Posted on No Comments on Updating SCOS on Dell CT-SCV2080

Updating SCOS on Dell CT-SCV2080

I am in the process of decommissioning an older Dell SCV2080 and I thought it might be a good opportunity to try to update the Storage Center Operating System (SCOS) as the unit is being decommissioned.

When I had this unit in production, its function was mainly to retain backups. As it has aged, support expired and getting replacement drives started to become a challenge. The drives are firmware locked by Dell and purchasing drives online was always a gamble for compatibility reasons. In 2023, I replaced this unit with a new Dell PowerVault ME5084 so I figured that now is a good opportunity to play around with this SCV2080.

When it was used in production and without any support, I couldn’t risk doing these software updates as I had no guidance from Dell or access to the files. The SCOS software used in this article was from the SCV2020 unit that I was able to obtain when troubleshooting with Dell on a previous active ticket. As both storage arrays are part of the SCV2000 series, I wanted to try to update the SCOS on this unit and see if it would take.

Files:

https://mega.nz/file/4NBhFSRD#ACr-GiZkPxfAmGNurTVDNrW3NpFuiNWl33BfI19Smh8

The SCV2080 in question has 171TB of raw space across 47 4TB disk (3.64TB recognized). The operating system is an older SCOS version of 7.1.12.2. To manage this storage center, I have had to use an older version of Dell Storage Manager (DSM) (2018 R1.10, build 18.1.10.171).

Since I’ve replaced this unit with a much newer and larger SAN and this one is being decommissioned, I wanted to try to update the SCV2080 using my guide found below:

https://tweakmyskills.com/dell-compellent-storage-center-scos-upgrade-guide

Before we begin, I’m far from a Dell Storage engineer and if something goes haywire, it is no loss to me as this unit will no longer be used for any of our workloads. Use this guide with caution as I take no responsibility for any problems or challenges that you make encounter along the way.

With that out of the way, I started off by unzipping the SCOS R07.03.20.019.10, which is closest to my current version, to a folder on my desktop that will be running the update from.

I launched DSM, I went into Settings –> SupportAssit option. I disabled SupportAssist and enabled the Configure Update Utility and pointed the IP to that of my desktop that will be running the Dell Storage Center Update Utility. This is where the SCOS updates will be pulled from.

Afterwards, I launched the Dell Storage Center Update Utility from my desktop, pointed the Distro Directory to the location of the unzipped SCOS files. I then pressed the START button to begin validation of the files.

Now going back into DSM, I will manually check for updates and this is what I see:

DSM detects the available SCOS update from my transmit client. I will select the Apply all updates option since I don’t have any services that would be impacted. I will begin the upgrade and see how it works out. I’ll be sure to update my post as I work through the following SCOS:

  • R07.03.20.019.10
  • R07.04.21.004.02
  • R07.05.10.012.01

Edit 1:

I couldn’t perform the update because the Dell Storage Manager client (2018 R1.10, build 18.1.10.171) was too old for the new SCSO version. I upgraded the DSM client from 2018 R1.10 to 2018 R1.20 and restarted the update.

That had worked as it is asking me for the Admin password now.

After about 10-15 minutes, the update completed successfully.

Logging back into DSM, I see this message.

Its possible this is a new feature that we didn’t know of due to the outdated SCOS, or it was disabled and this version informs us of this.

Next, I will try to update to SCOS: R07.04.21.004.02

Back on my desktop, I changed the Distro Directory in the Storage Center Update Utility to point to the SCOS version that I will work on deploying next (R07.04.21.004.02). Make sure to unzip all of the files.

I see the following message in the info log stating the version was validated.

Starting the update the same way as before, it looks like it will run. If it does error out, it may be due to the DSM software version.

Lets see how it goes…

Edit 2:

Just as I thought, I will need to update DSM.

I have version 20.1.2.14 so I will try that.

With DSM 2020 R1.2, the update is now starting to run.

While this upgrade is running, it did provide an error but the process was still running. This update took the longest because I mistakenly left the Selected Installation Type set as Non-Service Affecting.

