Installing Veritas Storage Foundation on CentOS 4.4

SF Basic is free, with a limit of 4 volumes. Offers multipathing, storage virtualization, snapshots, remote duplication, etc. Might be easier to get these advanced features with this than with an Open Source project like iSCSI Enterprise Target.

CAVEATS: Saw a blog entry complaining about terrible performance on linux.

Only installs on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and Novell's brand. I searched for a record of anyone installing it on the RHEL free clone CentOS and came up basically empty. So FWIW, here is how I got it to install. I make no claims for the correctness of my perl; there may be better ways to accomplish what I did.

Experimental Installation on CentOS release 4.4 (Final) on this platform:

2.6.9-42.ELsmp #1 SMP Tue Aug 15 10:35:26 BST 2006 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

tar -xzvf Q18982H.sfbasic.5.0.00.0.rhel4_x86_64.tar.gz
cd rhel4_x86_64/storage_foundation_basic/

There are problems with the install script installsf - edit a copy to match the following, or just paste this into your own myinstallsf (you may have to tweak the formatting):

#!/bin/sh

MYDIR1="/root/rhel4_x86_64/storage_foundation_basic/scripts/"

MYDIR="/root/rhel4_x86_64/perl/Linux/perl/lib/site_perl/5.8.8/"

MYOTHERDIR="/root/rhel4_x86_64/perl/Linux/perl/lib/site_perl/5.8.8/i686-linux-thread-multi-64int/"

DIRNAME=dirname $0

[ -z "DIRNAME" ] && DIRNAME="."

PDIR=/usr IOPT="/opt/VRTSperl/lib/site_perl/UXRT5.0"

if [ -z "$PDIR" ]; then

echo "Cannot find perl to execute $0" exit 1

fi

PERLVERS=$PDIR/bin/perl -v | grep This.is | awk '{print $4}' | sed 's/v//'

PERLFOR=$PDIR/bin/perl -v | grep This.is | awk '{print $7}'

IOPT="-I$IOPT -I$PDIR/lib/$PERLVERS/$PERLFOR -I$PDIR/lib/$PERLVERS -I$PDIR/lib/site_perl/$PERLVERS/$PERLFOR -I$PDIR/lib/site_perl/$PERLVERS -I$PDIR/lib/site_perl -I$MYDIR1 -I$MYDIR -I$MYOTHERDIR"

eval 'exec $PDIR/bin/perl -x -S $IOPT $0 ${1+"$@"}'

if 0;

#!perl

use strict "vars";

use warnings;

no warnings qw(uninitialized redefine internal);

use CPI::common::CPI;

use CPI::train::common::UXRT;

use CPI::train::Linux::UXRT;

CPI::main();

There's a library missing. Fix via:

yum install libaio

The installation script you prepared will now run, but fail. The error message is:

Undefined subroutine &CPI::pkg::Linux::VRTSpbx::pl_die called at /root/rhel4_x86_64/storage_foundation_basic/scripts//CPI/pkg/Linux/VRTSpbx.pm line 25,

To resolve this error, edit scripts/CPI/pkg/Linux/VRTSpbx.pm

change line 25: change pl_die --> CPI::pl_die

The installation script you prepared will run further, but still fail, with a reference to a missing rpm and a suggestion to install 'compat'. This is fixed by:

yum install compat-libstdc++-296.i386

Installation proceeds successfully, I think. In one of life's ironies, it took too long to work this out; I don't have time to experiment with it. Maybe later...

Here's the installation record/output.

------------------------------------

* Storage Foundation Basic 5.0 Installation Program

Copyright (c) 2006 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved. Symantec, the Symantec Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

The Licensed Software and Documentation are deemed to be "commercial computer software" and "commercial computer software documentation" as defined in FAR Sections 12.212 and DFARS Section 227.7202.

Logs for myinstallsf are being created in /var/tmp/myinstallsf-aBgSrT.

Enter the system names separated by spaces on which to install SF Basic: santest

Initial system check:

* Checking SF Basic installation on santest ............... not installed
* Checking libaio rpm ......................................... installed
* Checking glibc rpm .......................................... installed
* Checking kernel release on santest ................................. 42
* Checking distribution match with santest ........................... OK
* Checking architecture on santest ................................... OK
* Checking rpm dist match with santest ............................... OK
* Checking for SE Linux on santest ................................... OK
o Storage Foundation Basic 5.0 Installation Program

Checking system licensing


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX successfully registered on santest
<<>>

Checking installed rpms on santest

SF Basic can be installed without optional rpms to conserve disk space.

