Version 12.3.0 IBM FlashSystem A9000 · IBM FlashSystem A9000 is a compact, small-footprint,...

IBM FlashSystem A9000Version 12.3.0

Release Notes

IBM

Fifth Edition (November 2019)

This edition applies to IBM FlashSystem® A9000 version 12.3.0. Newer document editions may be issued for the sameproduct version in order to add missing information, update information, or amend typographical errors. The edition isreset to 'First Edition' for every new product version.© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2016, 2019.US Government Users Restricted Rights – Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract withIBM Corp.

Contents

Overview...............................................................................................................1

What's new in version 12.3.0................................................................................. 3

Hot upgrade from earlier versions.......................................................................... 5

Management and solutions.................................................................................... 7

Change log............................................................................................................ 9Version 12.3.0 (November 2018)................................................................................................................9

Fixes and features of earlier versions................................................................... 15

Limitations.......................................................................................................... 17

Known issues...................................................................................................... 19

Known interoperability issues..............................................................................25

Related information and publications...................................................................27

Getting information, help, and service..................................................................29

Notices................................................................................................................31Trademarks................................................................................................................................................ 32

iii

iv

OverviewIBM FlashSystem A9000 is a compact, small-footprint, all-flash storage system that delivers ultra-faststorage together with mission-critical features, including data reduction by compression and inlinededuplication, smart scaling, distributed data, automatic load balancing, and a multitude of advancedenterprise-class features and capabilities.

Built as a rack-free modular unit, IBM FlashSystem A9000 can utilize existing infrastructure (such asracks, power distribution units, and more) and can be hyper-scaled with additional IBM FlashSystemA9000 units that could be added to the enterprise storage infrastructure over time.

In its core architecture, IBM FlashSystem A9000 utilizes IBM FlashCore® technology together with IBM®

MicroLatency® modules, providing high density, low latency, and high IOPS performance. In addition, IBMFlashSystem Enhanced Endurance Technology reduces flash disk wearout and ensures long-termdurability of the flash storage components, even under heavy workloads.

IBM FlashSystem A9000 is ideal for enterprise cloud environments that require fast, reliable, andredundant data storage, offering high service levels for dynamic workloads and easy hyper-scaling, whilesupporting multi-tenant environments, flexible consumption models, and robust cloud automation andintegration capabilities. IBM FlashSystem A9000 offers data protection through advanced remotemirroring, including synchronous mirroring, asynchronous mirroring, and HyperSwap® high availabilitythrough active-active pairing. It also helps protect data with encryption and a range of data securityfeatures.

For more detailed information about IBM FlashSystem A9000, refer to its user documentation and onlineinformation.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2016, 2019 1

2 IBM FlashSystem A9000: Release Notes

What's new in version 12.3.0Software version 12.3.0 is a major software release that adds significant new features, enhancesmonitoring capabilities, and resolves miscellaneous issues.

For more detailed information, see the IBM Software Announcement 218-464 web page.

General availability (eGA) date: 23 November 2018

Multi-site HA/DR

The multi-site high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) feature allows customers to combine field-proven high availability and disaster recovery solutions over multiple sites, keeping three concurrentcopies of data. For more information, refer to the FlashSystem A9000 Product Overview publication.

Removal of storage pool size limitation

Starting from version 12.3.0, storage pools are no longer limited to 1 Petabyte (PB) in size. For moreinformation, refer to the FlashSystem A9000 Product Overview publication.

Monitor internal/external latency at the system level

Starting from version 12.3.0, the internal and external latency of the storage system can be monitored atthe system level. For more information, refer to the FlashSystem A9000 Product Overview publication.

Pending deletion indication

Version 12.3.0 allows pending deletion operations to be tracked and monitored. For more information,refer to the FlashSystem A9000 Product Overview publication, and also the IBM Hyper-Scale ManagerTips & Tricks publication.

Option for using a longer user password

Version 12.3.0 extends the string length of possible user passwords, allowing up to 64 characters forenhanced access security.

Miscellaneous resolved issues

For information about the resolved issues in version 12.3.0, see Version 12.3.0 (November 2018).


http://www.ibm.com/common/ssi/ShowDoc.wss?docURL=/common/ssi/rep_ca/4/897/ENUS218-464/index.html


Hot upgrade from earlier versionsSoftware version 12.3.0 requires upgrade to version 12.3.0.a in order to resolve non-disruptive upgradeissues. For more information, refer to the release notes of version 12.3.0.a.

