Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange Release 2.0.0.0 Release Notes (Windows)

These Release Notes (updated 12:04 PM EST on 12/20/2024) are for Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange Release 2.0.0.0. See the following sections:

New Features and Enhancements

Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange Release 2.0.0.0 introduces ztC Endurance 3100, 5100, and 7100 systems running Windows and Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange. See Overview of Stratus ztC Endurance Systems for more information.

Important Considerations

Do Not Update the Ubuntu System Software

Do not enable Ubuntu unattended upgrades or update the Ubuntu system software of the Standby OS from any source other than Stratus unless instructed to do so. To prevent incompatibilities and ensure the proper fault-tolerant operation of your system, use only the release and software packages that are installed with the Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange software. All supported Ubuntu package updates will be bundled in future releases.

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 Windows settings documented in https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/setup-upgrade-and-drivers/wake-on-lan-feature to disable Wake On LAN.

Long Network Delays with PCIe Adapter During I/O Faults

Adding a PCIe adapter to a team configured in static-teaming mode could result in long network delays when an I/O module is being brought up.

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 .

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.

IPv6 Must Be Enabled in BMC Web Console

ztC Endurance systems are shipped with the Enable IPv6 setting selected in the BMC Web console. The ztC Endurance system does not work if you disable this setting.

The Enable IPv6 setting is located in Settings>Network Settings>Network IP Settings. When you select this setting, the Enable IPv6 DHCP setting appears; select this setting as well. For more information about the BMC Web console, see Overview of the BMC Web Console.

Reconfiguring System from Static IPv6 Addresses to Dynamic IPv4 Addresses

If your ztC Endurance system has been configured with static IPv6 addresses and you are reconfiguring the system to use dynamic (DHCP) IPv4 addresses, perform the following procedure before running net_config.sh:

  1. Log in to one of the BMC Web consoles.

  2. Select Settings, then select Network Settings, and then select Network IP Settings.

  3. On the Network IP Settings page:

    1. Select the Enable IPv6 DHCP check box.

    2. Enter 0 in the IPv6 Address field.

    3. Click Save and exit the BMC Web console.

Repeat this procedure on the other BMC Web console.

Enter Only One DNS Server During Installation

If you try to enter more than one name server for the Standby OS or Windows host 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 Windows management utilities.

For the Standby OS specifically, if you earlier added one or more additional name servers and then you replace a compute module, 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.

Check Secure Boot Setting After Compute Module Is Replaced

After you replace a compute module, check its Secure Boot setting to make sure it matches the known Secure Boot setting on the active compute module. The following procedure describes how to check and modify the setting.

  1. From the ztC Endurance console​, place the replacement compute module into maintenance mode. See Using Maintenance Mode.

    Notice: A fault may occur if you do not place the replacement compute module into maintenance mode before performing the rest of this procedure.

  2. Connect to the BMC Web console of the replacement compute module. See Connecting to the BMC Web Console.

  3. Log in to the BMC Web console. See Logging In to the BMC Web Console.

  4. From the BMC Web console, click Remote Control in the left-hand column, and then click LaunchH5Viewer.

  5. From the viewer, enter your credentials for the zenadmin user account of the ztC Endurance Standby OS.

  6. Run the following command to see the status (Enabled or Disabled) of the Secure Boot setting on the replacement compute module:

    $ sudo mokutil --sb-state

    • If the result matches the known Secure Boot setting of the active compute module, go to step 13.

    • If the result does not match the known Secure Boot setting of the active compute module, go to step 7.

  7. Run the following command to reboot the standby compute module:

    $ sudo reboot

  8. During power-on self-test (POST) mode, press the Delete key to enter the BIOS setup utility.

    If the standby compute module enters another power cycle and reboots, press the Delete key again.

  9. From the Main menu, use the left or right arrow keys to select the Security tab. On the Security tab, use the up or down arrow keys to select Secure Boot, then press Enter to bring up the Secure Boot screen.

  10. On the Secure Boot screen, use the up or down arrow keys to move to Secure Boot. Then use the Spacebar to toggle the setting (Enabled or Disabled) so that it matches the known Secure Boot setting of the active compute module.

