg23_training” is a
PowerVault MD3000i storage array with virtual disks already configured using
the Create Virtual Disks selection. The new server being added to an existing
host group is named Valhalla.
5 From the Configure tab, select Configure Host Access (Manual).
Enter the host name for the server which has XenServer software installed.
Select Linux as the host type.
6 From the next screen, specify the iSCSI Initiator by selecting the New
button. On the Enter New iSCSI Initiator screen enter the XenServer
iSCSI initiator name configured in step 1. The label is auto-populated
from the server name. See Figure 5-17.

Configuring Storage 51
 Figure 5-17. iSCSI Initiator Window

7 Host Group configuration starts from the Configure Host Access

(Manual) - Specify Host Group screen. If provisioning storage as shared
storage for a XenServer pool, a host group must be defined so the
MD3000i storage subsystem has a configured iSCSI path to each of the
hosts.
8 Select Yes: This host will share access to the same virtual disks with other
hosts and determine which of the following two options applies to your
host group:
a If a new host group is desired, select the radio button for that option
and enter a name for your host group using standard host naming
conventions. For example, no spaces.
b Should you already have one or more host groups created, select the
radio button enabling selection from a drop-down list of existing host
groups. Use this option for configuring the second, third, etc. hosts in
a group. Once the host group is selected, previously configured hosts
for that host group are displayed. Note that these are shown as Linux
hosts even though they are configured as XenServer hosts.
9 Selecting Next provides a confirmation screen in which the new server
being configured is shown and the other previously configured associated
hosts are named. For the first server configured in a new host group, no
associated hosts are listed under the Associated host group. See
Figure 5-18.

52 Configuring Storage
Figure 5-18. Modular Disk Storage Manager – Configure Tab

10 Select Finish to confirm the new host definition. This initiates the wizard
configuration of the new host.
11 On completion, select Yes to proceed to the next host you wish to
configure, or select No to end the configuration wizard.
12 Return to XenCenter and create a new SR by connecting to the desired
XenServer host and clicking on its Storage tab.
13 Click Add, choose the iSCSI radio button for Virtual disk storage, and
click Next.
14 Enter the name for the new SR in the name field, the PowerVault
MD3000i controller that owns the LUN created in step 2 portal IP address
in the target host field, and 3260 in the port field.
15 Click on Discover IQNs and Discover LUNs to populate the Target IQN
and Target LUN fields.
16 Select the appropriate LUN and click Finish to create a new SR.

Configuring Storage 53
 Dell EqualLogic PS Series
Dell EqualLogic PS Series iSCSI arrays simplify storage deployment by
offering high performance, reliability, intelligent automation, and seamless
virtualization of a single pool of storage.
The foundation of an EqualLogic storage array is a PS Series group — an
iSCSI SAN including one or more PS Series storage array members connected
to an IP network and managed as a single system. Each array has fully
redundant hardware and up to three active network connections for
maximum bandwidth. Integrated virtualization firmware provides:
• Seamless scalability
• Automatic RAID configuration and spare disk configuration
• Automatic network, performance, and capacity load balancing
The Dell EqualLogic PS5000E line spans from 2 to 16 TB in capacity in a
single array, utilizing SATA drives ranging in size from 250 GB to 1 TB.
PS5000X arrays offer 6.4 TB of raw storage capacity utilizing 400 GB (10,000
RPM) Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) disk drives. PS5000XV arrays offer 2.3 TB
or 4.8 TB of raw storage capacity utilizing 146 GB/300 GB (15,000 RPM) SAS
disk drives. PS5500E arrays utilizes forty-eight 500 GB/1 TB (7200 RPM)
SATAII disk drives to deliver 24 or 48 TB of raw capacity in a 4U enclosure.
All PS Series models have dual active/passive controllers with three 1-GbE
ports per controller for a total of six 1-GbE ports.
By default, the physical network interface on which the XenServer
management interface is configured is chosen to route the IP storage traffic.
However, a different physical interface or a bond of two network interfaces
can be configured to segregate storage traffic from management traffic. See
"High Availability Configuration and IP Storage Traffic Segregation" on
page 67 for more details on specific configuration steps.

54 Configuring Storage
Reference Configurations
• Basic Configuration — This configuration contains XenServer hosts, each
with a NIC for iSCSI connectivity and a PS Series enclosure with
redundant RAID controllers. Each host's NIC is connected to an Ethernet
switch, and the Ethernet switch has connections to all six ports on the
RAID controllers. See Figure 5-19 for an illustration of this configuration.
Storage Repositories on a XenServer host or a XenServer pool can be
created on the iSCSI volumes on the EqualLogic array.

Figure 5-19. PS Series – Basic Configuration

LAN

XenServer Host(s)

NIC 0 NIC 0

Ethernet Switch

Dell EqualLogic
PS Series Array

Configuring Storage 55
 • Multi-Host, Highly Available — This configuration contains XenServer
hosts, each with two NICs bonded to provide high availability for iSCSI
connectivity, and a PS Series enclosure with redundant RAID controllers.
Two of each host's NICs are connected to an Ethernet switch, and the
Ethernet switch has connections to all six ports on the RAID controllers.
See Figure 5-20 for an illustration of this configuration.
Storage repositories on a XenServer host or a XenServer pool can be
created on the iSCSI volume on the EqualLogic array. NIC0 and NIC1 on
each XenServer host are bonded to provide high availability for the iSCSI
storage traffic. This configuration provides redundancy against host NIC
and array controller failure.

Figure 5-20. PS Series – Multi-Host, Highly Available

LAN

XenServer Host(s)

NIC 0 NIC 1 NIC 0 NIC 1

Ethernet Switch

Dell EqualLogic
PS Series Array

56 Configuring Storage
 • Fully Redundant — This configuration contains XenServer hosts, each
with two NICs (bonded to provide high availability) for iSCSI connectivity
and a PS Series enclosure with redundant RAID controllers. One of each
host's NICs is connected to Ethernet switch 0, while the second of each
host's NICs is connected to Ethernet switch 1. The two Ethernet switches
are connected by two Inter Switch Links (ISLs). Ethernet switch 0 has
connections to two ports on RAID controller 0 and one connection to
RAID controller 1. Ethernet switch 1 has connections to two ports on
RAID controller 1 and one connection to RAID controller 0. See
Figure 5-21 for an illustration of this configuration.
Storage repositories on a XenServer host or a XenServer pool can be
created on the iSCSI volumes on the EqualLogic array. NIC0 and NIC1
XenServer host are bonded to provide high availability for the iSCSI
storage traffic. This configuration provides redundancy against host NIC,
switch, or array controller failure.

