Unable to discover Dell SCv2000 controller

Hi,

Please check these at first:

If the deployment wizard fails to discover the array, use these steps to troubleshoot the issue.
 

1. Verify the array has been turned on at least 5 minutes, with no fault LED lit on the either the front of the chassis or either controller.  Verify the Diagnostic LEDs on each controller indicate both controllers are fully booted.

1. Verify the network cables are plugged into controller ports labeled "Mgmt".  It is important to note the bottom controller is inverted.

1. Verify the server is connected to the same physical subnet as the array, it is best to connect to the same switch.
2. Temporarily disable any firewall running on system running deployment wizard.
3. It is possible settings on the switch are blocking the discovery, use one of the two methods to troubleshoot this.
   1. If the server has 2 unused NICs, you can bypass the switch for discovery purposes only.
      1. Direct connect the server to the management port on each controller.
      2. Run the deployment wizard, if detected, complete all steps through the "Initialize Storage Center" screen.  Once the configuration has been applied, re-cable array’s management ports to the network switch, before continuing.
   2. Disable IGMP snooping, broadcast storm, unicast storm, multicast storm on the network switch.
4. Use the MAC address of each controller and manually perform the discovery.  The MAC address can be obtained from the switch or it is also located on top of each controller.
5. If none of these methods work, or there is a hardware fault LED

IGMP snooping is usually turned on by default on some PowerConnect/N Series switch firmware versions. To turn it off on the VLAN, you can use this command (assuming you're using the default VLAN 1):

no ip igmp snooping vlan 1

Next, try using the MAC address of each controller to manually discover them. You can find the MAC address on the switch or on top of each controller (you'll need to remove the controller from the chassis to see the sticker).

If you're still having trouble discovering the array, there are two other methods you can try, which are detailed in the Storage Center deployment guides:

A. Deploy the Storage Center using the Direct Connect Method. B. Use the CLI Setup Utility tool for the initial deployment and then finish with Dell Storage Manager.

Hope that helps!

Hi Erman,

thank you for your answer. 

I have already found some of your items in the documentation and can confirm that this is OK.

The controllers are basically accessible in the network. I have assigned an IP for the management ports via CLI. I am able to ping the IP addresses. I can reach the website of both controllers (there is only a link to Dell Storage Manager Client visible). Also the login via Dell Storage Manager Client is possible for both controllers. But I can't do much there, as the initial configuration has not yet been completed.

I have already tried to connect the second controller directly and to discover it via the mac address. But without success. I think that there is no problem in my configuration, as the first controller can be found and the access to both controllers is basically possible.

I assume that the problem "VPD incumbent canister mismatch" should be fixed first. I was able to bypass the safemode, but this is not the final solution. When the controller is restarted, I have the same problem again. What is the reason for "VPD incumbent canister mismatch" and how can it be fixed?

@An5467​ Hello where you able to fix the Problem? I have the same error on one of my controllers. 1 works fine the other is stuck in safe mode

Hi,

I might found a workaround but I can't share it from here because of it is an internal one. So if your replacement controller isn't showing up, it's best to reach out to support. There could be a bunch of reasons for this, and support will need to grab some logs and maybe use a secure console to figure out what's going on. They'll help you replace the faulty controller canister.

When you replace an SC4020 controller, you need to:

1. Connect via serial connection to enter HSN and IP info before joining the controllers.
2. Depending on the SCOS version of the old canister, you might need to upgrade the new canister before it completes the replacement.

Sometimes, Storage Center systems show a "VPD Incumbent Canister Mismatch" message during deployment or part replacement, which can stop the system from working fully. You might see this message during initialization or when running the command: platform vpd show. 

Hope that helps!