Newly acquired systems may already be provided preinstalled with version 12.3.0.a or later.

Customers who use versions 12.0.x, 12.1.x, or 12.2.x and want to leverage the new features of version12.3.0, will be upgraded directly to version 12.3.0.a or later.

The upgrade procedure must be performed by an authorized IBM service technician.

Prior to initiating software upgrade, consult with IBM Support regarding the required time allocation andexpected duration of the upgrade procedure.

Note: The system e-license may automatically prompt in the management GUI upon the first post-upgrade operation, if the e-license was updated since it was last accepted. In such a case, the new e-license must be accepted before any GUI operation can be performed.



Management and solutionsIBM FlashSystem A9000 version 12.3.0 can be managed and monitored with IBM Hyper-Scale Managerversion 5.5.0 or later.

IBM Hyper-Scale Manager version 5.5.0 provides an advanced web-based graphical user interface (GUI)from which one or more IBM Spectrum Accelerate Family systems can be managed and monitored in realtime from a web browser.

Note: Versions of IBM Hyper-Scale Manager earlier than 5.5.0 are not fully supported and must beupgraded to 5.5.0 or later.

IBM FlashSystem A9000 can also be managed from its command-line interface (CLI) or throughrepresentational state transfer (REST) application programming interfaces (APIs).

IBM FlashSystem A9000 customers are entitled to free use of IBM Hyper-Scale Manager, which can beobtained at any time from the IBM Fix Central website (www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral).

IBM Spectrum Accelerate Family HyperSwap Quorum Witness

The HyperSwap functionality feature in IBM FlashSystem A9000 version 12.3.0 is supported by IBMSpectrum Accelerate Family HyperSwap Quorum Witness version 1.0.1 or later.

To significantly improve the transparent failover and facilitate the constant coordination between twoIBM FlashSystem A9000 or A9000R storage systems in a HyperSwap solution, an independent QuorumWitness software component is preferably installed at a separate site (third failure domain).

Note: Newer versions of the Quorum Witness software may be released independently to better supportor enhance the HyperSwap operation. For more information, see the latest Quorum Witness releasenotes and user guide.

IBM Spectrum Connect

IBM FlashSystem A9000 version 12.3.0 is supported by IBM Spectrum Connect (formerly IBM SpectrumControl Base Edition) version 3.5.0 or later, which provides the following platform integration tools.

• IBM Storage Provider for VMware VASA• IBM Storage Enhancements for VMware vSphere Web Client• IBM Storage Plug-in for VMware vRealize Orchestrator• IBM Storage Management Pack for VMware vRealize Operations Manager• IBM Storage Automation Plug-in for Microsoft PowerShell• IBM Storage Enabler for Containers

For more information, see IBM Spectrum Connect on IBM Knowledge Center (www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS6JWS), and the IBM Spectrum Connect marketing page (www.ibm.com/us-en/marketplace/spectrum-connect).

IBM FlashSystem A9000 customers are entitled to free use of IBM Spectrum Connect, which can beobtained at any time from either the IBM Hyper-Scale Manager software package or from the IBM FixCentral website (www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral).

Available cloud storage solutions

IBM FlashSystem A9000 version 12.3.0 can be integrated with various independent software vendor(ISV) platform, application, virtualization, and cloud environments.


http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral

http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS6JWS

https://www.ibm.com/us-en/marketplace/spectrum-connect



To facilitate this integration, IBM provides the following software solutions, also referred to as cloudstorage solutions.

Cloud storage solution Version Compatibility note

IBM Storage Host Attachment Kit 2.9.0 or later For use with IBM AIX®, Linux (Red HatEnterprise Linux; SUSE Linux EnterpriseServer), and Microsoft Windows Serverhosts.

IBM Storage Driver for OpenStack 2.3.0 or later For use with OpenStack Cinder(OpenStack Block Storage) nodes

IBM Storage Management Pack forMicrosoft System Center OperationsManager (SCOM)

2.7.0 or later

IBM Spectrum Accelerate FamilyProvider for Microsoft Windows VolumeShadow Copy Service (VSS)

2.9.0 or later

IBM Spectrum Accelerate Family StorageReplication Adapter (SRA)

3.0.1 or later For use with VMware Site RecoveryManager 5.1–5.8 or 6.x. Requires the useof synchronous or asynchronous remotemirroring.

