Administering Azure Stack HCI using Windows Admin Center (WAC) – Part5

Step

Detail

1

In this lab, while the VM is still running, we will edit the VM to remove attached DVD (for live migration later), change the VM memory, disk size and etc.

1.1

From Windows Admin Center >> S2dcluster.wslab.local >> Virtual machines >> Inventory

Select AppServer01 >> click Settings

1.2

Select Disks

DVD Drive: choose None

Hard Drive: Increase size to 30GB

1.3

Select Boot order >> you can change the boot order or remove the ISO file (for live migration later)

1.4

We can choose the Checkpoint location:

2

Create VM checkpoint

2.1

In S2Dcluster.waslab.local >> Virtual machines >> AppServer01 >> click New checkpoint

Checkpoint name: WorkingProperly

2.2

Keep checking the Notification details and once done

And you can see and apply checkpoint from here

Step

Detail

1

In this lab we will perform live migration to the other node for AppServer01

1.1

Connect to s2dcluster01.wslab.local

In the left menu, click Virtual Machines
à click Inventory

Verify that AppServer01 is located on MYIANLAB-01

Choose the AppServer01 and click Move

1.2

In the right pane, choose Failover Cluster and then provide the destination node

Cluster: s2dcluster01

Cluster node: Best Available cluster node

Then click Move

1.3

Click the notification in the right corner to see the progress

1.4

Once complete, in the Inventory console, AppServer01 is now hosted in MYIANLAB-02

Step

Detail

1

In this lab we will configure the Cluster Aware Updating

1.1

Click Start à
drop down Windows Administrator Tools à Cluster-Aware Updating

1.2

Enter the name of the cluster: s2dclustter.wslab.local >> click Connect

1.3

Click “Configure cluster self-updating options” >> check “Add the CAU…” >> Next

Click Next

1.4

Set the Schedule that you want your server to run update

1.5

In Advanced Options, leave all the info default and click Next

1.6

Click Next

1.7

Confirm the information and click Apply

1.8

Waiting for the progress completing. Then click Close

1.9

Click “Analyze cluster updating readiness”

On the main windows, click Apply updates to this cluster

1.10

New windows appear, click Next on Getting Started page

1.11

Confirm the update and click Update

1.12

2 nodes are currently updating from Internet

Note: as we don’t have internet the Updating Run may will show failed update

Step

Detail

1

Nested resiliency is a new capability of Storage Spaces Direct in Windows Server 2019 that enables a two-server cluster to withstand multiple hardware failures at the same time without loss of storage availability, so users, apps, and virtual machines continue to run without disruption.

Capacity efficiency

This LAB will provide step-by-step create and test a Nested resiliency storage.

1.1

First, we create new storage tier templates using the New-StorageTier cmdlet. You only need to do this once, and then every new volume you create can reference these templates.

# For mirror

New-StorageTier
-StoragePoolFriendlyName
S2D*
-FriendlyName
NestedMirror
-ResiliencySettingName
Mirror
-MediaType
HDD
-NumberOfDataCopies
4

# For parity

New-StorageTier
-StoragePoolFriendlyName
S2D*
-FriendlyName
NestedParity
-ResiliencySettingName
Parity
-MediaType
HDD
-NumberOfDataCopies
2
-PhysicalDiskRedundancy
1
-NumberOfGroups
1
-FaultDomainAwareness
StorageScaleUnit
-ColumnIsolation
PhysicalDisk

Next we need to create volumes

1.2

Nested two-way mirror writes four copies of everything, meaning to store 1 TB of data, you need 4 TB of physical storage capacity. Nested two-way mirror’s capacity efficiency of 25% is the lowest of any resiliency option in Storage Spaces Direct.

1.3

#Get StorageTier information

Get-storageTier

#Create a Nested two-way Mirror volume

New-Volume
–StoragePoolFriendlyName
S2D*
-FriendlyName
NestedMirror
-StorageTierFriendlyNames
NestedMirror
-StorageTierSizes 50GB

#Configure Nested mirror-accelerated parity.

New-Volume
-StoragePoolFriendlyName
S2D*
-FriendlyName
NestedMirror-Accelerated
-StorageTierFriendlyNames
NestedMirror, NestedParity
-StorageTierSizes
50GB, 50GB

1.4

Open Windows Admin Center >> Volume >> check the 2 new volume that we have just created: Nested two-way mirror and Nested mirror-accelerated parity

Step

Detail

1

In this lab, we will simulate the scenario when the disk got corrupt on Server MYIANLAB-01.

We will one by one remove all the disk on MYIANLAB-01 to see what will happened with the VM.

1.1

From your Level 1 VM >> Open Hyper-V manager

1.2

Right-click MYIANLAB-01

1.3

Select Hard Drive: Disk 4 >> click Remove

1.4

Click OK or Apply to remove the disk.

1.5

Click Continue when a pop up appears

1.6

Login to Myianlab-01 >> Open WAC

Go to Storage >> Summary

1.7

Click Inventory >> we see there is one “lost communication” disk.

1.8

Check your Volume status

Check your VM if it’s still accessible and running properly

1.9

Now we will repeat step 1.2 – 1.6 to remove all the Disks on MYIANLAB-01

Click Continue when prompted

1.10

Login to Myianlab-01 again and use Windows Admin Center to see the Disks status and VM status

Inventory

Check VM status:

VM is still running on node MYIANLAB-01 and application inside (Alarm & Watch) is still running

2

Add 4 disks back to and see

Click on Volumes to see the repairing status

2

Some time in the Windows Admin Center it will not update status immediately

But you can double check the status using Failover Cluster Manager

1

In this lab, we will add 1 more disk to each server

1.1

In Level1 Hyper-V server, right click MYIANLAB-01 >> Setting

1.2

Click SCSI Controller >> Hard Drive >> Add

Click New

Click Next >>

1.3

Disk name: Disk5

Location: C:\WSLab\VM\MYIANLAB-01\Virtual Hard Disks\

Enter 100GB

Click Finish

Click OK to add this Disk to MYIANLAB-01

2

On server MYIANLAB-02, do same step from 1.2 to 1.3 to add Disk5

3

Go to Windows Admin Center on MYIANLAB-01 >> Storage >> Drives

Note: New disk is added to Storage Pool automatically.