After a bit of time, the update completed.

The last and final upgrade will be to version R07.05.10.012.01.

I unzipped the folder contents and mounted the files with the Storage Center Update Utility.

I went back into DSM and checked for updates. Below is the final update available and pending. This time I made sure to select Apply all updates – service affecting.

I let DSM do its thing and after a bit of time, the completed message was showing and the final SCOS update was installed.

That is pretty much it for the updates. I am not sure if the SCV2000 series has newer updates than 7.5.10.12.

This is a bit of an involved process if you don’t have an active support contract so I hope this can help somebody out there. It was a fun exercise and something I’ve wanted to do for a while.

Thank you reading this.

Posted on 6 Comments on Dell Compellent Storage Center SCOS Upgrade Guide

Dell Compellent Storage Center SCOS Upgrade Guide

The purpose of this guide is to provide clarity on the process of updating the Storage Center Operating System (SCOS) on Dell Compellent Storage Center SANs.

This guide focuses on updating the Dell SCOS by using the Dell Storage Center Update Utility (SCUU). None of the work should be performed without an active Dell service contract. Performing this work without Dell support/contract may put your SAN at risk if you are unable to recover or restore functionality.

If this is a production device, make sure to schedule a 2-8 hour maintenance window. Allocate more time than needed incase you require troubleshooting and support from Dell.

My instructions have been based on my experience of performing three large updates to bring an outdated SAN up to the most recent SCOS version. I am not responsible/liable for any work that viewers of this article perform or follow. Everything is done at your own risk. If you choose to follow this guide, you are taking your own risk and I do not provide any support on this matter.

Files:

https://mega.nz/file/4NBhFSRD#ACr-GiZkPxfAmGNurTVDNrW3NpFuiNWl33BfI19Smh8

With that out of the way, today we will be working with a Dell Compellent Storage Center SCV2020 which contains two controllers and 24 disks.  My unit has an active support contract with Dell and I’ve performed a few of these upgrades in the past with the guidance of a Dell Storage Engineer.

Usually performing updates on Dell Compellent SANs can be done via the Actions Menu within the Dell Storage Manager (DSM) client and the Check for Updates option. Seen Below.

From my experience, a Dell SAN that is far out of date will not offer you these updates. Usually Dell Support needs to ‘allow’ them to be pushed out to your SAN via SupportAssist but I believe that really outdated units need to be manually updated with the Dell SCUU tool in order to bring them up to a specific version. This may be due to the size of updates or the risk of going from unsupported and outdated version to the latest. I’m not sure and I don’t have an answer so take this with a grain of salt.

SANs like many other infrastructure devices do require system updates for device compatibility, bug fixes and security patches. Often these updates will include potential firmware updates for the SAN controllers and drives and are critical for smooth functionality and computability within a SAN.

With the Dell Storage Centers, if they haven’t been updated for a while, they cannot be managed by more recent versions of Dell Storage Managers (DSM). You will receive a message indicating that the OS of the SAN is outdated. As of this writing (April 2023), the latest DSM is at 2020 R1.10 Release, dated Aug 19, 2022.

Here is an example of that. I have Dell Storage Manager (DSM) 2018 R1.20 installed but the SCOS version is 6.6.11.9. The application is newer than the SCOS version and it does not allow me to manage the SAN. This is due to the DSM application being far too new and not compatible with the 6.6.11.9 SCOS version.

The solution? Try to find a 2016 version of DSM, such this 2016 R3.20 Release.

Within my environment, I use DSM to manage the a few Compellent SANs within one DSM interface. Having all of the SANs on the same SCOS compatibility version as the DSM allows for this to happen.

The SCV2020 that I’m working on initially was at SCOS version 6.6.11.9.6. The most current SCOS version is 7.5.10.12.1. To upgrade the SAN, I’ve had to fumble my way through different Dell DSM versions and SCOS updates.

For example, while going through a few updates, I ran into this message.

