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V1.4 Configuration Limits and Restrictions for IBM Storwize V7000 Unified

Preventive Service Planning


Abstract

This document lists the configuration limits and restrictions specific to IBM Storwize V7000 Unified software version 1.4

Content




Maximum Configurations

Configuration limits for Storwize V7000 Unified software version 1.4:

Property
Limit
Comments
File Module Properties
Maximum number of file modules
2
Must be attached to V7000 I/O group 0
Maximum size of a single shared file system
8 PB

Maximum number of file systems within one system
64
Maximum size of a single file
8 PB

Maximum number of files per file system
4 x 109
Maximum number of volumes per file system
511

Maximum file system volumes per system
511

Maximum number of snapshots per file system
256

Maximum number of snapshots per file set
256

Maximum number of exports that can be created for CIFS service
10000
Supported with Storwize V7000 Unified version 1.4.2.0 and later.
For earlier versions, the limit is 1000.
Maximum number of exports that can be created per service (NFS, FTP, SCP, and HTTPS)
1000

Maximum number of administrative user groups
128

Maximum number of administrative users per administrative user group
30

Maximum number of administrative user groups per administrative user
30

Maximum number of different authentication server integrations
1
Supported authentication services are AD, LDAP, Samba PDC and Local Authentication
Maximum number of Local Authentication data access users
1000

Maximum number of Local Authentication data access user groups
100

Maximum number of Local Authentication data access group memberships per data access user
16

Maximum number of CIFS connections supporting Microsoft FSCT workloads
2000
Supported with Storwize V7000 Unified version 1.4.2.0 and later
Maximum number of active but idle CIFS connections
10000
Supported with Storwize V7000 Unified version 1.4.2.0 and later


Configuration limits for Storwize V7000 software version 7.2.0:

Property
Maximum Number
Comments
System (Cluster) Properties
Control enclosures per system (cluster)
4
Each control enclosure contains two node canisters
Nodes per system
8
Arranged as four I/O groups
Nodes per fabric
64
Maximum number of SVC and V7000 nodes that can be present on the same Fibre Channel fabric, with visibility of each other
Fabrics per system
6
The number of counterpart Fibre Channel SANs which are supported
- Up to 4 fabrics using native Fibre Channel ports
- Up to 2 fabrics using FCoE ports
Inter-cluster partnerships per system
3
A system may partnered with up to three remote systems. No more than four systems may be in the same connected set
Node Properties
Logins per node Fibre Channel port
512
Includes logins from server HBAs, disk controller ports, node ports within the same system and node ports from remote systems
iSCSI sessions per node
256
512 in IP failover mode (when partner node is unavailable)
Managed Disk Properties
Managed disks (MDisks) per system
4096
The maximum number of logical units which can be managed by a system, including internal arrays.

This number also includes external MDisks which have not been configured into storage pools (managed disk groups)
Managed disks per storage pool (managed disk group)
128
Storage pools per system
128
Managed disk extent size
8192 MB
Capacity for an individual internal managed disk (array)
1 PB
No limit is imposed beyond the maximum number of drives per array limits.
Maximum size is dependent on the extent size of the Storage Pool.
Comparison Table: Maximum Volume, MDisk and System capacity for each extent size.
Capacity for an individual external managed disk
1 PB
Note: External managed disks larger than 2 TB are only supported for certain types of storage systems. Refer to the supported hardware matrix for further details.
Maximum size is dependent on the extent size of the Storage Pool.
Comparison Table: Maximum Volume, MDisk and System capacity for each extent size.
Total storage capacity manageable per system
32 PB
Maximum requires an extent size of 8192 MB to be used

This limit represents the per system maximum of 2^22 extents.

Comparison Table: Maximum Volume, MDisk and System capacity for each extent size.
Volume (Virtual Disk) Properties
Volumes (VDisks) per system
8192
Maximum requires a system containing four control enclosures; refer to the volumes per I/O group limit below
Volumes per I/O group
(volumes per caching I/O group)
2048
Volumes accessible per I/O group
8192
Thin-provisioned (space-efficient) volume copies per system
8192
No limit is imposed here beyond the volume copies per system limit.
Compressed volume copies per system
800
Maximum requires a system containing four control enclosures; refer to the compressed volume copies per I/O group limit below
Compressed volume copies per I/O group
200
Volumes per storage pool
-
No limit is imposed beyond the volumes per system limit
Fully-allocated volume capacity
256 TB
Maximum size for an individual fully-allocated volume.

