Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange Release 1.0.0.0 Release Notes

These Release Notes (updated 11:59 AM EST on 12/20/2024) are for Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange Release 1.0.0.0. See the following sections:

New Features and Enhancements

Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange Release 1.0.0.0 introduces ztC Endurance 3100, 5100, and 7100 systems running VMware ESXi and Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange. See Overview of Stratus ztC Endurance Systems for more information.

Important Considerations

Important Information about VMware License Activation

Broadcom® has changed VMware licensing terms. If you need to activate a Stratus-supplied VMware perpetual license, read the information provided at the following website: https://www.stratus.com/go/vmware-activation/.

Do Not Change BIOS Settings

Do not change any BIOS settings from their default settings without first being told to do so by Stratus Customer Service.

Known Issues

Do Not Use BIOS to Disable Wake On LAN

Setting Wake On LAN to Disabled in the BIOS does not disable this functionality. Instead, use the VMware settings documented in https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/7.0/com.vmware.vsphere.vm_admin.doc/GUID-879FA851-2B24-49E6-B58F-F25D0E923D17.html to disable Wake On LAN.

Do Not Specify a VLAN ID During Installation

Specifying a VLAN during the VMware ESXi and Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange​ installation is not currently supported.

During the installation, if you are using a yaml file, enter --NONE-- for VLAN. If you are not using a yaml file or leave that entry blank, enter none if the script prompts for it.

Long Network Delays with PCIe Adapter During I/O Faults

If you add a PCIe adapter to an IP Hash vSwitch with the physical ports configured in a static port group, it could result in long network delays when an I/O module is being brought up.

Manual Reboot of Standby Compute Module on Which install.sh Is Running Required to Register Hostname with DNS Server

If you are configuring a system for DHCP and want the hostname to be registered with the DNS server, perform one of the following procedures to register it with DNS.

  • Manually reboot the standby compute module on which install.sh (or net_config.sh) is run.

  • Run the command sudo netplan apply.

Do Not Configure Management VM With Static IPv6 Addresses During Installation

If you configure the ztC Endurance Management VM with static IPv6 addresses during installation, the installation script may experience an error while attempting to verify that the IP addresses were set.

To avoid this problem, use DHCP to configure the ztC Endurance Management VM during installation. After the installation is complete, run the net_config.sh command to configure the static IPv6 addresses.

Note: If you perform the preceding avoidance, you do not need an actual DHCP server.

BMC Configuration Script Incorrectly Reports IP Addresses

The BMC configuration script (/opt/stratus/bin/bmc_config.sh) may incorrectly report that BMC B has been assigned an IP address of 0.0.0.0 for both IP addresses, even though the script has set the IP addresses correctly. This can occur if the addresses have not finished updating when the script displays them.

If you need to view the IP addresses, run the bmc_config.sh script again.

Smart Exchange​ May Cause USB Driver to Issue Spurious Warnings in vmkernel.log File

The VMware USB driver may incorrectly view a Smart Exchange​​ operation as an error due to the hardware temporarily "disappearing" and then "reappearing." In this case, the driver may send multiple warnings to the vmkernel.log file, similar to the following warnings. You can safely ignore these warnings. 

2023-02-02T15:26:02.581Z Wa(180) vmkwarning: cpu63:2098291)WARNING: vmkusb: Retry 1 time(s) for command = 15 (0x0000000000000000, 
   0x00000000, 0x01013c00)
2023-02-02T15:26:02Z In(182) vmkernel: : Failure^[[0m

Vague Error Message When User Does Not Set Gateway Address

If you configure a static IP address but do not specify the gateway address in the yaml file, the following message is displayed: 

-------- ERROR ---------
(None, '255.255.255.0') does not appear to be an IPv4 or IPv6 interface

In the preceding message, None indicates that you did not specify the gateway address.

Remove Existing ASNConnect Data When Installing Replacement Compute Module

If you install a replacement compute module, contact Stratus Customer Service for instructions on removing existing ASNConnect configuration data before you install ASNConnect on the replacement compute module.

Invalid Characters in Management Daemon User Password May Cause install.sh to Fail

If the generated management daemon user password contains an invalid character, the install.sh script may fail, as shown in the following output:

Creating Mgmt Daemon user

Enter value for 'password':
--------- ERROR ---------
Unable to create Mgmt daemon account on ESX

If you encounter this error, run the install.sh script again. The script will generate a new password.

Run bmc_config or net_config Script Again If Network Reconfiguration Fails

If network reconfiguration fails, run the bmc_config script or net_config script again.

Enable Secure Boot Setting in the BIOS Setup Utility

New ztC Endurance systems may be shipped with the Secure Boot setting disabled in the BIOS setup utility. If you want this setting enabled, check this setting, and, if necessary, enable it as described in the following procedure.

Note: Enabling the Secure Boot setting requires that you access the BIOS setup utility either with a keyboard/monitor connected to the compute module or with a BMC remote-console session.

