Content Type: Getting Started

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User may wish to reinitialize the system for many reasons.
For example:

• Software may be malfunctioning in spite of multiple reconfigurations.
• There may not be a hardware fault (fault LEDs are not on), but a few functions are still not working properly.
• After a major upgrade failure, user would like to return to the initial factory settings.

Important Notice:  Starting from VNXe 3.1.15.x, user cannot put both SPs into service mode through GUI. To put second SP into service mode CLI must be used as GUI will be blocked for second SP by design. Also, from this version re-init is performed only through CLI. Its important to note that putting both SPs into service mode and performing re-init can be done entirely through CLI as well.
Hence, If user is running VNXe 3.1.15.x and above user should follow  Section 2  of the procedure below.

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Caution!
Be aware that data will be erased from all disks. You can save the configuration settings to a file to help reconfigure the system after re-initialization. Please see the section "Save the system configuration" below.
A re-initialization executes a factory reset of the system (including re-imaging solid state drives [SSDs], reinit Backend, reset Counters, and the like).
Both storage processors (SPs) need to be in service mode. A re-initialization will also reboot to move both SPs from service mode to normal mode. Re-initializing destroys all system configuration settings and stored data on the VNXe system. A re-initialization can take 90 to 120 minutes to complete.

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Procedure:

Section 1:

In order to re-initialize the SPs they should be first put into Service Mode. Here are the steps to put them in Service mode.

1. In your Web browser, logon to VNXe Unisphere.
2. Click Settings > Service System.
3. Enter the Service password and click OK to log in to the Service System page.
4. Select a Storage Processor under Service Action and select Enter Service Mode.
5. Click Execute Service Action.
6. Wait 5-10 minutes while the SP  restarts in Service Mode.
7. Repeat the steps for the other SP.

After both SPs are in Service Mode, re-initialize by following these steps:

1. Connect to VNXe through a web browser and log on to VNXe. (In the logon screen you will only see the prompt for password. Since both SPs are in service mode, you can log on only using service account.)
2. Enter the Service password and click OK to log in to the Service System page.
3. Select Storage System under Service Action.
4. Select Reinitialize and Click Execute Service Action.
5. Next you are prompted to Collect Service Data. If you select "Yes," the service data will be collected to an archive file that you can save locally.
6. If you decided to save the archive, please wait until download completes.
7. Now press the "Yes" button to begin the re-initialization process.
8. Wait 90-120 minutes while both the SPs re-initialize to factory settings and the SP will reboot in normal mode. (When both SPs are ready for reconfiguration, the alert LED on both SPs will be steady blue.)

Section 1.1:

After re-initializing:

• Configuration - Once re-initializing is complete, the system will boot back up. You must run the Connection Utility to reset the Management IP address, and then go through the Configuration Wizard as if it were a new installation. The Connection Utility can be downloaded from VNXe product page on Powerlink.
   
• Restore - No one-step restore procedure is available for all VNXe configurations that you had before re-initializing. Configuration settings can be backed up from the Service page. A Save Configuration button allows you to save the configuration to a file.  However, there is no way to restore this configuration automatically or manually. This "save config" text file is provided to be a guide for the administrator to manually recreate the setup.  By referring to this text file all configurations should be done manually by the administrator and all data should be restored from backup media.
   
• Licensing - You will have to reload the license keys during the reconfiguration. You can either go to the license page on EMC Online Support and download the keys or use the saved keys that you might have received from an email earlier.

Save the system configuration:

Save details about the current system configuration settings to a local file. The configuration details include information about:

• System specifications
• Users
• Installed licenses
• Storage resources
• Storage servers
• Hosts

Your service provider can use this file to assist you with reconfiguring your system after a major system failure or system re-initialization. You can also use this file to keep a record of system configuration changes. Save the configuration settings after each major configuration change to ensure you have a current copy of the file.

Only details about your system configuration are saved to the file. You cannot restore your system from this file.

To save system configuration details:

1. Click Settings > Service System.
2. Enter the Service password to access the Service System page.
3. Under System Components, select Storage System.
4. Under Service Actions, select Save configuration.
5. Click Execute service action.
6. Wait a few minutes for the Save dialog box to appear.
7. In the Save dialog box, select a location to save the file, such as your desktop or an external storage location.
8. Click Save to save the file to the specified location.

Save the file to a safe location, ideally on a system other than your storage system, in the event that you cannot retrieve the file from your storage system.

Section 2:

Reinitialize through CLI (SSH or serial console):

1. Put both SPs into service mode. Connect via SSH or serial cable to each SP one at a time and issue below commands. (Use service as username and service password to log on.)

   svc_rescue_state -s

   svc_shutdown -r

2. Once both SPs are in service mode, issue following command on any ONE SP.

   svc_reinit

It takes around 90 to 120 minutes to complete. Follow the same process as mentioned in Section 1.1 to perform reconfiguration.