Xserve RAID comes with powerful remote management software that dramatically simplifies setup and monitoring of storage volumes. The robust self-monitoring technology and automatic notification service maximizes storage availability while minimizing the pressure on system administrators. In the event of a hardware failure, Xserve RAID can automatically notify you via email, pager or email-capable cell phone — letting you stay in touch with your storage deployment and resolve issues whether you’re on the other side of campus or across the country.
Monitor Without Performance Anxiety
The administrative software works with the environmental management coprocessor in each RAID controller module to continuously monitor system activity and the status of all key subsystems. The coprocessors connect to the host system via Ethernet, providing dedicated, out-of-band system management capabilities. This ensures optimum system performance and reliability, because administrative and monitoring activities don’t hamper the throughput of the main RAID processors or Fibre Channel interface.
Check Status From Any Platform
This Java-based application provides an intuitive interface for creating protected storage volumes, managing preferences and monitoring storage hardware from any virtually any networked computer over TCP/IP. That means you don’t have to use a Mac to administer your deployment, though, we’d like you to, of course. Once you’ve used the program to set up your RAID sets, the RAID Admin software provides at-a-glance status for monitoring subsystems for multiple Xserve RAID systems.
Slicing Arrays
To share a single RAID set across multiple servers, RAID Admin allows you to divide it into smaller segments, or “slices.”Each slice becomes a separate LUN, or logical unit number, so the host system can manage it as a discrete volume. RAID Admin can slice up to six LUNs per RAID controller and produce up to 16 LUNs per Xserve RAID system.
Local Monitoring
Xserve RAID is designed to provide continual visual feedback for local monitoring. The front panel has indicator lights and LEDs that display health and status at a glance for all system components. In the event of a component failure, the alarm system is triggered and system identifier buttons on the front and back panels light up — making it easy to locate a particular Xserve RAID in a rack with multiple devices.
Keep Tabs On the Niggly Details
Other panes display detailed information on arrays, drives, Fibre Channel, network, thermal, power and events. You can add new systems to the Admin via IP or Apple’s innovative Bonjour technology. The Admin tool also lets you set up notification via pager, phone or email based on your own defined thresholds.
Volume Software
Disk Utility in Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server lets you set preferences on individual volumes. For instance you may want to use file system journaling, which enhances server availability and fault resilience by protecting file system integrity in the event of an unplanned shutdown or power failure, maximizing server and storage uptime by dramatically expediting repairs to the volumes when the system restarts. Disk Utility also lets you combine software and hardware RAID.