* 1) Required Storage Foundation Basic rpms - 324 MB required 2) All Storage Foundation Basic rpms - 438 MB required

Select the rpms to be installed on all systems? [1-2,q,?] (2) 2

* The following SF Basic rpms will be installed:
* VRTSperl
* Veritas Perl 5.8.8 Redistribution
* VRTSvlic Veritas Licensing
* VRTSicsco Symantec Infrastructure Core Services Common
* VRTSpbx Symantec Private Branch Exchange
* VRTSsmf Symantec Service Management Framework
* VRTSatClient Symantec Product Authentication Service Client
* VRTSatServer Symantec Product Authentication Service
* VRTSobc33 Veritas Enterprise Administrator Core Service
* VRTSob Veritas Enterprise Administrator Service
* VRTSobgui Veritas Enterprise Administrator
* VRTSccg Veritas Enterprise Administrator Central Control Grid
* VRTSmh Veritas Storage Foundation Managed Host by Symantec
* VRTSaa Veritas Enterprise Administrator Action Agent
* VRTSspt Veritas Software Support Tools
* SYMClma Symantec License Inventory Agent
* VRTSvxvmcommon Veritas Volume Manager Common Package
* VRTSvxvmplatform Veritas Volume Manager Platform Specific Package
* VRTSdsa Veritas Datacenter Storage Agent
* VRTSfspro Veritas File System Management Services Provider Press
* [Enter] to continue:
* ..continued:
* VRTSvmdoc Veritas Volume Manager Documentation
* VRTSvmman Veritas Volume Manager Manual Pages
* VRTSlvmconv Veritas Linux LVM to VxVM Converter
* VRTSvdid Veritas Device Identification API
* VRTSddlpr Veritas Device Discovery Layer Services Provider
* VRTSvmpro Veritas Volume Manager Management Services Provider
* VRTSvsvc Veritas Volume Server and Client Provider
* VRTSdcli Veritas Distributed Command Line Interface
* VRTSalloc Veritas Volume Manager Intelligent Storage Provisioning
* VRTSvxfscommon Veritas File System Common package
* VRTSvxfsplatform Veritas File System Platform Specific Package
* VRTSfsman Veritas File System Manual Pages
* VRTSfsdoc Veritas File System Documentation
* VRTSfssdk Veritas File System Software Developer Kit
* VRTSfsmnd Veritas File System Software Developer Kit Manual Pages
* VRTSvxmsa Veritas Mapping Service, Application Libraries
* VRTSmaprocommon Veritas Storage Foundation GUI for Mapping Press
* [Enter] to continue:
o Checking for patch(1) rpm on santest .......... version 2.5.4 installed
o It is possible to install SF Basic rpms without performing configuration. It is optional to configure SF Basic now. If you choose to configure SF Basic later, you can either do so manually or run the installsf -configure command. Are you ready to configure SF Basic? [y,n,q] (y) y
o Installing SF Basic: 100%
The following rpms failed to install on santest:
o VRTSddlpr
o VRTSvsvc
o VRTSdcli
o VRTSalloc
o VRTSmapro-common
o The enclosure-based naming scheme is a feature of Veritas Volume Manager. It allows one to reference disks using a symbolic name that is more meaningful than the operating system's normal device access name. This symbolic name is typically derived from the array name.
* . Do you want to set up the enclosure-based naming scheme? [y,n,q,?] (n) y
* . Veritas Volume Manager default disk group name configuration: Many Veritas Volume Manager commands affect the contents or configuration of a disk group. Such commands require that the user specify a disk group. This is accomplished by using the -g option of a command or setting the VXVM_DEFAULTDG environment variable. An alternative to these two methods for some commands is to configure the name of the default disk group of a system. Note: The default disk group feature is not available with the DCLI vxadm(1M) and vxquery(1M) commands. When using these commands, a required disk group must be explicitly identified using the -g option.
* . Do you want to set up a default disk group for each system? [y,n,q,?] (y)
* . Specify a default disk group name for system santest. [?] admin
* . You have decided to specify the default disk group as follows:
o Host: santest ....................................... Disk group: admin
o Note: If 'nodg' is displayed, then the host will be configured to have no default disk group. Is this correct? [y,n,q] (y)
* . Verify the install systems Fully Qualified Hostnames.
o Querying fully qualified domain name of host "santest" ........... fail
Press [Enter] to continue: Unable to find FQHN for santest.sscc.storage! Enter the fully qualified hostname of "santest" or 'QUIT' to quit install.
* . Enter the fully qualified host name: santest.sscc.storage
* . Choose how this install will be managed. This product can configured one of the two following ways:
o Storage Foundation Management Server managed host (Recommended)
o Standalone host Pre-requisites for Storage Foundation Management Server managed host:
+ A Storage Foundation Management Server (SFMS) is configured
+ SFMS should be currently running and fully operational.
+ Authentication Broker that is used by SFMS should be running.
The following information would be requested during configuration:
+ The host name of the SFMS
+ Previously set SFMS agent account password
There are no pre-requisites for deploying as a standalone host.
Enabling Storage Foundation Management Server management simplifies and improves management of the complex data center resources, reducing planned and unplanned down time.
* . Enable Storage Foundation Management Server Management? [y,n,q] (y) n

Verify the install systems Fully Qualified Hostnames.

* Configuring VEA in STANDALONE mode on "santest" .................... ok
* Configuring gridnode on "santest" .................................. ok
* Registering gridnode on "santest" .................................. ok
* Configuring actionagent on "santest" ............................... ok
* Registering actionagent on "santest" ............................... ok

Registering StorageAgent on "santest" .............................. ok
* Do you want to start Storage Foundation Basic processes now? [y,n,q] (y)
* .
o Starting SF Basic: 100%
o Startup completed successfully on all systems
o Setting default disk group to admin on santest ................... Done
Installation log files, summary file, and response file are saved at:
o /opt/VRTS/install/logs/myinstallsf-aBgSrT
o Scalars leaked: -1
* Scalars leaked: 1
* . [root@santest storage_foundation_basic]#