PowerMax: embedded Unisphere with Solution Enabler

Just finish setup of PowerMax and decide to use the embedded Unisphere instead of installing one.  Besides, you can use it as SE server too.  You will need to complete the steps below.  Same info can be found in "Dell EMC PowerMax and VMAX All Flash: Embedded Management"  or 

1) Add the Solution Enabler client IP and user to the Nethost settings (don't remove the default ones)

2) Have support to check the certificate matching the FQDN of the management port if there is issue

3) Make sure SYMAPI server daemon is running.  If it is not running, engage support to start the daemon.  Unfortunately, there are restriction on what you can do on the embedded Unisphere.  

4) Make sure Solutions Enabler Base Configuration > Use Access ID, set this value to ANY.  Again, you need support to dial in to make the change.

5) Edit netcfg in SYMAPI directory in the SE Client.  Add the entry of both management IP and primary IP first.  In the case below, if you manage two PowerMax, you can add the 2nd site to netcfg file.  

SITEAEMGMT Ordered TCPIP FQDN 10.1.1.2 2707 SECURE

SITEAEMGMT Ordered TCPIP FQDN 10.1.1.3 2707 SECURE

SITEBEMGMT Ordered TCPIP FQDN 10.2.1.2 2707 SECURE

SITEBEMGMT Ordered TCPIP FQDN 10.2.1.3 2707 SECURE

If you need to manage only one PowerMax, you can setup the env var.  If you need to manage multiple PowerMax, create a batch file for site A and another one for site B.

set SYMCLI_CONNECT=SITEAEMGMT

set SYMCLI_CONNECT_TYPE=REMOTE

symcli -def

symcfg list

Connect USB to VirtualBox guest

To connect USB device to guest in VirtualBox.  First is to install Oracle VM extension pack.  I download it from VirtualBox site.  Follow instructions to try to install thru GUI with host running Bodhi 6.0 but it gives me some weird error msg.  So, I try command below instead and it works fine.  

VBoxManage extpack install

After successful installation, I can see option to select USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 in VirtualBox.  

However, it is still not discovering my USB devices.  I check /var/log/dmesg to confirm the USB devices are discovered correctly.  Then I add bodhi to vboxusers group.    

usermod -aG vboxusers bodhi

reboot the host and now, I can see the USB devices.  

Bodhi Linux as Virtual Box host

I have a desktop with AMD-FX8320 and 32G of memory for a long time to do testing. Because older version of VMware Workstation no longer supported in Windows 10, I decide to install Linux on the desktop. Besides, VMware Workstation only support 1 NAT. I would like to setup more than one NAT. So, I decide to go with Bodhi Linux 6. Installation is quite straight forward. 

All my old hardware are detected including equipment below. 

NetGear WIN111v2 USB wireless adapter (driver is Atheros AR9710 + AR9101) 

NVIDIA GeForce GT630 (driver is version 390) Latest one from vendor is version 470. 

Only problem is motherboard. It is a GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3P v1. I cannot get the USB 3.0 ports working. This seems to be an issue with Debian and Ubuntu, and there are lots of posts in forum without solution. I test different favour of Linux, and only RHEL family can discover them fine. 

However, I decide to stick with Bodhi because it is lightweight. Then just follow the Bodhi website for instructions to install Virtual Box. 

sudo apt-get install virtualbox 

sudo apt-get install virtualbox-guest-additions-iso 

Import couple of old VMware images for XP and W2K. First boot up then uninstall VMtools. Reboot and install the VB guest integration software. Everything works fine. Besides, I install xfburn. That's basically all I need on the physical host. 

Rest of the stuffs will be run in VM. From the Bodhi website, to update the OS, just run the command below. 

sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade

===================================================================

After doing more search on Google, I do find a solution to enable the USB 3.0 ports.  The link below shows the solution for the same issue with GA-970A-DS3 motherboard.  I apply it and now the USB 3.0 ports are up.  

GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3 USB3 fix for Ubuntu x64 · GitHub

Basically, first step is to update /etc/default/grub.  

Look for the line

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"

Add "amd_iommu=on iommu=pt" to the end of it so now the line now looks like this:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash amd_iommu=on iommu=pt"

Then update grub:

sudo update-grub

Hit Del to goto the BIOS and confirm the settings as below.

IOMMU: enabled 

XHCI handoff: enabled

EHCI handoff: disabled

USB Legacy support: enabled

OS type: Windows 8 

CSM support: enabled (Compatibility Support Module) 

Boot Mode Selection: Legacy (I set this one up since the disk is only 2TB).  

