Administering and maintaining the K2 Storage System


Topics in this chapter include the following:

Setting up application security

The K2 System Configuration application and the Storage Utility application both require that you be logged in to the application with administrator privileges in order to modify any settings. These privileges are based on the Windows account that you use when you log in to the K2 System Configuration application. When you open Storage Utility from within the K2 System Configuration application, the account information is passed to Storage Utility, so you do not need to log in separately to Storage Utility.

You must use a Windows account that has local administrator privileges on the machine to be configured. For example, when you are on a control point PC and you run the K2 System Configuration application for the purpose of configuring a K2 Media Server, the account with which you log in to the K2 System Configuration application must be present on the K2 Media Server and must have administrator privileges on the K2 Media Server.

By default, all K2 Storage System machines are set up with the following accounts:

Account
Username
Password
K2 Configuration permissions
Storage Utility permissions
Windows Administrator
Administrator
adminK2
Run/change
Run/change
K2 Administrator
K2 Admin
K2admin
Run/change
Run/change
K2 User
K2 User
K2user
No access
No access

For initial setup and configuration, you can use the default Windows Administrator username and password to log in to applications and machines as you work on your K2 Storage System. However, for ongoing security you should change the username/password and/or create unique accounts with similar privileges. When you do this, you must ensure that the accounts are present locally on all K2 Storage System machines, including control point PCs, K2 Media Servers, K2 Media Clients, and other iSCSI clients.

NetCentral also has accounts for security levels, as follows:

Refer to the NetCentral User Guide for more information.

The NetCentral Administrator account maps to the K2 Administrator account, and the NetCentral User account maps to the K2 User account. Account information is passed between NetCentral and the K2 System Configuration application.

Virus scanning and protection policies

The K2 Media Client and K2 Media Server is based on a standard Windows operating system platform. It is important to defend this system against virus or SpyWare attacks. Grass Valley supports the scanning of system drives (the disk drives or drive partition used to house the operating system and installed application software) from a PC that is running the scanning program while the K2 computers are being used to record or play video to air. The anti-virus package executing on the PC can be scheduled to scan the system drives of multiple K2 Systems.

The following strategies are recommended for virus scanning:

With these recommended strategies, you should be able to scan K2 computers without interrupting media access.

In addition, the following protection policies are recommended:

Ports used by K2 services

The following ports are used by the applications and system tools of the K2 family of products:

Port #
Type of connection
Service name
Description
49168
HTTP
Grass Valley
K2 Config
K2 System Configuration application connection between a control point PC and the K2 Storage System device configured. Both HTTP and TCP connections are required. Most functions use the HTTP connection, but a few functions that require longer time periods use TCP.
49169
TCP
49170
HTTP
Grass Valley
Transfer Queue Service
Transfer Manager connection between source system and destination system.
49171
TCP
Grass Valley
AppService
AppCenter connection for connection between control point PC and K2 Media Client.
49172
HTTP
Grass Valley
Storage Utility Host
Connection for Storage Utility between control point PC and K2 Media Client or K2 Media Server.

Synchronizing system clocks

It is required that the system clocks on the devices of the K2 Storage System be kept synchronized. The main purpose for this time synchronization is so that entries in the various logs on the K2 Storage System devices can be correlated. The following procedure describes a mechanism by which clocks are synchronized. If your facility has other mechanisms by which you synchronize system clocks, you can use your own methods, as long as it accomplishes the goal of keeping the system clocks synchronized.

To synchronize system clocks, do the following:

  1. Designate a K2 Media Server as the time server.
  2. On each K2 Media Client, iSCSI client, and any additional K2 Media Servers, in the Windows Control Panel open Date and Time.
  3. On the Internet Time tab, enter the K2 Media Server that is the time server.

Modifying K2 Storage System settings

Use the procedures in this section when changing settings on an existing K2 Storage System. These are the settings that define the K2 Storage System. Procedures are as follows:

Accessing K2 Storage System features

In the K2 Configuration Application, features for modifying K2 Storage System settings are as follows:

Renaming a K2 Storage System

The requirements for renaming an existing K2 Storage System are as follows:

To rename an existing K2 Storage System, do the following:

  1. In the tree view, select the current name of the K2 Storage System, which is the top node of the storage system tree.
  2. Click Rename. The Rename dialog box opens.
  3. Enter the new name of the storage system and click Apply.

Adding devices to a K2 Storage System

Refer to the following topics to add devices to an existing K2 Storage System:

Also refer to Adding a K2 Media client.

Adding an iSCSI client

Refer to the documentation for the type of iSCSI client you are adding. If you are adding a NewsEdit, refer to the NewsShare Technical Reference Guide. The options and configurations for generic iSCSI clients are different than those available for a K2 Media Client, so you should not attempt this procedure without specific instructions for the type of iSCSI client you are adding.

The requirements for adding an iSCSI client to an existing K2 Storage System are as follows:

To add an iSCSI client to an existing K2 Storage System, do the following:

  1. In the tree view, select the name of the K2 Storage System, which is the top node of the storage system tree.
  2. Click Add Device. The Add Device dialog box opens.


  3. Select iSCSI Client.
  4. Click OK. The new iSCSI client appears in the tree view.
  5. Configure the iSCSI client as appropriate.

Adding an Ethernet switch

The requirements for adding a Gigabit Ethernet switch to an existing K2 Storage System are as follows:

To add a Gigabit Ethernet switch to an existing K2 Storage System, do the following:

  1. In the tree view, select the name of the K2 Storage System, which is the top node of the storage system tree.
  2. Click Add Device. The Add Device dialog box opens.
  3. Select Ethernet Switch.
  4. Click OK. The new switch appears in the tree view.
  5. Configure the switch as appropriate.

Adding a K2 Media Server

Adding a K2 Media Server to an existing K2 Storage System is not supported as a customer procedure. This is because adding a K2 Media Server fundamentally changes the baseline design of the system, which means you must dismantle the existing system and create a new system. This requires custom design and implementation services that should only be attempted by qualified Grass Valley personnel.

