Recent customer problem, sharing with anyone that might have a similar issue...   Client added an HBA to a TSM server, but this causes problems that needed to be anticipated with Windows servers.  TSM Device names for tapes and the library itself will change as Windows does not keep names consistent as hardware changes.   The TSM server thus lost communication with the tape library and tape drives, as the device names changed to the Operating System.   This was diagnosed by remote tech support as a faulty Library controller board, and IBM was dispatched to change it.   In all the up/down with the situation somehow now TSM and DB2 is not coming up correctly.   So your plan of attack should be: 1) Get TSM and DB2 resolved.  This does NOT inc...

IBM recently encountered a few clients experiencing loss of access to DS8000 data when attached to servers running VMWare 4.1 or higher with vStorage API for Array Integration (VAAI) enabled.  If you use VMWare 4.1 or higher, you may want to review your environment to avoid this situation. Title Potential DS8100/DS8300/DS8700/DS8800 loss of access issue when running VMWare 4.1 or higher with vStorage API for Array Integration ( VAAI ) enabled Abstract The extended features of VAAI are not yet supported by DS8000, but are enabled by default on ESX 4.1 or higher.   Mitigation To avoid any issues, use the following to disable them.  All OTHER non VAAI features of VMWare ESX 4.1 or higher are certified with DS8000 (all models) and function normally. Here's a KB for disablin...

  Due to a known Linux kernel issue, Storwize V7000, Storwize V7000 Unified block node canisters and SAN Volume Controller nodes will reboot after running for 208 continuous days since their last power on or software upgrade.   A widely documented Linux kernel issue will result in a kernel panic occurring after 208 days of continuous uptime, due to an internal counter overflow. For Storwize V7000, Storwize V7000 Unified block or SAN Volume Controller nodes or node canisters running V6.2.0.x, V6.3.0.x or V1.3.0.x, this will trigger a self-recovering reboot event once this amount of time has elapsed.   Although each reboot event is only expected to last between five to ten minutes, for clusters in which both nodes in an I/O group were last booted in close proxim...

IBM posts best 2-processor performance ever published on TPC-E benchmark   IBM System x3650 M4 sets new record for 2-processor server performance on TPC-E   March 6, 2012 ... IBM has published a benchmark result that sets a new record for 2-processor performance on the TPC-E benchmark, which is designed to enable clients to more objectively measure and compare the performance and price of OLTP systems.   The IBM System x3650 M4 server achieved 1,863.23 tpsE (transactions per second E) at $207.85 USD / tpsE. (1) This result is faster than all the other currently published TPC-E results for 2- processor servers, and represents a significant performance benefit compared to systems using previous-generation processors. For example, the x3650 M4â€...

The latest firmware levels at each platform are:   Level Release Date   740_077 03/08/2012 730_066 12/08/2011 720_108 01/23/2012 710_119 12/07/2011   Regarding the newest firmware level, which was released for Power7 systems at 740_xxx, it is known as 740_077. It is a minor tweak to the prior-released 740_075, which was released two weeks ago.   Some important fixes are included for those coming from 740_045 or earlier.   These include:   A problem was fixed that caused multiple service processor dumps to be unnecessarily taken during a concurrent firmware update. SRC B181EF9A, which indicates that the dump space on the service processor is full, was logged as a result. A problem was fixed that caused SRCs B18184...

SSD Limits in DCS3700   I understand (please correct me if I'm wrong) that the DCS3700 has a max cap of 20 SSD drives per storage subsystem. Is this same limitation true for the DS3524 as they both use the same controllers?   If you can verify that the 192 drive value in the charts are also applicable to the SSD performance #'s that would be great. Again, I'm not sure if Snowmass supports 192 SSDs at once?   Answer to our customer   There is a limit of 20 SSDs in the storage subsystem (this limit is the same for DS5000, DS3500, and DCS3700). I just called a colleague in engineering to verify if the limit was lifted yet or not. The answer was "not".   I believe the thought is that 20 SSDs is more than enough to max out the controller, s...

 VMware Path Selection Policy   In setting up a new VMware installation with our DS3524 with 10Gbps iSCSI HICs, we configured MRU and so no real issues when connected to 1Gb ports. When we moved to 10GbE ports we started to see SCSI disconnects whenever we placed a high IO load such as a storage VMotion or VM clone. We changed the path policy to round robin (RR) and all the errors and disconnects stopped. We have only done 4 isolated servers so far but the results have been good. My problem is the VMware HCL lists MRU as the path policy for the DS3500, and our customer may validate that we're configuring his systems "correctly".   There is a note on the HCL that talks about RR as the path selection policy, but it's more of a generic note that says "contact the storag...

During the last few open house events there has been quite an interest in external SAS. For companies that never took the leap to a fiber SAN or is ready for upgrading this is a perfect option.   The LSI SAS switches are very economical and may be daisy chained to connect up to 1,000 end devices with up to 25 meters between SAS switches. Coupled with the IBM DS3500 line of disk storage which all have (2) SAS connectors for each controller in the base product and can be double with a daughter card. We see this as a perfect solution for small to large ESX clusters for either departmental needs or development.   A small ESX server cluster with (2) IBM 3650 M3s with memory up to 288GB and a DS3512 with up to 24TB of shared storage allows for this configuration to be a rob...

On February 7, 2012, IBM announced the withdrawal of service for the IBM i V5R4 operating system, effective September 30, 2013. It's important all End Users running older model iSeries, System i or Power technology to begin planning a migration to POWER7 and IBM i V6R1 or V7 prior to the withdrawal deadline.  IBM is offering incentives to enable End Users to take advantage of the benefits of POWER7.   Contact thinkASG to learn about your options.

When performing your scheduled Maintenance of Server hardware, be sure to include a physical inspection of your ServeRAID battery. We have seen a number of installations where the ServeRAID adapter has failed due to either a depleted or defective battery. This has resulted in unscheduled outages and extreme high levels of stress.     IBM Retain Tip H001648 states: “ Users should install and monitor battery conditions using the IBM ServeRAID Manager application for the following IBM ServeRAID controller models: 4M, 4H, 4Mx, 5i, 6i, 6i+, 6M, 7k, 8i, 8k, and 8s. All have cache backup batteries of which the battery status can be checked on the controller properties Status tab.     Users should install and monitor battery conditions usin...