IBM XIV Remote Support Center (XRSC) front-end servers' IP addresses are changing (reminder)

A. Current Front Servers IP details:

204.146.30.139 - front_bld
129.33.206.139 - front_pok

B. New Front Servers IP details:

170.225.126.11 - front_us_south_cpc_az13 (port 22, priority 11)
170.225.126.12 - front_us_south_cpc_az14(port 22, priority 11)
170.225.127.11 - front_us_east_cpc_az3(port 22, priority 11)
170.225.127.12 - front_us_east_cpc_az4(port 22, priority 11)

Setting IBM XIV Remote Support Center Servers to New IBM Front Servers:

With the introduction of these new XRSC servers, local configuration on the storage system needs to be connected prior to the current XRSC servers being retired so the new XRSC configuration can be pushed to the storage systems.

Note: Local XIV support center definitions automatically update to the latest front-end server locations once a successful connection has been made to any XRSC front server.

If using the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy, you must upgrade to version 1.3.2.2. Configuration of the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy must be completed on the server where it is installed.

Make sure to allow access to the new front-end servers from your internal network (firewall, and so on)

C. Connecting to the XRSC Front Servers Using the IBM Hyper-Scale Manager (HSM)

The following process can be used to connect to the XRSC front servers on IBM XIV Gen3 and IBM FlashSystem A9000/R, using the IBM Hyper-Scale Manager. Ensure that the most current version of Hyper-Scale Manager is used when configuring the XRSC Support Centers to take advantage of the latest management tool enhancements.

Note: XIV Remote Support Connections requires that any firewall that the connection must transit allows outbound connectivity to the XRSC front server IP addresses at port 22. Ensure that any firewalls between the storage system or XIV Remote Support proxy have updated rules to allow connectivity to the new IP addresses.

1. Log in to the IBM Hyper-Scale Manager with a user who is a member or the Storage Administrator user category. Under the SYSTEMS & DOMAINS VIEWS, select the Systems view and select the system that will be configured so that it has focus on the main IBM Hyper-Scale Manager window. From the Actions menu, click Support > View/Modify Support Parameters.
2. Verify that at least one of the 4 new XRSC Front Servers addresses listed above are present in the Support Center server list. If the new XRSC Front Server addresses are not present in the list, click Connect to initiate a connection to the XRSC Front Servers. The new XRSC Front Server connections are automatically added to the list of available XRSC front Servers.
3. If the storage system was already connected to the IBM XRSC Front Servers Support Connection and the new XRSC Front Servers are not present in the XRSC Front Server List, disconnect the support connection by clicking Disconnect and then Connect to reconnect and refresh the XRSC Front Server list.
4. If the connection fails, this indicates that the connection is being blocked between the storage system and the XRSC Front Servers. This connection requires that outbound TCP port 22 connectivity be enabled from the storage system to the IBM XRSC Front Servers. Review any firewall settings on network layer three devices which may be blocking the outbound port TCP 22 connection.

Once the network configuration has been updated to address any outbound TCP port 22 blocks between the storage system and the IBM XRSC Front Servers, re-initiate the Support Center Connection to apply the latest XRSC Front Server configuration.

D. Connecting to the XRSC Front Servers Using the XCLI Utility

The following process can be used to connect to the XRSC Front Servers on the storage system by using the XCLI Utility. Ensure that the latest version of the XCLI Utility is used when connecting to the XRSC Support Centers to take advantage of the latest XCLI Utility enhancements.

Note: XIV Remote Support Connections require that any firewall which the connection must transit allows outbound connectivity to the XRSC front server IP addresses at port 22. Ensure that any firewalls between the storage system or XIV Remote Support proxy to the XRSC front server have updated rules to allow connectivity to the new IP addresses.

