Texas Memory Systems Power Supply RamSan 500 User Manual

TEXAS MEMORY SYSTEMS, INC.  
RamSan-500  
User’s Manual  
RamSan-500  
Version 1.2  
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Table of Contents  
Chapter 1 – Introduction .................................................................................. 4  
1.1 Overview............................................................................................... 4  
1.2 System Components............................................................................... 4  
1.3 Power ................................................................................................... 4  
1.4 Reliability .............................................................................................. 5  
1.5 System Management .............................................................................. 5  
Chapter 2 – Reviewing your shipment................................................................ 6  
2.1 Unpacking ............................................................................................. 6  
2.2 System Overview.................................................................................... 6  
Chapter 3 – Connections .................................................................................. 8  
3.1 Installing a Host Bus Adaptor in the Host System ....................................... 8  
3.2 Connecting the Fibre Channel Ports........................................................... 9  
3.3 Connecting to a Network ........................................................................10  
3.4 Connecting Power to the System .............................................................11  
Chapter 4 – Getting Started.............................................................................12  
4.1 Turning on the System...........................................................................12  
4.2 System Initialization ..............................................................................12  
4.3 Front Panel Display Basics ......................................................................13  
4.4 Controlling System Power with the Front Panel Display...............................14  
4.5 Network Configuration with the Front Panel Display ...................................17  
4.6 Additional System Management Options...................................................20  
4.7 Web Monitor Basics................................................................................21  
4.8 Date and time setup with the Web monitor...............................................24  
4.9 Network Configuration with the Web Monitor.............................................25  
4.10 Managing security with the Web Monitor.................................................26  
4.11 Basic LUN Creation...............................................................................28  
4.12 Viewing the Logs with the Web Monitor...................................................32  
4.13 Upgrading the System with the Web Monitor...........................................36  
4.14 If the System has a Problem .................................................................37  
Chapter 5 – System Maintenance .....................................................................39  
5.1 Contacting Texas Memory Systems..........................................................39  
5.2 Power Supplies......................................................................................39  
5.3 Flash Modules .......................................................................................41  
5.4 Fans ....................................................................................................46  
5.5 Batteries ..............................................................................................48  
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Chapter 1 – Introduction  
1.1 Overview  
The RamSan-500 is the World’s Fastest Flash-based storage system. The  
basic unit contains nine RAID-protected Flash storage modules accessible  
from the front, with a combined usable capacity of either 1 or 2-Terabytes  
and a data bandwidth of 2 GB/sec. A single RamSan-500 fits in 4U of rack  
space. Multiple RamSan-500 units scale capacity, bandwidth, and IOPS.  
1.1.1 High Performance Solid-State Storage  
Unlike other mass storage products, the RamSan-500 is not based on  
mechanical rotating disk technology, but instead on high performance  
memory technology. While each of the nine Flash storage modules may  
look like a disk, there are no moving parts and it operates with a much  
faster protocol, reducing access time and increasing the data transfer rate.  
This is achieved with the use of better connectors (rugged, more data  
pins) and a simple transfer protocol.  
While the capacity and throughput of the RamSan-500 is impressive, the  
key to the system’s power resides in its I/O structure. The RamSan-500  
can be configured with 2-8 Fibre Channel (FC) ports. Internally, it can  
handle the bandwidth and supply the IOPS needed for emerging storage  
applications.  
1.1.2 Easy Installation and Configuration  
The RamSan-500 is easy to install on a Fibre Channel SAN or directly  
attached to a server. Most common parameters, including the  
management Ethernet port, can be set from the front panel. The  
RamSan-500 also has monitoring and configuration capabilities  
through a Web browser.  
1.2 System Components  
The system components for the RamSan-500 include:  
9 Flash modules with 1 or 2 Terabytes of data storage capacity  
16-64 GB DDR Cache  
4 dual-ported 4G-bit Fibre Channel Controllers  
Hot-swappable redundant power supplies  
Easily replaceable fans  
Front panel display for monitoring and configuration  
Java-based monitoring  
1.3 Power  
The RamSan-500 includes two hot-swappable power modules that are  
auto-ranging (they accept either 110 or 220 VAC power).  
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1.4 Reliability  
The RamSan-500 is designed to offer superior reliability to other solid-  
state disks and RAID devices. Its standard features include Chipkill™-  
protected RAM, hot-swap modular Flash memory, hot-swap power  
supplies, failover ports, and SNMP compatibility. The nine-unit RAID  
design ensures data integrity even in the event of the complete failure of  
a single Flash module. In order to reduce the probability of a Flash module  
failure, the unit incorporates multiple error-correcting methods.  
1.5 System Management  
Basic management operations, including manual shutdown and alerts, are  
available from the front panel screen. Full monitoring and configuration  
capabilities are available over any browser via a password protected Java  
applet. The RamSan-500 also offers Telnet management capabilities and  
is fully SNMP compatible.  
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Chapter 2 – Reviewing your  
shipment  
2.1 Unpacking  
2.1.1 System Inspection  
TMS ships the RamSan-500 with a packing list. Ensure that you have  
received all of the components listed.  
1) Examine the external chassis for any damage that might have  
occurred during shipping.  
2) Examine the Flash modules to ensure that they were not damaged  
during shipping.  
3) Inspect the interface plate for any screws that might have loosened  
during shipping.  
4) Inspect the front panel display for damage.  
5) Report any meaningful damage to Texas Memory Systems.  
2.2 System Overview  
All nine Flash storage modules can be quickly accessed from the front  
of the RamSan-500. Each module has an interlocking system with the  
look and feel of a typical disk drive. The Flash module can be removed  
while system power is on, once the module has been selected to go  
off-line (indicated when both module LEDs are off). Additionally, all  
nine Flash modules can be removed and reinstalled into another  
RamSan-500 unit.  
Figure 1 – RamSan-500 Front  
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Figure 2 – RamSan-500 Back  
2.2.1 Rack mounting  
The RamSan-500 solid-state disk (SSD) system is a 4U rack-mountable  
system. TMS ships the system with the slides and equipment needed to  
install it into a standard 19” rack.  
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Chapter 3 – Connections  
3.1 Installing a Host Bus Adaptor in the Host System  
Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) provide an interface from the server’s PCI bus  
to Fibre Channel attached devices. HBAs are available from a variety of  
vendors. Before purchasing an HBA, ensure that it provides a driver for  
the Operating System (OS) version that you are using.  
Before installing the HBA, consult your server’s documentation to  
determine which one of its PCI slots is on the fastest and least congested  
PCI bus (see Section 3.1.3, below, for details). Next, power down your  
server and place the HBA in this slot. Power on your server and follow the  
instructions provided with the HBA to install the driver. It is generally a  
good idea to check the HBA provider’s Web site to obtain the latest drivers  
and firmware for the HBA. Updated drivers may include new features,  
improved performance, and minor bug fixes.  
TROUBLESHOOTING TIP:  
IF YOU ENCOUNTER ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE HBA, THE FIRST STEP IN THE DEBUGGING  
PROCESS IS VERIFYING THAT YOU ARE USING THE LATEST DRIVER AND FIRMWARE.  
The speed of the server and network interface ultimately limit the  
RamSan-500’s capabilities. A few different components can affect the  
maximum performance of the RamSan-500, including FC interfaces, Host  
Bus Adapters, PCI buses, and server CPU resources.  
3.1.1 Fibre Channel Interface  
Currently, the RamSan supports two Fibre Channel communication  
speeds: 2- and 4-gigabit. Accounting for encoding and overhead, these  
transfer rates allow data to be transmitted to the RamSan-500 at a  
half duplex rate of ~200 MB/s and ~400 MB/s, for 2- and 4-gigabit,  
respectively. Fibre Channel interfaces have separate read and write  
connections that allow a maximum data rate of twice the half-duplex  
rate. To sustain the maximum full duplex rate, the data usage pattern  
of the system must be 50% read and 50% write (due to the individual  
half duplex limits). To find the maximum for other data usage patterns,  
use the following formula (4-gigabit HBA):  
( Smaller usage percentage / Larger ) x 400MB/s + 400MB/s  
For example, to calculate a data usage pattern with 66% reads and  
33% writes:  
( 33 / 66 ) x 400 + 400 = 600 MB/s  
Many applications require storage bandwidth that exceeds what a  
single FC connection can provide. To accommodate this situation, we  
provide up to 8 FC ports per RamSan-500, each of which can supply  
the bandwidth described above. Using multiple Fibre Channel  
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connections requires one of the following solutions: multi-pathing  
software to a single LUN, using software to stripe across multiple LUNs,  
accessing multiple LUNs on the RamSan-500 concurrently, or  
connecting multiple servers to the system.  
3.1.2 Host Bus Adapter  
You can modify some HBA settings to increase performance. For  
information specific to your HBA, consult the HBA documentation. Note  
that many settings are intended to increase the performance of slow  
storage devices and will not be applicable to RamSans. It is always  
advisable to check the frame size. The amount of overhead for each  
Fibre Channel frame is fixed, so larger frames have lower overhead.  
Set the frame size to the maximum setting, generally 2048 bytes.  
3.1.3 PCI Bus  
High bandwidth HBA traffic can quickly inundate slower PCI buses.  
Once a PCI bus reaches its limit, you can do very little to improve  
performance. Many servers, however, provide different PCI buses with  
different speeds, and placing the HBA on a different PCI bus can  
improve performance. TMS recommends giving each 4-gigabit 2 port  
HBA at least an entire PCIX bus or a PCI Express (PCIe) slot.  
3.1.4 CPU  
At a certain point, CPU performance can limit data transfer rates.  
Determine whether the server’s CPU resources are the limiting factor  
in performance while benchmarking the RamSan-500 as a raw physical  
device. Otherwise, an improperly tuned file system or application can  
make the CPU appear to be the limiting factor when it is not. Perform  
raw device testing after setting up any multi-pathing.  
There are a few ways to decrease CPU usage without increasing CPU  
resources. Certain data usage patterns can be very CPU intensive and  
fully utilize the CPU. These usually involve small transfer sizes. When  
possible, increasing the average transfer size decreases CPU usage  
and offers better performance. Another way to decrease CPU usage is  
by enabling interrupt coalescing. Interrupt coalescing is an HBA  
dependent feature that offers a method to trade latency for CPU usage.  
This feature delays calling the HBA transfer interrupt until several  
transfers are ready. In general, TMS does not recommend enabling  
Interrupt Coalescing, because most RamSan applications benefit from  
low latency. For more information, consult your HBA documentation.  
3.2 Connecting the Fibre Channel Ports  
Connect the Fibre Channel ports on the RamSan-500 to your server or to  
a Fibre Channel switch.  
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Fibre Channel Ports  
Figure 3– Fibre Channel Port Locations  
Figure 3– Fibre Channel Port Locations shows the port layout for the  
RamSan-500. Each controller has two or four Fibre Channel ports: A and B,  
on the top and bottom respectively. The FC-77 ports on the system are  
capable of connecting to point-to-point, arbitrated loop, and switched  
fabric topologies at either 4-Gigabit or 2-Gigabit speeds.  
3.3 Connecting to a Network  
Your RamSan-500 includes a Gigabit Ethernet port for remote  
management over a network. You use this connection to configure the  
storage and management features.  
Ethernet Port  
Figure 4 – Gigabit Ethernet Port Location  
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3.4 Connecting Power to the System  
A fully loaded RamSan-500 requires approximately 250 watts of power. It  
contains redundant power supplies that are hot-swappable. Using the AC  
power cords provided, connect each power module to a power source.  
Install the socket outlet in an easily accessible location near the  
equipment.  
Power Supplies  
Figure 5 – RamSan-500 Power Supply  
The power supply includes the following button and indicators:  
3.4.1 Power Switches  
Each power module has an individual on/off switch and power indicator  
light.  
WARNING:  
A
HARD-SHUTDOWN WILL CAUSE DATA LOSS AND SHOULD ONLY BE USED WHEN  
YOU ARE UNABLE TO PERFORM A MANUAL SHUTDOWN AND BACK UP ALL DATA TO THE  
FLASH MODULES OR EXTERNAL STORAGE.  
3.4.2 AC Voltage Indicator Light  
When the power supply is connected to AC power and is operating  
properly, the indicator light attached to each power supply is green. If  
the green light is not on, either the power supply is disconnected from  
an AC power source or the power supply has failed. Check the power  
cable to determine if power has been lost to the supply or the module  
has failed. The front panel display or Web monitor may provide  
additional information regarding the problem.  
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Chapter 4 – Getting Started  
This chapter will guide you through setting up your RamSan-500. It is  
important to accomplish the following tasks to make your system usable:  
Use the front panel display to set up the network (Section 4.5)  
Get the Web monitor operational (Section 4.7)  
Use the Web monitor to set the date and time (Section 4.8)  
Use the Web monitor to configure advanced network settings (Section  
4.9)  
Use the Web monitor to configure security (Section 4.10)  
Other sections explore the configuration tools and should be read to  
familiarize you with the system.  
4.1 Turning on the System  
Separate power cables should be connected to each of the two RamSan-  
500 power modules. The 3-prong AC inlet lies at the bottom of each power  
module. To power on the system, both power modules should be switched  
on. Though the RamSan-500 will operate when only one power supply is  
switched on, this is not recommended. After a user-initiated shutdown,  
switch both power modules off, then switch both modules on again to  
bring the system back on-line.  
4.2 System Initialization  
The front panel display shows the boot process’ current state. Once the  
power is connected, the system turns on automatically and the front panel  
display begins the power-on sequence. The following happens  
automatically:  
Once AC power is connected, the  
RamSan will power-up and the  
front panel displays “System  
Status: GOOD” and shows the  
performance bars for each Fibre  
Channel port. The numbers  
represent the Fibre Channel  
Controllers. If a controller is not  
installed, the number and  
System Status:  
1      2      3      4       
GOOD  
 
