SGI InfiniteStorage
CXFS for Windows
Version 7.7.1.3
A reference in this document to Windows implies Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows 10.
These release notes describe the features, installation and limitations of Version 7.7.1.3 of the SGI InfiniteStorage CXFS for Windows.
These release notes are a supplement to the CXFS Client-Only Guide for SGI InfiniteStorage.
PLEASE READ AND AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS IN THE END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENTS BEFORE INSTALLING THE CXFS FOR WINDOWS SOFTWARE.
This section is in addition to the CXFS Client-Only Guide for SGI InfiniteStorage available from http://docs.sgi.com.
For the CXFS for Windows software to operate correctly:
· CXFS metadata server must be running a compatible version of CXFS as described in the General Release Note for CXFS 7.7. Supported storage and Fibre Channel switches are also listed in the General Release Note.
· Windows XP 32-bit nodes are recommended to have Service Pack 3 (SP3) installed and are supported. Service Pack 1 (SP1) is no longer supported.
· Windows XP 64-bit nodes are recommended to have Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed and are supported.
· Windows Server 2003 32-bit/64-bit platforms are supported.
· Windows Vista 32-bit/64-bit SP1 platforms are supported.
· Windows Server 2008 32-bit/64-bit platforms are supported.
· Windows 7 32-bit/64-bit platforms are supported.
· Windows 8 32-bit/64-bit platforms are supported.
· Windows Server 2012 32-bit/64-bit platforms are supported.
· Windows 8.1 32-bit/64-bit platforms are supported.
· Windows Server 2012 R2 32-bit/64-bit platforms are supported.
· Windows 10 32-bit/64-bit platforms are supported.
For the CXFS for Windows software to operate correctly, the following Fibre Channel HBA software should be installed for each given HBA:
• QLE2462, QLE2562
◦ Driver version 9.1.7.18 or newer
CXFS for Windows supports current ATTO 16-Gb Fibre Channel cards, such as the following:
• Celerity FC-161E
• Celerity FC-162E
• Celerity FC-164E
These cards have worked with CXFS with the given driver versions but are no longer supported by their original manufacturer. They should continue to work but upgrades should be considered:
• QLA2200
◦ Windows Server 2003: v8.1.5.15
• QLA2310, QLA2342 and QLA2344
◦ Windows XP & Windows Server 2003: v9.1.4.10 (SCSI Miniport Driver)
◦ Windows XP & Windows Server 2003: v9.1.4.15 (STOR Miniport Driver)
◦ SanSurfer 5.0.0 build 17.
• LSI Logic LSI7204EP-LC, LSI7204XP-LC
◦ Windows XP: 1.26.01 (SCSI Port Driver)
◦ Windows Server 2003: 1.26.01 (SCSI Storport Driver)
◦ Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows 8: 1.26.01 (SCSI Storport Driver)
• ATTO Celerity FC HBAs CTFC-41XS, CTFC-42XS, CTFC-41ES, CTFC-42ES, CTFC-44ES
◦ Windows XP: 2.62
◦ Windows Server 2003: 2.62
◦ Windows Vista, Server 2008, 7, 8 x86: 2.62
◦ Windows Flash Bundle version 2007_11_13
◦ Windows Configuration Tool version 3.17
Under Windows XP, users may define their own local set of drive-letter mappings that can override the global settings for the host. When identifying the filesystem mapped to a drive letter, Windows XP will check the local mappings and may hide CXFS from the user. Users and administrators of CXFS Windows nodes must avoid mapping network and CXFS drives to the same drive letter.
For new features and changes, see the CXFS general release note and CXFS Client-Only Guide for SGI InfiniteStorage.
In addition to those limitations documented in the Client-Only Guide for SGI InfiniteStorage, it is expected that the following limitations will also apply at the time of the official release of CXFS Version 7.7:
Uninstalling the CXFS software while the CXFS service is running may result in system instability or damage to the Windows operating system. In order to uninstall the CXFS software safely, do the following:
1. Disable the CXFS service from control panel.
2. Reboot the machine.
3. Uninstall the CXFS software.
If the CXFS client service is unable to stop when Windows is shut down or restarted, the Windows node will be fenced. If the Windows node is fenced when Windows boots, the LSI HBA driver cannot maintain persistent bindings. This may result in paths that do not match the paths specified in the failover2.conf file. These incorrect paths can cause the LUNs in the RAID to flip between the controllers and degrade performance throughout the cluster. To avoid this problem, make sure that the Windows nodes are not fenced when Windows boots.
You may also be able to clear the problem by using the following steps:
1. Shut down the Windows node.
2. Lower the fence for the Windows node. (See the CXFS Administration Guide for InfiniteStorage for instructions.)
3. Start Windows.
No support for Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP SP1, and Windows Vista SP0.
• All 32-bit versions of Windows XP and the 32-bit version of Windows Server 2003 without service pack upgrades do not support storage LUNs greater than 2 terabytes. Windows CXFS clients accessing files that reside beyond the 2-TB boundary of a storage LUN will show incorrect data, even though the file itself is fine. In this situation, a Windows client will see data from other locations on the storage LUN rather than correct data. There is also a potential for corruption if the client writes to the file, because the write would occur in unintended locations on the storage LUN, possibly writing over user data and metadata.
• The Windows CXFS node does not support shutdown of the CXFS driver via the device manager. If restarting the CXFS Client service fails to re-achieve membership, the Windows node must be restarted.
• There is no support for opportunistic locking, also known as "oplocks". Hosts using a CXFS Windows node as an SMB server will not be able to cache data locally. The workaround is to use NFS or Samba to export the filesystem on one of the CXFS Linux nodes.
• The CXFS for Windows software enforces the Windows file-sharing options when opening a file on the same node, but does not enforce them on other nodes in the cluster.
• Accessing a CXFS volume being shared by the local system, using the local share path, does not work with Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows 10.
• When installing CXFS on a Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows 8 Windows Server 2012 or Windows 10 node attached to a RAID with GPT-based labels, make sure to unplug the Fibre Channel cables from the system. Otherwise, the Windows Disk Management will recognize the disks and assign a drive letter to each discreet LUN or disk. If there are more than 26 LUNs or disks, then all the drive letters will be mapped and CXFS will not be able to function. In the scenario where this has already occurred, the workaround is to start the Disk Management utility and remove the drive letters that correspond with the GPT-labeled LUNs.
• If the xvm(8) command reports storage device pathnames in the nonpersistent SCSI\DISK format, it indicates that the wrong QLogic HBA driver (ql2300i) is installed.
Do the following to install the correct driver (ql2300):
1. In Windows Device Manager, right-click on "QLogic Fibre Channel Adapter" and select "Update Driver Software...".
2. Select "Browse my computer for driver software".
3. Browse to the folder in which ql2300.sys (not ql2300i.sys) is located. For example:
C:\Program Files\QLogic Corporation\SuperInstaller\Drivers\Win2012\FC\x64
4. Select "Next".
5. Reboot.
You can verify that the correct driver is now installed by doing the following:
1. In the Windows Device Manager, right-click on "QLogic Fibre Channel Adapter" and go to "Properties".
2. In the "Details" tab, select "Property" and choose "Service". The correct driver that should be displayed is "ql2300".
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