IBM FlashSystem A9000 customers are entitled to free use of the IBM cloud storage solutions, which canbe obtained at any time from the IBM Fix Central website (www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral).

For more information about the available cloud storage solutions for IBM FlashSystem A9000, see the'Platform and application integration' section in the IBM FlashSystem A9000 space on IBM KnowledgeCenter (www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/STJKMM).



http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/STJKMM


Change logThis change log summarizes the enhancements and fixes in the different 12.3.x code level versions ofIBM FlashSystem A9000.

Note: New functional features of these versions are only briefly summarized. For a detailed summary ofthe new functional features of a specific version, refer to the 'What's new' section of its release notes.

Version 12.3.0 (November 2018)Software version 12.3.0 of IBM FlashSystem A9000 adds the following functional features.

• Multi-site high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR).• Removal of storage pool size limitation (was 1 PB).• Monitor internal/external latency at the system level.• Pending deletion indication.• Option for using a longer user password of up to 64 characters.

Version 12.3.0 also resolves the following issues.

Ticket ID Description

SYS-308558 Fixed: In very rare cases, deleting or formatting large amount of data mightresult in degradation of storage system performance.

Severity: HIPER

Affected versions: 12.0.0 or later

SYS-307098 Fixed: In a HyperSwap setup with an active SCSI reservation, if only a subset ofthe host ports that are defined on the System holding the Primary volume, isdefined on the System which holds the Secondary volume, the latter systemmight not conform to the SCSI reservation. As a result, the Secondary volumemight be read by another host; and after a HyperSwap failover, the new Primaryvolume (former Secondary volume) might be written to by another host. Thisviolation of SCSI reservation will be undetected.

Severity: HIPER


SYS-305091 Fixed: In rare cases, using the io_pause CLI command might cause loss ofaccess to the storage system.

Severity: High Impact


SYS-305121 Fixed: When using IBM Hyper-Scale Mobility and the volume migration is inProxy state, a broken link to the destination system might cause hosts to loseaccess to one or more of the Proxy-state interface modules.





SYS-306002 Fixed: In rare cases, a noisy network over FC connectivity might disrupt themirroring relation between two A9000 systems over FC connectivity, causingrepeated loops of disconnection and connection between the two systems.



SYS-306086 Fixed: When most of the physical memory of the storage system is occupied bydifferent operation processes, deleting a significant amount of obsolete dataand then restarting I/O operations before the data garbage collection processhas completed - might result in loss of access of hosts to the storage system.



SYS-306139 Fixed: Before a hot upgrade, all primary HyperSwap volumes must bedeactivated in order to make the secondary volumes unavailable. Otherwiselocal I/O operations during the hot upgrade will be blocked.



SYS-306457 Fixed: In rare cases, the data redistribution after the addition of a grid elementmight fail due to a data transfer error. If this occurs, hot upgrade of the storagesystem software will not be possible.



SYS-306775 Fixed: The iSCSI port driver might crash when invalid data length is specified ina read or write I/O command, causing loss of access of all iSCSI hosts to thestorage system.



SYS-307087 Fixed: Common security issues.

For more information about these security issues, see CVE-2016-3672,CVE-2017-9725, CVE-2017-12190, CVE-2017-14140, CVE-2017-15126,CVE-2017-17449, CVE-2017-17558, CVE-2017-18017, and CVE-2018-6927on the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) information website(cve.mitre.org).



SYS-307118 Fixed: In rare cases, a HyperSwap relation might get disconnected when tryingto synchronize SCSI registrations between the Primary and the Secondarysystems.




https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2016-3672










SYS-307609 Fixed: If InfiniBand connections between the grid controller and the flashenclosure in an A9000 system are wired incorrectly, hot upgrade of the storagesystem might cause hosts to lose access the storage system. The same mighthappen if the storage system is already running, and the wiring is changedincorrectly.



SYS-307626 Fixed: In rare cases, a storage system might fail to isolate a failing component,but wrongly detect that the component is successfully isolated. This mightresult in hosts losing access to the storage system, or in data unavailability.


Affected versions: 12.0.0.a or later

SYS-307426 Fixed: In a HyperSwap relation, a host issuing a LUN reset task might causefailure of all subsequent reservation operations, causing the HyperSwap relationto break.