corresponding performance will not  
display. The top bars represent  
port A and the bottom bars  
represent port B.  
The system is now ready for normal operation.  
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4.3 Front Panel Display Basics  
The front panel display provides a quick and easy way to view the  
RamSan-500’s status. It displays the current progress of Flash module  
synchronization and shows system warnings and failures.  
The RamSan-500’s front panel allows you to:  
Inspect the state of the system  
Select a Flash module to power off  
Change the method of IP address assignment  
Reboot/Shutdown the system.  
Four buttons located to the left of the display are used to make selections:  
Menu: This button has two functions. On any of the status or  
performance displays, pressing this button launches the RamSan Main  
Menu. It is also used as an escape function. Once the menu is open,  
pressing it returns the user to the prior screen.  
Select: When a menu item is on the display, pressing this button will  
either execute that menu option or proceed to the next layer in the menu.  
If the menu is not selected, this button is disabled.  
: This button scrolls up through the menu. It is also used to cancel  
certain commands, as indicated on the display. If the menu is not selected,  
this button is disabled.  
: This button scrolls down through the menu. It is also used to confirm  
certain commands, as indicated on the display. If the menu is not selected,  
this button is disabled.  
You can scan through the first level of options on the RamSan by pressing  
the Menu key.  
 
 
Selecting “System Info”  
displays information about your  
RamSan-500.  
Main Menu  
 System Info  
 
Selecting “System Log” allows  
you to clear your system log.  
See Section 4.15.2 for more  
information.  
Main Menu  
 System Log  
 
Selecting “Network Config”  
allows you to connect your  
RanSan-500 to your network.  
See Section 4.9 for more  
information.  
Main Menu  
 Network Config  
 
 
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Main Menu  
 Flash Module  
 
 
 
Selecting “Flash Module” allows  
you to select a module to identify  
mode or for power off.  
Selecting “Active Monitor  
Mode” changes the default front  
panel display to show port  
Main Menu  
 Active/Remove Monitor Mode  
activity across both display lines.  
This makes it easier to view from  
a distance. This option becomes  
Remove Monitor Mode” once  
it has been set.  
 
Selecting “LED Config” gives  
you a variety of options for  
controlling the LEDs on the upper  
left-hand side of the front of the  
RamSan-500.  
Main Menu  
 LED Config  
 
Selecting “Display Logo”  
displays the TMS logo on the  
front panel display. This option  
becomes “Disable Logo” once it  
has been set.  
Main Menu  
 Display/Disable Logo  
 
Selecting “Manual Restart”  
reboots your RamSan-500. See  
Section 4.4.2 for more  
information.  
Main Menu  
 Manual Restart  
 
Selecting “Manual Shutdown”  
turns off your RamSan-500. See  
Section 4.4.1 for more  
Main Menu  
 Manual Shutdown  
information.  
 
4.4 Controlling System Power with the Front Panel Display  
The RamSan-500 has features that allow the administrator to safely power  
down the system. Before powering down the system, un-mount the drives  
from your OS. Do not turn off the system by unplugging the power cords.  
4.4.1 Manual Shutdown  
The administrator can shut down the RamSan-500 manually from the  
front panel display. This procedure safely synchronizes all data in the  
RAM cache to the internal Flash module storage.  
In order to turn the RamSan-500 back on after a manual shutdown,  
switch off both power modules and then switch both back on.  
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Main Menu  
 Manual Shutdown  
 
To shut down the system using  
the front panel, use the arrow  
buttons to cycle through the  
top-level menu to select  
Manual Shutdown”. Use the  
Select button to select this  
menu item.  
The display prompts you to  
confirm that you wish to  
Power Off System?  
 Yes   No  
Power Off System. To  
cancel the shutdown, use the  
button to return to the main  
menu. To proceed with the  
shutdown, use the button to  
confirm the system power off.  
Now, the front panel display  
indicates that the system is  
powering off. When the  
system is ready, it will  
Powering Off         60%  
ꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃ  
automatically shut off.  
4.4.2 Flash Modules  
You may need to remove one or more of the Flash modules for various  
reasons. This can be done with the RamSan-500 system power on or  
off. However, if the RamSan power is on, the particular Flash module  
selected for removal must always be powered off prior to removal.  
WARNING  
REMOVING A FLASH MODULE WHILE IT IS POWERED ON MAY CAUSE IRREVERSIBLE  
DAMAGE TO THE MODULE.  
Prior to powering off a module you may wish to verify the physical  
location of a module. This can be accomplished with the “Identify  
Module” feature from the front panel.  
Main Menu  
Flash Modules  
To Identify a particular module,  
use the arrow buttons to cycle  
through the top-level menu to  
select “Flash Modules”. Use  
the Select button to select this  
menu item.  
Flash Modules  
 Identify Module  
To choose a particular Flash  
module to Identify, scroll  
through the Flash Module sub-  
 
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menu and choose the “Identify  
Module” option.  
Identify Module    
 Module 1  
Next, scroll down the Identify  
Module sub-menu to choose  
the module that you wish to  
Identify. After a Module is  
selected it Status Indicator LED  
will slowly blink Orange for four  
second and then return to its  
previous state.  
 
Once the appropriate module has been identified it may be powered  
off from the front panel.  
Main Menu  
Flash Modules  
To power off a particular  
module, use the arrow buttons  
to cycle through the top-level  
menu to select “Flash  
Modules”. Use the Select  
button to select this menu  
item.  
Flash Modules  
 Power off Module  
To choose a particular Flash  
module to power off, scroll  
through the Flash Module sub-  
menu and choose the “Power  
Off Module” option.  
Power Off Module    
 Module 1  
Next, scroll down the Power Off  
Module sub-menu to choose  
the module that you wish to  
power off.  
 
The display prompts you to  
confirm that you wish to power  
off the module. To cancel the  
module power off, use the  
button to return to the main  
menu. To proceed with the  
module power off, use the ↓  
button to confirm.  
Power Off Module 1?  
 Yes   No  
 
You can then exit from the  
Flash Module sub-menu and  
remove the chosen module.  
Flash Module Menu  
 Exit  
 
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4.4.3 Manual Restart  
The administrator can reboot the RamSan manually from the front  
panel display. This procedure safely synchronizes all data in RAM to  
the internal Flash module storage, powers off for around 5 seconds,  
and then powers back on.  
To shut down the system using  
the front panel, use the arrow  
buttons to cycle through the  
top-level menu to select  
Manual Restart”. Use the  
Select button to select this  
menu item.  
Main Menu  
 Manual Restart  
Restart System?  
The display prompts you to  
confirm that you wish to  
 Yes   No  
Restart System”. To cancel  
the shutdown, use the button  
to return to the main menu. To  
proceed with the shutdown,  
use the button to confirm the  
system power off.  
 