Removing a K2 Storage System

The requirements for removing a K2 Storage System from the K2 System Configuration application are as follows:

To remove a K2 Storage System from the K2 System Configuration application, do the following:

  1. In the tree view, select the name of the K2 Storage System, which is the top node of the storage system tree.
  2. Click Remove. The storage system is removed from the tree view.

Accessing a K2 Storage System from multiple PCs

It is recommended that you install the K2 System Configuration application on one PC only in your facility. This eliminates potential problems in the installation, configuration, and maintenance of your K2 Storage System.

However, if necessary you can install and run the K2 System Configuration application on multiple PCs in your facility. The rule for multiple access is that the first instance of the K2 System Configuration application to access a K2 Storage System in essence “locks out” any other instances. It is therefore recommended that you constrain your use of the application from multiple PCs as follows:

To access a K2 Storage System from multiple control point PCs, do the following:

  1. Install Control Point software on the designated K2 System Configuration control point PC and complete the initial system configuration. Close the K2 System Configuration application on that PC.
  2. Install Control Point software on another control point PC and open the K2 System Configuration application.
  3. Select Retrieve Configuration and enter the name or IP address of the K2 Media Server for the K2 Storage System. If the K2 Storage System has multiple K2 Media Servers, you must enter the name or IP address of the server configured first, which is designated as server 1, server A, or server 1A, depending on the level of the system.
  4. If there is another instance of the K2 System Configuration application on a different control point PC currently accessing the K2 Storage System, a message informs you of this and you are not allowed to access the system.
    If access is allowed, a Retrieving Configuration message box shows progress. It can take over 30 seconds to retrieve the configuration. When the configuration is retrieved, the K2 Storage System appears in the tree view. Make sure that you only attempt view-only operations from this PC. Do not configure the K2 Storage System from this PC.
  5. Repeat the previous steps for other control point PCs from which you need access to the K2 Storage System.

When you expand and select nodes in the tree view to view K2 Storage Systems, individual devices, and configuration settings, the K2 System Configuration application displays information as found in a configuration file, rather than continuously polling devices to get their latest information. The configuration file is saved on the V: drive, along with the media files in the shared storage system. When you use the Retrieve Configuration feature, you are connecting to the configuration file.

Reconnecting to a K2 Storage System

If you replace the K2 System Configuration control point PC or otherwise lose the connection to a K2 Storage System from the K2 System Configuration application, you can reconnect. The requirements for reconnecting to a K2 Storage System from the K2 System Configuration application are as follows:

To reconnect to a K2 Storage System, select Retrieve Configuration and enter the name or IP address of the K2 Media Server for the K2 Storage System. If the K2 Storage System has multiple K2 Media Servers, you must enter the name or IP address of the server configured first, which is designated as server 1, server A, or server 1A, depending on the level of the system.

The K2 Storage System appears in the tree view.

Taking a K2 Storage System offline

To take a K2 Storage System offline, do the following:

  1. Stop all media access.
  2. Take all K2 Media Clients and all iSCSI clients offline. Refer to Taking all K2 Media Clients offline.
  3. Take all K2 Media Servers out of service. If you have redundant servers, make sure that you know (and remember) which server is the current primary and which server is the current backup, and that you take primary/backup servers out of service in the proper order. Refer to Taking a K2 Media Server out of service.

Bringing a K2 Storage System online

To bring a K2 Storage System online, do the following:

  1. Verify that RAID storage devices, Ethernet switches, and other supporting system are powered up. Refer to the installation chapter for your level of K2 Storage System earlier in this manual for power on procedures.
  2. If K2 Media Servers are powered down, power them up. Refer to the installation chapter for your level of K2 Storage System earlier in this manual for power on procedures.
  3. Place K2 Media servers in service. If you have redundant servers, make sure that you place primary/backup servers in service in the proper order. Refer to Placing a K2 Media Server in service.
  4. Bring all K2 Media Clients and all iSCSI clients online. Refer to Bringing a K2 Media Client online.

Managing redundancy on a K2 Storage System

If you have a redundant K2 Storage System (Level 2R or Level 3R), use the procedures in this section to control the primary/redundant roles of the K2 Media Servers. Procedures are as follows:

Identifying current primary/backup K2 Media Servers

Before attempting any configuration or service work on a redundant K2 Media Server, you must be know if server is the current primary server or the current backup server for the media file system and database. While most configuration and service work can be accomplished on a backup server without affecting the operation of the Storage System, if you attempt configuration or service work on the operating primary server, it will likely result in record/play failures and/or a loss of media.

To identify the current primary/backup K2 Media Server, use one or more of the methods described in the following procedures:

Identifying primary/backup from NetCentral

While monitoring the K2 Media Server in NetCentral, do the following:

  1. In the NetCentral tree view, select the K2 Media Server.
  2. Click the Facility view control button
  3. Open the Roles subsystem
  4. Click the Media Database Server link.
  5. The Media Database Server dialog box opens and reports the Failover Mode as either Primary or Backup.

Identifying primary/backup from the K2 System Configuration application

  1. In the tree view, select the name of the K2 Storage System, which is the top node of the storage system tree.
  2. Click the Server Control Panel button. The Server Control Panel opens.


  3. Identify the primary K2 Media Server and the backup K2 Media Server.
  4. Also determine if database replication is currently taking place. You must not attempt to trigger an intentional failover event or otherwise take servers out of service until database replication is complete.

If the K2 Storage System does not have redundant servers, only one server (the left half of the Server Control Panel) is displayed, and there is no indicator for database replication.

Identifying primary/backup from the local K2 Media Server

  1. If you have not already done so, connect keyboard, monitor, and mouse to the K2 Media Server and log on to Windows.
  2. On the Windows desktop, click Start | Grass Valley | Server Control Panel.
  3. Log on to Server Control panel with administrator-level permissions. The Server Control Panel opens.


  4. Determine if the local machine is currently the primary K2 Media Server or the backup K2 Media Server.

If the K2 Storage System does not have redundant servers, only one server (the left half of the Server Control Panel) is displayed, and there is no indicator for database replication.

Triggering an intentional failover

WARNING: Do not attempt this procedure except under the supervision of qualified Grass Valley personnel.