SYS-307854 Fixed: In rare cases, after performing hot upgrade while using Fibre Channel(FC) connectivity, the FC driver process might crash and then restartautomatically. In some system or host configurations, this might result in hostslosing access to the storage system.



SYS-307715 Fixed: In rare cases, when hosts are connected to the storage system via iSCSI,a Send Targets request (sent from a host) might cause a loss of access for allhosts connected to the storage system.



SYS-307743 Fixed: In rare cases, after the recovery of a failed software component, theconnectivity to a remote mirroring target might not be restored.



SYS-307987 Fixed: In rare cases, when using asynchronous mirroring, specific writesequences (writes of 0) combined with a mirror deactivation procedure mayresult in loss of access upon re-activation. On even rarer occasions, loss of datacan occur.



Change log 11


SYS-308098 Fixed: In rare cases, if the hot upgrade of a storage system that is usingencryption is canceled, an internal component failure might trigger anemergency shutdown procedure, following by loss of access by hosts to thestorage system.



SYS-308517 Fixed: A grid controller might get disconnected due to a rare software processfailure. If two grid controllers get disconnected simultaneously, an emergencyshutdown procedure will be initiated.


Affected versions: 12.0.0.a or later

SYS-304905 Fixed: When performing a system wipe-out operation and then disabling thesystem's data encryption (for example, for the purpose of moving the systemoff-premise), the system performs several emergency shutdowns before theencryption disabling is completed.

Severity: Moderate


SYS-306078 Fixed: In rare cases, I/O operations might be rejected due to an IOPS orbandwidth limit of a QoS performance class, even though these I/O operationsare not subject to any QoS performance class limitation.

Severity: Moderate


SYS-306353 Fixed: Mirrored volumes that are not part of a consistency group (CG) cannotbenefit from the 12.2.0 software enhancements that allow configuring an RPOof 1 minute and mirroring interval of 20 seconds.

Severity: Moderate


SYS-306627 Fixed: In rare cases, after a hot upgrade of a Primary system in a HyperSwaprelationship over Fibre Channel (FC) connectivity, the FC driver process mightcrash and then restart automatically, causing temporary HyperSwapconnectivity disconnection.

Severity: Moderate


SYS-307088 Fixed: In rare cases, the size of the volume in the data migration source mightbe incorrectly reported when using the dm_define or the dm_activate CLIcommands. If this occurs, data migration cannot be performed.

Severity: Moderate

Affected versions: 12.0.3.b or later



SYS-307675 Fixed: In rare cases, internal disconnections between a grid controller and theflash enclosure might increase the latency. If this occurs, theIO_TOOK_TOO_LONG event is logged.

Severity: Moderate


SYS-307815 Fixed: In rare cases, a particular sequence of read and write I/O operationsmight cause performance degradation.

Severity: Moderate


SYS-280653 Fixed: Some CLI commands might hang when storage pools are being cleanedfrom snapshots.

Severity: Service


SYS-305312 Fixed: When using HyperSwap, the HA_MASTER_UNAVAILABLE andHA_MASTER_AVAILABLE system events are not logged for all volumes andconsistency groups after a system reboot followed by disconnection from thepeer system. As a result, incorrect values are shown when using the ha_listcommand as long as the disconnection continues.

Severity: Service


SYS-305901 Fixed: In rare cases, after a reboot or software upgrade of the storage system,the output of the fan_list CLI command might list fans as failed, even thoughthe fans are fully operational.

Severity: Service


SYS-307419 Fixed: If the storage system stores secondary HyperSwap volumes, hot upgradeof this storage system might fail if the HyperSwap relation is not disabledbeforehand.

Severity: Service


SYS-306886 Fixed: In the output of the ipinterface_list_ports CLI command, all iSCSIports might be listed with the Link Up status, even though some ports have noconnectivity.

Severity: Low


Change log 13


Fixes and features of earlier versionsIBM FlashSystem A9000 version 12.3.0 includes all the features and fixes that were provided in previous12.0.x, 12.1.x, and 12.2.x. versions.

To obtain information regarding previously introduced FlashSystem A9000 features or issues that wereresolved in previous versions, see FlashSystem A9000 on IBM Knowledge Center (www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/STJKMM).


https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/STJKMM


LimitationsAs opposed to known issues, limitations are functionality restrictions that are part of the predefinedsystem design and capabilities in a particular version.