Now, the front panel display  
indicates that the system is  
powering off. When the  
Powering Off         90%  
ꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃ  
system is ready, it will  
automatically shut off. In  
approximately 5 seconds time,  
the system will turn back on.  
4.4.4 Automatic Shutdown  
In the event that the system senses a high system temperature,  
power out of range, or a variety of other dangerous environmental  
conditions, the system will automatically initiate the shutdown  
procedure.  
4.5 Network Configuration with the Front Panel Display  
The RamSan-500 allows system monitoring and configuration through the  
installed Ethernet module. To access the system’s Ethernet port you will  
need to provide the system with an IP address, subnet mask, and possibly  
a gateway address. The administrator may assign the IP address in one of  
three ways: Static IP, DHCP, or No Ethernet. The default factory setting is  
DHCP.  
For any questions regarding IP assignment values, please consult your  
network administrator.  
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To set up the network via the front panel, use the arrow buttons to cycle  
through the top-level menu options until the display shows “Network  
Config”. Use the Select button to choose this option and continue with  
the configuration. You may now use the arrow buttons to scroll through  
the following menu options:  
Displays a list of the current IP  
configuration, hostname, IP  
address, subnet mask, gateway  
address (if applicable), and  
hardware Ethernet address.  
Network Config  
 Show Current Config  
 
To continue setting up the  
Ethernet configuration.  
Network Config  
 Set IP Config  
 
Shuts down and restarts the  
Ethernet port using the current IP  
assignment configuration.  
Network Config  
 Restart Network  
 
Exits the setup menu.  
Network Config  
 Exit Menu  
 
Use the arrow buttons to scroll up and down through the list. To continue  
setting up the Ethernet configuration, select “Set IP Config”.  
After selecting “Set IP Config”, you may use the arrow buttons to cycle  
through:  
 
 
Enables you to set a static IP  
address for the RamSan.  
Set IP Config  
 Static  
 
Sets the IP configuration to  
DHCP  
Set IP Config  
 DHCP  
 
Disables Ethernet  
Set IP Config  
 None  
 
Returns to the Main Menu  
without making any changes  
Set IP Config  
 No change (exit)  
 
Talk to your network administrator for the proper IP assignment type. Use  
the Select button to select the desired method of IP assignment. If you  
did not choose “Static IP” you are asked to confirm the selection with  
the button.  
To configure the RamSan with a static IP, the system requires the IP  
address, subnet mask, and possibly a gateway address.  
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After you have chosen “Static  
IP”, the display prompts you to  
enter an address. Use the and  
buttons to move the cursor.  
Hit Select to pick a number.  
And then use the and buttons  
to cycle through the numbers 0  
through 9. To save the changed  
value, press the Select button.  
To revert to the previous value,  
press the Menu button.  
Ethernet IP address:  
 192.000.000.000  
 
After you have finished entering  
the IP address, scroll the cursor  
off the end – this brings up the  
Network Subnet Mask”  
Network Subnet Mask:  
 255.255.255.000  
 
screen. Using the same  
procedure as entering the IP  
address, enter the subnet mask.  
 
The final value you must enter is  
the “Ethernet Gateway”. If the  
RamSan is on a private network  
and this value is not needed,  
enter the value  
Ethernet gateway:  
 192.168.111.001  
 
000.000.000.000” to tell the  
RamSan to ignore this entry.  
The next screen commits the  
changes and automatically  
restarts the network.  
Assign Static IP?  
 Yes   No  
 
You should witness the network  
restarting.  
Restarting  
Network...   Done  
 
The final screen displays the  
assigned IP address  
New IP Address:  
192.168.111.101  
 
The RamSan-500 comes from the factory using DHCP as its IP address  
method. To configure your DHCP server you may need to know the  
RamSan’s hardware MAC address. Follow the instructions below to get  
the MAC address and to set up your system to use DHCP:  
From the “Network Config”  
sub-menu select the “Show  
Current Config” option.  
Network Config:  
 Show Current Config  
 
Use the button to scroll to the  
bottom of the screen. This will  
display 6 octets of the hardware  
 Hardware Address:  
 a2:78:90:f7:01:88  
 
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MAC address. Use this value to  
configure your DHCP server.  
 
Re-enter the “Network Config”  
menu, then “Set IP Config”  
menu and select “DHCP”.  
Set IP Config  
 DHCP  
 
The next screen commits the  
changes and automatically  
restarts the network.  
Use DHCP for IP?  
 Yes   No  
 
You should witness the network  
restarting.  
Restarting  
Network...   Done  
 
The final screen displays the IP  
address assigned by the DHCP  
server.  
New IP Address:  
192.168.111.58  
 