The following procedures render the primary K2 Media Server unqualified to carry out its role in managing the K2 Storage System. The backup K2 Media Server detects this condition and triggers a failover in which it takes the primary FSM out of service and takes control of the K2 Storage System. Therefore, before using these procedures, verify that the backup K2 Media Server is fully operational and qualified to take control of the K2 Storage System. If there has been a recent failover event, wait until media database replication processes are complete. Also, be aware that the failover capabilities of the K2 Storage System are degraded until you place the machine back into service as the backup K2 Media Server.

You should stop all media access before attempting this procedure. If media access is underway, there will be period of time in which media loss will occur.

In the following procedures, K2server1 and K2server2 represent your redundant K2 Media Servers. The procedure begins with K2server1 acting as the primary K2 Media Server.

  1. Verify primary/backup roles, make sure that replication is complete, and make sure K2server2 (the backup) is qualified and ready to become primary.
  2. From the K2 System Configuration application, open Server Control Panel.
  3. In Server Control Panel for K2server1 click Stop. This starts the failover process.
  4. K2server1 shuts down. K2server2 detects (via the absence of the heartbeat signal on the serial cable) that K2server1 is gone, so K2server2 takes over as primary.
  5. Allow the failover process to complete, until K2server2 is operating correctly in its new role as the primary K2 Media Server for the K2 Storage System.
  6. Verify K2server2 as primary as explained in Identifying current primary/backup K2 Media Servers.
  7. Start up K2server1. It is now out of service. Failover Monitor service is off. If you need to do service work on K2server1, you can do it now. After your work is complete, proceed with the next step.
  8. In Server Control Panel, for K2server1, click Start. This starts Failover Monitor service, which notifies K2server2 (via a heartbeat signal on the serial cable) that K2server1 is coming online as backup.
  9. K2server1 is not yet qualified to act as backup because the Movie database is potentially out-of-sync with the Movie database on K2server2. The Failover Monitor service detects this, so it triggers the replication of the media database from K2server2 onto K2server1.
  10. In Server Control Panel, monitor the database replication process. Wait until database replication completes, as reported by the Server Control Panel.
  11. After database replication is complete, verify K2server1 as backup as explained in Identifying current primary/backup K2 Media Servers.
  12. All failover processes are complete. All media management mechanisms are now running and K2server1 is now qualified and acting as the backup.

Working with K2 Media Servers

Use the procedures in this section when doing configuration or service work on a K2 Media Server that is part of an existing K2 Storage System. Procedures are as follows:

Accessing K2 Media Server features

In the K2 Configuration Application, features for working on a K2 Media Server are as follows:

Taking a K2 Media Server out of service

This procedure applies to K2 Media Servers that are taking the role of media file system and database server.

When you put a K2 Media Server out of service you stop services such that the K2 Media Server is prevented from functioning as a media file system and/or database server. In this state no media operations can take place.

If there is just one K2 Media Server in the role of media file system and database server (levels 1, 2, and 3), before you take the K2 Media Server out of service, you should stop all media access on the K2 Storage system. To keep media access stopped, you should take all K2 Media Clients offline.

If there are redundant K2 Media Servers currently in service (both primary and backup) in the role of media file system and database server (levels 2R and 3R), take only the backup out of service. Do not take the primary out of service. If you take the primary out of service it will trigger a failover event. If the K2 Media Server that you want to take out of service is currently the primary, you have the following options:

To take a media file system/database K2 Media Server out of service, do the following:

  1. Stop all media access on the K2 Storage System.
  2. In the K2 System Configuration application tree view, select the K2 Storage System.
  3. Select Server Control Panel. The Server Control Panel opens.
  4. Identify the K2 Media Server you intend to take out of service. If there are redundant K2 Media Servers, consider that you might trigger a failover event. Refer to the explanation earlier in this section and to Triggering an intentional failover.
  5. When you are sure that you understand the implications of taking the K2 Media Server out of service, click the Stop button for that server. If required by current primary/backup roles, the K2 Media Server shuts down automatically. If the server does not shut down automatically, shut it down manually. Then restart the server. The server then starts up in an out of service state.

Placing a K2 Media Server in service

This procedure applies to K2 Media Servers that are taking the role of media file system and database server.

When you put a K2 Media Server in service you start the failover service software. This makes the K2 Media Server capable of taking the role of media file system and database server. If a redundant K2 Media Server is currently in service as primary, placing the backup K2 Media Server in service triggers the media database replication process, in which the media database on the backup is synched up with the media database on the primary.

On K2 Storage Systems with redundant K2 Media Servers in the role of media file system and database server, you must manually place the server in service whenever you power up or restart the server. This is because the Failover Monitor service—which must be running to qualify the server in the role of media file system and database server—is set to manual start mode. It does not start automatically. This allows you to control server redundancy in the various shutdown, powerup, restart scenarios you might encounter between your two servers.

To place a K2 Media Server in service, do the following:

  1. In the K2 System Configuration application tree view, select the K2 Media Server.
  2. Select Server Control Panel. The Server Control Panel opens.
  3. Identify the K2 Media Server you intend to place in service, and consider the following:
    • On non-redundant K2 Storage Systems (levels 1, 2, and 3), check to see if the Failover Monitor service is already running. In most cases it will be, since when the K2 Media Server starts up, the Failover Monitor service starts automatically. If it is not running, continue with this procedure.
    • On redundant K2 Storage Systems (level 2R and 3R), verify that the Failover Monitor service is not running on the server you intend to place in service. Also make sure that the media database is healthy on the K2 Media Server currently acting as primary. If you know there are problems with the media database on the primary server, these problems will likely be populated to the backup K2 Media Server via the media database replication process when you place it in service, in which case you should not place the backup server in service.
  4. For the K2 Media Server that you want to place in service, click the Start button. This starts the failover service. If you are placing a backup K2 Media Server into service, the database replication process begins. Database replication must complete before the server is qualified to act as the backup server.

Shutting down or restarting a K2 Media Server

To shut down or restart a K2 Media server that is in the role of media file system and database server, first put the server out of service, as explained in the procedures earlier in this section. Then you can shut down or restart the K2 Media Server.