Basically I was trying to apply SCOS update 7.4.21.4.2 by using DSM 2018 R1.20. DSM allows upgrades to certain levels of SCOS. Newer versions of SCOS that supersede the DSM version is not allowed. You need to always be ahead with DSM but not too far ahead. This is the problem with not being on top of updates with Dell Compellent SANs.

Now you may ask, If I have a Dell Support Contract, why won’t I just reach out to them? Great question! This unit is overseas and requires me to contact Dell International Support. The international support line has had me redirected to Desktop support a few times despite me selecting enterprise storage, so I decided to tackle this unit on my own.
If something would have come up that requires immediate support, I would have gone through the phone channels and escalation to get support.

With all of that out of the way, lets perform the final update for my Dell SCV2020 from SCOS version 7.3.20.19 to 7.5.10.12.1 by using DSM 2018 R1.20.

Although I’ve mentioned it earlier about the incorrect DSM version, I will try to update to the latest Dell SCOS version with the DSM 2018 R1.20. This will not work but I wanted to show you everything I’ve encountered with these manual updates.

First, you need to obtain the following files:

  • Dell Storage Center Operating System (SCOS) version you want to upgrade to
    • Usually you need to get this from Dells FTP, which is provided with a username and password from Dell support
  • Dell Storage Center Update Utility (SCUU), found here.
    • SCUU guide if you need it, here.
  • Dell Storage Manager (DSM) client
    • 2018 R1.20 – Here
    • 2020 R1.10 – Here

In my case after installing DSM (2018), SCUU and I have my SCOS images, we are going to launch the SCUU tool.

A few things to keep in mind. The workstation that you are working on will be the endpoint IP. This is the IP and the port (9005) that the Compellent will use to connect to your device to perform updates. This is required as we will be turning off SupportAssist to allow the updates to be handled locally and not from Dell.

Click on the Distro Directory button and select the extracted Dell SCOS update you are running. In my case, I’ve extracted the R07.05.10.012.01 zip and pointed the directory to the folder. You can review other options in the Tools menu but the defaults have worked fine for me.

Click on the green Start button. This will begin to validate and prepare the SCOS update to be provided to the SAN. We have yet to configure the Compellent to search for the available update.

At this time, nothing should update at all from my experience. We are only preparing the update on a plate for the SAN to eat it once we bring it out to its table.

Now, launch your DSM version. For me, I am launching the DSM 2018 R1.20 version.

With DSM logged into the SAN, click on the Edit Settings menu and select SupportAssist on the bottom left side.

Click on the Turn off Support Assist option. This will enable the DSM application to point to a different Update Utility Host.

Put a checkmark into the Enabled box for the Configure Update Utility option.
The Update Utility Host or IP address should be the IP that the Dell SCUU tool with the SCOS is waiting on. Make sure the port is 9005 (default).

Once done, click Apply and OK.

Now we will have the DSM application search for the available update. Click on the Actions option then select System and then Check for Update.

Once DSM detects the available update presented by SCUU, you will see something along these lines.

Confirm that the current and new Storage Center versions are what you expect.

You can select the option to download now and install or download now and install later. I will use the first option.

For installation type, as my SAN is not technically in production, I will apply all updates which is service affecting. Yours may differ and you may only need non-service impacting updates. Review the columns of the Update Package Components section. You can see which updates are required and which ones are service affecting. Make your decision based on your business requirements.

As I have redundant controllers in my SAN, this allows me to reboot when necessary without impacting the SAN connectivity, if required.

To recap. I’m installing updates right away and applying all updates.

I pressed OK to initiate the update and voila, this message comes up.

I need to update my DSM from 2018 R1.20 to 2020 R1.10 to be able to install this latest SCOS update.

BRB…

Latest DSM is installed

Now onto the final update. The process is the same. The settings should already be prefilled but its best to validate by going back into SupportAssist and making sure SupportAssist = off and Configure Update Utility = Enabled with the SCUU host IP and port entered.

I’m going back in to check for the available update. Everything remains the same as before.

I am going to OK and the update will start. You may be prompted to enter in your Compellent user credentials.

