1. ClusterLion Automatic switchover for NetApp MetroCluster Robert Graf
CEO
2nd Sept. 2019

2. 1001110110101110100111111001 We care about your data! protect manage
analyze

4. High Availability in IT
High availability is a critical in todays IT world!
Most businesses depend on their critical applications!
“Always On” became mandatory for many companies!
Downtime impacts productivity, money and reputation!
Worst Ransomware Strains

5. Is system uptime important to your business?
Cost of Downtime
Is system uptime important to your business?
File Activity
Cost and studies vary depending on industries…
However, IT downtime causes significant damage!
Source:
ServiceMax, from GE Digital, commissioned Vanson Bourne to conduct a global study into unplanned downtime, “After The Fall: Cost, Causes and Consequences of Unplanned Downtime. “The Study surveyed 450 IT & field services decision makers in the UK, US, France and Germany across the manufacturing, medical, oil and gas, energy & utilities, telecoms, distribution, logistics and transportation sectors, among others.

6. always On availability
The Main Question is:
Do you need
always On availability
for your
IT applications?
File Activity
if Yes:
Automatic Switchover is needed!
if No:
Manual Switchover is a valid solution!

7. SRV1 SRV2 SRV2 Ethernet Fabric / ATTO’s Grid UPS Grid UPS Srvc(a)
Srvc(b)
Fabric / ATTO’s
Grid
UPS
Grid
UPS

8. ClusterLion Q Switchover Power-OFF Switchover SRV1 SRV2 Ethernet
Srvc(a)
Srvc(b)
Fabric / ATTO’s
100m
Grid
UPS
100m
Grid
UPS
Telco B
Telco A Q
Switchover
Power-OFF

9. Avoid a Split-Brain-Syndrome!!!
Wikipedia:
High-availability clusters usually use a heartbeat or quorum connection which is used to monitor the health and status of each node in the cluster. For example, the split-brain syndrome may occur when all connections go down simultaneously, but the cluster nodes are still running, each one believing they are the only one running. The data sets of each cluster may then randomly serve I/O by their own, without any coordination with the other data sets. This may lead to data corruption or other data inconsistencies…
Worst Ransomware Strains

10. The challenge for every Storage Cluster
Every storage vendor on the market needs a quorum, witness or tie-breaker to run automatic switchover in case of site-failure!
Expensive infrastructure investments in a 3rd data center location and highly redundant interconnects from the primary data centers to the quorum site are required!
With ClusterLion no infrastructure investment is needed, which offers the lowest possible TCO for automatic switchover.
Ransomeware attack at Lukaskrankenhaus in Neuss

11. MetroCluster® Management and Disaster Recovery Guide
If all controller modules fail at a site because of power loss, replacement of equipment, or disaster. Typically, MetroCluster configurations can not differentiate between failures and disasters.
An administrator, or the MetroCluster Tiebreaker software must determine that a disaster has occurred and perform the MetroCluster switchover.
Tie-Breaker should only be used for monitoring and alerting!
AUSO (automatic unscheduled switchover) is not supported on MetroCluster- IP configurations.
Execute command: switchover -override-veto true -forced-on-disaster true
Ransomware Attack
Data source:

12. Why is ClusterLion the right solution?
Running on totally independent infrastructure (mobile network and batteries)
Switchover actions will be disabled if NVRAM or Plexes are not in sync
Storage controllers are physically powered off before switchover is triggered
Due to Cloud Quorum no 3rd Datacenter is needed
Application integration into SAP, VMware, etc. (trigger post-scripts)
Switchover in case of Network failure – (NFO on Ethernet)
Tamper proof! High End security due to Layer-1 “Firewall”
Automatic guidance through giveback process
Proactive ProLion Support and MetroCluster expertise
Proactive MetroCluster configuration checks
Ransomware Attack

13. (Network Failover Option) NFO
Switchover
SVR1
SVR2
Ping
Ping
Ethernet
Ping
Ping
Srvc(a)
Srvc(b)
Fabric / ATTO’s
Grid
100m
UPS
100m
Grid
UPS
Telco B
Telco A Q
Power-OFF

14. No! automatic unplanned switchover
MetroCluster IP
SVR1
SVR2
Ethernet
Action required
to switchover!!!
Srvc(a)
Srvc(b)
Fabric / ATTO’s
no AUSO!!!
100m
Grid
UPS
100m
Grid
UPS
Telco B
Telco A Q
No! automatic unplanned switchover

15. Solutions for MetroCluster Switchover

16. Q Detailed Setup A2 A1 B2 B1 Power-OFF SVR1 SVR2 “Giveback”
Customer Support during Giveback
Switchover
Ethernet / SAN
2x RS232
2x Ethernet
2x RS232
2x Ethernet
Srvc(a)
Srvc(a)
Srvc(b)
Srvc(b)
Fabric / ATTO’s A2 A1 B2 B1
100m
Grid
UPS
100m
Grid
UPS
Telco B
Telco A
1. Reporting:
A2: Active Controller Heartbeat
A1: Lost Cluster Partner, NVRAM etc.
B2: No Controller Heartbeat
B1: Controller Error
Monitoring:
Power Supply
Storage Controller
Partner Status
Heart-Beat
Use Case: Power Outage
2. Action:
B2: Power Off
B1: Power Off
A2: Active Controller Heartbeat
A1: Force Switchover
Q: Open Helpdesk Ticket Q
Power-OFF
Open Ticket
Helpdesk

17. ClusterLion Hardware (front)
ClusterLion without Front Cover
„Hot Swap“ Battery

18. ClusterLion Hardware (rear)
4x Power Input
Reset Button
4x Power Output
2x Serial Consol Port
Cooling Fan
4x Ethernet Connectivity
PoE Output for Gateways
Fuse

19. ClusterLion Premium Support
Premium support contract:
24x7 Support
Proactive customer notification
Proactive configuration check
Support during MetroCluster switchback
3rd party maintenance in EMEA

20. Do you need always On availabilty?
…the question is can you afford to run your MetroCluster without ClusterLion?
The question is not if you can afford ClusterLion…

21. ...we go the extra mile...