Note: For information about specification-related functional boundaries, such as maximum number ofvolumes and hosts per storage system, refer to the IBM FlashSystem A9000 specification sheetdocument, which can be provided to IBM customers under non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

Synchronous mirroring limitations

Use of synchronous remote mirroring is subject to the following limitation:

• The reported size of data written on the master volume and slave volume does not match. Zero datawrites are not counted for the slave volume. However, this discrepancy is by design and no actual datais lost.

Limitations with IBM SAN Volume Controller

When using IBM FlashSystem A9000 as the back-end storage of IBM SAN Volume Controller, the IBMFlashSystem A9000 system is not aware of user data that is deleted or migrated on the front-end SANVolume Controller. In addition, the IBM FlashSystem A9000 physical capacity usage is not monitored bythe front-end IBM SAN Volume Controller.

As a result, the IBM FlashSystem A9000 system cannot regularly reclaim freed capacity, and over time itmay unexpectedly for the storage administrator run out of physical storage space.

To mitigate this limitation, when using IBM FlashSystem A9000 as a back-end storage of an IBM SANVolume Controller, administrators are strongly advised to:

• Closely monitor the IBM FlashSystem A9000 physical capacity using IBM Hyper-Scale Manager or IBMExtended Command-Line Interface (XCLI) Utility.

• Keep track of IBM FlashSystem A9000 capacity-related events.• Upgrade to software version 8.1 or later of IBM SAN Volume Controller.



Known issuesThis section details the known issues in IBM FlashSystem A9000 version 12.3.0, along with possiblesolutions or workarounds (if available).

The following severity levels apply to known issues:

• HIPER – High Impact Pervasive. A critical issue that IBM has either fixed or plans to fix promptly.Requires immediate customer attention or code upgrade.

• High Impact – Potentially irrecoverable error that might impact data or access to data in rare cases orspecific situations/configurations.

• Moderate – Limited functionality issue and/or performance issue with a noticeable effect.• Service – Non-disruptive recoverable error that can be resolved through a workaround.• Low – Low-impact usability issue.

Important:

• The issues listed below apply to version 12.3.0 or earlier versions. As long as a newer version hasnot yet been released, a newer release notes edition for version 12.3.0 might be issued to provide amore updated list of known issues and workarounds.

• When a newer version is released for general availability, the release notes of version 12.3.0 will nolonger be updated. Accordingly, check the release notes of the newer version to learn whether anynewly discovered issues affect version 12.3.0 or whether the newer version resolves any of the issueslisted below.

Ticket ID SeverityAffectedversions Description

SYS-305091 High Impact 12.0.0or later

In rare cases, using the io_pause command might causeloss of access to the storage system.

Note: Starting from version 12.2.1, this CLI command isdisabled until a fix for this issue becomes available.

Workaround: No workaround is currently available.


When the storage system enters an out-of-physical-spacestate and the SYSTEM_OUT_OF_PHYSICAL_SPACE event islogged, freeing up physical space will allow the storagesystem to return to normal operation. However, in rare cases,the storage system might enter the same state again, even ifthere is some free space available.

Workaround: Contact IBM Support.


When an encrypted storage system is powered up, it mayenter the maintenance state due to an issue in the encryptionkey management mechanism.

Workaround: Contact IBM Support.

SYS-280406 Moderate 12.0.2or later

Upon the creation of a snapshot, the system I/O latency couldincrease, for a duration of up to several minutes.





Performance improvements that were introduced in version12.0.2 cannot be applied on data that was written to thesystem prior to upgrading to version 12.0.2.

Workaround: When experiencing performance issues withdata that was written to the system prior to upgrading toversion 12.0.2, contact IBM Support.


When unmapping a migrated volume (with IBM Hyper-ScaleMobility) or a HyperSwap volume from a cluster, a delay of thehost I/O response might be experienced, ranging from 20 to170 milliseconds.



Using the IBM Hyper-Scale mobility (volume migration)feature between XIV® Gen3 systems and FlashSystem A9000or A9000R systems is not supported during the hot upgradeof FlashSystem A9000 or A9000R.



When performing a system wipe-out operation and thendisabling the system's data encryption (for example, for thepurpose of moving the system), the system performs severalemergency shutdowns before the encryption disabling iscompleted.