If the network fails to start, check the Ethernet connection and contact  
your system administrator. If the system successfully saved the IP  
configuration, you may simply select the “Restart Network” option from  
the “Ethernet Setup” menu instead of re-selecting the same IP  
configuration.  
4.6 Additional System Management Options  
4.6.1 Connecting using a Terminal Program  
To connect to the RamSan-500 using a serial port connection, use  
a dumb terminal or a terminal emulation program such as  
Windows™ HyperTerminal. Set your baud rate to 9600 with 8 data  
bits, 1 stop bit, no parity, and no flow control. Connect to the serial  
port using a DB-9 non-null serial cable.  
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4.6.2 Connecting using Telnet  
Once the administrator configures the Ethernet port on the  
RamSan-500 using either the front panel or the serial port, you  
may remotely monitor the system using a Telnet session. Set your  
terminal settings to VT100 mode.  
To learn more about managing the RamSan-500 using the serial  
port or Telnet connections, see the RamSan Command Line  
Interface Manual available from Texas Memory Systems.  
4.6.3 Connecting using SNMP  
RamSans support the Simple Network Management Protocol  
(SNMP), which is the dominant network management protocol. The  
industry has accepted this protocol due to its relative simplicity.  
SNMP standards provide a framework for the definition of  
management information along with a protocol for the exchange of  
that information. The RamSan-500 is compatible with SNMP V2c.  
The SNMP model contains “managers” and “agents.” A manager is  
a software module responsible for managing the configuration on  
behalf of the network management application end users. Agents  
are devices, such as the RamSan, which are responsible for  
maintaining local management information and delivering that  
information to a manager via SNMP. Both the manager (via polling)  
and the agent (via a trap) can initiate management information  
exchanges.  
Managers can access statistical information from the RamSan  
through its management information base (MIB). For more  
information on how to use the SNMP management capability,  
please see the RamSan SNMP Guide available from Texas Memory  
Systems.  
4.6.4 Connecting using the Web Monitor  
The RamSan-500 is equipped with a browser-enabled tool to  
facilitate system monitoring, management, and configuration. This  
Java-based monitoring application is the most popular and  
convenient RamSan management tool and will be introduced and  
discussed in greater detail below. Texas Memory Systems also  
provides an extensive Web monitor users manual called the  
RamSan Web Interface Guide.  
4.7 Web Monitor Basics  
The RamSan-500 comes with a powerful Web-based management tool. It  
is important to learn how to use this tool, as it will make upkeep and  
maintenance of the system simple.  
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4.7.1 Acquiring the System IP Address  
To use the Web monitor, you must connect to it over your network.  
You will need to acquire the RamSan-500’s IP address – which can be  
accomplished from the front panel display.  
Press the Menu button to  
display the “Main Menu”. Use  
the and buttons to find the  
System Info” option. Tap  
the Select key.  
Main Menu  
 System Info  
Use the button to scroll until  
you see the “IP Address” line  
and the line below it. Take  
note of the IP address.  
 IP Address:  
   192.168.111.58  
4.7.2 Accessing the Web Monitor  
Accessing the Web monitor can be done from any Web browser that  
supports Sun Java v1.5 or later. You can download the Sun Java plug-  
in for Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows and for both Linux and  
Windows versions of Firefox. To get the latest Sun Java plug-in, go to  
.
The following figures refer to “myRamSan” instead of an IP address,  
since “myRamSan” was assigned the IP address 192.168.111.58 from  
our name server. You do not need to use a name server to access the  
Web monitor. You can instead type the IP address in directly.  
Figure 6 – Web Monitor Login Screen  
Using a standard Web browser with the Sun Java plugin, set the  
address to your IP address. It will take a moment to download the  
Java program (10 or 15 seconds) and then the window displayed in  
Figure 6 will appear. The RamSan ships with the admin user defined  
User:  
admin  
Password: password  
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After you log in, the window shown in Figure 7 will appear.  
Figure 7 – Web Monitor Opening Screen  
From here select the RamSan icon. When selected it shows a variety  
of information about the system.  
Figure 8 – Web Monitor Information  
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A great deal of information is available in this monitor: firmware  
versions, system event warnings, environmental information, and  
system statistics.  
4.8 Date and time setup with the Web monitor  
When you acquire the system, it is important to verify that the date and  
time are correct. If they are incorrect, you can use the Web monitor to  
change them.  
From the Web monitor, expand the “Management” tab under the  
System List”. This will expose three sub-options. Highlight  
Date/Time,” it will display the current date and time as well as the  
amount of time the system has been up. Please see Figure 9 for a  
screenshot.  
Figure 9 – Web Monitor Date and Time Management  
If the date and time are incorrect you can set the time and date manually.  
Either right-mouse click and select “Set date/time…” or left-mouse click  
the clock/wrench icon in the button bar – both methods bring up the  
calendar window (Figure 10).  
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Figure 10 – Web Monitor Calendar  
By configuring the calendar, you will set the date and time of the  
RamSan-500. Additionally, the RamSan-500 supports NTP (Network Time  
Protocol).  
4.9 Network Configuration with the Web Monitor  
You should have already set up the basic network options via the front  
panel if you followed the instructions in Section 4.5 – Network  
Configuration with the Front Panel Display. The Web monitor allows you  
to change those options as well.  
From the Web monitor, expand the “Management” tab under the  
System List”. This will expose three sub-options. Highlight “Network”;  
it will display the current network settings.  
Figure 11 – Web Monitor Network Management  
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To modify the network configuration, right-mouse click and select  
Network config…” or left-mouse click the globe/wrench icon in the  
button bar. Both methods bring up the network configuration window.  
Figure 12 – Web Monitor Network Configuration  
You can manipulate the network settings and then select “OK”. The  
settings will be saved and the system’s network will be restarted. You  
should see several system messages displayed in the “Recent Event  
Log” panel of the Web monitor confirming your settings.  
4.10 Managing security with the Web Monitor  
4.10.1 Default Accounts  
The RamSan-500 ships with a high-privileged user as well as a low-  
privileged user. The high-privileged user is:  
User:  
admin  
Password: password  
The high-privileged user is allowed to change RamSan configurations.  
The low-privileged user is:  
User:  
user  
Password: password  
The low-privileged user can view statistics, logs, and other information,  
but cannot change any RamSan-500 settings.  
4.10.2 Changing Passwords  
You should configure the security on the RamSan to suite your needs.  
At a minimum, you should change the high-privileged user password  
to prevent accidental mishaps.  
To configure users using the Web monitor, right-mouse click the  
Management” tab under the “Systems List”. This will expose four  
menu options – left-mouse click “Add/Remove Users”. Alternatively,  
you may just right click the head/wrench icon in the button bar while  
the “Management” item is highlighted. Please see Figure 13 for a  
screenshot.  
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Figure 13 – Web Monitor Management Options  
A user management table window pops up and displays all current  
users in the system. By default, there are only two users, please see  
Figure 14 for a screenshot.  
Figure 14 – Web Monitor User Management  
Please change the password to your high-privileged user account  
(named “admin”) by selecting the user and left-clicking the  
Password…” button. This will pop up the “Change User” window  
shown in Figure 15.  
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Figure 15 – Web Monitor Change User  
Type in the new password and confirm it. Hit the “OK” button when  
finished.  
4.10.3 Adding Users  
You can add new users by selecting the “Add…” button in the “User  
Management” window. Doing so will bring up the “Add User”  
window shown in Figure 16.  
Figure 16 – Web Monitor Add User  
You can add high-privileged users by assigning the new user to the  
admins” group. You can give the new user low-privileges by  
assigning them to the “users” group.  
4.11 Basic LUN Creation  
The most common management activity on the RamSan is LUN  
provisioning. This section will go over the basic LUN provisioning activities  
(creating a LUN and linking it to a port), for more in-depth configuration  
details please consult the RamSan Web Interface Guide.  
4.11.1 Creating a LUN  
You can create a LUN from the “Logical Units” tree node by right-  
clicking and selecting “Create” or by clicking on the “Create” button  
after highlighting “Logical Units”. This is shown in Figure 17.  
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Figure 17 – Web monitor Logical Unit  
A wizard will open to guide you through the Logical Unit creation  
process. After reading the overview, click the “Next” button to set the  
Logical Unit Parameters. The parameters window is shown in Figure  
18.  
Figure 18 - Web Monitor Logical Unit Parameters  
The parameters available for the Logical Unit are:  
Name – This is a user defined name for the LUN to make it  
easily identifiable.  
Number – This is the Logical Unit Number (LUN) that is  
presented to the host.  
Size – This is the size of the Logical Unit in Megabytes.  
Backup mode – This affects the cache operation for the Logical  
unit. There are two modes available:  
o Writeback – Cache incoming writes in the battery  
protected cache and synchronize the writes to Flash as a  
background process.  
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o Writethrough – Force all of the writes to be written to  
Flash before acknowledging the write as complete.  
Device ID – This is an OpenVMS specific identifier.  
Report corrected media errors to the SCSI host – This controls  
whether any internal corrected errors are reported over the  
SCSI layer to the host. By default it is enabled. For most  
environments this should be set.  
Report uncorrected media errors to the SCSI host – This  
controls whether any internal uncorrected errors are reported  
over the SCSI layer to the host. By default it is enabled.  
After setting the appropriate values click “Next”. A final window will  
confirm the values. After clicking “Next” again, the Logical unit will be  
created. For the Logical Unit to be used, an access policy needs to be  
defined.  
4.11.2 Adding an Access Policy to a LUN  
The Web Management Interface provides the ability to create access  
lists for individual Fibre Channel ports. This allows the administrator to  
specify which worldwide port names (HBAs) are allowed to  
communicate with each partition. To make partitioned LUNs accessible  
to connected servers, the next step is to link the LUNs to the  
RamSan’s Fibre Channel ports. The “Logical Unit Overview” is shown  
in Figure 19, note that the Logical Unit is in a warning state notifying  
the administrator that a Logical Unit was created and has not been  
presented to any hosts.  
Figure 19 - Web Monitor Logical Unit with No Access Policy  
Click the “Access” button on the “Logical Unit Overview” screen to  
start the access policy wizard. The first step of the access policy  
wizard will provide an overview of the process. After reading the  
overview, click the “Next” button to continue to the “Access Policy  
Table” for the Logical Unit, shown in Figure 20.  
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Figure 20 - Web Monitor Access Policy Table  
To create and access policy, click the “Add” button. This opens a  
window that allows you to define the parameters of the access policy,  
shown in Figure 21.  
Figure 21 - Web Monitor Add Access Policy  
To create an access policy, present the Logical unit to a host, then  
select a “Controller Port” on the RamSan. Next, select a “World  
Wide Port Name (WWPN)” from the drop down box, this box will  
include any hosts HBA WWPN that are presented to the RamSan port,  
as well as an “Open Access”. If a particular HBA WWPN is selected  
then the LUN will only be presented to that HBA (it will be masked to  
it). If Open Access” is selected then the LUN will be presented to all  
HBAs that are connected to that port. Lastly, click the “Next” button  