To shut down or restart a K2 Media server that is not in the role of media file system and database server, such as a FTP server, you must remember that the K2 Media Server hosts the iSCSI interface adapters by which clients access the shared storage. Therefore, you should stop all media access before shutting down or restarting any K2 Media Server.

Identifying K2 Media Server software versions

Your options for identifying K2 Media Server software version are as follows:

Modifying K2 Media Server network settings

Read the following sections for considerations and procedures for modifying network settings on a K2 Media Server.

Modifying K2 Media Server control network settings

If the K2 Media Server takes the role of media file system and database server, modifying its control network settings on an existing K2 Storage System is not supported as a customer procedure. This is because the network identity of the K2 Media Server is embedded throughout the K2 Storage System. To reconfigure this network identity, you must reconfigure the entire system from the start. Contact your Grass Valley representative for assistance.

Modifying K2 Media Server FTP network settings

You can modify the FTP network settings using the K2 System Configuration application without directly affecting the media file system or database. However, you must be aware of the requirements of your site’s FTP, file transfer, and streaming system design, as the FTP network settings will likely need to be changed elsewhere.

Modifying K2 Media Server media network settings

Use this procedure if you must change the IP address assigned to an iSCSI interface board on a K2 media server or on a K2 Level 1 RAID storage device. This should not be necessary for a normally operating system and in fact it should be avoided if possible, as it requires a complete reconfiguration of all iSCSI clients.

To change the IP address assigned to an iSCSI interface board, open the K2 System Configuration application on the control point PC and do the following:

  1. Make sure you know the load balancing bandwidth parameters for each of the iSCSI clients, as you must re-enter these values later in this procedure.
  2. Put all the devices of the K2 storage system in an offline or out of service state. Refer to the appropriate procedures in this chapter.
  3. Remove all iSCSI clients from the K2 Storage System. To do this, select each iSCSI client and click Remove.
  4. In the tree view, expand the node for the media server or level 1 RAID storage device that has the iSCSI interface adapter for which you need to change the IP address and click the iSCSI Bridge node. The iSCSI Bridge Server configuration page opens.
  5. Select the iSCSI adapter for which you need to change the IP address and click Modify. A network configuration dialog box opens. Enter the media network IP address and subnet mask and click Apply.
  6. Add each iSCSI client again and reconfigure. Make sure you enter the same bandwidth values (load balancing) for each client as the values originally configured.
  7. Place the devices of the K2 Storage System back online.

Replacing an iSCSI interface adapter (TOE card)

If you must replace one of the iSCSI interface adapters (TOE cards) in a K2 Media Server, do the following:

  1. In the K2 System Configuration application, for the K2 Media Server with the faulty iSCSI interface adapter, open the iSCSI bridge page and make a note of the IP addresses of the adapters. Later in this procedure you must assign the replacement adapter the same IP address as currently assigned to the faulty adapter.
  2. Take the clients of the K2 Storage System offline and take all K2 Media Servers out of service.
  3. Power down the K2 Media Server with the faulty iSCSI interface adapter and replace the iSCSI interface adapter. Refer to the service documentation on the Dell Documentation CD for procedures.
  4. Power up the K2 Media Server.
  5. In the K2 System Configuration application, open the iSCSI bridge page of the K2 Media Server. It displays the replacement adapter, identified by MAC address, with its IP address set to 0.0.0.0.
  6. Assign the replacement adapter the same IP address as originally assigned to the faulty adapter.
  7. Restart the K2 Media Server to put the change into effect.
  8. Place the K2 Media Server or Servers in service. Refer to procedures earlier in this chapter as appropriate for your K2 Storage System level and/or redundant server configuration.

Recovering from a failed K2 Media Server system battery

When the system battery in a K2 Media Server fails (non rechargeable) the system configuration is lost, and the system will not complete startup processes when the battery is replaced.

To recover from a failed battery, do the following:

  1. Restart the K2 Media Server.
  2. A startup screen displays the message “Invalid configuration information - Please run setup program. Time of day not set - Please run setup program.”
  3. Press F2 to enter setup.
  4. Set the system date and time
  5. Select System Setup | Integrated Devices
  6. Select RAID. This also sets ChA and ChB to RAID
  7. Restart the K2 Media Server.
  8. A startup screen displays the message “Warning: Detected mode change from SCSI to RAID on ChA of the embedded RAID system.”
  9. Select Yes.
  10. A startup screen displays the message “Warning: Detected mode change from SCSI to RAID on ChB of the embedded RAID system.”
  11. Select Yes.
  12. The K2 Media Server restarts as normal.

When startup completes, normal operation is restored.

Working with K2 Media Clients

Use the procedures in this section when doing configuration or service work on a K2 Media Client that is part of an existing K2 Storage System. Procedures are as follows:

Accessing K2 Media Client features

In the K2 Configuration Application, features for working on a K2 Media Client are as follows:

Taking a K2 Media Client offline

When you put a K2 Media Client into the offline state, its channels are disconnected from the media database. In this state no media operations can take place. While there are no configuration tasks for which the offline state is required, you can use the Take Offline feature whenever you want to prevent media access operations from starting.

Before taking a K2 Media Client offline, you should stop all media access.

To take a K2 Media Client offline, in the tree view select the K2 Media Client and then click Take Offline and then Yes to confirm.

Taking all K2 Media Clients offline

You can take all the K2 Media Clients in a K2 Storage System offline with one operation. When you put a K2 Media Client into the offline state, its channels are disconnected from the media database. In this state no media operations can take place. While there are no configuration tasks for which the offline state is required, you can use the Take Offline feature whenever you want to prevent media access operations from starting.

Before taking K2 Media Clients offline, you should stop all media access.

To take all K2 Media Clients offline, in the tree view select the K2 Media Server and then click Take Offline and then Yes to confirm.

Bringing a K2 Media Client online

You have two options for bringing K2 Media Client that is currently in the offline state back into the online state, as follows:

Shutting down or restarting a K2 Media Client

Before you shut down or restart a K2 Media Client, you should stop all media access.

Your options for shutting down a K2 Media Client are as follows:

Adding a K2 Media client

The requirements for adding a K2 Media client to an existing K2 Storage System are as follows:

To add a K2 Media Client to an existing K2 Storage System, do the following:

  1. In the tree view, select the name of the K2 Storage System, which is the top node of the storage system tree.
  2. Click Add Device. The Add Device dialog box opens.


