NetApp Initiator Config Mismatches Test

Initiator groups (igroups) are tables of host identifiers (FCP, WWPNs, or iSCSI node names) that are used to control hosts' access to LUNs.

igroups specify which initiators have access to which LUNs. igroups can be created either before or after LUNs are created, but they must be created before a LUN is mapped to an igroup. Initiator groups can have multiple initiators, and multiple igroups can have the same initiator. However, a LUN can not be mapped to multiple igroups that have the same initiator.

An initiator cannot be a member of igroups of differing ostypes.

Using this test, you can monitor the initiators of each igroup and determine the following:

The number of initiators with ALUA setting mismatch
The number of initiators with the OS type mismatch
How many initiators are actually differing from the actual VSA setting? and
Which are the initiators that are mapped to the LUNs with non unique ids?

Target of the test : A NetApp Unified Storage

Agent deploying the test : An external/remote agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for each iGroup on the NetApp storage system being monitored.

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameters	Description
Test Period	How often should the test be executed.
Host	The host for which the test is to be configured.
Port	Specify the port at which the specified host listens in the Port text box. By default, this is NULL.
User	Here, specify the name of the user who possesses the following privileges: login-http-admin,api-aggr-check-spare-low,api-aggr-list-info,api-aggr-mediascrub-list-info,api-aggr-scrub-list-info,api-cifs-status,api-clone-list-status,api-disk-list-info,api-fcp-adapter-list-info,api-fcp-adapter-stats-list-info,api-fcp-service-status,api-file-get-file-info,api-file-read-file,api-iscsi-connection-list-info,api-iscsi-initiator-list-info,api-iscsi-service-status,api-iscsi-session-list-info,api-iscsi-stats-list-info,api-lun-config-check-alua-conflicts-info,api-lun-config-check-cfmode-info,api-lun-config-check-info,api-lun-config-check-single-image-info,api-lun-list-info,api-nfs-status,api-perf-object-get-instances-iter,api-perf-object-instance-list-info,api-quota-report-iter,api-snapshot-list-info,api-vfiler-list-info,api-volume-list-info-iter*. If such a user does not pre-exist, then, you can create a special user for this purpose using the steps detailed in Creating a New User with the Privileges Required for Monitoring the NetApp Unified Storage.
Password	Specify the password that corresponds to the above-mentioned User.
Confirm Password	Confirm the Password by retyping it here.
Authentication Mechanism	In order to collect metrics from the NetApp Unified Storage system, the eG agent connects to the ONTAP management APIs over HTTP or HTTPS. By default, this connection is authenticated using the LOGIN_PASSWORD authentication mechanism. This is why, LOGIN_PASSWORD is displayed as the default authentication mechanism.
Use SSL	Set the Use SSL flag to Yes, if SSL (Secured Socket Layer) is to be used to connect to the NetApp Unified Storage System, and No if it is not.
API Port	By default, in most environments, NetApp Unified Storage system listens on port 80 (if not SSL-enabled) or on port 443 (if SSL-enabled) only. This implies that while monitoring the NetApp Unified Storage system, the eG agent, by default, connects to port 80 or 443, depending upon the SSL-enabled status of the NetApp Unified Storage system - i.e., if the NetApp Unified Storage system is not SSL-enabled (i.e., if the Use SSL flag above is set to No), then the eG agent connects to the NetApp Unified Storage system using port 80 by default, and if the NetApp Unified Storage system is SSL-enabled (i.e., if the Use SSL flag is set to Yes), then the agent-NetApp Unified Storage system communication occurs via port 443 by default. Accordingly, the API Port parameter is set to default by default. In some environments however, the default ports 80 or 443 might not apply. In such a case, against the API Port parameter, you can specify the exact port at which the NetApp Unified Storage system in your environment listens, so that the eG agent communicates with that port for collecting metrics from the NetApp Unified Storage system.
vFilerName	A vFiler is a virtual storage system you create using MultiStore, which enables you to partition the storage and network resources of a single storage system so that it appears as multiple storage systems on the network. If the NetApp Unified Storage system is partitioned to accommodate a set of vFilers, specify the name of the vFiler that you wish to monitor in the vFilerName text box. In some environments, the NetApp Unified Storage system may not be partitioned at all. In such a case, the NetApp Unified Storage system is monitored as a single vFiler and hence the default value of none is displayed in this text box.
Timeout	Specify the duration (in seconds) beyond which the test will timeout if no response is received from the device. The default is 120 seconds.
DD Frequency	Refers to the frequency with which detailed diagnosis measures are to be generated for this test. The default is 1:1. This indicates that, by default, detailed measures will be generated every time this test runs, and also every time the test detects a problem. You can modify this frequency, if you so desire. Also, if you intend to disable the detailed diagnosis capability for this test, you can do so by specifying none against DD Frequency.
Detailed Diagnosis	To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG Enterprise embeds an optional detailed diagnostic capability. With this capability, the eG agents can be configured to run detailed, more elaborate tests as and when specific problems are detected. To enable the detailed diagnosis capability of this test for a particular server, choose the On option. To disable the capability, click on the Off option. The option to selectively enable/disable the detailed diagnosis capability will be available only if the following conditions are fulfilled: The eG manager license should allow the detailed diagnosis capability Both the normal and abnormal frequencies configured for the detailed diagnosis measures should not be 0.

Measurements made by the test
Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
Initiators with mismatching ALUA setting	Indicates the number of initiators in this igroup with an ALUA setting mismatch.	Number	If the ALUA setting does not match between the local and partner systems, it would affect the host multi-path software's ability to distinguish between primary and secondary paths. This could lead to incorrect system behavior. The containing igroups could be within the local system or between local and partner systems. The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the name of the initiator, the initiator group to which the initiator belongs and the ALUA settings of the affected initiators.
Initiators with mismatching OS type	Indicates the number of initiators in an initiator group with an operating system mismatch.	Number	An initiator cannot be a member of initiator groups of differing OS types i.e., the initiator can be a member of igroups that are of the same OS type. The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the name of the initiator, the igroup of the initiator and the OS type of the affected initiator.
Initiators with mismatching VSA setting	Indicates the number of initiators in an initiator group with a differing VSA setting.	Number	In order to avoid unexpected performance related issues in the storage system, an initiator can be a member of initiator groups with the same VSA setting only. The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the name of the initiator, the initiator group to which the initiator belongs and the VSA setting of the affected initiator.
Initiators with conflicting LUN mapping	Indicates the number of initiators that are mapped to the LUNs with non-unique LUN ids.	Number	Only one LUN in the cluster can be mapped to an initiator at a given LUN-id. Certain conflicts may arise if a LUN on each filer is mapped to the same initiator at the same LUN-id. These conflicts need to be resolved before a filer can be upgraded to run in the ‘single_image’ fcp cfmode. The conflicts can be resolved by unmapping one LUN and remapping it to an unused LUN-id. The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the name of the initiator and the LUN id of the mapped LUN for the affected initiators.