to create the access policy.  
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4.12 Configuring the RamSan-500 Cache  
The RamSan-500 contains a large RAM cache to buffer write operations  
and keep the back and Flash busy with parallel operation. The cache  
details and configuration can be viewed by selecting the “Cache” item  
from under the “Storage” node of the system tree. The cache “Detailed  
Information” is shown in Figure 22.  
Figure 22 - Web Monitor Cache Detailed Information  
The detailed information includes information about the cache and its  
current configuration. To modify the configuration of the cache, click the  
Configure” button. This will open the “Cache Configuration” wizard,  
shown in Figure 23.  
Figure 23 - Web Monitor Cache Configuration  
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There are four different configuration options, Tuning, Read Ahead, Sync  
Always, and Dirty Threshold Percent. There are several options for each  
of these parameters that affect the behavior of the Cache:  
Tune Cache For – This parameter controls the cache line size and  
how the Cache works with the back end Flash Array. The two  
options are:  
o IOPS – Use a smaller cache line size and send smaller  
accesses to the RAID controller. This setting is  
recommended for storage workloads that tend to us 64KB  
or smaller accesses (most database workloads).  
o Bandwidth – Use a larger cache line size and send large  
accesses to the RAID that access multiple Flash modules in  
parallel. This setting is recommended for data acquisition  
or for a small number of users that need high bandwidth  
(some data warehouse workloads).  
Read Ahead – The read ahead setting controls whether the cache  
attempts to read additional data ahead of the location of a read.  
This can help improve performance in a highly sequential read  
environment, but wastes cache space under a random workload.  
The higher the setting the more read ahead is attempted.  
Sync Always – This parameter controls whether the cache will  
always attempt to sync to the back end Flash. When the box is  
checked, this feature is enabled.  
Dirty Threshold Percent – This parameter controls how much of the  
cache can be used for storing dirty data (data that has been  
written to Flash but has not yet been written to disk) before the  
system gives syncing the dirty data to Flash a higher priority.  
4.13 Viewing the Logs with the Web Monitor  
Perhaps the most important part of the Web monitor is the system event  
log. This log keeps track of all events that occurred within the system. If  
you are having trouble with your system, be sure to open the system  
event log and check this information.  
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Figure 24 – Web Monitor Logs  
The log events displayed in Figure 24 – Web Monitor Logs are not  
indicative of a shipped system.  
Sometimes it is valuable to save the RamSan logs made available from  
the Web monitor. To save the system event log, right mouse click the  
Logs” item in the “System List”, then select “Save Log…” Or you can  
just left-click on the Flash icon under the menu bar in the button bar while  
the “Logs” item is highlighted. See Figure 25 – Web Monitor Log Options  
for a screen shot of the right-mouse click menu.  
A second log is accessible via the Web monitor, called the System Report.  
It contains information about the system configuration, firmware version,  
environment, and a range of other information, including a copy of the  
system event log. A System Report should always be on-hand when  
diagnosing problems with Texas Memory System’s customer support.  
To access the System Report from the Web monitor, right-mouse click the  
Logs” item in the “System List” and select “System Report…”  
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Figure 25 – Web Monitor Log Options  
Once you select the “System Report…” option, a new window will appear  
and download the support log from the RamSan. It will take 10 to 20  
seconds to complete. You can then hit the “Save” button in the lower  
right to save the support log to a file.  
Figure 26 – Web Monitor System Report  
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4.14 Upgrading the System with the Web Monitor  
It is easy to upgrade your RamSan using the Web monitor if you have a  
patch file. Patch files should be formatted “rs500-<version>.patch”.  
From the Web monitor, expand the “Management” tab under the  
Systems List”. This will expose three sub-options. Highlight  
Firmware” – it will display the current RamSan-500 firmware version.  
Figure 27 – Web Monitor Firmware Management  
To update the firmware either right-mouse click and select “Firmware  
update…” or left-mouse click the open box icon in the button bar. Both  
methods bring up the patch file selector window.  
WARNING  
PATCHING THE RAMSAN-500 IS A DELICATE PROCESS. IF THE PATCH IS INTERRUPTED,  
THE SYSTEM CAN BECOME UNUSABLE AND MAY HAVE TO BE SENT BACK TO THE FACTORY  
FOR REPAIR. IF YOUR SYSTEMS PATCH IS INTERRUPTED, IMMEDIATELY CALL TEXAS  
MEMORY SYSTEMS (SECTION 4.15.1). DEPENDING UPON THE STATE OF THE SYSTEM,  
IT MAY BE REPAIRABLE.  
Figure 28 – Web Monitor Patch Selection  
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Either type in the path and file name of the patch or use the “Select…”  
button to browse for the file. When the file is selected, left-click the  
Start” button. The firmware upgrade may take up to five minutes to  
complete. While the system is patching, a variety of messages will display  
in the “Recent Event Log” panel in the Web monitor. When the patch  
has completed, select the “Done” button. You will need to reboot your  
RamSan-500 for the patch to take effect.  
Selecting your RamSan from the “System List” will produce four buttons  
on the button bar (See Figure 8 – Web Monitor Information for a  
screenshot). You can reboot the system by either right-mouse clicking it  
and selecting the “Reboot…” option or left-mouse click the arrowed circle  
icon in the button bar. Confirm that you wish to reboot the system. The  
system will shutdown for 5 seconds and then power back on. The Web  
monitor will reconnect to the RamSan-500 when it comes up.  
4.15 If the System has a Problem  
The RamSan-500 is a complex system with many redundant features to  
safeguard your data; however, components can fail. The RamSan-500 has  
many ways to inform the user about what is happening inside the system.  
The easiest way to detect if something has gone wrong is to monitor the  
front panel display. The normal display will show a line at the top that tells  
you if the system is “Good”. If the system has detected an error or if  
something has gone wrong, the front panel display will report the error in  
a concise manner.  
The system event log made available via the Web monitor will provide  
more detailed information. Please see Section 4.7 for more information on  
how to access the log.  
All errors persist; that is, they are permanently logged until the problem  
has been solved and the log has been cleared.  
4.15.1 Contacting Texas Memory Systems  
Contact Texas Memory Systems for additional support. Before  
contacting Texas Memory Systems, please save a copy of the support  
log to send to tech support.  
Texas Memory Systems, Inc.  
10777 Westheimer, Suite 600  
Houston, TX 77042  
Phone:  
(713) 278-6200  
Fax:  
(713) 266-0332  
Email:  
4.15.2 Clearing the System Event Log  
Once a problem has been diagnosed, it is important to clear the errors  
from the log. That way, future logs are not confused with old, fixed  
errors.  
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Follow the information in Section 4.8 to get to the “Logs” item in the  
Web monitor “System List”. To clear the system event log, right-  
mouse click the “Logs” item and select “Clear Logs” – alternatively,  
left-mouse click the eraser icon in the button bar. This will clear the  
system event log.  
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Chapter 5 – System Maintenance  
Texas Memory Systems designed the RamSan-500 to be easily maintainable.  
You can update firmware from the Java interface and easily maintain the  
system components. You can hot swap the power supplies and Flash modules,  
which means that you can remove and replace these components while the  
system is running.  
ELECTRO-STATIC DISCHARGE WARNING  
PLEASE TAKE FULL E.S.D. PRECAUTIONS IF IT IS NECESSARY AT ANY TIME TO COME INTO  
CONTACT WITH ANY CIRCUIT BOARDS, COMPONENTS, OR CONNECTORS. ELECTROSTATIC  
DISCHARGE CAN DAMAGE THE COMPONENTS USED IN THE RAMSAN AND ITS INTERFACES.  
Prior to performing maintenance on the RamSan-500 please contact Texas  
Memory Systems for detailed maintenance instructions.  
5.1 Contacting Texas Memory Systems  
Contact Texas Memory Systems for additional support. Before contacting  
Texas Memory Systems, please save a copy of the support log to send to tech  
support.  
Texas Memory Systems, Inc.  
10777 Westheimer, Suite 600  
Houston, TX 77042  
Phone:(713) 278-6200  
Fax: (713) 266-0332  
Email: support@texmemsys.com  
5.2 Power Supplies  
The RamSan-500 includes two power modules. The system requires one  
functioning power module to run. Please consult Section 3.4 – Connecting  
Power to the System, above for more information.  
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Power Supplies  
Figure 29 - Back of RamSan-500, Power Supply Location  
If the RamSan power supplies fail, they can be replaced while the power  
remains on to the system. There are three ways to detect a bad power  
supply. The easiest way is to examine the AC voltage LED. (See Figure 5  
– RamSan-500 Power Supply.) If it is illuminated the power supply is  
running.  
Texas Memory Systems has taken special care to enclose the RamSan-500  
power modules in a protective case to minimize the electrical risks for  
users; however, it is critical for users to follow the following steps when  
removing and replacing the power modules:  
Switch the power module off and disconnect the power cord.  
Wait 15 seconds.  
Remove the power module that needs to be replaced from the  
RamSan-500 chassis by pressing the release switch and pulling  
squarely on the power supply handle. DO NOT REACH INSIDE THE  
PROTECTIVE ENCLOSURE AFTER REMOVING THE POWER  
SUPPLY.  
Insert the replacement power module in the RamSan-500 chassis.  
Make sure the power supply is properly oriented to mate with the  
connectors, then insert the power module squarely and press firmly  
until the power supply is fully inserted into the system.  
Reconnect power to the new power module and switch it on.  
The new power module begins to operate when AC is connected and  
the power switch is turned on.  
WARNING  
REPLACE FAILED POWER MODULES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  
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5.3 Flash Modules  
The RamSan-500 comes with 9 Flash modules in a RAID 5 configuration.  
This section will go over various failure conditions and what must be done  
to correct them.  
The Flash modules in the RamSan-500 are designed and manufactured by  
Texas Memory Systems. They incorporate proprietary technology to  
interface with the RamSan backplane and cannot by used outside of the  
RamSan-500. Internal to the modules, multiple proprietary error  
corrections technologies are used to make a single module extremely  
robust and capable of smoothly handling multiple failures of the internal  
Flash media. With this technology a module should last at least 3 years,  
even under a continuous write load. If the IO load is a mix of reads and  
writes Flash modules can last even longer.  
Internal to each module there may be 1 or 2 regions (depending on the  
ordered capacity) for Flash storage. These regions are largely  
independent of one another and are each given their own status indicator  
LED on the front of the Flash module as illustrated in the figure below.  
Flash Status  
Indicator LEDs  
Figure 30 - Flash Module  
The LEDs can be used to determine the state of the module based on the  
following:  
Steady Green  
Blinking Green  
Orange  
Power, status good  
Activity, status good  
RAID Rebuilding, Degraded, Disabling  
User initiated identification of module  
(See Section 4.4.2)  
Blinking Orange  
Red  
Fail  
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OFF  
No Power, zone not present  
Because each Flash zone is independent of the other, the status of each  
zone may differ.  
WARNING  
REMOVING A FLASH MODULE WHILE IT IS POWERED ON MAY CAUSE IRREVERSIBLE  
DAMAGE TO THE MODULE. ONLY REMOVE A FLASH MODULE IF BOTH STATUS INDICATOR  
LEDS ARE OFF.  
5.3.1 Flash Module Failure  
In addition to the error correct features built into the Flash module,  
the Flash modules are protected from a complete Flash module failure  
by a RAID configuration. If only a single module fails in a RAID, all  
data in the array will be preserved. You should replace the bad Flash  
module right away. If the system detects a bad Flash module, it will  
note the bad module by illuminating the red LED on the front of the  
module.  
System Status: WARN    
Errors: Flash Module  
Degraded  
 
