How to get maintenance status

Software-based VM-centric and flash-friendly VM storage + free version

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yaroslav (staff)
Staff
Posts: 2277
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:11 am

Thu Nov 12, 2020 3:07 pm

Witness disk is owned by one node and is displayed as reserved (offline) for another. If you move it to another host situation changes. That's fine.
Was the witness offline during validation?

Also, I noticed that all connections have DNS configured please note that it is not recommended for direct connections. I also can see that the jumbo frames are still there. What I would recommend is logging a case with StarWind Support and using this thread as a reference. Here is what I found in the log...
11/10 16:21:33.131677 598 Srv: iScsiServer::listenConnections: License expired. Refreshing...
Exactly the same time the issues started. Pelase contact StarWind Support immediately to generate a new key. Are you using a Free Version?
wallewek
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:13 pm

Thu Nov 12, 2020 10:46 pm

Thank you very much, Yaroslav. I really appreciate your help, especially when you are so busy.

Re: Witness and Cluster Validation

The Witness drive on one host was online in disk management, and the other offline, exactly as normal, when the Cluster Validation checks were run. It also shows as online in the cluster management console. And note, the validation had no problem with the Witness disks -- in fact, the cluster management console shows the Witness drive online. It's just the CSV that's the problem.

Re: Interface configuration

I've gone through and removed DNS from all Ethernet interfaces except for the one interface on each host server that is connected externally through the network switch.

I double-checked all interfaces and see Jumbo Packets disabled on every one of them. I'm mystified as to where you saw that. Could you tell me where you saw it?

Re: Licenses

But I think you may have found the problem in the license issue in the log!
It's puzzling because I get no warnings about that. I'm not exactly sure what StarWind calls the license I'm currently running. I don't see any way to confirm it in the StarWind Management Console "Register" section.
  • My original license key is a LicenseType 5 (in the XML). It does not appear to be either free or trial, but its expiry date appears to be 3 years ago! I get a warning about it being expired now if I try to apply it. I originally installed the full version of StarWind a couple of years ago and let the GUI access expire.
  • I have a LicenseType 18 key which has XML tags for Trial and Free. It cannot be used -- I get a message saying "Free License can't be used after Trial License installation.
  • I have several Free keys, all LicenseType 22, which also cannot be used. I get the same message as for the Trial license (above). They contain tags for FreeLicense only.
This may have something to do with having to upgrade the StarWind software a couple of months ago.

So at this point, I'm unclear what sort of key I should ask for, but I'll give that a shot.

If I'm SOL, I'm going to have to know how to access the contents of the CSV volume with StarWind offline.

--- kenw
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"In theory, theory and practice are the same, but in practice they're not." -- Yogi Berra
yaroslav (staff)
Staff
Posts: 2277
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:11 am

Fri Nov 13, 2020 8:36 am

This may have something to do with having to upgrade the StarWind software a couple of months ago.
If you are running TRIAL license all the time, they expire. if you are running FREE one, they do not. But, thanks for logging that case with us. Will work with you there as it seems to be a licensing thing indeed.
wallewek
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:13 pm

Fri Nov 13, 2020 3:47 pm

Thank you very much, Yaroslav.

To clarify, I do NOT believe my original license was a "TRIAL". It is not labelled as such internally, and was not downloaded as such. I believe it was called an Evaluation license.

The problem appears to be that, somewhere along the way, a "Trial" license was applied to it, and the software was upgraded. Now it appears I'm snookered. I can't go forward, I can't go back, and I can't stay here.

The documentation is unclear about the functionality difference between an expired Eval license and a Free license. Apparently they both work, but little is said about the state of the GUI -- is it totally disabled, partly disabled or what. I have NEVER seen a clear statement on this point, and believe me, I've looked.

What's worse is all the work both of us had to go to, to figure this out. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A CLEAR WARNING OF LICENSE FAILURE. That, to me, is a BUG you should log with your development team.

Here's an interesting thread on a related topic: https://forums.starwindsoftware.com/vie ... f=5&t=5185

I have to say, StarWind licensing in confusing, both in implementation and in documentation. But I do appreciate that it is available!

-- Ken
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"In theory, theory and practice are the same, but in practice they're not." -- Yogi Berra
wallewek
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:13 pm

Tue Nov 17, 2020 9:03 pm

Hey Yaroslav,

I submitted a support request (406394) last Thursday, but have as yet heard nothing at all from StarWind support.
Perhaps you could tell me, is that normal? Am I likely to wait a lot longer?

If it's likely to be another week or more, I'm starting to think that I should fire up V2V, convert the CSV to a form I can use without the VSAN, and switch over to regular Hyper-V without the cluster. This system is down in the meantime.

What would you suggest?

--- Ken
------------------------
"In theory, theory and practice are the same, but in practice they're not." -- Yogi Berra
yaroslav (staff)
Staff
Posts: 2277
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:11 am

Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:02 am

Ken,

I sent you the plan after 7 PM EST on Friday, and we were discussing the key on Friday. Please check your mailbox often, our emails get blocked by antispam.
You were replying to my emails on Friday. But, after I provided you with the recommendations, I had no reply from you.
Also, I replied to your email yesterday one more time.

Did you apply the keys as I recommended?
wallewek
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:13 pm

Wed Nov 18, 2020 6:47 pm

Ah! I see the problem. The email address you used is legitimate -- I provided it -- but it is supposed to forward to another mailbox, and for some reason it did not. My apologies, and I appreciate your helpfulness!

Thank you, the keys worked! I could not go directly to key #2, I had to apply #1 first. But it was like a miracle! The SCSI connections all came up, the images all went synchronized, the clouds parted and the Sun shone -- well, almost.

My CSV drive still will not come online in the Failover Cluster Manager. Which means the cluster is still down. It looks to me sort of like the CSV image has some sort of corruption, but I have no idea how to run CHKDSK on it if I can't even mount it. I'll send diag files.

A note on another matter I've mentioned before and never seems to get attention:
The one thing StarWind documentation is NEVER clear on, to the best of my determination -- is whether the Free version of StarWind retains the ability to use the Management GUI in read-only mode, so that one can readily see statuses, even though it does not allow management via the GUI.
Please, please FIX THIS in your online comparison documents!
------------------------
"In theory, theory and practice are the same, but in practice they're not." -- Yogi Berra
wallewek
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:13 pm

Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:22 pm

Yaroslav, I wanted to thank you very much for your help today!

As you showed me, it turns out that problem with the FCM CSV disk not coming online was my own fault -- I needed to bring the nodes online first! I thought I had to have the drives working before the nodes could start.

Odd that the FCM validation report didn't say so...?

Again, thanks!

--- Ken
------------------------
"In theory, theory and practice are the same, but in practice they're not." -- Yogi Berra
yaroslav (staff)
Staff
Posts: 2277
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:11 am

Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:36 am

Hi Ken,

You are always welcome :)
Let me know if the issue returns.
wallewek
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:13 pm

Tue Nov 24, 2020 5:54 pm

Just a quick update, Yaroslav -- since the license fix, the VSAN has been ticking along like a clock. No problems whatever. I even went through a Cluster Aware Update cycle with no problems. Cool.

Thanks for all your help. StarWind is amazing!

-- kenw
------------------------
"In theory, theory and practice are the same, but in practice they're not." -- Yogi Berra
yaroslav (staff)
Staff
Posts: 2277
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:11 am

Tue Nov 24, 2020 7:22 pm

Hi Ken,

You are always welcome. Let me know if there is anything I still can assist you with!
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