Figure 5-21. PS Series – Fully Redundant

LAN

XenServer Host(s)
NIC 0 NIC 1 NIC 0 NIC 1

ISL

Redundant Ethernet
Switches

Dell EqualLogic
PS5000 Series Array

Configuring Storage 57
 Creating a Storage Repository on Dell PS Series Arrays
With XenServer 5.0, two types of SRs can be created on PS Series arrays:
• LVM Over iSCSI (lvmoiscsi) SRs utilize the Linux Volume Manager
(LVM) to create a logical volume per virtual disk image (VDI). The entire
volume on the PS Series array is used to hold VDIs.
• EqualLogic (equal) SRs utilize the XenServer storage adapter to manage
VM storage on PS Series arrays. For each XenServer VDI, a corresponding
volume on the PS Series array is created, allowing for advanced VM
lifecycle operations, such as snapshots, fast clones, thin provisioning, etc.

Creating an LVM Over iSCSI (lvmoiscsi) SR

1 Configure the EqualLogic storage array, create a group, set a member
RAID policy, and create a volume by following the instructions available in
the PS Series Storage Arrays Quickstart guide available on the Dell
EqualLogic PS Series iSCSI SAN Arrays website at
equallogic.com/products.
2 Enable shared access from multiple initiators for the storage volume:
a In the PS series group manager user interface, right-click the storage
volume, and click Modify Volume Settings.
b Click the Advanced tab, and then click to check Enable shared access
to the iSCSI target from multiple initiators.
3 Return to XenCenter and create an SR by connecting to the desired
XenServer host (pool master if adding storage to a pool) and clicking on its
Storage tab.
4 Click the Add… button, choose the iSCSI radio button for Virtual disk
storage, and select Next.
5 Enter the name for the new SR in the Name field, EqualLogic array group
IP address in the target host field, and 3260 in the Port field.
6 Click Discover IQNs to perform target discovery. Each volume on an
EqualLogic array has a unique target name with LUN ID set to "0".
7 Select the appropriate IQN and then click Discover LUNs to discover the
LUN associated with the target.
8 Select the LUN and click Finish to create a new SR.

58 Configuring Storage
Creating an EqualLogic (equal) SR
NOTE: To use an EqualLogic SR, the firmware version of the PS Series array must
be 4.0.1 or higher.
1 Configure the EqualLogic array, create a group, set a member RAID policy,
and create a volume by following the instructions available in the PS Series
online help.
2 Enable SSH (secure shell) access for the group members.
a In the PS Series group manager user interface, click Group
Configuration, and then click the Administration tab.
b Under CLI access options for the group, check Enable SSH, and then
save the configuration.
3 Using the XenCenter interface, right-click on the XenServer host or the
pool for which you would like to create an SR and select New Storage
Repository.
4 In the Choose the type of new storage window, select Dell EqualLogic
and click Next.
5 In the Enter the Dell EqualLogic filer details window, enter a name for
the SR, the group IP of your PS Series group, the username and password
for an account with administrative privileges for the group or pool, and
optional CHAP credentials (if set on the array), and then click Next.
6 Under Reattach an existing SR or create a new SR, click to select Create a
new SR on the following storage pool.
NOTE: You can view the details on the available storage pool, including the
size of the pool, available space, the number of existing volumes, and
members in the pool.
7 Click Thin Provisioning for all volumes associated with the new SR, if
desired.
8 Click Finish to create the new SR.
For more information on using the XenServer EqualLogic Storage Adapter,
see Using Dell EqualLogic PS Series Arrays with XenServer 5.0 available on the
Dell- Virutalization with Dell and Citrix website at dell.com/xenserver.

Configuring Storage 59
 Moving an SR Between Hosts
If you wish to remove an SR from an existing XenServer host and use it with a
different host, you must back up the SR from the first host and restore it on
the second host:
1 Access the Backup, Update and Restore menu in the local console on the
XenServer host or pool master.
2 Trigger an immediate metadata backup to the SR being moved using the
Backup Virtual Machine Metadata menu option. The metadata backup
creates a backup VDI, if necessary, and attaches it to the host, and then
backs up all the metadata to that SR.
NOTE: The metadata backup process can be scheduled to occur daily,
weekly, or monthly using the Schedule Virtual Machine Metadata option.
3 Perform a metadata restoration operation using the Restore Virtual
Machine Metadata menu option. The metadata restoration operation can
restore only VM records associated with the selected SR, or all of the VM
records found.
NOTE: There is also an option to test which VMs will be imported without
actually performing the restoration operation.

Resizing An SR After Changing the Size of An

LVM-Based Storage Volume
If you change the size of a LVM-based volume (SAS, iSCSI, or Fibre
Channel)—for example, if you increase the size of the volume on your iSCSI
storage array—the size of the SR on that volume does not get updated.
Perform the following steps to adjust the size of the SR:
1 Shutdown all virtual machines on the SR.
2 Note the universally unique identifier (UUID) of the SR.
Type the xe sr-list command on the XenServer host and identify the
SR by its name label.
3 Identify the Physical Block Device (PBD) UUID corresponding to the SR.
Type the following command on XenServer:
# xe sr-param-list uuid=<SR UUID>|grep PBD
where <SR UUID> is the UUID of SR noted in step 2

60 Configuring Storage
4 Unplug the Physical Block Device (PBD) corresponding to the Storage
Repository. Type the following command:
# xe pbd-unplug uuid=<PBD UUID>
where <PBD UUID> is the UUID of PBD noted in step 3.
5 Plug the PBD. Type the following command:
# xe pbd-plug uuid=<PBD UUID>
6 Find the physical volume device SCSI device mapping name on which the
SR exists.
Identify the volume group (VG) corresponding to the SR.
Type the following command on XenServer host:
# pvs
The output of this command is similar to one below:
PV VG
Fmt Attr PSize PFree
/dev/sdd VG_XenStorage-058e9a1d-9b7e-71bc-
7a4c-5b78d6e30bcb lvm2 a- 80.00G 38.00G
/dev/sde VG_XenStorage-4684b6c6-be6d-6267-
b7b5-834a1fd30f65 lvm2 a- 59.99G 45.99G
The volume groups (VG) are named as VS_XenStorage-<SR UUID>.
Using the SR UUID noted in step 2, identify the correct volume group and
the corresponding Physical Volume (PV) from the output of the above
command.
7 Resize the Physical Volume. Type the following command:
# pvresize /dev/sd<x>
8 Scan the Storage Repository. Type the following command:
# xe sr-scan uuid=<SR UUID>
9 The SR size now gets updated to the new size of the physical volume.
10 Turn on the VMs.

