Installation Notes

Install Update within Cluster

Please read the following release notes carefully, before continuing. When installing this update on a Collax V-Cube+ cluster the following steps have to be performed:

Note: If starting the update from 6.1.8 to 6.1.10 no down time of the running virtual machines or applications is required.

Procedure

1. If the nodes have the version 6.1.8 or prior: Please read the appropriate notes for that release including the documented procedure first.
2. The software packages can be downloaded whithin a running Cluster to prepare the update and minimize the planned downtime. Go to the local administration of each node and access the form System Operation → Software → Systemupdate. Then click Get Package List. This will download the list of available update packages. The successful update of the package list is indicated by the message Done!. Click Get Packages. If the packages are downloaded successfully then the message Done! will be displayed.
3. Put one node into standby mode. Go to Status/Maintenance → Cluster Nodes and execute the action Standby. Please wait until the cluster resources are stopped or the VMs are migrated.
4. Now, put this node into maintenance mode. Go to the dialog Status/Maintenance → Cluster Services and stop the service HA Cluster for this node.
5. Click Install within the dialog Systembetrieb → Software → Systemupdate to install all update packages. The end of this process is indicated by the message Done!.
6. If a new kernel is going to be installed the system will be rebooted automatically after installing the update. An appropriate note will be shown. Please wait for the reboot in that case.
7. Start the service HA Cluster on the node that has been updated. Please wait until the service ist started and information about Cluster Resources are available before you proceed with the next step.
8. Once the service HA Cluster has been started resume the node by using the action Set active within the dialog Status/maintenance → Cluster Nodes .
9. Afterwards check the status of the eSAN-disk synchronization in the form Cluster Administration → Virtual Hard Disks. Do not continue with the next step until the column Status shows 100% or OK for all eSAN disks.
10. Please repeat this procedure from step 2 on the next node that needs to be updated.

Install Update on a Collax V-Cube

To install this update on a Collax V-Cube without a Cluster interconnection please follow these steps:

Procedure

1. Please read this document before proceeding to the next step.
2. In the administration interface go to System → System Operation → Software → System Update and then click Get Package List. This will then download the listed update packages. The successful update of the package list is indicated by the message “Done!”.
3. Click Get Packages to download the software packages.
4. Click Install. This action installs the update. The end of this process is indicated by the message Done!.
5. A new kernel is going to be installed. The system will be rebooted automatically after installing the update. An appropriate note will be shown once the update process is completed.
6. If the server is updated and booted the virtual machines can be started again.

New in this Version

System Management: Status Emails contain Link to faq.collax.com

Collax server monitor certain internal subsystems and report any warning by generating emails with technical detail to the systems administrator. From this update on explanations to the technical details can be retrieved on the server faq.collax.com. Every email of the monitoring system contains the link to the server.

Hardware: UPS Driver Support

This update adds the version nut 2.7.1 and it adds driver support for Riello, Minibox, TrippLite Smart1500LCD UPS.

Misc: Important System Components

The following important system components will be installed with this update.

• Kernel 3.10.26

Issues Fixed in this Version

Virtualization: Error if installing Collax VM templates

The check of required disk space for a virtual disk had been wrong and a VM could not be installed via the GUI dialog. From this update on this check is going to be corrected.

V-Cube+: Collax Fencing Device, agent has memory leak

The new Collax fencing device is supported for two node clusters with Supermicro Mainboards. This update removes a memory leak within the responsible software agent zk-agent.

V-Cube+: Name of Fencing Device with underscore

If the name of a fencing device contains an underscore, the message The fencing device still exists was shown within the user interface. This is corrected with this update.

V-Cube+: Automatic Reboot of Virtual Machines after Activating the Settings

If export settings for the Cluster Share were changed, it could be possible that virtual machines had been rebooted unexpectedly. With this update the resource type of the exports are going to be changed to multi state resources hence the virtual machine won’t be rebooted.

V-Cube+: Monitoring of Cluster Share Size

From this update on the check for free space of the cluster share is going to warn, it less than 20GB disk space will be free. If there are less than 10GB space is available the check will warn with the message “CRITICAL”. In both cases it is necessary to extend the size of the cluster share.

V-Cube+: State Unknown of eSAN Hard Disks

If a eSAN disk was removed and a new one created that had the same name the state of this new disk was always unknown. This is going to be corrected within this update.

V-Cube+: State virtual Disks if Hard Disks have errors

If an hard disc error occurred on one node the monitoring result of the disk check was OK instead of WARNING. The monitoring check is going to be corrected with this update. The result is then shown as WARNING if an hard disc error occurs.

Backup/Restore: Bare Metal Restore does not recognize changed Size of Data Partition

When a vcube is recovered via the Collax recovery token method, appropriate LVs are created for the VM disks. However, the datavolume pre-exists, and thus was not created nor changed. This update improves the rto-recovery.pl suwrap to run lvresize and resize2fs on logical volumes with a ext3 file systems and changes the size if requested. This only works on the datavolume which already should contain an ext3 fs during recovery. New file systems are NOT created on empty LVs.

System Management: Error state if using LSI-CacheCade

The result when checking the RAID controller could show WARNING with information (null) if an LSI controller including the Cachecade technologie was used. With this update the check of RAID controller is improve, the result of the check shows appropriate values.

Misc: Error when accessing a VM Screen with Java-VNC Viewer

With this update the access to a VM screen is possible without changing the security settings of Java. The validity of the JavaVNCViewer applet has been prolonged.

Notes

Virtualization: Number of CPU Sockets for VMs with Windows Server 2012/Windows 8 and 2012R2/8.1

The number of cpu sockets for virtual machines with the operating system Windows Server 2012/Windows 8 and 2012R2/8.1 must be set to one. Otherwise the installation will stop with a blue screen. The number of CPU cores may be set higher than one.

Misc: Windows Setup notes Error Message 0x80300001

If Windows Server 2008 R2 and above is to be installed on Virtio hard disks using the Virtio driver CD for Windows, Windows reports the error code 0x80300001. The error message occurs if the partitions are recognized and the user clicks the button Next. The message means, that the installation CD of Windows needs to be inserted again.