CSV ClusterStorage folder using Dell MD3600f being blocked by Firewall

Question

We're in the process of setting up our first ever Windows Failover Cluster using 2 Dell MD2600f SANs. The volumes are connected OK and appear in Disk Manager as expected and once assigned a drive letter (and formatted to NTFS) they have been successfully added to the Cluster Manager as CSVs (Cluster Shared Volumes) so 'Volume1' and 'Volume2' appear in the C:\ClusterStorage folder (like they should).

Then I installed our firewall software (Panda Adaptive Defence 360) and at that point the volumes become inaccessible and if you try to access them, File Explorer just freezes and then crashes. If I turn the FireWall off, then access to the 2 volumes on the SANs is regained and the mounted volumes work normally.

I've run all sorts of diagnostic software with Panda/Watchguard support to no avail.

There must be some software or a service (or something) that is running to communicate with the mounted SAN volumes that I need to allow through our Firewall - any ideas what I might need to unblock?

DELL-Charles R · Answer

Hello FazzaGBR,

Can you check if your firewall is blocking port Port 3260

https://dell.to/3OqEmou

If you still have the issue could you pull a support log for review?

How to gather Support Information : https://dell.to/3OHraMj

Then Upload the log here under the service tag of the MD3600f

https://dell.to/43ebZOD

Then please Private Message me the service tag for me to retrieve the log.

DELL-Charles R · Answer

Hello FazzaGBR,   I notice it all seems to work correctly before the firewall.  Have you contacted Panda support? Panda Adaptive Defence 360 https://dell.to/41QVLK7

DELL-Charles R · Answer

Hello FazzaGBR,

This might help to review : Use Cluster Shared Volumes in a failover cluster

https://dell.to/3Iq85tV

I'll note here that we are unable assist directly in initial configurations, but we do have professional services which can help you to deploy the configuration you need. You may consider contacting Dell Sales department for a Deployment Services contract if needed.

FazzaGBR · Answer

Yes I've contacted Panda support but they dont know how a SANs data gets to the server through the fiber connectors - they were expecting a pop-up window to say something was being blocked by the Firewall which you could then click on 'allow' to allow it through but that doesn't appear.

With the Firewall enabled, I can successfully see the volumes in Disk Manager, format them and assign a drive letter. I can then use the perfectly. It's only when in the Windows Failover Cluster Manager that I add them to the CSV (Cluster Shared Volume) that the Cluster Manager mounts them to a folder on the C: drive (rather than using a drive letter) that they stop working - when I turn off the Firewall they then work OK. I'm just trying to work out what is being blocked by this process so I can unblock it!

Origin3k · Answer

A MD3600'F' is a FibreChannel SAN which not communicate over TCP or near Ethernet. Its the MS Clustered Services which needs to communicated with the other Nodes. You sould ask in a MS Support forum rather than in a HW one. If you Firewall doesnt have the option to log the blocking requests you should think about using a different one. For the Windows internal one you need to set registry key to activate the logging for example. In our Hyper-V setups with CSV we need to open some ports and please take notice that Windows have 3 different firewall regions (Domain, Public, Private). Not sure how Panda is working. Regards,Joerg

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CSV ClusterStorage folder using Dell MD3600f being blocked by Firewall

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