The front panel display will  
register a warning stating that  
one or more modules have  
been degraded. A degraded  
module functions correctly, but  
a degraded array cannot  
tolerate another Flash module  
failure without data loss.  
You can also get information about the state of the Flash modules from  
the Web monitor.  
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Figure 31 – Web Monitor Flash Module Failure Detection  
Figure 31 shows the Web monitor detecting a single bad Flash module.  
In this case, the module has been physically removed from the system  
so the Web monitor is reporting it missing. The module icons in the  
System List” show a warning icon on all suspect components. Both  
raid2” and “Flash 2” have been noted with warning icons (yellow  
triangled explanation points).  
WARNING  
REPLACE FAILED FLASH MODULES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IF A SECOND FLASH  
MODULE FAILS IN THE SAME RAID, ALL DATA WILL BE LOST IN THE SYSTEM.  
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Figure 32 – Web Monitor RAID Degraded Detection  
WARNING  
MAKE CERTAIN THAT FLASH MODULES ARE POWERED OFF BEFORE REMOVING.  
The Web monitor reports higher-level information about a RAID that  
has a missing or bad Flash module. Figure 32 above shows the RAID  
information generated by removing the same Flash drive as shown in  
Figure 31. In this case, the removed module causes the RAID to be  
degraded, meaning the RAID cannot tolerate another Flash module  
error without data loss – but the RAID is still usable.  
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Figure 33 – Web Monitor RAID Rebuild Status  
If a Flash module fails and it is replaced with a new module, the RAID  
must be rebuilt. The RAID is usable while rebuilding, but performance  
is limited.  
WARNING  
IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE RAMSAN REMAIN UNUSED WHILE ANY RAID IS  
BEING REBUILT IF HIGH PERFORMANCE IS CRITICAL. REBUILDING RAID ARRAYS  
GREATLY IMPACTS SYSTEM THROUGHPUT.  
You can use the Web monitor to examine the status of the rebuilding  
process. Please view Figure 33 above for a screen shot of RAID  
rebuild status. A RAID rebuild should take about 30 minutes to  
complete.  
5.3.2 RAID Failure  
It is unlikely but possible for multiple Flash modules to fail in a single  
RAID. If it happens, the system will turn the RAID offline.  
System Status: FAIL    
Errors: Flash Array  
Offline  
 