The Update Available screen seen above will change to Update in Progress and DSM will refresh the window every 30 seconds with the status.

Although the update said it would take 1+ hour to complete, for me it was done in about 30 minutes.

We can confirm that the DSM client sees the latest version installed.

We need to go back in and enable SupportAssist, which is recommended if you have an active Support Contract.

Take a look at the Alerts and Logs tabs and make sure you don’t see anything looks to be critical or service impacting. The Summary tab will also have a brief overview of the SAN health status.

Usually I will reach out to the Dell Support Team and have them review the latest SupportAssist logs and SAN status to make sure everything is functional and there are no alerts or errors that stand out to them.

Go back to the SCUU tool and stop it from sharing the SCOS image. You can now close the application completely. The process isn’t fairly complicated but the challenge is getting the Dell SCOS versions from the Dell FTP. Once you have those, you should be able to make your way through updating the SAN.

Now, all of this has been performed on the Dell Compellent Storage Center units. I am not sure if the PowerVault line will use the same SCOS software. I’d imagine so but that is not a definte answer.

I should have a Dell MD3200 in a few months to play around with that is outdated so I will perform a few tests and create a new post.

That pretty much concludes the process of updating the Dell Compellent SCOS by using the SCUU tool.

Thanks for reading.

Posted on 6 Comments on Upgrading memory on the QNAP TS-873

Upgrading memory on the QNAP TS-873

Since May of 2019, I’ve been toying and using the QNAP TS-873 at home. I haven’t pushed its limits due to my heavy work schedule and after work projects but I’m starting to play with it more and more as of recent.

When I purchased the TS-873, I opted to go with the lower spec memory configuration of 4GB DDR4, knowing that I would eventually get the upgrade bug.

I looked at the utilization of the CPU and memory in default configurations and although it was not terrible, the memory utilization could sit at medium-high depending on what was being performed on the NAS.

At first I wanted to eventually max out the 64GB memory configuration on this QNAP. I wanted to buy 2x16gb sticks first and then buy another pair down the road. But I stopped myself. I spent some time reading the QNAP forums and reflecting on my plan and decided that for my use case, it was overkill. Severely overkill. At t his time, I don’t have any intentions of running VMs off the QNAP and I don’t see any plans for that in the future. That is not what I purchase it for. If you recall my previous post back in May, I never intended to run VMs on this. I want the QNAP for it’s NAS duties, data storage and VM storage with iSCSI and NFS.

Reviewing my decision, I opted to purchase 2x8GB sticks from Amazon.ca. The memory is: HyperX HX424S14IB2K2/16 Impact Black 16GB Kit of 2 (2x8GB) 2400MHz DDR4 Non-ECC CL14 260-pin Unbuffered SODIMM Internal Memory Black.

The reviews overall are very strong and positive and the pricing is reasonable. This prepares me to eventually move towards a max capacity of 32GB and that is fine with me. At most, I may dabble with Docker and containers but that won’t be much of a memory hog. I have my HP ML150 G6 Server to do any server related/virtualization duties.

Anyways, the memory was purchased and delivered. Here are a few pictures of said hardware.

Unfortunately I didn’t take any screenshots of the QTS operating system showing the previous memory utilization.

Here are a few photos of the unit and the insides.

If you have a keen eye, you will spot the official QNAP 10GBe card installed 😉

When I purchase the unit, I also found a fantastic deal on eBay for the official/original QNAP 10GBe card so I scooped it up. I’ll discuss 10GBe in the future. I’m not there yet nor testing it.

Anyways, those few photos give you an idea of how the unit looks like inside. Nothing overly complex.
When I went to install the 16GB of memory, I choose to retain my 4GB (2x2gb) so that I would have 20GB of memory recognized.

Before installing the memory, I wanted to confirm with QNAP about memory placement. I followed QNAPs official user guide located here.

QNAP States the following:

• A module is installed in slot 1.

• Modules are installed in pairs. When installing two modules, use slots 1 and 3

Being careful and identifying the slots properly, I installed my memory as shown below.

