Microsoft Failover Cluster–Unable to remove a CSV due to dependency

We have a Microsoft 2012 R2 Failover Cluster (FOC) with disk resources presented from our HP 3PAR SAN. At some point two of the volumes were removed on the 3PAR however they had not been removed as Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) on the FOC. When we attempted to remove the disks as CSV resources and … Read more

HP 3PAR Simulator License Expiration Issue

I’ve received quite a few messages and comments with regard to the HP 3PAR simulator and a license issue. Basically HP have to include a time license for compliance reasons. They are currently working to upload an updated version of the simulator for us all to download and enjoy. For the moment the simplest work around … Read more

HP 3PAR Cluster Extension (CLX) License Issue

I had to troubleshoot a Microsoft Failover Cluster with a SQL instance recently and it proved an interesting one. This cluster uses the HP 3PAR Cluster Extension software (CLX) to interact with the 3PAR arrays in our datacenters and facilitate the movement of the SQL instance between sites. Note – the HP 3PAR CLI (command … Read more

VMware Networking Error – IP address already assigned to another adapter KB 1179

This is an old fault that I thought I wouldn’t see again however I came across a VM this morning which tried to automatically update it’s VMware tools install and failed. The machine was left without the tools and we had to deploy them manually. This wasn’t difficult of course however after the reboot the … Read more

HP 3PAR Grow a Virtual Volume

One of the virtual volumes used in a Microsoft Failover Cluster was almost full (~43MB space left) therefore we needed to grow the virtual volume (VV) to prevent downtime or should I say minimise as some VMs were already in a paused state due to insufficient disk space. The virtual volume in question was not … Read more

HP 3PAR Cage Degraded and the Upgradecage Command

I came across a fault yesterday with one of the 3PAR arrays under my management. Logging onto the SAN with the management console I discovered one of the cages showing as degraded as shown in the screenshot below – As you can see cage0 is unable to report on the firmware status of either card … Read more

HP 3PAR Battery Status

We currently have an active alert for a failed battery on one of our 3PAR arrays. This shows up in the alerts (see previous post) screen however we may want to see additional information. Log onto the 3PAR via your SSH client of choice and execute the command showbattery 3PAR01 cli% showbattery Node PS Bat … Read more

Tale of the changing MAC Address

Today I had an interesting e-mail from a supplier with regard to an issue they were experiencing. Firstly let me outline the issue – Devices are tracked using a combination of radio frequency technologies to ensure we can local objects (people, equipment etc) within a building Each device has an identifier, this supplier would like … Read more