Configuring Storage 61
62 Configuring Storage
Recovering the Citrix XenServer
Host
Whenever possible, leave the installed state of Citrix® XenServer® Dell™
Edition servers unaltered. That is, treat XenServer hosts as if they are
appliances and do not install any additional packages or start additional
services on them.
XenServer uses a per-host database to store metadata about virtual
machines (VMs) and associated resources such as storage and networking.
When combined with storage repositories (SRs), this database forms the
complete view of all VMs available across the pool. To make your XenServer
deployment readily recoverable, ensure to back up this database regularly.

Database Backup From XenServer Local Console

For the standard single XenServer case, you can back up the database using
the XenServer local console.
To back up the XenServer database with the XenServer local console:
1 Insert a removable media device (USB stick) to save the backup.
2 Select Backup, Restore and Update from the XenServer local console
menu and press <Enter>.
3 Select Backup Server State and press <Enter>.
You are prompted to select the removable media device you want to write
the backup to. Select the appropriate device and press <Enter>.

Recovering the Citrix XenServer Host 63

 4 You are prompted to provide a filename for the backup. Type the desired
filename and press <Enter>.
The backup file is written to the selected media.
5 Remove the media with the backed-up file and store it in a safe place.
When required you can use this media to recover the XenServer state.
For more information on backing up the database for single-server and
pooled servers using XenCenter or the XenServer CLI, see the XenServer
Installation Guide available on the Citrix XenServer Dell Edition website
at citrix.com/xenserver/dell.

Using the Recovery Media

In case the flash storage becomes corrupt or fails and needs to be replaced,
you can recover the factory-installed XenServer image by using the Recovery
media, which can be downloaded from the Citrix XenServer Dell Edition
website at citrix.com/xenserver/dell. After recovering the factory-default
image, you can restore the XenServer database and resume running your VMs.
To recover the XenServer using the recovery media:
1 Burn the downloaded recovery media ISO to a media or attach the ISO to
the host using the Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) virtual media
option.
2 Insert the new flash storage in the system.
3 Boot the server from the media.
4 The recovery media prompts you to copy the image to the desired storage.
It then copies the factory default image to the device.
5 When complete, remove the recovery media, reboot the system, and boot
from the internal storage.

64 Recovering the Citrix XenServer Host

Restoring the XenServer Database
After restoring the XenServer host to the factory-default configuration,
restore the backed-up XenServer database to regain your VMs and the
particular network and storage configuration. This process differs depending
on whether you have a single host or a resource pool, and whether the restored
XenServer is to be a member or master of the pool. For the default case, you
can use the XenServer local console.
To restore the XenServer database with the XenServer local console:
1 Insert the removable media device with the backup (USB stick).
2 Select Backup, Restore and Update from the local console menu and press
<Enter>.
3 Select Restore Server State from Backup and press <Enter>.
You are prompted to select which removable media device you want to
restore the backup from. Select the appropriate device and press <Enter>.
4 You are prompted to select the backup file to restore from. Select the
desired filename and press <Enter>.
The contents of the backup file are restored to the XenServer media.
5 Remove the media with the backed-up file and store it in a safe place for
possible later use.
6 When complete, reboot the server.
For details on restoring the remote database for pooled hosts, see the
XenServer documentation available on the Citrix XenServer Dell Edition
website at citrix.com/xenserver/dell.

Recovering XenServer After a Board

Replacement
In the event of a motherboard change in your XenServer host, the system
Service Tag must be reset to its original value for XenServer to function.
Download the latest asset.com utility from ftp.us.dell.com/utility. In the
DOS prompt, type asset.com /s <service tag>.

Recovering the Citrix XenServer Host 65

 Resetting the Root Password
If you lose or forget the root password, you can reset it using the XenServer
Dell Edition Recovery Media. For more information, see "Using the Recovery
Media" on page 64.
To reset the root password:
1 Boot using the recovery media.
2 Select your preferred key map.
3 Select Reset the password for an existing installation.
4 Follow the on-screen instructions.

Updating the XenServer Image to A New Version

The XenServer Dell Edition also differs from the standard editions in the way
it updates drivers and other components. There is no provision to individually
load updated drivers. You can only apply update packages provided by Citrix.
Updates are provided as downloads on the Citrix XenServer Dell Edition
website at citrix.com/xenserver/dell. When an update is available, download
the update package and save it on a removable storage device, such as a
USB stick.
To install updates using the XenServer local console:
1 Select Backup, Restore and Update from the local console menu.
2 Select Apply Update and follow the prompts.
NOTE: You may be required to manually enter the filename of the update file.
3 Reboot the system.
To install updates using XenCenter, ensure that you are using the Automatic
mode. For more information, see the Updating Servers section in the online
XenCenter Help.

66 Recovering the Citrix XenServer Host

Best Practices
High Availability Configuration and IP Storage
Traffic Segregation
• High Availability — To provide high availability for storage traffic,
use Citrix® XenCenter® to create a network interface bond using
two NIC ports.
• IP Storage Traffic Segregation — To segregate IP storage traffic, create a
new host interface. In XenCenter, click on the host and select
Management Interfaces. Create a new interface and configure the
IP settings, so that the storage management interface is on a separate
subnet than the host management interface. To segregate IP storage traffic
from host management traffic, the storage interface must be on a separate
subnet than the host management interface.
NOTE: As a best practice, it is recommended to use a static IP address for the host
management and storage interface.