  11. Press F4, then select Yes and press Enter to save and exit.

  12. When the standby compute module reboots, log in again. If you want to confirm the setting, run the command from step 6.

  13. When you are ready, close the viewer and the BMC Web console.

  14. From the ztC Endurance console​, return the replacement compute module to service. See Using Maintenance Mode.

Reporting Error in zenverify Program

After a ztC Endurance system is installed, you verify the system's installation by running the zenverify program from a standby compute module. Currently, if the compute module's complex programmable logic device (CPLD) version is 1.2.0, zenverify reports a failure of the CPLD firmware version. This is a reporting error, not an actual failure; Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange Release 2.0.0.0 supports both the 1.2.0 and 1.4.0 versions of the compute module's CPLD. You can safely ignore this error.

Error Message During Second Windows Installation Reboot

During the Windows OS installation, the ztC Endurance system reboots when the progress bar reaches 100 percent. After the system boots, it shows that Windows is finalizing settings and then reboots again. During this second reboot:

  • The system may freeze while displaying the KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED error message. If this occurs, power off compute module A and then power it back on to continue the installation. The error is otherwise harmless and does not affect other parts of the installation.

  • The system may freeze while displaying the No Signal error message, and it loses connection to the BMC Web console. If this occurs, power off compute module A and then power it back on to continue the installation. The error is otherwise harmless and does not affect other parts of the installation.

  • The system displays the KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED error message but does not freeze. No action is needed. The error is harmless and does not affect other parts of the installation.

Windows Subsystem for Linux Not Supported

The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is not supported on ztC Endurance systems running AUL-Smart Exchange for Windows.

Do Not Install OpenSSH Server Optional Feature

During the Windows installation, do not use the OpenSSH server feature from the Settings > Apps > Apps & features > Optional features menu. The installation uses a different OpenSSH application. If you try to use the OpenSSH server feature along with the OpenSSH application, you receive no warning, but neither the feature nor the application works.

Installation Fails If System Connected to External Storage

Any external storage should be disconnected from the ztC Endurance system before you start Windows installation. If Windows Setup fails with the message Windows could not apply the unattend answer file's <DiskConfiguration> setting., immediately disconnect external storage and click OK. If the message disappears before you can do this, start the installation again, first making sure that external storage is disconnected.

Disk Manager May Display Incorrect Number of Disks During Installation

During the system software installation, before the first Smart Exchange​ occurs, the Windows Disk Manager may display an incorrect number of removable disks or CD-ROM drives, each with a drive letter assigned to it. To correct this display error, close the BMC KVM session to the Windows host.

Do Not Install Windows Updates Before You Check with Stratus Customer Service

When the Windows installation completes, Windows Update is automatically disabled. Do not attempt to install any Windows updates without first checking with Stratus Customer Service.

Do Not Modify Time Zone Except for Windows Host

Other than in the Windows host, do not modify the time zone on your ztC Endurance system. For example, do not attempt to modify the time zone on the standby OS or in the BIOS.

Recovering Storage Pool After Reinstalling Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange​

If you use Storage Spaces on your ztC Endurance system and need to reinstall Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange​, check the state of your storage pool in Server Manager. If it is in an unknown, unhealthy state, perform the following procedure:

  1. From Server Manager, right-click on the unknown/unhealthy storage pool. Select Set Read-Write Access.

  2. Right-click each virtual disk and select Attach Virtual Disk. Click Yes.

  3. Open Disk Management. After you attached the virtual disks in the previous step, the disks now appear as Offline. Right-click each disk and select Online. (Note that the letter assigned to the disk is not the same as the one originally assigned to the disk, but you can change it.) The virtual disk now appears as Detached.

  4. Use Windows PowerShell to set the IsManualAttach value to false as follows:

    PS C:\Users\Administrator> Set-VirtualDisk -FriendlyName Pool1-vdisk1 -IsManualAttach $false

  5. Refresh Server Manager.

  6. Click the virtual disk, select Properties, and then expand Details.

  7. From the Property drop-down menu, select IsManualAttach. The value should be False.

  8. Optionally, if you want to verify that the value remains False, reboot the system, and from Server Manager, repeat steps 6 and 7.