  3. Select the K2 Media Client.
  4. Click OK. The new client device appears in the tree view.
  5. Configure the K2 Media Client as appropriate.

Removing a K2 Media Client

The requirements for removing a K2 Media Client from an existing K2 Storage System are as follows:

To remove a K2 Media Client, do the following:

  1. Stop media access on the K2 Media Client. To do this you can select the K2 Media Client and click Take Offlline.
  2. In the tree view, select K2 Media Client.
  3. Click Remove and Yes to confirm. The K2 Media Client is removed from the tree view.

Identifying K2 Media Client software versions

Your options for identifying K2 Media Client software version are as follows:

Modifying K2 Media Client control network settings

To modify the hostname or IP address of a K2 Media Client, use the following procedure. Refer to procedures elsewhere in this chapter for the details of individual steps.

  1. Make sure you know the load balancing (bandwidth) parameters currently set for the K2 Media Client in the K2 System Configuration application. You must reconfigure these parameters later in this procedure.
  2. Remove the K2 Media Client from the K2 Storage System.
  3. Modify the hostname or IP address.
  4. Edit hosts files or other name resolution mechanisms for all the devices of the K2 Storage System.
  5. Add the K2 Media Client as a new device to the K2 Storage System, load balancing the K2 Media Client just as it was previously. This is important, as you want the K2 System Configuration application to assign it to the same available bandwidth on the same iSCSI target as previously.

Modifying K2 Media Client media network settings

To modify the media network IP address of a K2 Media Client, use the following procedure. Refer to procedures elsewhere in this document for the details of individual steps.

  1. Stop media access on the K2 Media Client.
  2. In the K2 System Configuration application, open the Network configuration page for the K2 Media Client.
  3. Modify the IP address.
  4. Edit hosts files or other name resolution mechanisms for all the devices of the K2 Storage System.
  5. Restart the K2 Media Client.

Modifying load balancing

Modifying the iSCSI load balancing on an existing K2 Storage System is not supported as a customer procedure. This is because the load balancing is a fundamental baseline for the design of the system. To change the load balancing specifications requires custom design and implementation services that should only be attempted by qualified Grass Valley personnel.

Refer to the K2 Media Client System Guide for a general discussion of load balancing.

Using Storage Utility

When doing configuration or service work on the media file system, the media database, or the RAID storage devices of an existing K2 Storage System, the primary tool is the Storage Utility. Refer to Storage Utility for a general description.

CAUTION: Use the Storage Utility only as directed by a documented procedure or by Grass Valley Support. If used improperly, the Storage Utility can render your K2 Storage System inoperable or result in the loss of all your media.

The installation chapters earlier in this document provide instructions for using Storage Utility as you initially set up and configure a level 1 through level 3 redundant K2 Storage System. You should refer to those instructions for information that is specific to the level of your K2 Storage System. Procedures in this section are as follows:

Accessing Storage Utility

To access the Storage Utility, you must open it from within the K2 System Configuration application. Access permissions are passed from the K2 System Configuration application to the Storage Utility as it opens, so make sure that you are logged in with sufficient permissions.

You open the Storage Utility from within the K2 System Configuration application in the following ways:

NOTE: Do not run Storage Utility on an external storage K2 Media Client. For external storage, run Storage Utility only via the K2 System Configuration application.
NOTE: Do not run Storage Utility as a stand-alone application, separate from the K2 System Configuration application. To maintain a valid K2 Storage System all configuration must be controlled and tracked through the K2 System Configuration application.

Overview of Storage Utility

The Storage Utility user interface includes a tree view in the left-hand pane, and a status information area displayed in the right-hand pane. The tree view displays the hardware that make up the RAID storage system connected. The context menus in the tree view are used to configure storage. The right-hand status pane displays information about the item selected in the tree view. The tree view hierarchy is as follows:

Refer to the following procedures to use Storage Utility for maintenance and configuration tasks

Working on the media file system and database

Use the procedures in this section when doing configuration or service work on the media file system or the media database of an existing K2 Storage System. Procedures are as follows:

Checking the media file system

This procedure checks the media file system but retains current media files. The requirements for this procedure are as follows:

NOTE: This procedure can take 20 hours or more on a large storage system. Do not start this process unless you have adequate time set aside.

To check the media file system, do the following:

  1. Click Tools | Check File System.
  2. A message box appears “Checking media file system. Please wait”. Observe progress.
  3. If problems are discovered they are reported. If the check process passes, when the process is complete a message appears to confirm success.
  4. Click OK to dismiss the results.
  5. Your file system has been checked.

Cleaning unreferenced files and movies

These procedures allow you to keep the media database and the media files in sync. You can check the movies (clips) in the media database for the references to media files that should be currently stored on the media disks. Likewise, you can check for media files that are not referenced by a movie in the media database. If you find any unreferenced files or movies, you can delete them. The requirements for these procedures are as follows:

To clean unreferenced files, do the following:

  1. Click Tools | Clean Unreferenced Files.
  2. A message box appears “…searching…Please wait”. Observe progress.
  3. A message box reports results. Respond as follows:
    • If no unreferenced files are found, click OK to dismiss the results.
    • If unreferenced files are discovered, you are prompted to delete them. Click Yes to delete the files or No to leave the files intact.

To clean unreferenced movies, do the following:

  1. Click Tools | Clean Unreferenced Movies.
  2. A message box appears “…searching…Please wait”. Observe progress.
  3. A message box reports results. Respond as follows:
    • If no unreferenced movies are found, click OK to dismiss the results.
    • If unreferenced movies are discovered, you are prompted to delete them. Click Yes to delete the movies or No to leave the movies intact.

Making a new media file system

The requirements for this procedure are as follows:

NOTE: You lose all media with this procedure.