Best Practices 67
 Scripted Backup of XenServer Host Database
It is recommended that you regularly back up the XenServer host database to
protect against unintentional configuration loss. This operation can be
performed using XenCenter. However, it is beneficial to script a recurring
backup from your management system where XenCenter is installed.
To accomplish this, perform the following steps from your
management system:
1 Create a directory to house the backup batch file and host database
backup files. For example, C:\backup.
2 Create a new batch file, and paste the following into its contents:
@echo off
if "%1" == "" goto error
if "%2" == "" goto error
if "%3" == "" goto error
set hh=%time:~0,2%
if %time:~0,1%=="" set hh=0%hh:~1,1%
set timestamp=
%date:~10,4%%date:~4,2%%date:~7,2%_%hh%%time:~3,2
%%time:~6,2%
"C:\Program Files\Citrix\XenCenter\xe.exe" -s %1 -
u %2 -pw %3 host-backup file-name=
%1_%timestamp%.xbk
goto end
:error
echo usage is ^"backup ^<hostname or IP^>
^<username^> ^<password^>^"
pause
:end
exit

68 Best Practices
 3 Create a Scheduled Task. In the Run field, enter the path to the batch file,
followed by the hostname or IP address, username, and password. For
example:
c:\backup\backup.bat 172.17.40.70 root
rootpassword
Enter the directory you created in step 1 in the “Start in” field.

Using Storage Array Snapshots for LVM-Based

Storage Repositories
Using storage array snapshot features available on the Dell™ PowerVault™
MD3000, MD3000i and Dell EqualLogic® storage arrays, a point in time
copy of the LVM-based storage repositories can be taken for tasks such as
backup, data mining, reporting, testing software upgrades, etc., in the virtual
machines (VMs). A typical operation involves taking a snapshot of the storage
repository (SR), backing up the VM(s) metadata on an SR on the primary
Citrix® XenServer® Dell™ Edition host, attaching the snapshot to a
secondary XenServer host, and restoring the VM(s) metadata on the
secondary host. A snapshot restore operation can also be performed to go back
to a previous known good state.
NOTE: XenServer 5.0 includes the ability to create snapshots at the VM level.
• A Xen VSS provider included as part of Citrix XenTools® enables quiesced
VM snapshots. Quiesced VM snapshots are only supported for Dell EqualLogic
PS Series arrays and Dell EqualLogic storage repositories.
• Quiesced snapshots take advantage of the Microsoft® Windows® Volume
Snapshot Service (VSS) for services that support it so that a supported
application (for example, Microsoft Exchange® or Microsoft SQL Server®)
can flush data to disk and prepare for the snapshot before it is taken. For more
information on creating and managing VM snapshots, see the XenServer 5.0
Reference Manual available on the Citrix XenServer Dell Edition website at
citrix.com/xenserver/dell.
With varying degree of impact on file system and application consistency and
service availability, snapshot operations on an SR can be executed in
essentially three ways:

Best Practices 69
 Shut Down VMs Before a Snapshot
In scenarios where application consistency cannot be achieved using
frameworks such as Microsoft® VSS or VDS, etc., creating a snapshot or clone
of an SR when VMs are powered down ensures a volume that can be cleanly
recovered. Scenarios where all virtual disks of a VM are virtualized through
the XenServer Domain fall into this category. Though this approach
guarantees file system and application consistent volume recovery, there is
service downtime as VMs on the SR need to be shut down before a snapshot
operation. This approach is useful when there are multiple VMs on an SR.
Follow the steps below to take a snapshot in such a scenario:
1 Shut down all the VMs on the SR.
2 From the primary XenServer host, backup the VM metadata for the VMs
on the SR.
3 Take a snapshot of the SR.
4 Start up the VMs on the primary XenServer host.
5 Attach the snapshot of the SR on the secondary XenServer host.
6 On the secondary XenServer host, restore the VM metadata to recover
VMs.
7 Turn on the VMs on the secondary XenServer host.

Suspend VMs Before a Snapshot

In this scenario, the virtual machines are suspended and the suspended state
is saved in the Suspend Storage Repository. After suspending the VMs on the
SR, a snapshot of the SR on which the VM virtual disks reside and the
Suspend SR (if different from the SR on which VM virtual disks reside) can
be taken to ensure file system and application consistent snapshots. When
VMs are booted from the suspended state, the VMs resume at the point
where they were suspended. Depending on the memory state of the VMs on
the SR, the service downtime can be less or more. This approach is useful
when there are multiple VMs on an SR. Follow the steps below to take a
snapshot in such a scenario:
1 Suspend all the VMs on the SR. This requires XenTools to be installed and
running in all VMs.
2 From the primary XenServer host, backup the VM metadata for the VMs
on the SR.

70 Best Practices
 3 Take a snapshot of the SR and the Suspend SR (if different than the SR for
which the snapshot was created).
4 Power on the VMs on the primary XenServer host.
5 Attach the snapshot of the SR and Suspend SR (if different than the
SR for which the snapshot was created) on the secondary XenServer host.
6 Restore the VM metadata to recovery VMs.
7 Boot the VMs on the secondary XenServer host.

Snapshot a volume when VMs are running

In this scenario, a snapshot operation on an SR is initiated when the VM is in
a running state and performing I/O operations to the storage volume. Unlike
the scenarios described above, there is no service downtime. In LVM-based
SRs, taking a storage volume snapshot results in a file system and application
crash consistent snapshot. When you run an iSCSI initiator inside the VM to
connect directly to SAN volumes, in which the I/O operations to virtual disks is
entirely controlled by the VM, you can use array-based snapshots in
conjunction with frameworks such as Microsoft VSS or VDS to create
application-consistent snapshots. This approach is useful when each virtual
disk of a VM is a separate volume on storage array.

Backup the VM Metadata

This section explains the steps required to backup the VM metadata from the
primary XenServer host. This metadata can then be restored on the secondary
XenServer host where VMs need to be recovered.
1 Access the Backup, Update and Restore menu in the local console on the
XenServer host or pool master.
2 Trigger an immediate metadata backup to the SR being moved using the
Backup Virtual Machine Metadata menu option. The metadata backup
creates a backup virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), if necessary, and
attaches it to the host, and then backs up all the metadata to that SR.