Workaround: Manually restart the system and allow thedecryption process to complete.


In a HyperSwap relation, when a remote system target isdeleted and then redefined, creating new HyperSwaprelations on this target system is not possible.

Workaround: To avoid this issue, prior to redefining a deletedtarget system:

1. Create a new remote target with the same number of FCports as in the deleted system.

2. Restart the FC ports of the new remote target system andmake sure that all HyperSwap volumes on the remotetarget system are disconnected.

3. Redefine the deleted target system and then define theprevious HyperSwap relation.


In a HyperSwap configuration, attaching a Quorum Witness toa domain is not possible.


SYS-279815 Service 12.0.0or later

If a MicroLatency module is pulled out of the flash enclosurewhen the enclosure's internal redundancy state is either'Synching' or 'Degraded', the management GUI indicates thatthe card has a spare, even if no spare is available.

Workaround: Use the flash_card_list CLI command todisplay the correct status of spares.




Some CLI commands might hang when storage pools arebeing cleaned from snapshots.

Workaround: In such a case, wait until the command iscarried out.


Data migration over Fibre Channel (FC) does not work if thenumber of LUNs per host exceeds 255.

Workaround: To resolve this issue, use 255 or less LUNs perhost.


Enabling encryption of a flash enclosure that contains a failedflash canister could lead to partial encryption of the flashenclosure, or to complete encryption failure.

Workaround: To avoid this issue, before enabling encryption,verify that no flash enclosure contains a failed canister.Otherwise, contact IBM Support.


When setting up LDAP authentication, entering the storagesystem password is required, but this requirement is notenforced. This could lead to LDAP authentication failure if thepassword is not provided.

Workaround: To avoid this issue, always make sure toprovide the storage system password in order to allow accessto the storage system.


An attempt to deactivate a Quorum Witness might render theQuorum Witness unresponsive, and remain in the Deactivatingstate without timing out (see also SYS-285120 below).

Workaround: To resolve this issue, proceed as follows in IBMHyper-Scale Manager:

1. Remove the current Quorum Witness configuration.

This action disassociates the Quorum Witness from theconnected system(s).

2. Define a new Quorum Witness and make sure that thecorrect port is used.

3. Activate the newly defined Quorum Witness.4. Connect the system(s), that were previously using the

removed Quorum Witness, to the newly defined QuorumWitness.

Known issues 21



When connecting a system to a Quorum Witness, the QuorumWitness might become unresponsive, and remain in theActivating state without timing out.

Workaround: To resolve this issue, proceed as follows in IBMHyper-Scale Manager:

1. Deactivate the Quorum Witness. Note that the QuorumWitness state changes to Deactivating and remainsDeactivating without timing out (see also SYS-284512above).

2. Remove the current Quorum Witness configuration.

This action disassociates the Quorum Witness from thesystem(s).

3. Define a new Quorum Witness and make sure that thecorrect port is used.

4. Activate the newly defined Quorum Witness.5. Connect the system(s), that were previously using the

removed Quorum Witness, to the newly defined QuorumWitness.


When an IBM Support technician is removing a canister fromthe flash enclosure for maintenance purposes, multipleevents ofPOD_IB_LINK_DETECTION_LINK_PERSISTENTLY_DISCONNECTED might be unnecessarily emitted.

These events can be safely ignored.


When the CLI command reservation_key_list is appliedto the entire system, the command output displays themaximum of 512 keys, even if the factual number of keys isgreater. However, when applied to a volume,reservation_key_list outputs the entire key list.

Workaround: Apply the command reservation_key_listper volume.


In rare cases, the ha_create command might fail.

Workaround: Retry the operation.


If there are more than 200 volumes in a HyperSwap relationand a failover takes place, some of theHA_AUTOMATIC_FAILOVER_SUCCESFUL events might belost. This does not affect the actual failover.



When removing a target port and adding it back within lessthan 3 seconds, the high availability state for HyperSwapvolumes is insufficient, and aTARGET_CONNECTIVITY_HA_INSUFFICIENT event isissued.





When using HyperSwap, the HA_MASTER_UNAVAILABLE andHA_MASTER_AVAILABLE system events are not logged for allvolumes and consistency groups after a system rebootfollowed by disconnection from the peer system. As a result,incorrect values are shown when using the ha_listcommand as long as the disconnection continues.