The front panel display will  
show a system failure. The  
system should not be exercised  
while in a failed state.  
If a RAID is put offline, all Flash modules in that array will have their  
front LED illuminated red.  
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Figure 34 – Web Monitor RAID Offline  
You can access the Web monitor for more specific information on  
which RAID is offline. An example screenshot is shown in Figure 34.  
If the RAID has multiple module failures, it will be taken offline. There  
will be a good chance your RAID will lose its data. Please contact  
Texas Memory Systems to diagnose and repair your system (see  
Section 4.15.1 – Contacting Texas Memory Systems).  
Once the RAID has been repaired (probably by replacing failed Flash  
modules), it will have to be re-initialized.  
WARNING  
R
E-INITIALIZING THE RAID WILL DESTROY ALL DATA ON THAT PARTICULAR RAID.  
Right-mouse click on the offline RAID icon shown in the Web monitor  
and select “Initialize” to start the process, or you could just left-  
mouse click the green plus sign in the button bar. It will take roughly  
20 minutes to finalize the initialization. The RAID will not be usable  
while it is being initialized.  
5.4 Fans  
The system has two fan trays, one behind the Flash modules containing  
eight smaller fans, and one in front of the RAM boards containing four  
larger fans. These fans cool components in the system. Internal sensors  
report the fan spin speed. If the fan-spin speed falls out of specification,  
warnings are reported. If they degrade and are unusable, errors are  
reported.  
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System Status: WARN  
Errors: cage 1 fan 1 speed  
is below normal levels  
(6122.82 RPM)  
If a fan degrades in performance,  
the front panel display will show  
the fan’s speed. In this situation,  
the fan is still working, but it is not  
efficient. The error line displayed  
to the right scrolls across the  
bottom display row.  
 