Maximum size is dependent on the extent size of the Storage Pool.
Comparison Table: Maximum Volume, MDisk and System capacity for each extent size.
Thin-provisioned (space-efficient) volume capacity
256 TB
Maximum size for an individual thin-provisioned volume.

Maximum size is dependent on the extent size of the Storage Pool.
Comparison Table: Maximum Volume, MDisk and System capacity for each extent size.
Host mappings per system
20,000
See also - volume mappings per host object below
Mirrored Volume (Virtual Disk) Properties
Copies per volume
2
Volume copies per system
8192
Total mirrored volume capacity per I/O group
1024 TB
Generic Host Properties
Host objects (IDs) per system
2048*
A host object may contain both Fibre Channel ports and iSCSI names
Host objects (IDs) per I/O group
512
Refer to the additional Fibre Channel and iSCSI host limits below
Volume mappings per host object
2048
Total Fibre Channel ports and iSCSI names per system
8192
Total Fibre Channel ports and iSCSI names per I/O group
2048
Total Fibre Channel ports and iSCSI names per host object
512
Fibre Channel Host Properties (including hosts attached using FCoE)
Fibre Channel hosts per system
2048
Fibre Channel host ports per system
4096
Fibre Channel hosts per I/O group
512
Fibre Channel host ports per I/O group
1024
Fibre Channel hosts ports per host object (ID)
512
iSCSI Host Properties
iSCSI hosts per system
1024
iSCSI hosts per I/O group
256
iSCSI names per host object (ID)
256
iSCSI names per I/O group
256
Copy Services Properties
Remote Copy (Metro Mirror and Global
Mirror) relationships per
system
4096
This can be any mix of Metro Mirror and Global Mirror relationships.
Remote Copy relationships per consistency group
-
No limit is imposed beyond the Remote Copy relationships per system limit
Remote Copy consistency
groups per system
256
Total Metro Mirror and Global Mirror volume capacity per I/O group
1024 TB
This limit is the total capacity for all master and auxiliary volumes in the I/O group.
Total number of Global Mirror with Change Volumes relationships per system
256
FlashCopy mappings per system
4096
FlashCopy targets
per source
256
FlashCopy mappings
per consistency group
512
FlashCopy consistency
groups per system
127
Total FlashCopy volume capacity per I/O group
1024 TB
IP Partnership Properties
Inter-cluster IP partnerships per system
1
A system may be partnered with up to three remote systems. A maximum of one of those can be IP and the other two FC.
I/O groups per system
2
The nodes from a maximum of two I/O groups per system can be used for IP partnership.
Inter site links per IP partnership
2
A maximum of two inter site links can be used between two IP partnership sites.
Ports per node
1
A maximum of one port per node can be used for IP partnership.
Internal Storage Properties
SAS chains per control enclosure
2
Enclosures per SAS chain
5
see notes
Up to 5 expansion enclosures on SAS port 1 and up to 4 expansion enclosures on SAS port 2
Expansion enclosures per control enclosure
9
Drives per I/O group
240
Drives per system
960
Maximum requires a system containing four control enclosures, each with the maximum number of expansion enclosures
Min-Max drives per enclosure
0-12
or
0-24
Limit depends on the enclosure model
RAID arrays per system
128
Min-Max member drives per RAID-0 array
1-8
Min-Max member drives per RAID-1 array
2-2
Min-Max member drives per RAID-5 array
3-16
Min-Max member drives per RAID-6 array
5-16
Min-Max member drives per RAID-10 array
2-16
Hot spare drives
-
No limit is imposed
External Storage System Properties
Storage system WWNNs per system (cluster)
1024
Storage system WWPNs per system (cluster)
1024
WWNNs per storage system
16
WWPNs per WWNN
16
LUNs (managed disks) per storage system
-
No limit is imposed beyond the managed disks per system limit
System and User Management Properties
User accounts per system
400
Includes the default user accounts
User groups per system
256
Includes the default user groups
Authentication servers per system
1
NTP servers per system
1
iSNS servers per system
1
Concurrent open SSH sessions per system
10
Event Notification Properties
SNMP servers per system
6
Syslog servers per system
6
Email (SMTP) servers per system
6
Email servers are used in turn until the email is successfully sent
Email users (recipients) per system
12
LDAP servers per system
6
* This limit is 512 for Solaris OS


Extents

The following table compares the maximum volume, mdisk and system capacity for each extent size.