Workaround: Wait until the high availability connection to thepeer system is reestablished. The correct information willthen be displayed.


When using IBM Hyper-Scale Mobility and aborting (witholvm_abort) a migration process that is currently in Proxystate, the remote volume remains in locked read-only state.

Workaround: Use the vol_unlock command to unlock thevolume state.


Manually created snapshots that have a reserved name prefixprevent the automatic creation of additional snapshots.

Workaround: Delete and do not manually create snapshotsthat have a reserved name prefix.


The switch_mgmt_ip_list CLI command does not workwhen using the additional switch argument for displayingthe management IP address of a specific InfiniBand switch.

Workaround: Use the switch_mgmt_ip_list commandwithout the switch argument. This will display themanagement IP addresses of all InfiniBand switches.


In some cases of desynchronization in the phase-out processof a grid element, the node_failed and taken_over eventscould be recorded. This does not impact any critical systemoperation.


SYS-310343 Service The status of the backup battery unit (BBU) in the flashenclosure might be shown as failed while it is still operatingnormally. If this occurs, contact IBM Support.



In rare cases, when adding a volume to a consistency group(CG) with the cg_add_vol command, the operation might failwith the event MIRROR_LAST_SYNC_TIMES_DIFFERrecorded.

Workaround: To avoid this issue, retry the cg_add_volcommand after the mirroring synchronization is completed.

Known issues 23


SYS-276870 Low 12.0.0or later

When a grid controller is replaced, or whenever the system isundergoing a software initiation process, data reductionsaving statistics could be temporarily inaccurate. Thestatistics accuracy is regained as data is being accessed andprocessed again.

This issue has a noticeable effect only when 1 TB or less hasbeen written to the system.



In rare cases, the process of enabling encryption may notcomplete successfully due to a timeout. If this occurs, thesystem emits the ENCRYPT_ENABLE_NOT_COMPLETED eventwith all the relevant details.

Workaround: Retry activating encryption.


By design, an attempt to set up IBM Hyper-Scale Mobility,when a volume with the same name as the source volumealready exists at the destination system, fails due to an illegalvolume name. However, the emitted return code(REMOTE_VOLUME_NOT_APPLICABLE_FOR_OLVM) provides awrong reason for the failure.



In the output of the ipinterface_list_ports CLIcommand, all iSCSI ports might be listed with the Link Upstatus, even though some ports have no connectivity.



Known interoperability issuesThis section describes known issues or limitations that could arise when using IBM FlashSystem A9000 inconjunction with other components in the production environment, such as hardware switches, host busadapters (HBAs), other IBM products, or different software platforms such as operating systems,clustering solutions, virtual machine servers, multipathing solutions, and other third-party components.



Failover of a Windows Server 2008 or 2008 R2 cluster groupresults in a stop error on the new active node. This could occurwhen using these Windows Server versions with HyperSwapvolumes. No hotfix is currently available.

Workaround: Refer to IBM Support guidelines for WindowsServer 2008 and 2008 R2 as described in IBM Technote#S1010299.


The HyperSwap feature is not compatible with VMware ESXi 6.0Update 2 or earlier.

Workaround: Use ESXi 6.0 Update 3 or later.


Veritas Dynamic Multi-Pathing (DMP) in any configuration doesnot support HyperSwap volumes.



http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ssg1S1010299

http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ssg1S1010299


Related information and publicationsYou can find additional information and publications related to IBM FlashSystem A9000 on the followinginformation sources.

• IBM Flash Storage marketing website (ibm.com/systems/storage/flash)• IBM FlashSystem A9000 on IBM Knowledge Center (ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/STJKMM)• IBM FlashSystem A9000R on IBM Knowledge Center (ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/STJKN5)• IBM Hyper-Scale Manager on IBM Knowledge Center (ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSUMNQ)• IBM Storage Redbooks® website (redbooks.ibm.com/portals/storage)


http://www.ibm.com/systems/storage/flash/


http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/STJKN5

http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSUMNQ

http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/storage


Getting information, help, and service

If you need help, service, technical assistance, or want more information about IBM products, you canfind various sources to assist you. You can view the following websites to get information about IBMproducts and services and to find the latest technical information and support.