After powering up the QNAP, the memory was as expected, working and recognized.

Here is what I currently see for the hardware and resource monitor. My memory currently is sitting at 12% as I write this.

That really covers the extent of my memory upgrade. I have yet to run memtest or some kind of memory test application to make sure everything is fine but the NAS has been operating without any issues.

Last thing I want to briefly mention and this is regarding the installed AMD processor and ECC memory.

Referencing this website and it’s information on the AMD R-Series RX-421ND specs, it shows under Integrated Peripherals / Components:

Memory Controller

Memory controllerThe number of controllers: 1
Memory channels: 2
Supported memory: DDR3-2133, DDR4-2400
Maximum memory bandwidth (GB/s): 38.4
ECC supported: Yes

Interesting, ECC supported!?!??!!?!??!?!

Looking at AMD’s’ website regarding the AMD Embedded R-Series SoC, I see a similar mention of ECC memory under their Overview heading:

  • DDR4 / DDR3 up to 2400 MT/s with ECC

Under Additional Key Benefits:

  • AMD’s first embedded processor with dual-channel 64-bit DDR4 or DDR3 with Error-Correction Code (ECC), with speeds up to DDR4-2400 and DDR3-2133, and support for 1.2V DDR4 and 1.5V/1.35V DDR3 

See for yourself here.

I’d love to test this out but I can’t justify the cost of DDR4 ECC memory right now, especially for a test. If this finding would be actual, this would really win many user’s towards this QNAP/AMD box. From what I’ve read online, the TS-x73 series is great but some users want their NAS to accept ECC memory. I’m not going to debate if it’s needed or not for a NAS but I’ve seen user’s online mention that due to the lack of ECC memory in the QNAP line, they will pursue other options. *Cough* Synology DS1618+ *Cough*

If this TS-x73 line is ECC capable, I think that’s a fantastic find and something that will make this even more appealing to other users.

Thanks for reading 🙂

Posted on No Comments on Farewell HP, Hello QNAP

Farewell HP, Hello QNAP

Well I am back. Not that I went anywhere but life is busy and I’m trying to dedicate more time to document what I’m currently tinkering with.

Back in May 2019, I wrote a post about me looking to replace my old HP EX490 Media server. I’ve had this server since new and for many years and it was time to move on. The HP EX490 performed great over the years but it was time to shift focus onto a newer platform. I advertised the EX490 for sale locally and after the typical lowballers and ill advised parents, it sold to somebody who knew what the server was and how to use it. It went to a good home 🙂

Mid May 2019, I received a delivery.

I was ecstatic! I received my new QNAP TS-873. I don’t often buy new items as I’m always on a hunt for a deal but this was the rare occasion that I wanted to buy something new and quality.

Inside the box, this is what I found.

I was and am pleasantly surprised at the nice fit and finish of the QNAP unit. Although my opinion of QNAP is 50/50 since experiencing a motherboard failure with an enterprise level unit in my datacenter, I was going to give QNAP at home a try.

One thing I really don’t like about QNAP is that the extended warranty has to be purchased within the first 90 days of ownership I believe. I do see this kind of policy in the enterprise but for QNAP, I would have hoped that the extended warranties could be purchased within the 1st year of ownership.

It is hard to tell how the unit will perform. Will it be a dud? will it crash often or have hardware malfunctions in the first 6 months? If I had a semi-problematic unit, I would be obliged to purchase the warranty at month 9-12. Anyways, fingers crossed that everything works out fine.

Since receiving the QNAP, I installed 2TB x 4 into the unit and created one volume. I installed a 5th drive to be a hot spare. I have in bays 6 and 7, Samsung 960GB SSD Enterprise drives that I will play around with.

Overall, this is a solid upgrade over my old media server and it’s grown on me since receiving it.

What’s planned for it? Once I can afford new drives, I’ll be moving towards Toshiba N300 4TB. I plan to purchase 4 of them to replace my aging WD Green 2TB drives.

Also a memory upgrade. Stay tuned!