Extent size (MB)
Maximum non thin-provisioned volume capacity in GB
Maximum thin-provisioned volume capacity in GB
Maximum MDisk capacity in GB
Total storage capacity manageable per system*
16
2048 (2 TB)
2000
2048 (2 TB)
64 TB
32
4096 (4 TB)
4000
4096 (4 TB)
128 TB
64
8192 (8 TB)
8000
8192 (8 TB)
256 TB
128
16,384 (16 TB)
16,000
16,384 (16 TB)
512 TB
256
32,768 (32 TB)
32,000
32,768 (32 TB)
1 PB
512
65,536 (64 TB)
65,000
65,536 (64 TB)
2 PB
1024
131,072 (128 TB)
130,000
131,072 (128 TB)
4 PB
2048
262,144 (256 TB)
260,000
262,144 (256 TB)
8 PB
4096
262,144 (256 TB)
262,144
524,288 (512 TB)
16 PB
8192
262,144 (256 TB)
262,144
1,048,576 (1024 TB)
32 PB
* The total capacity values assumes that all of the storage pools in the system use the same extent size.


Configuration limits for Storwize V7000 software version 7.1

Configuration limits for Storwize V7000 software version 6.4


Restrictions



Function Restrictions
    IBM Real-time Compression for file workloads

    IBM Real-time Compression is supported on Storwize V7000 Unified R1.4 systems for block workloads. If you are interested in Real-time Compression for file workloads please send an email to newdisk@us.ibm.com. An IBM representative will contact you.

    Storwize V7000 Unified systems running V1.4.0.X, and utilizing compressed volumes are not allowed to upgrade to Storwize V7000 Unified V1.4.1.X

    Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM)
    Once the file system in Storwize V7000 Unified system is HSM enabled, then replacing/exchanging TSM server should be done carefully to avoid any impact to the Storwize V7000 Unified filesystem(s). Additional information is available in the following technote: Guidance when Changing TSM Server for HSM Enabled File Systems

    Asynchronous Replication behaviour with filesets
    File set definitions and associated information such as quotas are not replicated to the target system. The directory structure of the source file set, all files and extended attribute information contained within are replicated to the target, though they will be handled as a normal directory on the target.

    When a file set within the source file system is unlinked, it is still held by the source file system but it disappears from the source directory tree. If a replication process is run during the time when a source file set is unlinked, the file tree will appear as if those files have been removed and they will therefore be removed from the target system, as to match the current state of the source. This may cause a significant amount of data to be removed from the target system and would result in this data being unavailable in the event of a disaster at the source location.

    Upon re-linking the file set on the source, the file tree will appear again and the next replication cycle will behave as though the entire file tree was just created, resulting in those files being replicated to the target. This may cause a significant amount of data to be resent to the target to bring it back into synchronization with the source system.

    Refer to the Storwize V7000 Unified Information Center for additional information on managing asynchronous replication, including authentication and networking requirements.

    Asynchronous Replication across Code Levels
    Asynchronous replication is not supported across different code levels. The source machine and the target machine should have the same code level.


    Home Cache Setup with HSM
    Due to the known issue of potential data read corruption observed at remote cache, it is recommended to not to configure Tivoli Hierarchical Storage Management for home cache files.


Storwize V7000 Unified Software Upgrade

Storwize V7000 Unified software upgrades can be performed concurrently with the following methods of host access:
  • Block I/O access:
  • Fibre Channel
  • iSCSI
  • File I/O access:
  • NFS (using hard mounts)

Host systems using CIFS, HTTPS, SCP or FTP for file I/O access may experience brief interruptions during the upgrade process and subsequently need to reconnect after the upgrade has completed. It is recommended that any applications accessing file shares using these protocols be quiesced before starting a software upgrade.