• IBM website (ibm.com®)• IBM Support Portal website (ibm.com/storage/support)• IBM Directory of Worldwide Contacts website (ibm.com/planetwide)• IBM service requests and PMRs (ibm.com/support/servicerequest/Home.action)

Use the Directory of Worldwide Contacts to find the appropriate phone number for initiating voice callsupport. Voice calls arrive to Level 1 or Front Line Support.


http://www.ibm.com

http://www.ibm.com/storage/support

http://www.ibm.com/planetwide

http://www.ibm.com/support/servicerequest/Home.action


Notices

These legal notices pertain to the information in this IBM Storage product documentation.

This information was developed for products and services offered in the US. This material may beavailable from IBM in other languages. However, you may be required to own a copy of the product orproduct version in that language in order to access it.

IBM may not offer the products, services, or features discussed in this document in other countries.Consult your local IBM representative for information on the products and services currently available inyour area. Any reference to an IBM product, program, or service is not intended to state or imply that onlythat IBM product, program, or service may be used. Any functionally equivalent product, program, orservice that does not infringe any IBM intellectual property right may be used instead. However, it is theuser's responsibility to evaluate and verify the operation of any non-IBM product, program, or service.

IBM may have patents or pending patent applications covering subject matter described in thisdocument. The furnishing of this document does not grant you any license to these patents. You can sendlicense inquiries, in writing, to:

IBM Director of LicensingIBM CorporationNorth Castle Drive, MD-NC119Armonk, NY 10504-1785USA

For license inquiries regarding double-byte character set (DBCS) information, contact the IBM IntellectualProperty Department in your country or send inquiries, in writing, to:

Intellectual Property LicensingLegal and Intellectual Property LawIBM Japan Ltd.19-21, Nihonbashi-Hakozakicho, Chuo-kuTokyo 103-8510, Japan

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION PROVIDES THIS PUBLICATION "AS IS"WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR APARTICULAR PURPOSE. Some states do not allow disclaimer of express or implied warranties in certaintransactions, therefore, this statement may not apply to you.

This information could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodicallymade to the information herein; these changes will be incorporated in new editions of the publication.IBM may make improvements and/or changes in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in thispublication at any time without notice.

Any references in this information to non-IBM Web sites are provided for convenience only and do not inany manner serve as an endorsement of those Web sites. The materials at those Web sites are not part ofthe materials for this IBM product and use of those Web sites is at your own risk.

IBM may use or distribute any of the information you supply in any way it believes appropriate withoutincurring any obligation to you.

Licensees of this program who wish to have information about it for the purpose of enabling: (i) theexchange of information between independently created programs and other programs (including thisone) and (ii) the mutual use of the information which has been exchanged, should contact:

IBM Director of LicensingIBM CorporationNorth Castle Drive, MD-NC119


Armonk, NY 10504-1785USA

Such information may be available, subject to appropriate terms and conditions, including in some cases,payment of a fee.

The licensed program described in this document and all licensed material available for it are provided byIBM under terms of the IBM Customer Agreement, IBM International Program License Agreement or anyequivalent agreement between us.

The performance data discussed herein is presented as derived under specific operating conditions.Actual results may vary.

Information concerning non-IBM products was obtained from the suppliers of those products, theirpublished announcements or other publicly available sources. IBM has not tested those products andcannot confirm the accuracy of performance, compatibility or any other claims related to non-IBMproducts. Questions on the capabilities of non-IBM products should be addressed to the suppliers ofthose products.

All statements regarding IBM's future direction or intent are subject to change or withdrawal withoutnotice, and represent goals and objectives only.

TrademarksIBM, IBM FlashSystem, the IBM logo, and ibm.com are trademarks or registered trademarks ofInternational Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.

Other product and service names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies. A current list of IBMtrademarks is available on the Copyright and trademark information website (ibm.com/legal/us/en/copytrade.shtml).

Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States, other countries, or both.

Microsoft, Windows, Windows Server, and the Windows logo are trademarks or registered trademarks ofMicrosoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.

VMware, ESX, ESXi, vSphere, vCenter, and vCloud are trademarks or registered trademarks of VMwareCorporation in the United States, other countries, or both.

Other product and service names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies.


http://www.ibm.com/legal/us/en/copytrade.shtml

IBM®

Printed in USA

Date post:	05-Oct-2020
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	9 times
Download:	0 times

Version 12.3.0 IBM FlashSystem A9000 · IBM FlashSystem A9000 is a compact, small-footprint,...

Documents