(Updated on 9/23)

====================================================================

For the Bodhi host, I ran the following commands to install graphics card for GeForce GT630 and other tools I need on the host.  Most of the time, I run the test and have my desktop in VM.

sudo apt-get install xfburn epdfview gdebi file-roller nvidia-driver-390

There is a new driver (version 470) released recently.  Not sure if it is tested yet and I believe it is not available in repository yet.  

Built in NIC works fine.  Only issue with h/w is WiFi (NetGear WN111v2).  Performance is not very good.  I will try to connect to a different router and see.  

For VirtualBox, couple of performance issue was discovered.  

1) Windows 2000 takes a few min to boot up.  

2) For immutable disk, the more changes I have, the longer it takes to start up on the next power on.  I create a snapshot and it helps a bit.  However, there is still delay on power up.  Not a big deal.....just go out and grab a cup of coffee.  5 min later, I will see the login screen.   

(Updated on 9/25)

==================================================================

Google and it seems the Ubuntu driver for NetGear WN111v2 does not work well with video and heavy download.  Connection is choppy.  It is ar9170 driver and seems to be an old bug that was never fixed.  I use ethernet instead.    

(Update 3/7/2022)

NetWorker NDMP backup for Isilon failed after upgrade from 19.4.0.1 to 19.4.0.3

All NDMP backup for Isilon failed after upgraded from 19.4.0.1 to 19.4.0.3. There is no change and firmware update on Isilon side. From NetWorker log, handshake is fine, and backup seems to start. 

42617:nsrndmp_save: NDMP Service Log: 

Filetransfer: Transferred 1271296 bytes in 0.125 seconds throughput of 9969.966 KB/s 

Total 1271296 bytes in this backup stream 

However, the log shows error below. When I monitor from Isilon, I don't see read activity after first few min. 

42923:nsrndmp_save: NDMP Service Error: Failed to write data at offset 220672 

42738:nsrndmp_save: Data server halted: Error during the backup. 

The error seems to point to write issue on DataDomain side. However, all other backup is fine writing to the same DD. The workaround is to disable client direct and use the old trick to use -P option to specify the storage node for NDMP backup command in NetWorker.

==================================================================== 

Forget to mention: we have 2 sites with the same upgrade. The other site works fine. Only difference between them is multi-home. The site with issue is multihome. The site that works fine after upgrade setup with dedicated backup network.

To check from Isilon side, look for NDMP logs in /ifs/.ifsvar/modules/ndmp/trade/node<ID>-ndmpd.trace

custom firmware with old TP-LINK WR1043ND

It has been 3 yrs from my last update.  Pretty busy with storage and backup migration.  Now, prepare for next migration ..... probably hybrid cloud.

Recently, I try to update my old TP-LINK WR1043ND v1.6 for my lab.  Doing some research in the forum and confirm couple of old firmware version are ok with h/w ver 1.x.  The latest version that has been tested successfully is r39290 based on the link below.
https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=319186&highlight=r39230

So, I take a chance and flash r39296 using factory to ddwrt image.  The router boots up successfully.  Power cycle it again to confirm.

Looks like WEB GUI upgrade will not work after version r33375.  My future upgrade will have to go thru tftp option. 
https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=62217&start=2445

I will test the rest of the function this weekend.

*** Tested the ethernet connection for a week.  No issue.  Will test the WiFi. (Aug 28, 2019)

*** Tested WIFI for a week and no issue found so far (Sep 8, 2019)
*** WIFI sometimes freeze after 6-8 hr of use.  Need a complete reboot of the router  (Sep 13, 2019)
=========================================================================

To flash Gargoyle firmware, first upload the original firmware vendor firmware back following the link below.
https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=315817&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Then, follow https://www.gargoyle-router.com/wiki/doku.php?id=tp-link-install to install the 1.10 stable version of the firmware.

*** Tested Gargoyle 1.10 and ethernet works great.  Management GUI responses much faster than ddwrt (Nov 10, 2019)

*** Tested WIFI next week.  WiFi is not great.  Perhaps due to insufficient CPU power.  

=========================================================================

Best option seems to be libreCMC.  Response and performance seem to be the best.  However, WiFi is not great as the others but libreCMC seems to be the best.  This is just a router for me on the 2nd network at home for testing.  So, WiFi is off most of the time.  You can also setup different VLAN with libreCMC.    (Sep 23, 2021)

Update Raspberry Pi and basic commands

I have purchased a Raspberry pi 4 with 4GB RAM for my dad as a desktop replacement.  He only uses it to login to the bank, check news and look for deal.  