Storwize V7000 Block Function Restrictions for File System Volumes

The table below shows which V7000 block functions can be used for file system volumes:

V7000 block functionsSupported usage
Shared storage pools for block and file volumesYes
Easy Tier, when using solid-state drives (SSDs)Yes
External storage virtualizationYes. Refer to CIFS Planning Guidance for IBM Storwize V7000 Unified for additional restrictions.
Remote Copy (Metro Mirror, Global Mirror)No; use V7000 Unified asynchronous file replication for file workloads
FlashCopyNo; use GPFS snapshots for file workloads
Volume mirroringNo; use GPFS file system replication for file workloads
Thin provisioning (space-efficient volumes)No; use GPFS file placement and migration features for file workloads
Volume expand/shrinkNo; use GPFS to expand/shrink file system capacity
Volume migration between storage poolsNo; use GPFS functionality to manage data placement

Note: volume migration within a storage pool, e.g. as a result of removing an mdisk or array, is supported.
Image-mode volumesNo


DS4000 Maintenance

Storwize V7000 Unified supports concurrent ESM firmware upgrades for those DS4000 models listed as such on the Storwize V7000 Supported Hardware List when they are running either 06.23.05.00 or later controller firmware. However, controllers running firmware levels earlier than 06.23.05.00 will not be supported for concurrent ESM upgrades. Customers in this situation, who wish to gain support for concurrent ESM upgrades, will need to first upgrade the DS4000 controller firmware level to 06.23.05.00. This action is a controller firmware upgrade, not an ESM upgrade and concurrent controller firmware upgrades are already supported in conjunction with Storwize V7000. Once the controller firmware is at 06.23.05.00 or later the ESM firmware can be upgraded concurrently.

Note: The DS4000 ESM firmware upgrade must be done on one disk expansion enclosure at a time. A 10 minute delay from when one enclosure is upgraded to the start of the upgrade of another enclosure is required. Confirm via the Storage Manager applications "Recovery Guru" that the DS4000 status is in an optimal state before upgrading the next enclosure. If it is not, then do not continue ESM firmware upgrades until the problem is resolved.


Host Limitations for File I/O Access

CIFS access to file systems is supported only for volumes that are placed on Storwize V7000 internal storage.


Host Limitations for Block I/O Access

Windows NTP server

The Linux NTP client used by Storwize V7000 may not always function correctly with Windows W32Time NTP Server


Windows SAN Boot Clusters (MSCS):

It is possible to SAN Boot a Microsoft Cluster subject to the following restrictions imposed by Microsoft:
  • On Windows 2003, clustered disks and boot disks can be presented on the same storage bus, but ONLY if the Storport driver is being used.

These restrictions and more are described in the Microsoft White Paper: "Microsoft Windows Clustering: Storage Area Networks".

We have not tested, and therefore do not support, modifying the registry key as suggested on page 28 (which would allow boot disks and clustered disks on the same storage bus on Windows 2003 without the Storport driver).


Oracle

Oracle Version and OS
Restrictions that apply:
Oracle RAC 10g on Windows:
1
Oracle RAC 10g on AIX:
1, 2
Oracle RAC 11g on AIX:
2
Oracle RAC 10g on HP-UX11.31:
1, 2
Oracle RAC 11g on HP-UX11.31:
1, 2
Oracle RAC 10g on HP-UX11.23:
1, 2
Oracle RAC 11g on HP-UX11.23:
1, 2
Oracle RAC 10g on Linux Host:
1, 3

Restriction 1: ASM cannot recognize the size change of the disk when Storwize V7000 disk is resized unless the disk is removed from ASM and included again.

Restriction 2: After an ASM disk group has successfully dropped a disk, the disk cannot be deleted from the OS. The workaround to the OS restriction is to bring down the ASM instance, delete the disk from the OS, and bring up the ASM instance again.

Restriction 3: For RHEL4 set Oracle Clusterware 'misscount' parameter to a bigger one to allow SDD to do path failover first. The default miscount setting 60s is too short for SDD. We recommend to set it 90s or 120s. Command to use: crsctl set css misscount 90

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Document Information

Modified date:
17 June 2018

UID

ssg1S1004227

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