1. Connect to the storage system being configured by using the XCLI utility with a user account that is a member of the Storage Administrator user category.
2. List the current Support Server definitions by running the support_center_list command:
   >> support_center_list
   Name          Address          Port   Priority
   ------------- ---------------- ------ ----------
   front_bld     204.146.30.139   22     11
   front_pok     129.33.206.139   22     11
   Verify that at least one of the 4 new XRSC Front Server addresses listed in section B above are present in the Support Center server list.
3. If the new XRSC Front Server addresses are not present in the list, check the status of the Support Center connection using the support_center_status command:
   >> support_center_status
   State   Connected sessions   timeout (min)   Module       Connected since
   ------- -------------------- --------------- ------------ ------------------
   idle    0                    no timeout      1:Module:1   2022-05-09 13:51:59
   
   Destination   Auto Connect Active   Always On
   ------------- --------------------- -----------
   front_bld     no                    no
4. If there is an active connection to the IBM Support Centers, disconnect the connection using the support_center_disconnect command and verify that the connection is no longer active using the support_center_status command:
   >> support_center_status
   State             Connected sessions   timeout (min)   Module       Connected since
   ------------- -------------------- --------------- ------------ ------------------
   No connection  0                    no timeout     
5. Initiate a new support center connection by running the support_center_connect command and verify that the connection is active by running the support_center_status command:
   >> support_center_status
   State   Connected sessions   timeout (min)   Module       Connected since
   ------- -------------------- --------------- ------------ ------------------
   idle    0                    no timeout      1:Module:1   2022-05-09 14:51:59
   
   Destination                 Auto Connect Active   Always On
   --------------------------- --------------------- -----------
   front_us_south_cpc_az13      no                    no
6. Validate that at least one of the 4 new XRSC Front Servers are present within the support center configuration by using the support_center_list command:
   >> support_center_list
   Name                                     Address            Port      Priority 
   ------------------------- ------------------ --------- --------
   front_bld                                 204.146.30.139     22        11
   front_pok                                 129.33.206.139     22        11
   front_us_south_cpc_az13   170.225.126.11     22        11
   front_us_south_cpc_az14   170.225.126.12     22        11
   front_us_east_cpc_az3      170.225.127.11     22        11
   front_us_east_cpc_az4           170.225.127.12     22        11
7. If the connection fails, this indicates that the connection is being blocked between the storage system and the XRSC Front Servers. This connection requires that outbound TCP port 22 connectivity is enabled from the storage system to the IBM XRSC Front Servers. Review any firewall settings on network layer three devices that might be blocking the outbound port TCP 22 connection.

Once the network configuration has been updated to address any outbound TCP port 22 blocks between the storage system and the IBM XRSC Front Servers, reinitiate the Support Center Connection to apply the latest XRSC Front Server configuration.

E. IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy Server Configuration

The following process can be used to update the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy to take advantage of the new XRSC front servers. This procedure must be completed on the server running the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy by a user account with permissions to modify the /etc/xiv/proxy.conf file.

Note: XIV Remote Support Connections require that any firewall which the connection must transit allows outbound connectivity to the XRSC front server IP addresses at port 22. Ensure that any firewalls between the storage system or XIV Remote Support proxy to the XRSC front server have updated rules to allow outbound connectivity to the new IP addresses.

For full instructions on configuring the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy please review the User Guide available at the following URL: 
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/STJKN5_12.3.2/PDFs/IBM_RSP_1.3.x_UG.pdf

Note: If using the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy, you must upgrade to Version 1.3.2.2 found on IBM FixCentral website at the following link
https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral.

1. Connect to the server where the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy is installed with a user account that has permissions to edit configuration files and restart system services.
2. Validate that the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy is working by initiating an XRSC connection from a storage system which has been configured to use the IBM XIV Remote Support Proxy server.

F. Other IBM Storage products that are also affected by this change

The following products make use of the same infrastructure for providing remote dial-in capabilities and will be notifying their customers about any changes that may be required in the near future.  This page will be updated with links to related documentation when it is available.

• Spectrum Virtualize
• TS7700 and TS4500
• DS8000: Most DS8000 systems are not affected. The DS8000 team will contact affected customers directly
• IBM FlashSystem