To enable the Secure Boot setting in the BIOS setup utility

  1. Restart the ztC Endurance system. As it starts to boot and the Stratus ztC Endurance screen appears, press either the Delete key or the Esc key.

  2. From the Main menu of the BIOS setup utility, use the arrow keys to select the Security tab.

  3. From the Security menu, look at the Secure Boot option.

    • If it is set to Enabled, no changes are needed and you can exit the utility. From the Save & Exit menu, use the arrow keys to select Discard Changes and Exit. Select Yes, and press Enter.

    • If it is set to Disabled, use the arrow keys to select the Secure Boot option. Press Enter.

  4. Next to Secure Boot, use the space bar to change the Disabled option to Enabled. Press Esc.

  5. From the Save & Exit menu, use the arrow keys to select Save Changes and Reset. Select Yes and press Enter.

  6. Repeat steps 1-5 for the other compute module.

Update Stored Copy of BMC Web Console admin Password

If someone uses the BMC Web console to change the BMC admin password, you must update System Management’s stored copy of that password by executing the following command as root. Otherwise, any attempts by System Management to access the BMC will fail.

Note: The cfgpasswd command does not update the actual administrator passwords; it updates only the copies of the passwords stored in the System Management configuration file.

/opt/stratus/sbin/cfgpasswd --bmcadmin

The --bmcadmin option prompts you to specify the new password for the BMC administrator account.

Note: The BMC admin password on both compute modules must be identical. System Management stores only one password for both BMCs.

The following example shows how to use the cfgpasswd command.

zenadmin@sys001-ztcmgmt:~$ sudo /opt/stratus/sbin/cfgpasswd --bmcadmin
Stopping sra-mgmt...
Enter value for BMC admin password: xxxxxxxxxxx
Confirm value for BMC admin password: xxxxxxxxxxx
Installed /opt/stratus/config/install-config.json
Restarting sra-mgmt...
zenadmin@sys001-ztcmgmt:~$

Install ASNConnect After You Replace a Compute Module

If you replace a compute module, you must contact your authorized Stratus service representative (see Getting Help) so they can remove the ASNConnect software associated with the old compute module. After that, you can install ASNConnect on the new compute module as described in Enabling ASNConnect.

ATTN LED Does Not Indicate When AC Power Cord Is Removed

For this ztC Endurance release, the ATTN LED on the control-panel earClosed A module located at the front right of the ztC Endurance system. It houses a USB 2.0 port, power button for the ztC Endurance system, and LEDs that indicate system power status (PWR), fault conditions (ATTN), and module identification status (UID). does not indicate when the AC power cord is removed. It only indicates when the PSU itself is removed or has failed. For more information about this ATTN LED, see Table 10.

ztC Endurance Console May Hang If Up and Down Arrow Keys Are Used

The ztC Endurance console​ may hang if you use the up and down arrow keys while on the Hardware page. If this occurs, use the F5 key or the refresh button to reload the page.

System Reports a PSU Error When Power State Changes From No Power to Powered On

When a ztC Endurance system goes from a state of no power to power, the ztC Endurance console​ may report that one or both PSUs have failed. Some examples of when this situation can occur are during the initial power-on, or if you remove both power cords from the system, reconnect them, and boot the system. As long as both PSU LEDs are solid green, there is no imminent danger, and you can address the issue at a convenient time. However, if the PSU LEDs are solid amber or blinking amber, there may be a legitimate problem with the PSUs that requires prompt attention.

If you encounter this issue:

  • If you can physically access the ztC Endurance system:

    1. Check the PSU LED status. Both PSU LEDs should be solid green, indicating that the PSUs are okay. See Figure 29 and Table 12.

    2. Remove the power cord from the PSU that the ztC Endurance console​ reported as failed. See Figure 46.

    3. Wait for the LED on the affected PSU to completely turn off. See Figure 29.

    4. Reconnect the power cord. See Connecting the System to Electrical Power.

  • If the system is remote and you cannot physically access it, contact Stratus Customer Service for assistance.

Enter Only One DNS Server During Installation

If you try to enter more than one name server for the Standby OS, ESXi host, or Management VM in the installation configuration file (zen_config.yaml) or when prompted in the installation script, the script will not proceed until you enter only one name server. If needed, you can add a second name server after installation by using standard Ubuntu or VMware ESXi management utilities.

For the Standby OS specifically, if you earlier added one or more additional name servers and then you replace a compute module or upgrade the system software, you must manually add the additional name server(s) back to the Standby OS. You must do this because those operations reinstall the Standby OS, and any configuration operations outside those specified by the ztC Endurance installation are lost during the reinstallation.

Do Not Use Certain Special Characters in BMC Password

Do not use the special characters #, !, or $ in the BMC Web console admin password. If you enter a BMC password that contains these special characters during the installation process, the installation fails with an Invalid placeholder in string error message.

Accessing Stratus Knowledge Base Articles

For information about accessing Stratus Knowledge Base articles, see Getting Help.

Getting Help

If you have a technical question about ztC Endurance systems, see Getting Help.