Oracle SuperCluster T5-8 Full Rack
 
Oracle SuperCluster M7 Hardware
 
Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance X6 Hardware
 
Exadata SL6 Hardware
 
Exadata X5-2 Eighth Rack
 
Exadata X6-2 Hardware
 
Exadata X6-8 Hardware
 
Oracle SuperCluster T5-8 Half Rack
 
Exadata X5-2 Full Rack
 
Exadata X5-2 Hardware
 
Exadata X4-8 Hardware
 
Exadata X5-2 Quarter Rack
 
Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance X5 Hardware
 
Exadata X5-2 Half Rack
 
Oracle SuperCluster M6-32 Hardware
 
Oracle SuperCluster T5-8 Hardware
 

PLA-Support>Sun Systems>Sun_Other>Sun Collections>SN-OTH: x64-CAP VCAP
 

In this Document

Goal

Solution

Oracle Confidential PARTNER - Available to partners (SUN).
Reason: Action plan to replace NVMe switch card should be viable by field engineers and partners

Applies to:

Goal

 Procedure for How to Replace an NVMe Switch Card in an Exadata Storage Cell without loss of data or Exadata service

Solution

 DISPATCH INSTRUCTIONS:
The following information will be required prior to dispatch of a replacement:

    Name/location of storage cell
    PCI Slot number of failed card


WHAT SKILLS DOES THE ENGINEER NEED:
The engineer must be Exadata trained, have familiarity with the storage cells.

TIME ESTIMATE: 60 minutes

TASK COMPLEXITY: 3

FIELD ENGINEER INSTRUCTIONS:
PROBLEM OVERVIEW:
There is a failed NVMe Switch Card in an Exadata Storage Server (Cell) that needs replacing.

WHAT STATE SHOULD THE SYSTEM BE IN TO BE READY TO PERFORM THE RESOLUTION ACTIVITY?:
The Storage Cell containing the failed NVMe switch card is required to be powered off prior to card replacement.

It is expected that the customer's DBA has completed these steps prior to arriving to replace the card. The following commands are provided as guidance in case the customer needs assistance checking the status of the system prior to replacement.  If the customer or the FSE requires more assistance prior to the physical replacement of the device, EEST/TSC should be contacted.


1. Locate the server in the rack being serviced.  The cell server within the rack can be determined from the hostname usually, and the known default Exadata server numbering scheme. Exadata Storage Servers are identified by a number 1 through 18, where 1 is the lowest most Storage Server in the rack installed in RU2, counting up to the top of the rack.

Turn on the locate indicator light for easier identification of the server being repaired. If the server number has been identified then the Locate Button on the front panel may be pressed. To turn on remotely, use either of the following methods:

From a login to the CellCli on Exadata Storage Servers:

From a login to the server’s ILOM:

From a login to the server’s ‘root’ account:

2. Shutdown the node for which the NVMe switch card requires replacement.

   a) For Extended information on this section check MOS Note: ID 1188080.1 Steps to shut down or reboot an Exadata storage cell without affecting ASM

This is also documented in the Exadata Owner's Guide in chapter 7 section titled "Maintaining Exadata Storage Servers" subsection "Shutting Down Exadata Storage Server" available on the customer's cell server image in the /opt/oracle/cell/doc directory.

Exadata Owner's Guide Documentation is available internally here:   http://amomv0115.us.oracle.com/archive/cd_ns/E13877_01/doc/doc.112/e13874/maintenance.htm#autoId33

In the following examples the SQL commands should be run by the customers DBA prior to doing the hardware replacement. These should be done by the field engineer only if the customer directs them to, or is unable to do them. The cellcli commands will need to be run as root.

Note the following when powering off Exadata Storage Servers:

• Verify there are no other storage servers with disk faults. Shutting down a storage server while another disk is failed may result in the running database processes and Oracle ASM to crash if it loses both disks in the partner pair when this server’s disks go offline.

• Powering off one Exadata Storage Server with no disk faults in the rest of the rack will not affect running database processes or Oracle ASM.

   b) ASM drops a disk shortly after they are taken offline. Powering off or restarting Exadata Storage Servers can impact database performance if the storage server is offline for longer than the ASM disk repair timer to be restored. The default DISK_REPAIR_TIME attribute value of 3.6hrs should be adequate for replacing components, but may have been changed by the Customer. To check this parameter, have the Customer log into ASM and perform the following query:

As long as the value is large enough to comfortably replace the components being replaced, then there is no need to change it.

   c) Check if ASM will be OK if the grid disks go OFFLINE. 

If one or more disks return asmdeactivationoutcome='No', then wait for some time and repeat this command. Once all disks return asmdeactivationoutcome='Yes', proceed to the next step.

   d) Run cellcli command to Inactivate all grid disks on the cell that needs to be powered down for maintenance. (this could take up to 10 minutes or longer)

   e) Execute the command below and the output should show asmmodestatus='UNUSED' or 'OFFLINE' and asmdeactivationoutcome=Yes for all griddisks once the disks are offline and inactive in ASM.

   f) Once all disks are offline and inactive, the customer may shutdown the Cell using the following command:

When powering off Exadata Storage Servers, all storage services are automatically stopped.


WHAT ACTION DOES THE ENGINEER NEED TO TAKE:

Confirm the slot of the NMVe switch card needing replacement.

The Exadata Storage Server based on Oracle Server X5-2L/X6-2L has six PCIe slots. They are numbered 1 through 6 with 1 nearest the Power Supplies, and 6 nearest the outside wall of the chassis (the onboard ports/connectors are located between slots 3 and 4). Slot locations for the NVMe switch cards in Exadata Storage Servers are PCIe Slot 1, 2, 5 and 6.


