Storage and Servers

[rrkknight3]

Here's a stupid networking joke. 

[M-Callahan]

Thanks for the information.   In a previous post you were talking about problems with the Dell Servers that are 11G.  I have been reading further on this and found this. DRAC - PowerEdge 11G Serial Console Redirection Issues   https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000137254/drac-poweredge-11g-serial-console-redirection-issues?lang=en
Thanks for the heads up on this one I would have missed by a mile. 

[rrkknight3]

You want to use two separate networks.  One, the internal network will connect all of your servers.  Maybe designate one of the systems as the gateway to the internet and connect its interface.  You'll need one switch for the internal network.  You can just use the second interface to connect to the internet.  The internal network will either need a DHCP server running on the internal network or you'll have to hand assign the IP addresses of the servers.  They'll all need to be different in a pattern that allows a bit mask to see that they're all in the same range.
I can tell you what needs to be done on a Red Hat or Fedora system but haven't done anything with a Debian or Ubuntu system.

[M-Callahan]

Hook the server to the internet to update the bios the secondary IPV4 came up from the internet and the bios update the gateway or primary IPV4 was typed in from reading manual for dell 710 series of servers.  Since I don't know that much and all the number are the same on the servers will that effect the communication between the servers and computers that will be connected ? 

[M-Callahan]

Hello RR Kinght

I have 29 GBICs.  No fiber cable yet not sure where I am going to set up at in my home, don't want waste money, since I want to get them in pre configured sizes with the plugs attached.   The equipment to test a fiber connect is a little beyond what I can afford so I will have to purchase new cables.  I have looked into the cards for fiber adaptation for as little as 15 dollars refurbished.  The bios is not that hard to work with.  Also I am going get DNS numbers for the servers since it is very hard to get IPV4 numbers.  They were easy to get when I left programming back in the 1990s, now they want to sell you a block of numbers, or they are so high it is ridicules to purchase.  So I will look into iSCSI.  There are a few articles out there that say DNS will work so that physical connection between computers and the SAN network can be made.  I think the most expsive item will be a cabinet to put all of this network in.   Since I live in a Condo I don't want too make to much noise with the fans running for hours on end.  I just don't understand why old cabinets cost almost as much as a new ones especially the ones that have sound dampening.  May be some where down the road I just might run into the right cabinet at the right price. 



Talk to you later.


M_Callahan

[rrkknight3]

Hi, M-Callahan.

I sent a response to the E-mail that I got this morning to the address in that E-mail .

I hope that the training goes well.  If I can help, let me know.

The R710's and T710 are Dell's, right?  I've found in the past that getting Dell BIOS's up to the current level is critical to having working machines.

If I recall correctly, your Silkworm switches are Fibre Channel switches.  Were there GBIC's included?  Do you have fibre cables?  Do your servers have fibre channel cards in them?

Thanks for the update!

[M-Callahan]

Hi RRKinght


Did not know if you got my PM I sent out early this morning.  To recap I am taking classes online at the Cisco Academy for Networking.  Presently I am in a basic linux course.  Should be done in a few days.  They use Ubuntu for the OS.  I loaded Debian in my server so I can practice  when not taking classes since Unbuntu was derived from Debian.  Also I can get packages that will allow gluster and ceph to work on the Debian OS.  So far I have 2 R710 and t710 that is in a case to rack.  I have them all set up to be virtual servers. So far the equipment I have is  2 Broadcade Silkworms 200E fiber switches and  3 Enterasys Matrix eithernet switches (a friend gave me).  Hopefully I can use the fiber switches between the three computers they have 16 ports. I believe there is a need for one more switch to go between the storage array and the three computers to make a working and redundant circuit between all th switches and servers.  Also I think one of the Enterasys can be used for lan between the dsl modem and the computers.  Since they are old it is nice to have a couple spares.  To bad they are so big, I really don't need 48 ports for home they are not exactly desk top.  29 fiber transceivers.   Some cable.  Need to see what else I need.  Study and slowly get the other things I need to finnish this project.  This project should take most of the year.  I like that since I am retired and need something to do rather than sit around doing nothing. 

[rrkknight3]

I haven't heard any news on this project in a bit and I'm still quite interested.  I hope you haven't hit a snag. :nopanic;

[M-Callahan]

Thanks for the tip I will be looking in on this shortly. 

[rrkknight3]

One more on this and I'll stop.  When you're further along, M-C, send me a PM and we can continue our discussion in E-mail.  I know that this has little to do with Coffee or Gardens.

Current release is Fedora 33.  I currently have 34 systems (hardware and VM's) running it.  Current Red Hat release is 8.3.  The free version of Red Hat is called CentOS, with matching versions.  That has recently been a change by Red Hat so that in December CentOS will be CentrOS Stream, slightly ahead of the Red Hat version.

As far as I know there is no open source GPFS client.  There are several open source file systems that might fit the bill.  Ceph and Lustre come to mind.  Both are some work to set up.

It may be that all  you need on the Fedora end is to provide iSCSI.  I don't have any experience with it.

Please keep me up to date on your project.  It's really interesting.