To make a new media file system, do the following:

  1. Click Tools | Make New File System.
  2. The Settings dialog box opens.



  3. Configure the Settings dialog box as follows:
    • For Real Time Input Output (RTIOs), enter the number specified for the design of your K2 Storage System. Contact your Grass Valley representative if you do not know this number.
    • For Windows Security on a K2 Storage System with only K2 Media Clients, leave this setting unchecked.
    • For Windows Security on a K2 Storage System with NewsEdits, refer to the NewsShare Technical Reference Guide.
    Click OK. The Configuration File dialog box opens.
  4. On the Configuration File dialog box, you can view media file system settings, but do not attempt to change them. Click Accept.
  5. A “Making new file system. Please wait” message box displays progress.
  6. When a message “Succeeded to make the new file system…” appears, click OK.
  7. Restart the K2 Media Server.
  8. You now have a blank (empty) file system. However, the media database still contains references to media files which are no longer present in the file system. To clear the media database do the following:
    1. In the K2 System Configuration application tree view, open the node for the K2 Media Server and select the Database Server node to open its property page.
    2. On the Database Server property page click Erase media database.
    3. A message box displays progress.
    4. Wait until a message confirms that the process is complete. This can take several minutes.
    5. If you have redundant K2 Media Servers, repeat these steps to clear the media database on the other (redundant) server.
  9. Close Storage Utility.
  10. Place the K2 Storage System back online.

Expanding the media file system by capacity

NOTE: This procedure should only be attempted under the supervision of qualified Grass Valley support personnel. Contact your Grass Valley representative for assistance.

If you need to increase the storage capacity of your K2 Storage System, you can do so by adding one or more Expansion Chassis, up to the maximum number of chassis allowed for your level of storage.

When expanding by capacity, you must add enough storage to support the entire bandwidth load of the system. For example, if the current system requires six LUNs to support its bandwidth specification, then you must add another six LUNs to expand the system’s storage capacity.

When you add an Expansion Chassis to increase storage capacity, use the following procedure:

  1. Install and cable the Expansion Chassis.
  2. Bind the LUNs in the Expansions Chassis using Background Bind.
  3. When binding is complete, put the K2 Storage System in an offline state as follows:
    • You must access Storage Utility (via the K2 System Configuration application login) with permissions equivalent to K2 administrator or higher.
    • When you access Storage Utility, the K2 Storage System must be offline.
    • All iSCSI clients and K2 Media Clients in the K2 Storage System must be shut down.
  4. Restart the K2 Media Server.
  5. In Storage Utility, select Tools | Expand File System By Capacity.
  6. A message box reports progress. When a message reports success, the process is complete.

Expanding the media file system by bandwidth

This procedure should only be attempted by qualified Grass Valley support personnel. Contact your Grass Valley representative for assistance.

Working with RAID storage

Use the procedures in this section when doing configuration or service work on the RAID storage devices of an existing K2 Storage System. Procedures are as follows:

Checking RAID storage subsystem status

Some limited status information for storage subsystems is displayed in the Storage Utility. This can be helpful when configuring storage. You can view status information by selecting items in the tree view.

Item in tree view
Status information displayed
Controllers in Device
Number of Controllers
Controller
Peer Status
Primary IP
Serial Number
Slot
Peer Slot
Microcode Version
Bound
Number of LUNs
LUN
Binding Type, such as RAID 1
State (online or offline)
Disk
Firmware
Vendor
State
Product ID
Capacity
Unbound
Number of disks

Checking controller microcode

As explained in the previous section, to check controller microcode, in Storage Utility select the controller in the tree view and the microcode version is displayed.

Identifying disks

When you do maintenance or service work on your RAID storage, it is important for many tasks that you positively identify the disk or disks on which you are working. Your primary indicators for this are the numbering of the disks in Storage Utility and the ability to flash the disk LED on a physical disk or a group of disks.

Disk numbering in Storage Utility uses the following conventions:

In addition, Storage Utility’s Identify feature allows you to flash the disk LEDs so that you can physically locate a specific disk module or group of disk modules that make up a LUN. Always use the disk identify feature before removing and replacing a failed disk module. Accidentally removing the wrong disk module can destroy all data on the disk drives.

To identify RAID disks do the following:

  1. Open Storage Utility and in the tree view expand all nodes so that all disks are displayed.
  2. Open the bezel on the RAID storage chassis or otherwise make sure you can see disk LEDs.
  3. Identify the disks in a LUN or identify a single disk, as follows:
    1. In the Storage Utility tree view, right-click a LUN or right-click a single disk, then select Identify LUN or Identify Disk in the context menu. A message box opens with a message that informs you that a disk or disks are blinking.
    2. The LEDs on the disk or disks display a flashing pattern. Verify the location of the disk or disks.

Get controller logs

  1. In the Storage Utility tree view, select the controller.
  2. Click Actions | Get Controller Logs.
  3. A message informs you of the location of the logs.
  4. Find the log files on the K2 Media Sever at C:\profile\logs.

Unbind LUN

Unbinding reverses the bind process. Unbinding might be needed when reconfiguring a storage system. Level 2 and Level 3 RAID storage devices allow unbinding LUNs independently. For the Level 1 RAID storage chassis you can only unbind one LUN at a time.

CAUTION: Unbinding destroys all data stored on disk modules.

The requirements for this procedure are as follows:

To unbind a LUN, do the following:

  1. In the tree view, right-click the LUN and select Unbind LUN.
  2. When warning messages appear “…destroy all existing media…” and “Are you sure?”, click OK to continue. The Unbind LUNs dialog box opens.


  3. Verify that the LUN or LUNs you intend to unbind is in the Selected LUNs box. If not, select LUNs and click the arrow buttons until the LUNs you intend to bind are in the Selected LUNs box and the LUNs you do not intend to unbind are in the Available LUNs box.
NOTE: As an aid in identifying a disk module’s physical location, select it in the Selected Disks list, then click Identify Disks. This causes the disk drive LED to flash.
  1. Click OK to close the Unbind LUNs dialog box and begin the unbinding process. The Progress Report dialog box opens, showing the status of the unbinding process.
  2. When progress reports 100% complete, the LUN is unbound.
  3. Restart the K2 Media Server.

Binding LUNs

Binding disk modules formats them into a logical units called LUNs. The disks that make up a LUN are accessed as a contiguous disk space. Disk modules must be bound before they can be part of the video storage file system.