Best Practices 71
 Attach the SR Snapshot to the Secondary
XenServer Host
Make the snapshot volume available to the secondary XenServer host by
attaching the SR. For snapshots of iSCSI volumes, just attach the SR to the
XenServer host using XenCenter. If the snapshot resides on an Dell
PowerVault™ MD3000 RAID enclosure, follow the steps below to attach the
snapshot as an SR to a XenServer host.
1 Note the universally unique identifier (UUID) of the SR for which the
snapshot was created. This can be done by typing the following command
on the primary XenServer host and identifying the SR by its name label in
the command output.
# xe sr-list
2 Type the following command:
# xe sr-introduce content-type=user name-label=
SAS_snapshot type=lvmohba uuid=<sr_uuid>
3 Identify the disk ID of the storage volume. Type the following command:
# ls -ltr /dev/disk/by-id
4 Identify the host UUID. Type the following command:
# xe host-list
5 Type the following command:
# xe pbd-create device-config:device=/dev/disk/by-
id/<disk_id> host-uuid=<host_uuid> sr-uuid=
<sr_uuid>
6 Identify the PBD UUID. Type the following command:
# xe pbd-list
7 Type the following command:
# xe pbd-plug uuid=<pbd_uuid>

72 Best Practices
Restore VM Metadata to Recover VMs from a Snapshot
1 Access the Backup, Update and Restore menu in the local console on the
XenServer host or pool master.
2 Perform a metadata restoration operation using the Restore Virtual
Machine Metadata menu option. The metadata restoration operation can
restore only VM records associated with the selected SR, or all of the VM
records found potentially from other SRs which were present at the time of
the backup.
NOTE: There is also an option to test which VMs are imported without
actually performing the restoration operation.

Adjusting SCSI Timeouts to Tolerate Storage

Controller Failures
To account for time that an IO may take to complete in a case where the
PowerVault MD3000 or MD3000i storage arrays goes through exception
recovery on I/O operations, it is recommended to adjust the SCSI timeouts
on XenServer hosts and virtual machines that are resident on the SRs on
PowerVault MD3000 or MD3000i storage arrays.

Adjusting SCSI Timeouts for PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure

If the XenServer host is connected to PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure,
adjust the SCSI timeout on Microsoft Windows VMs residing on the SR
resident on the PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure by changing the
following registry setting:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\disk\T
imeOutValue.
The value needs to be created if not present. Set this value to 200.
Do not modify the SCSI timeout in paravirtualized Linux VMs as the VM
virtual disks are not presented as SCSI disks.

Best Practices 73
 Adjusting SCSI Timeouts for PowerVault MD3000i Storage Arrays
If the XenServer host is connected to PowerVault MD3000i storage arrays, on
the XenServer host, change the SCSI timeout value for the SCSI device(s) on
the PowerVault MD3000i storage arrays. Create a new udev rule file with
name 96-md3000i-sto.rules at /etc/udev/rules.d/ and add the following text:
KERNEL=="sd*[!0-9]", ACTION=="add", SYSFS{model}==
"MD3000i", SYSFS{vendor}=="DELL", RUN+="/bin/sh -c
'echo 200 > /sys$DEVPATH/device/timeout'"
Save the file. Attach the iSCSI volume to the XenServer host and create an
SR.
Adjust the SCSI timeout on Windows VMs residing on the SR resident on
MD3000i by changing the following registry setting:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\disk\T
imeOutValue.
The value needs to be created if not present. Set this value to 200.
Do not modify the SCSI timeout in paravirtualized Linux VMs as the VM
virtual disks are not presented as SCSI disks.
Using an iSCSI initiator inside a VM is the same as using an iSCSI initiator in
a physical system. For specific steps to install relevant Dell multi-pathing
drivers and supported iSCSI initiators, and to attach PowerVault MD3000i
volumes to a VM using the iSCSI initiator inside the VM, see the MD3000i
Systems Installation Guide available on the Dell Support website at
support.dell.com. There are no extra steps required to modify SCSI timeouts
when Dell multi-pathing drivers control the LUN(s) on an MD3000i array.

Configuring XenServer Management Network for

High Availability
For detailed instructions on configuring XenServer management network for
HA, see the “Creating NIC Bonds” section of the XenServer Administrator’s
Guide available on the Citrix XenServer Dell Edition website at
citrix.com/xenserver/dell.

74 Best Practices
Appendix
Citrix XenServer Dell Edition Local Console Menu
Items
This section details the available menu options in the local console
configuration utility.
The host local console can be used to configure the Citrix® XenServer®
Dell™ Edition and to set up storage repositories (SRs) for virtual machines
(VMs).
NOTE: Installing, running, and managing VMs can be accomplished by opening a
command shell and using the xe command line interface. It is recommended that
you use the XenCenter management interface to work with VMs.
Select Manage Server Using XenCenter from the XenServer local console
menu for information on how to download and install Citrix XenCenter® on
a Dell PowerEdge™ system running the Microsoft® Windows® operating
system to use it as the management console for the XenServer.
On the left side of the XenServer local console, there is a list of menu names
or commands. Use the up- and down- arrow keys to select from the list, and
press <Enter> to display the menu or initiate the command.
The following sections cover the XenServer local console menus and
sub-menus.

Status Display
Displays the server vendor and model, the XenServer version and build, and
the configuration of the management NIC (i.e., its device name, IP address,
netmask, and gateway).

Appendix 75
 Manage Server Using XenCenter
Provides a download link to get the XenCenter application from the Citrix
XenServer Dell Edition website at citrix.com/xenserver/dell.

Network and Management Interface

Provides a menu of commands for setting up network configuration of the
management interface.

Configure Management Interface

Allows you to select and configure which of the Network Identification Cards
(NICs) available on the system is used as the XenServer management
interface.

Add/Remove DNS Servers

Allows you to manage DNS servers. For example, add additional servers, or
remove existing servers.

Network Time (NTP)

Allows you to configure network time servers for synchronizing clock time
between servers. You can enable or disable NTP, and add or remove NTP
servers.