Physical card replacement

Reference links for Service Manual:
X5-2L : ( http://amomv0115.us.oracle.com/archive/cd_ns/E55029_01/html/E55031/z40000f91036913.html#scrolltoc )

X6-2L: (http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E62172_01/html/E63689/z40000f91036913.html#scrolltoc)

Remove the NMVe switch card

1. Slide out the server for maintenance. Do not remove any cables prior to sliding the server forward, or the loose cable ends will jam in the cable management arms.

2. Remove both power cables

3. Remove the server top cover

4. Swivel the air baffle into the upright position to allow access to PCIe cards

5. Unplug all data cables from the PCIe card (Note the cable connections in order to ease proper reconnection of the cables)

6. Rotate the PCIe card locking mechanism, and then lift up on the PCIe card to disengage it from the motherboard connectors


Install the new NVMe switch card

1. Insert the new NVMe switch card into the required PCIe slot and rotate the PCIe locking mechanism to secure the PCIe card in place

2. Reconnect the cables to the PCIe card that you unplugged during the removal procedure

3. Lower the air baffle to the installed position

4. Install the top cover

5. Re-connect both power cables

6. Slide the server back into the rack

Post-Replacement additional steps

1. Once the power cords have been re-attached, slide the server back into the rack, power on the server by pressing the power button at the front and enter the BIOS Setup Utility.  To enter the BIOS Setup Utility, press the F2 key (Ctrl+E from a serial connection) when prompted and while the BIOS is running the power-on self-tests (POST).
Important - When NVMe cables are removed or replaced between the storage drive backplane and NVMe switch cards, you must perform the procedure in this section to confirm that all NVMe cable connections are correct. If the NVMe cable connections are not correct, the storage server operating system should not be allowed to boot, as it could cause a problem with disk drive mapping.

Log into the ILOM CLI and enter restricted mode and run the NVMe cable connection test.

If everything PASSED as shown above them continue to step 2.  If there are any fail statuses then the cable issue must be resolved before going past this step.  Remove the AC power cords again, and correct the cable issue.  After each cable change the above step should be repeated until everything passes.

2. Exit the restricted shell and enter the serial console again to the BIOS setup menu. In the BIOS setup menu go to "Exit" tab and select "Discard Changes and Exit"

Server Services Startup Validation

As the system boots the hardware/firmware profile will be checked, and either a green "Passed" will be displayed, or a red "Warning" that the check does not match if the firmware on the HBA is different from what the image expects. If the check passes, then the firmware is correct, and the boot will continue up to the OS login prompt. If the check fails, then the firmware will automatically be updated, and a subsequent reboot will occur. Monitor to ensure this occurs properly.


OBTAIN CUSTOMER ACCEPTANCE
- WHAT ACTION DOES THE CUSTOMER NEED TO TAKE TO RETURN THE SYSTEM TO AN OPERATIONAL STATE:

It is expected that the engineer stay on-site until the customer has given the approval to depart. The following commands are provided as guidance in case the customer needs assistance checking the status of the system following replacement.  If the customer or the FSE requires more assistance following the physical replacement of the device, EEST/TSC should be contacted.

Once the storage cell is booted up check that all the NVMe devices are present:

The following command should show 8 NVMe devices on an Extreme Flash storage cell:

Also check that the OS can see the NMVe devices:

If this is not correct, then there is a problem with the disk volumes that may need additional assistance to correct. The server should be re-opened and the device connections and boards checked to be sure they are secure and well seated BEFORE the following CellCLI commands are issued.

After replacing the NVMe switch card, the Exadata Storage Server should boot up automatically.  Once the Exadata Storage Server comes back online the cell services will start up automatically, however you will need to reactivate the griddisks as follows:

Activate the griddisks:

Verify all disks show 'active':

Verify all grid disks have been successfully put online using the following command. Wait until 'asmmodestatus' is in status 'ONLINE' for all grid disks. The following is an example of the output early in the activation process.

Notice in the above example that the grid disks are still in the 'SYNCING' process. Oracle ASM synchronization is only complete when ALL grid disks show asmmodestatus=ONLINE. This process can take some time depending on how busy the machine is, and has been while this individual server was down for repair.


PARTS NOTE:

Refer to the Exadata Database Machine Owner's Guide Appendix D for part information.

Oracle Exadata X5-2 - Full Components List (https://mosemp.us.oracle.com/handbook_internal/Systems/Exadata_X5_2/components.html)
Oracle Exadata X5-2 Storage Cell (X5-2L) - Full Components List (https://mosemp.us.oracle.com/handbook_internal/Systems/Exadata_X5_2_Storagecell/components.html)


REFERENCE INFORMATION:

Exadata Database Machine Documentation:

Exadata Database Machine Owner's Guide is available on the Storage Server OS image in /opt/oracle/cell/doc/welcome.html
http://amomv0115.us.oracle.com/archive/cd_ns/E13877_01/welcome.html

Oracle Exadata Storage Server X5-2 Extreme Flash Documentation Library  (includes Oracle Server X5-2L/X6-2L Service Manual)  http://amomv0115.us.oracle.com/archive/cd_ns/E55029_01/index.html

Internal Only References:
 - INTERNAL Exadata Database Machine Hardware Troubleshooting (Doc ID 1360360.1)[This section is not visible to customers.]




References
NOTE:1188080.1 - Steps to shut down or reboot an Exadata storage cell without affecting ASM
NVMe TOI pdf

This solution has no attachment