Here are some commands I used to update the Raspberry OS.

sudo apt update

sudo apt full-upgrade

Use commands below to check temp of the board and CPU

sudo vcgencmd measure_temp

sudo vcgencmd measure_volts

To read Chinese in the browser, run the command below to install the fonts.

sudo apt-get install fonts-arphic-uming

D-LINK DIR882 with padavan firmware

I have the D-Link DIR-882 for almost half a yr.  ppl suggested the 1.2 firmware is ok.  It is working fine until recently.  The wireless is not very stable and the router reboots auto.  Sometimes, it happened after couple of days.  Sometimes, it lasted for a week before it rebooted by itself.  If I turn off wireless, I don't have any issue.  So, I decide to look for alternative.  The ddwrt is not too stable for DIR882.  Only certain build is ok.  Then, I see the padavan firmware for DIR882.  However, I only see instructions in Chinese to load padavan firmware in DIR-882.  So, I decide to give it a try.  Worst case, I use the old TL-WR1042ND (stock firmware) or TL-WR1043ND v1 (Gargoyle firmware).

Prerequisite
1) Putty
2) WinSCP
3) Download the older stable ddwrt build. (https://download1.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/betas/2018/08-09-2018-r36527/dlink-dir882-a1/factory-to-ddwrt.bin)  There are some stable build in May, 2020 based on the forum, pls check ddwrt forum if you decide to use ddwrt firmware rather than padavan.
4) Download a copy of breed.bin.  I find the link below is still working.
https://pan.baidu.com/s/1FH5pEl5VLKHRhzSzh7E1PA#list/path=%2F
5) Download a copy of padavan firmware for DIR882 (Thanks hanwckf)  I prefer to use one prepared by hanwcfk.  Fewer addon and the English translation in the GUI is done well.  
https://github.com/hanwckf/rt-n56u/releases
6) There is always a risk to load 3rd party custom firmware on the router.  It is not supported by the vendor.  Do it at your own risk!  
7) I don't find an English version of breed.bin.  That may be a problem because it only displays in Chinese.  You will need someone who know Chinese to complete step 17-19.  As you can see from the screenshot, it is displayed in Chinese.

Update steps
1) Power off the router (there is a power button from the back)
2) Use a toothpick to press the reset hole
3) Power on the router.  Wait for 10s and release the toothpick
4) Connect your desktop to LAN1 of the router
5) Change your desktop NIC IP to 192.168.0.11, subnet mask to 255.255.255.0 and Primary DNS to 192.168.0.1
6) Connect the browser (try to avoid Firefox) to 192.168.0.1.
7) Upload the ddwrt firmware and wait for it complete.  Always pick the factory-to-ddwrt.bin if the router is on D-LINK firmware. 

8) Change the desktop NIC IP to 192.168.1.11
9) Connect the browser to 192.168.1.1
10) Change the login and password from ddwrt GUI.  If you decide to use ddwrt firmware, you can stop here.   

11) Go to Service, enable Secure Shell.  Also make sure password login under Secure Shell is enabled.  Save the settings

12) Now, SSH to 192.168.1.1.  Run the command cat /proc/mtd 
13) Depending on the output, backup all the mtd# to /tmp
In my case, I have mtd0 to mtd6
Then, I run the commands below
dd if=/dev/mtd0 of=/tmp/u-boot.bin
dd if=/dev/mtd1 of=/tmp/u-boot-env.bin
...............................................

14) Use WinSCP to copy the backup (step 13) in /tmp of router to your computer.  Then, delete all the backup (step 13) in /tmp.
15) Copy breed.bin from desktop to /tmp of router
16) Then run the command below from putty.
cd /tmp
chmod 755 mtd-write
mtd -r write breed.bin u-boot

Now, you should be disconnected from putty.  

17) Connect the browser to 192.168.1.1

18) Select firmware backup then, EEPROM.  Save a copy on your local computer.

19) Select firmware update.  Then select the padavan firmware for the DIR882 from your desktop.  Then click upload.

20) Change the NIC to obtain IP and DNS auto.  Then, point to browser to 192.168.123.1 with credential admin/admin

21) Change the GUI to English.  First click on the Firmware version link found at the top right.

 Under Administration, scroll down and change the WebGUI language to English

Reference link (in Chinese)

1) https://post.smzdm.com/p/a07oxw8w/

2) https://blog.csdn.net/llwy1428/article/details/103582729

3) https://www.right.com.cn/forum/thread-745637-1-1.html

4) https://www.luyouwang.net/467.html

5) http://stussyxhuf.blogspot.com/2019/08/d-link-dir-882-breed-padavan.html

6) https://stussyxhuf.blogspot.com/2019/12/dir-882.html

7) https://post.smzdm.com/p/a839x3r7/

===============================================================

Firmware is quite stable after couple of the days.  Will update any issue after a month.  I don't have a new NIC card to test the 1.7G connection.  Some of the reference link showed it's possible.  