You can use the Storage Utility to bind disk modules as RAID 1, RAID 3, RAID 5, or as hot spare LUNs, depending on the storage needs of your system.

For simplicity, the Storage Utility only allows binding the first available (at the top of the Available Disks list) contiguous disk modules into LUNs. After binding, disk modules become slot specific and cannot be moved to other disk module slots.

The requirements for this procedure are as follows:

To bind a LUN, do the following:

  1. In the tree view, right-click the Unbound node and select Bind LUN. (Peer controllers that share the same set of disks are automatically selected as a pair.)
  2. The Bind LUN dialog box opens showing all unbound disks for the controller listed in the Available Disk list.



  3. Configure the Full Bind checkbox as follows:
    • If you are binding all the LUNs for a new or a reconfigured storage system, leave Full Bind selected. To do a Full Bind, the K2 Storage System must be in the offline mode.
    • If you are adding LUNs to an existing storage system you can uncheck Full Bind. This allows a background bind process. With a background bind the binding process runs on the new LUNs while media access continues on the existing LUNs of the storage system. You can do a background bind while the K2 Storage System is in the online mode.
  4. In the LUN TYPE drop down box, select the RAID type. For Level 2 RAID you can select RAID 1 or RAID 3. For Level 3 RAID you can select RAID 1 or RAID 5. Refer to the installation chapter earlier in this document for your level of storage system for specific instructions.
  5. In the Available Disks box, select contiguous disks at the top of the list as appropriate for the RAID type. (TIP: Use ‘shift-click’ or ‘control-click’ to select disks.)
  6. Click the add (arrow) button to add disks to the Selected Disks list.
NOTE: As an aid in identifying a disk module’s physical location, select it in the Selected Disks list, then click Identify Disks. This causes the disk drive LED to flash.
  1. Click OK to close the Bind LUN dialog box and begin the binding process. The Progress Report dialog box opens, showing the status of the binding process.
  2. Close the Progress Report and repeat these steps for other unbound disks.
NOTE: RAID controllers can take several hours to bind a LUN. Make sure you initiate multiple simultaneous binding processes to reduce the overall time.
  1. Upon 100% completion, click Close in Progress Report window.
  2. Restart the K2 Media Server.

Binding Hot Spare drives

You can bind disks as hot spare drives. Hot spare drives are on standby and are used in the event of a drive failure in a LUN. If a drive fails, the RAID Controller automatically selects a hot spare drive to use in place of the failed drive. This prevents the system from operating in a degraded state.

If the drives you want to designate as hot spares are bound as part of a LUN, you must unbind the drives first, then bind them as hot spares. To function as a Hot Spare, the drive must be at least as fast and have at least as much capacity as the failed drive it replaces.

The requirements for this procedure are as follows:

To bind drives as hot spare drives, do the following:

  1. In Storage Utility, right-click the Unbound node for a controller, then select Bind LUNs in the context menu. (Peer controllers that share the same set of disks are automatically selected as a pair.)
  2. The Binding LUN dialog box opens showing all unbound disks for the controller listed in the Available Disk list.
  3. Select Hot Spare using the LUN TYPE drop-down box.
  4. In the Available Disks box, select the disk(s) to be used as hot spares, then click the add (arrow) button to add them to the Selected Disks list.
NOTE: As an aid in identifying a disk module’s physical location, select it in the Selected Disks list, then click Identify Disks. This causes the disk drive LED to flash.
  1. Click OK to close the Binding LUN… dialog box and begin the binding process. The Progress Report dialog box opens, showing the status of the binding process.
  2. Upon 100% completion, click Close in Progress Report window.
  3. Restart the K2 Media Server.

Loading RAID controller microcode

You might be instructed in K2 release notes to upgrade the RAID Controller microcode on the RAID chassis. This allows you to take advantage of the RAID enhancements and benefit from improved reliability.

To upgrade RAID Controller microcode, do the following:

  1. In Storage Utility, right-click a controller in the tree view, then select Advanced | Load Controller Microcode. Redundant controllers that share the same set of disks are automatically selected and upgraded as a pair.
  2. The Open File dialog box appears.



  3. In the Open File dialog box, browse to the latest controller microcode file for your controller, select the file, and click OK.
  4. The Progress Report window appears showing the microcode upgrade task and the percentage completion.
  5. On 100% completion, power cycle the RAID controller chassis, then restart the K2 Media Server.

Downloading disk drive firmware

You might be instructed K2 release notes to upgrade disk drive firmware. This allows you to take advantage of the disk drive enhancements and benefit from improved performance and reliability.

To determine your disk drive type and current firmware version, select a disk drive icon in the Storage Utility tree view, then note the drive properties reported in the right-hand pane. Use the following procedure if you need to download disk drive firmware.

NOTE: The disk drives on each controller are upgraded one at a time which can take as long as 2 minutes per drive. Take this into consideration when scheduling the upgrade.

Requirements for this procedure are as follows:

To download disk drive firmware, do the following:

  1. In the Storage Utility, right-click a controller in the tree view, then select Advanced | Download Disk Firmware in the context menu. The Open File dialog box opens.
NOTE: You can download firmware to a single disk by right-clicking a disk icon in the tree view.
  1. In the Open File dialog box, browse to the latest firmware file for your disks, select the file, and click.
  2. Click OK.
  3. The Progress Report window appears showing the disk firmware download task and the percentage completion.
  4. When finished, restart the RAID storage and the K2 Media Server.

Replacing a disk module

In the event of a disk drive failure, you’ll repair the system by replacing the disk module as soon as possible. Refer to the Instruction Manual for your level of RAID storage chassis for information on removing and replacing disk modules.

NOTE: Always use Storage Utility to physically identify the failed disk module. Accidently removing the wrong disk module can destroy all media on the disk drives.

When the RAID controller detects that the disk module has failed, it automatically disables the disk module. This is reported in Storage Utility, and you should verify that the disk module is disabled before removing it.

In some cases you might suspect that the disk module is going bad, but the controller has not yet detected a failure and has therefore not yet disabled the drive. In this case you should manually disable the disk module before you remove it. This avoids momentary interruptions in signal output that can occur. The disabled state is persistent and the disk remains disabled even if the RAID chassis is restarted. After replacing the disabled disk module, the disk rebuild process starts automatically, which also enables the disk module.