Replacement Boot Disks Not Recognized by Windows Software When Moved to Another System

If you plan to add a previously used disk to a ztC Endurance system and do not intend to preserve the existing data, run the diskpart command to clean the disk before you insert it into the system. Otherwise, the result may be unpredictable depending on the existing data (for example, if the existing data was an OS image, the system may attempt to boot from the previously used disk instead of from the intended disk).

Recovering Degraded Data Disks After Installation

You should deport disks under either of the following circumstances:

  • If you move disks of a data LUN (that is, an RDR virtual disk) from one system to another

  • If you reinstall the OS on a system that currently has one or more data LUNs attached

If you do not deport disks under these circumstances, each of the formerly duplexed data LUNs are split into two identical simplexed (degraded) data LUNs, each with identical data and limited functionality. In this case, you must manually restore the data LUNs to fully functional duplexed (mirrored) LUNs by performing the following procedure:

  1. In Windows PowerShell, use .\rdmadm.exe show all to view all disks. Note that it shows two one-disk, simplexed (degraded) LUNs for every former two-disk, duplexed (mirrored) data LUN.

  2. Open Windows Disk Management. In most cases, half of the simplexed data LUNs will appear as Offline.

    Note: If no LUNs are displayed as being Offline, look at the output of the rdmadm show all command again. Note the Phys # of all data LUNs with a disk that has the location B/x. In step 4, select LUNs with a Disk # that is the same as the Phys # that you noted.

  3. Right-click the disks that appear as Offline and set them to Online. Make a note of each Disk #.

  4. Right-click each volume of the LUN from step 3 and select Delete Volume.

  5. In PowerShell, delete all data LUNs and convert them to pass-thru disks as shown in the following example.

    Note: The data on the LUNs is preserved.

    PS C:\Program Files\Stratus\bin> .\rdmadm.exe delete_plex lun3 plex0

    Disk 0000_0000_0000_0001_00A0_7523_3E7F_E15C. (plex 0) removed from LUN 3

  6. Create new LUNs from each pass-thru disk that contains data, as shown in the following example. (These are the pass-thru disks with a Phys # that is not the Disk # shown in step 3.)

    PS C:\Program Files\Stratus\bin> .\rdmadm.exe create_lun tgt2

    New LUN created from disk 0000_0000_0000_0001_00A0_7522_3E1D_F4C4.

  7. Add the blank disks to their corresponding LUN, as shown in the following example:

    PS C:\Program Files\Stratus\bin> .\rdmadm.exe add_plex lun2 tgt4

    Disk 0000_0000_0000_0001_00A0_7522_3E1D_F565. added to LUN 337a4edc-f8a0-40ab-8920-000699989ac0

  8. In Disk Management, if the disks appear as Offline, set them to Online.

  9. In PowerShell, use .\rdmadm.exe show all to view all disks again. The recovered disks should appear as SYNCING.

Application Popup Event Log Messages Appear After Installing Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange

After you install Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange​, the Windows system event log may contain entries with the following message: The description for Event ID 56 from source Application Popup cannot be found. These event-log entries may occur after reboot or after plug-and-play removal of a storage module or an I/O module. The message does not indicate a failure and can be safely ignored.

Delay in Client/Server-Based Applications During Smart Exchange​ While Communicating Over IP Addresses on x710 PCIe Adapters

Any client/server-based application that communicates over an IP address that is assigned to a networked team configured over an x710 PCIe adapter may experience a 7- to 25-second delay during or after a Smart Exchange​ operation.

Do Not Burn Firmware on Active Compute Module During Windows Installation

During the Windows installation, you encounter prompts asking you to update the BMC and BIOS firmware on the active compute module. However, updating the BMC and BIOS firmware during the installation may cause the installation to fail. To allow the firmware to be updated post-installation, answer No to both prompts.

After the installation, if the ztC Endurance console​ displays an alert stating that the updates require a reboot exchange, log in to the Windows Administrator account and run the following commands:

"C:\Program Files\Stratus\bin\sysupdate.exe" -allowexchange -u admin -p password
"C:\Program Files\Stratus\bin\sysupdate.exe" -reset system -u admin -p password

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.