I suspect the router reboot maybe due to more load on WiFi.  I do have 4 more WiFi devices connecting to it rather than 1 or 2.  Maybe that cause the auto reboot of the router using stock firmware.  

===============================================================

5/24  I do see a WAN connection drop after 3 days.  Then reconnect within couple of seconds.  Search and do see that issue happen for some of the ASUS firmware.  So follow https://github.com/padavanfirmware/rt-n56u/issues/23 and apply the settings below.  Will update the result.

Hardware Offload NAT/Routing IPv4: to "Offload TCP/UDP for LAN/WLAN"

NAT Type (UDP only) to "Full Cone NAT"

For max connections, I leave it with 16348.
===============================================================
5/27 Checking hanwckf firmware link for all the issue.  Looks like MU-MIMO is not supported if channel bandwidth is running at 160MHz.
https://github.com/hanwckf/rt-n56u/issues/319
===============================================================
6/15  Running very stable since end of May. 
===============================================================

8/3    I see D-Link release firmware version 1.3.  However, I am very satisfied with Padavan firmware prepared by hanwckf and decide to stick with it.  Just check back hanwckf 's github.  There is no more update since May, 2020.  

12/27  I try Nov 2020 update but WhatsApp video is lagging after update.  Same for youtube.  Rollback to May 2020 update and things are back to normal.  

2021/5/18  Try the Nov 2020 update again.  Everything is fine this time.  

=======================================================

2022/8/3  See WAN connection drops recently.  Follow https://github.com/padavanfirmware/rt-n56u/issues/23 and try the following commands.  

In router's web GUI, simply go 
to menu path Administration --> Console and issue the following two commands, 
clicking the Refresh button right after typing each one:

nvram set detectWan=0
nvram commit

esrshttpdlistener keeps stopping

 After rebooting eSRS GW, it shows it is online but it shows VE is not connecting to EMC.  Checking services and see esrshttpdlistener is not started.  Try to restart service and it won't stay up.  Strange part is all network test are fine.  

Most of the eSRS is firewall related.  If it passes the connectivity test, check the hosts file as some users point out in the forum  https://www.dell.com/community/Secure-Remote-Services-ESRS/ESRS-3-06-esrshttpdlistener-keeps-stopping/td-p/7039948/page/2

Compared the hosts file with the other gateway, I found out the one with issue has an entry 

127.0.0.1  GW_hostname_longname  GW_hostname_shortname localhost

So, I modify the entry to

127.0.0.1 localhost

Reboot and everything comes up fine.  

Need to run flash program in 2021

Flash is no longer supported in 2021.  However, if you don't want to upgrade yet, here is the workaround.  

On the client machine running flash, create a mms.cfg with notepad with content below. 

EOLUninstallDisable=1

AutoUpdateDisable=1

EnableAllowList=1

AllowListURLPattern=https://10.224.0.20:8443/

AllowListURLPattern=https://10.218.0.23/

where you enter the website that you want to allow flash to run after "AllowListURLPattern=".  If you have multiple sites to use flash, you can add entry.  

If you use IE and Firefox, copy mms.cfg to the folder below.  

mms.cfg added to path below for Windows Flash

   (Windows 32bit) C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash 

   (Windows 64bit) C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash 

 

I don't use Chrome and Edge.  However, you can try to move mms.cfg to the location below.  

For Chrome

%localappdata%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Pepper Data\Shockwave Flash\System\mms.cfg

For Edge

%localappdata%\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Pepper Data\Shockwave Flash\System\mms.cfg

Besides, make sure you don't have apply Microsoft patch KB4577586.  Once it is applied, it will uninstall Flash and prevent Flash from installed again.  

Update for the removal of Adobe Flash Player: October 27, 2020 (microsoft.com)

Below are the instructions to install and uninstall flash in Windows server 2016.

Uninstall Flash in Windows 2016

DISM /Online /Remove-Package /PackagePath:"C:\Windows\servicing\Packages\Adobe-Flash-For-Windows-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.14393.0.mum"

Install Flash in Windows 2016

dism /online /add-package /packagepath:"C:\Windows\servicing\Packages\Adobe-Flash-For-Windows-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.14393.0.mum"

====================================================================

Finally, got approval to upgrade AppSync to 4.1, and it was upgraded successfully.  I don't need to worry about Flash any more.  

NFSv4 for Isilon settings issue

Recently try to setup NFS share for Isilon where NFS server is NFSv4. We have issue mounting the share even with non-root user, and see permission nobody/nobody. That does not happen with NFSv3. The NFS server belongs to a domain. To fix the issue, enter the domain name in NFSv4Domain field. However, we have a server belongs to multiple domains. We test it by setting it back to localdomain in NFSv4 and enable NFSv4 no name. Now, we don't have any issue with mount for NFS share in Isilon.