To replace a disk module, do the following:

  1. Open Storage Utility.
  2. Expand the tree view to display bound disks.
NOTE: Disks modules may not be visible in the tree view if they are part of a newly bound LUN. You must restart your RAID chassis and the K2 Media Server to allow the drive modules to be seen in Storage Utility.
  1. Identify the disk in question. Refer to Identifying disks.
  2. Select the disk module icon and check its status, then proceed as follows:
    • If the disk module reports as disabled, proceed to the next step in this procedure.
    • If the disk module reports as online, right-click the disk module and select Advanced | Disable Drive, then click OK to continue. A message “…operation succeeded…” appears. The disk is disabled, as reported by the disk fault LED.
NOTE: If you accidentally disable the wrong disk module, you can enable it again by removing it and then replacing it in the chassis.
  1. Remove and replace the disk module.
  2. Refer to procedures in the Instruction Manual for your level of RAID storage chassis.
    On inserting the replacement disk module, the RAID controller automatically starts rebuilding the drive. You can verify rebuild status by looking at the disk access LED on the front of the disk module, or by checking disk status in Storage Utility.
  3. Wait approximately 1 minute for the disk to initialize.
  4. The disk ready LED is flashing.
  5. To check rebuild status, do one of the following:
    • Select the replacement disk icon in Storage Utility, then view the disk status in the right-hand pane. You may need to refresh the Storage Utility display. On completion, the drive status changes from Rebuilding to Online.
    • Open the Progress dialog box, by clicking View | Progress Report.

Replacing a controller

If the RAID chassis has a single controller (non-redundant), you must take the K2 Storage System offline before replacing a failed controller. Refer to procedures in the Instruction Manual for your level of RAID storage chassis. The remainder of this procedure does not apply to non-redundant systems.

If the RAID chassis has redundant controllers and is properly cabled and configured for a redundant K2 Storage System, you can replace a failed controller while media access is underway, as described in this procedure. When a controller detects a fault on its redundant partner controller, the good controller disables the faulty controller automatically. In most cases an error message informs you of the fault and when you check the controller’s status in Storage Utility it reports as disabled.

However, you can also manually disable a controller. In the event that one of the RAID controllers appears operational, but also reports faults through various log files and status indicators, you can choose to disable the controller and replace it. Disabling the controller and removing it in this way avoids interruptions in signal output that can occur if the module fails or if it is simply hot swapped while it is the active controller. When the replacement RAID controller module is installed, it is automatically enabled and becomes the backup controller.

For the Level 3 primary RAID chassis with two controllers, if the replacement controller’s firmware is not the same as the firmware on the redundant (currently installed) controller, the firmware on the replacement controller is automatically upgraded or downgraded to match the current system level firmware.

NOTE: Refer to the Instruction Manual for your level of RAID storage chassis for procedures on removing and replacing the RAID controller module.

To replace a controller, do the following:

  1. Open the Storage Utility.
  2. Expand the tree view to display the controllers.
  3. Select the controller and check its status, then proceed as follows:
    • If the faulty controller reports as disabled, proceed to the next step in this procedure.
    • If the faulty controller reports as online, right-click the controller icon in the tree view, and select Advanced | Disable Controller 0 or Disable Controller 1, then click OK to continue.
    • The RAID controller is disabled. You can check controller status in the Storage Utility. You may need to refresh the display.
NOTE: If you accidentally disable the wrong controller, you can enable it again by removing it and then replacing it in the chassis.
  1. Remove and replace the disabled RAID controller module.
  2. Refer to procedures in the Instruction Manual for your level of RAID storage chassis.
  3. On inserting the replacement RAID controller, it initializes and is automatically enabled to become the “backup” RAID controller.

Configuring Level 2 RAID chassis network and SNMP settings

Through Storage Utility you can configure the following settings on a RAID chassis:

For the Level 2 RAID chassis, network and SNMP settings are set and stored on the LAN card. Therefore, if the RAID chassis has two RAID controllers, they are configured as a single device, as in the following procedure.

  1. In the Storage Utility, right-click the icon for a RAID controller and select Configuration | Network Properties. The Network Settings dialog box opens.


  2. Enter network settings.
  3. For each SNMP manager to which you want to send SNMP trap messages, enter the IP address of the PC hosting the manager. For monitoring with NetCentral, enter the IP address of the NetCentral server PC.
  4. Click OK to save settings and close.
  5. Restart the RAID chassis to put SNMP configuration changes into effect.

Configuring Level 3 RAID chassis network and SNMP settings

Thought Storage Utility you can configure the following settings on a RAID chassis:

For the Level 3 RAID chassis, network and SNMP settings are set and stored on the RAID controller. Therefore, if the RAID chassis has two controllers, each controller must be configured separately, as in the following procedure.

  1. In the K2 System Configuration application tree view, open the node for a K2 Media Server and select the File System Server node to open its property page. On the property page click Launch Storage Utility. Storage Utility opens.You can now configure the network settings on the controller connected to the selected K2 Media Server.
  2. In the Storage Utility, right-click the icon for a RAID controller and select Configuration | Network Properties. The Network Settings dialog box opens.


  3. Enter network settings.
  4. For each SNMP manager to which you want to send SNMP trap messages, enter the IP address of the PC hosting the manager. For monitoring with NetCentral, enter the IP address of the NetCentral server PC.
  5. Click OK to save settings and close.
  6. If you are working on a Level 3 RAID chassis with two RAID controllers, repeat this procedure except in the K2 System Configuration select the K2 Media Server connected to the other RAID controller.
  7. Restart the RAID chassis to put SNMP configuration changes into effect.

Working with Ethernet switches

Use the procedures in this section when doing configuration or service work on a Gigabit Ethernet switch that is part of an existing K2 Storage System.

In the K2 Configuration Application, features for working on a Ethernet switch are as follows:

From the K2 System Configuration application, you can click the Configure Switch button to open the switch’s web configuration application. Refer to the installation procedures earlier in this document for switch configuration information for levels 1 through 3R storage systems.


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