System Status: FAIL    
Errors: cage 1 fan 1 speed  
is critically low (0.00  
RPM)  
If a fan completely stops working  
an error is reported on the front  
panel display. The error line  
displayed to the right scrolls across  
the bottom display row.  
 
WARNING  
FIX OR REPLACE FAILED FANS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IF TOO MANY FANS FAIL THE  
SYSTEM TEMPERATURES MAY RISE PAST AN ACCEPTABLE RANGE. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE  
SYSTEM MAY TURN OFF TO PREVENT COMPONENT DAMAGE.  
Figure 35 – Web Monitor Fan Failure Detection  
You can use the Web monitor to detect more specific information on failing  
or failed fans. Once your system is displayed in the Web monitor, select  
Environmental”/“Fans”. This will display a list of all fans. Please see  
Figure 35 for a fan failure example.  
To fix a fan, determine which fan from which cage has failed – either from  
the front panel display or from the Web monitor. Then turn off your  
system and remove the lid.  
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Fan Bank 2  
Fan Bank 1  
Figure 36 – Top of an Open RamSan-500, Locations of the Fan  
Cages  
Please consult Figure 36 above to determine where each fan cage is in the  
chassis. Fans 1 through 8 are in Fan Bank 1, and fans 9 through 12 are in  
Fan Bank 2.  
Once you have extracted the fan cage, find the failed fan. There is a good  
chance that hair or dust has collected on the fan and all it needs is to be  
cleaned. Blowing compressed air into the axle of the fan can clear  
obstruction or debris. If the fan cannot be cleaned or repaired, the entire  
cage must be replaced.  
5.5 Batteries  
The system has two batteries; both are located directly in front of Fan  
bank 2. These batteries are redundant and will power the entire system -  
in the event of an external power failure – long enough to copy all of the  
data in the RAM cache to the Flash storage. Internal sensors report on  
the battery voltage level and a monthly test ensures that the current  
supplied from batteries will be able to power the system. If the battery  
voltage is out of specification or the monthly battery test fails, warnings  
are reported. If they degrade and are unusable, errors are reported. The  
batteries are redundant so the cache is not at risk in the event of a power  
failure, however, replacing the failed battery quickly is recommended.  
The batters in the RamSan-500 will last on average for 2-3 years.  
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