Test Network
Allows you to use the Linux ping command for testing the configured
network. You can ping several fixed addresses such as the local address, the
gateway address, or an Internet address. You can also choose to ping a custom
address by providing an IP address.

Display NICs
Displays the network interfaces on the server by description, device name,
and MAC address, and shows if they are connected or not.

Authentication

Log In/Out
Provides a login prompt.

76 Appendix
Change Password
Allows changing of the root user password. This also changes the password for
local and remote login shells. If the host is in a Resource Pool, it also changes
the password of the Pool master.
To change the root password, perform the following steps:
1 From the XenServer local console, select Authentication. The
Authentication menu replaces the list in the left pane.
2 Select Change Password and press <Enter>. A Change Password box is
displayed.
3 Type the current password, then type the desired new password, and repeat
it in the required field. Press <Enter> to set the new password.

Change Auto-Logout Time

Allows changing of the auto-logout timer. The default is five minutes. Users
are automatically logged out if there is no keyboard activity for this time. The
timeout applies to this console and to local shells started from this console.

Virtual Machines

VMs Running on This Host

Displays detailed information on the VMs running on the XenServer host.

Host Performance Information

Displays XenServer host CPU and memory usage information.

All VMs
Displays detailed information about all the VMs in the Resource Pool.

Disk and Storage Repositories

Current Storage Repositories

Displays detailed information about SRs.

Create New Storage Repository

Used to create a new SR.

Appendix 77
 Attach Existing Storage Repository
Used to attach an existing storage repository or ISO library.

Specify Suspend SR
Allows you to specify the SR where you save the suspended image of a VM. By
default, this is not configured.

Specify Crash Dump SR

Allows you to specify the SR where you save the crash dumps of the VMs. By
default, this is not configured.

Claim a Local Disk as SR

Local disks can be configured as SRs for VMs. Press <Enter> to list the
available disks and claim one or more for VM storage.
NOTE: Local disks are automatically claimed for use as SRs for XenServer VMs on
first boot if the disks contain the Dell utility partition.

Resource Pool Configuration

Join a Resource Pool

Used to join a Resource Pool. Allows the host to share SRs and migrate the
VMs between hosts in the Pool.

Join a Resource Pool (forced)

Same as Join a Resource Pool.
CAUTION: Forcing a host to join a pool is a dangerous operation and may lead to
VM and data corruption.

Remove This Host From the Pool

Removing a host from a the pool permanently deletes and reinitializes all
local SRs on the host. The data in local SRs is lost and the host immediately
reboots.

Designate a New Pool Master

Used to designate a new host as master of the Resource Pool.

78 Appendix
XenServer Details and Licensing
Displays the XenServer product name, version, version of Xen, kernel version,
the Product SKU, expiration date for the license, and number of sockets.
Press <Enter> to see further license details and to access the Install
XenServer License sub-menu.

Install XenServer License

Allows you to install a XenServer license to update to XenServer Enterprise
edition.
To install a XenServer license, perform the following steps:
1 Select Install XenServer License on the left, and press <Enter>.
2 Log in if prompted.
3 A dialog box is displayed. Select the device containing the License file and
press <Enter>.

Hardware and BIOS Information

System Description
Displays the server manufacturer, the System Model, the Service Tag number,
and the Asset Tag number.

Processor
Displays the number of Logical CPUs, the number of populated CPU sockets,
the total number of CPU sockets, and the CPU description string.

System Memory
Displays the total memory, the number of populated memory sockets, and the
total number of memory sockets.

Local Storage Controllers

Lists the storage controllers on the server.

BIOS Information
Displays the system BIOS vendor and version.

Appendix 79
 Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) Information
Displays the BMC firmware version.

Keyboard and Time Zone

Keyboard Language and Layout

Use this option to select the correct keyboard language and layout for your
keyboard.

Set Time Zone

Use this option to set the time zone for the server.
To set the time zone, perform the following steps:
1 Select Set Timezone and press <Enter>.
2 Log in if prompted.
3 A dialog box appears. Select the Region and press <Enter>.
4 Select a City within the Region and press <Enter>.
5 A box appears with the new time zone setting and the current time. Press
<Enter> to clear the message.

Remote Service Configuration

This menu configures remote databases, access by remote secure shell (ssh),
and remote logging (syslog) to remote servers.

Remote Logging (syslog)

Allows configuration of a remote server to be the destination for syslog
messages.
To configure a remote server for receiving syslog messages:
1 Select Remote Logging (syslog) and press <Enter>
2 Log in if prompted.
3 A dialog box appears. Enter the destination IP address (or leave it blank to
disable remote logging) and press <Enter>.

80 Appendix
Enable or Disable a Remote Shell
Enables or disables whether the server can be logged into using ssh. By
default, it is enabled. Press <Enter> to toggle between states.

Backup, Restore, and Update

Schedule Virtual Machine Metadata

Press <Enter> to select how to schedule regular VM metadata backups.

Backup Virtual Machine Metadata

Press <Enter> to backup VM metadata to an SR.

Restore Virtual Machine Metadata

Press <Enter> to restore VM metadata from an SR.

Apply Update
Press <Enter> to update the XenServer image on the flash media.

Backup Server State

Press <Enter> to backup the server state to a removable media.

Restore Server State from Backup

Press <Enter> to restore the server state from a backup on a removable media.

Technical Support

Validate Server Configuration

Checks the basic configuration of the XenServer. The information displayed
includes the following
• Whether VT is enabled on the CPU.
• Whether a default local SR has been created.
• Whether a management NIC has been assigned.

Upload Bug Report

Allows you to upload a bug report file to a support FTP site.

Appendix 81
 Save Bug Report
Allows you to save a bug report file to removable media.

Enable/Disable Verbose Boot Mode

Controls the level of information displayed as the XenServer boots.

Reset to Factory Defaults

Resets all configuration information to factory default values, deletes all VMs,
and deletes all SRs on local disks.

Reboot or Shutdown
This option allows you to shut down or reboot the system.

Reboot Server
Reboots the server into normal operating mode.

Shutdown Server
Shuts down the server.

Enter or Exit Maintenance Mode

Entering Maintenance Mode that is used before shutting down a host for
maintenance, migrates all VMs running on the host to other hosts in the
Resource Pool.

Local Command Shell

Opens a local command shell for user root on this server. From this shell, you
can execute basic Linux commands and also the XenServer xe command line
interface (CLI), with which you can manage the XenServer control domain,
SRs, and VMs. It is recommended to use the XenCenter administration
console. For detailed reference, and examples to use the CLI for storage
management, see the XenServer Administrator's Guide available on the Citrix
XenServer Dell Edition website at citrix.com/xenserver/dell. For details on
using the CLI to install and manage VMs, see the XenServer VM Installation
Guide available on the Citrix XenServer Dell Edition website at
citrix.com/xenserver/dell.

82 Appendix
Appendix
NIC Enumeration in XenServer Dell Edition
NIC enumeration (i.e., mapping of physical network interface to ethX device
name) in XenServer Dell Edition is based on the device position in the server.
The integrated LAN on Motherboard (LOM) ports are always enumerated
first in order of their physical marked position (GB1, GB2, etc.). The add-in
network cards are enumerated after the LOM ports in ascending order of slot
position and PCI bus/device/function information.
For example, if there are 2 LOM ports in a server and one dual port network
adapter in PCI slot 4, the NIC enumeration is as follows:
• eth0: LOM Port 1 (Gb1)
• eth1: LOM Port 2 (Gb2)
• eth2 and eth3: ports on adapter in Slot 4 (arranged in ascending
bus/device/function number)
The NIC enumeration and corresponding position in the server can be found
by logging in to XenServer local console shell and issuing the following
command:
# biosdevname -d
The output of the command must be similar to one below:
BIOS device: eth0
Kernel name: eth0
Permanant MAC: 00:1E:4F:1F:77:67
Assigned MAC : 00:1E:4F:1F:77:67
Driver: bnx2
Driver version: 1.6.7b

Appendix 83
 Firmware version: 3.5.12 UMP 1.1.8
Bus Info: 0000:03:00.0
PCI name : 0000:03:00.0
PCI Slot : embedded
SMBIOS Device Type: Ethernet
SMBIOS Instance: 1
SMBIOS Enabled: True

BIOS device: eth1

Kernel name: eth1
Permanant MAC: 00:1E:4F:1F:77:69
Assigned MAC : 00:1E:4F:1F:77:69
Driver: bnx2
Driver version: 1.6.7b
Firmware version: 3.5.12 UMP 1.1.8
Bus Info: 0000:07:00.0
PCI name : 0000:07:00.0
PCI Slot : embedded
SMBIOS Device Type: Ethernet
SMBIOS Instance: 2
SMBIOS Enabled: True

BIOS device: eth2

Kernel name: eth2
Permanant MAC: 00:15:17:24:A4:B0
Assigned MAC : 00:15:17:24:A4:B0
Driver: e1000
Driver version: 7.6.9.2-NAPI
Firmware version: 5.6-2

84 Appendix
Bus Info: 0000:0b:00.0
PCI name : 0000:0b:00.0
PCI Slot : 4

BIOS device: eth3

Kernel name: eth3
Permanant MAC: 00:15:17:24:A4:B1
Assigned MAC : 00:15:17:24:A4:B1
Driver: e1000
Driver version: 7.6.9.2-NAPI
Firmware version: 5.6-2
Bus Info: 0000:0b:00.1
PCI name : 0000:0b:00.1
PCI Slot : 4
The BIOS device name is the name suggested by system BIOS; it is used by
the XenServer kernel to enumerate the device name. As shown in the above
output, the PCI Slot and SMBIOS instance fields for eth0 and eth1 show that
these devices are two LOM NIC ports on the server. Fields PCI Slot filed for
eth2 and eth3 shows that these devices are two ports on a dual port network
adapter present in PCI slot number 4.
The BIOS device name field should match the Kernel name field. In rare
cases, after the XenServer boots for the first time, the BIOS device name may
not match the kernel device name. To resolve this issue, log in to the
XenServer local console shell and restart the xapi service using the following
command:
# service xapi restart

Appendix 85
86 Appendix
Appendix
Supported Configurations
Supported Hardware

Systems
The following Dell™ PowerEdge™ systems are supported:
• PowerEdge 1950 III, 2900 III, and 2950 III
• PowerEdge R805
• PowerEdge R900 and R905
• PowerEdge M805 and M905
• PowerEdge R710, R610, T610, M610 and M710

Table C-1. Storage Arrays–Host HBA Failover

Storage Type/Model Host HBA Array Controller Shared Storage for

Failover Failover XenServer Hosts
Direct Attached:
Dell PowerVault™ No Not applicable No
MD1000 storage array
PowerVault MD1120 No Not applicable No
storage array
PowerVault MD3000 Yes Yes Yes
storage array

Appendix 87
 Table C-2. Storage Arrays–NIC Bonding for Storage Traffic

Storage Type/Model NIC Bonding for Array Controller Shared Storage for
Storage Traffic Failover XenServer Hosts
iSCSI:
PowerVault MD3000i Yes No Yes
storage array
EqualLogic® PS 5000E Yes Yes Yes
storage array
EqualLogic PS 5000X Yes Yes Yes
storage array
EqualLogic PS 5000XV Yes Yes Yes
storage array
EqualLogic PS 5500 Yes Yes Yes
storage array

NOTE: For more details on reference configurations, see "Configuring Storage" on

page 29.

Supported Peripherals and Device Drivers in Citrix XenServer Dell

Edition 5.0
Table C-3. Network Interface Cards

Vendor Product Citrix XenServer Citrix XenServer 5.0

5.0 Driver Name Driver Version

Broadcom Broadcom® NetXtreme 5722 tg3 3.86

Single Port Gb Ethernet NIC
Broadcom Embedded Broadcom NetXtreme bnx2 1.7.1c
II 5708 Gb Ethernet NIC
Broadcom Broadcom NetXtreme II bnx2 1.7.1c
5708 1-Port Gb Ethernet NIC
Broadcom Broadcom NetXtreme 5709 Gb bnx2 1.7.1c
Ethernet NIC
Broadcom Broadcom NetXtreme 5709S Gb bnx2 1.7.1c
Ethernet NIC

88 Appendix
Table C-3. Network Interface Cards (continued)

Vendor Product Citrix XenServer Citrix XenServer 5.0

5.0 Driver Name Driver Version

Intel Intel® PRO 1000PT e1000 8.0.1-NAPI

Single Port Server Adapter
Intel Intel PRO 1000PT e1000 8.0.1-NAPI
Dual Port Server Adapter
Intel Intel PRO 1000PF e1000 8.0.1-NAPI
Single Port Server Adapter
Intel Intel PRO 1000VT igb 1.2.24
Quad Port Gigabit NIC
Intel Intel 10GBase-SR XF ixgbe 1.3.20.3
Single Port 10GbE NIC

Table C-4. Storage Controllers

Vendor Product Citrix XenServer Citrix XenServer

5.0 Driver Name 5.0 Driver Version

Dell SAS 5/E Controller mptsas 4.00.36.00

Dell SAS 6/iR Integrated mptsas 4.00.36.00
Controller
Dell CERC 6/i Integrated mptsas 4.00.36.00
Controller
Dell PERC 6/E SAS RAID megaraid_sas 00.00.03.20
Controller
Dell PERC 6/i Integrated megaraid_sas 00.00.03.20
SAS RAID Controller

Appendix 89
90 Appendix
Appendix
Troubleshooting
This section provides troubleshooting steps for typical issues.

The Server Does Not Boot Into Citrix XenServer Dell Edition
Symptoms:
• The Citrix XenServer Dell Edition software does not boot.
• You receive a "No OS found" message at start up.
Resolution:
Check the boot order—The internal flash storage device may no longer be
selected at the first boot device. This can happen if the device has recently
been removed due to failure. To correct this:
1 Turn on the system. Press <F2> when prompted in the upper right corner
of the screen.
2 In the Setup menu, scroll down to Boot Sequence and press <Enter>.
3 Make sure Hard drive c: is selected, and then press <Enter>.
4 Scroll down to Hard-Disk Drive Sequence, and then press <Enter>.
5 Select Internal USB or SD Card, and then use the left- and right-arrow
keys to select the first device in the list.
6 Press <Esc> twice, save your settings, and then reboot the system.

Appendix 91
 Unable to Power on Windows Virtual Machines
Symptom:
On powering on a Windows VM, the error HVM is required for this
operation displays.
Resolution:
1 Enable CPU Virtualization Technology in BIOS. Log in the XenServer
local console shell and issue the following command:
# omconfig chassis biossetup attribute=cpuvt
setting=enabled
2 Reboot the system.

Unable to Boot to Dell Utility Partition (UP)

Symptom:
Upon pressing the <F10> key during POST or selecting Boot to Utility
Partition in the boot menu, the system does not boot to the UP and the
following message displays:
Missing Operating System
Resolution:
1 Enter System Setup.
2 Use the up- and down-arrow keys to highlight Hard-Disk Drive Sequence,
and then press <Enter>.
3 Use the up- and down-arrow keys to highlight the appropriate internal
storage controller device.
4 Use the left- and right-arrow keys to make the selected device the first
device in the list (before Internal USB).
5 Press <Esc> twice, save your changes, and then reboot the system.
6 Press <F10> during POST to boot to the UP.
NOTE: To boot to the internal USB device, you must make Internal USB the first
device in the Hard Disk Drive Sequence.

92 Appendix
References
• Dell|Citrix XenServer solutions home page located at dell.com/xenserver
• Citrix XenServer Dell Edition product documentation and downloads
located at citrix.com/xenserver/dell
• Dell PowerVault MD1000 documentation located at
support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/md1000
• Dell PowerVault MD3000 documentation located at
support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/md3000
• Dell PowerVault MD3000i documentation located at
support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/md3000i
• Dell EqualLogic documentation located at equallogic.com/support
• Dell Enterprise Technology Center Wiki located at delltechcenter.com

Appendix 93
94 Appendix
Index

A SR on MD3000i, 50
storage repository, 30
adjusting SCSI timeouts
storage repository on Dell PS
PowerVault MD3000, 73
series arrays, 58
PowerVault MD3000i, 74
tolerate storage controller
failures, 73
D
Dell IT Assistant, 22
C Dell OpenManage
Citrix XenServer server administrator, 21
about, 9 systems management using, 21
features, 9 using in Citrix XenServer
licensing options, 11 environment, 23

configuration Dell Remote Access

high availablity, 67 Controller, 22
local storage repository, 29 Dell Storage Arrays
remote service, 80 deploying XenServer, 32
supported, 87 Dell Systems
configuring build and update utility, 22
storage, 29 deploying
XenServer, 16 XenServer with Dell Storage
XenServer management Arrays, 32
network, 74
disk and storage repositories, 77
creating
LVM over iSCSI SR, 58
new storage volume, 29
H
SR on MD1000/MD1120, 35
SR on MD3000, 43 Hardware and BIOS
information, 79

Index 95
 I resource pool configuration, 78
installing restoring
XenCenter, 18 XenServer database, 65
XenServer, 15

S
M Server
moving update utility, 22
SR between hosts, 60 storage
configuring, 29

N
NIC Enumeration, 83 U
update utility
Dell Systems, 22
P server, 22
PowerVault updating
MD3000, 35 XenServer image, 66
MD3000i, 44 using
Dell IT Assistant in Citrix
XenServer environment, 25
R Dell OpenManage in Citrix
XenServer environment, 23
recovering
recovery CD, 64
XenServer after board
Storage Array snapshots, 69
replacement, 65
removing
XenCenter, 19
V
resetting
Virtual Machine
root password, 66
operating system support, 12
resizing
vitrual machines, 77
SR, 60

96 Index
X
XenCenter
about, 17
installing, 18
removing, 19
XenMotion
support requirements, 14
XenServer
change management, 26
details and licensing, 79
high availability, 10
host database backup, 68
improved reliability, 10
installing and configuring, 15
installing the license, 79
integrated systems
management, 9
local console, 9
local console menus, 75
optimized footprint, 10
recovering, 63
restoring the database, 65

Index 97
98 Index