Xsan troubleshooting tips for macOS Server
If you can’t connect to a computer using the Server app
If there’s a firewall between the computer you’re using the Server app on and the SAN computer, make sure TCP port 311 is open on the firewall.
If controllers aren’t able to join the SAN
If a computer you expect to be a metadata controller for the SAN isn’t listed in the Server app, make sure of the following:
The controller you’re trying to join is actually a SAN controller.
The computer is turned on.
The computer isn’t in sleep.
The computer is on the same TCP/IP subnets as the other SAN components (if you’re using a private and a public Ethernet network, all SAN components must be connected to both networks).
For Xsan 4.0, the computer is connected to the SAN’s Fibre Channel networks.
For Xsan 4.1 or Xsan 5, the computer is connected either to the SAN’s Fibre Channel networks or to the SAN’s DLC connection.
If a volume fails to mount on a client
Make sure the volume is “Online” in Server app.
Restart the client computer.
Check that all Fibre Channel cables are plugged in.
Make sure that no other volumes mounted on the client have the same name as the Xsan volume.
If a volume fails to unmount from a client
Make sure no processes are using the volume.
Restart the client computer.
If RAID LUNs aren’t accessible over Fibre Channel
Restart the computer that doesn’t see the LUNs.
Check the configuration of the Fibre Channel switch to be sure the SAN computers and storage devices are in the same Fibre Channel zone.
If a LUN doesn’t have as much space as expected
To make striping across all LUNs possible, Xsan adjusts LUN sizes to make LUNs in a storage pool the same size as the smallest LUN in the pool. Xsan doesn’t use the extra space on larger LUNs if you mix LUNs of different sizes in a storage pool.
If you can’t rename an Xsan volume in the Finder
Xsan doesn’t let a mounted Xsan volume be renamed using the Finder, but you can use the Xsan pane of the Server app to rename the volume.
If you can’t add a storage pool
Some words are reserved and can’t be used to name a storage pool. If a storage pool is used for user data, the first eight characters of the storage pool name can’t be a reserved word. If you enter a reserved word as the storage pool name, the OK button in the storage pool sheet is dimmed. Examples include Exclusive, Journal, Log, MetaData, Regular, and Type.
For a register of reserved words, see the cvfs_config man page by entering this command in Terminal:
$ man -M /System/Library/Filesystems/acfs.fs/Contents/man/ 4 cvfs_configIf a client can’t use a volume after a Fibre Channel interruption
If a client loses its Fibre Channel connection to the SAN (for example, because a cable is unplugged), the client might not recognize LUNs in an Xsan volume after the connection is restored. If this happens, restart the client to remount the volume.
If problems persist, restart all SAN devices. Restart RAID systems first, then continue with SAN controllers, and finally, restart all clients.
Open Disk Utility on the computer and look for the LUNs in the list of disks and volumes.
You can also check for accessible LUNs using the
cvlabel -lcommand or thediskutil listcommand in Terminal. For information, see thecvlabelordiskutilman page.
If file copying doesn’t finish
If the Ethernet connection to a metadata controller is lost, Finder file-copy operations in progress on clients might not finish, even though the volume successfully fails over to a standby controller.
If a volume unexpectedly restarts
Xsan can restart a volume for a variety of reasons, including controller restart and volume failover. The notification is the same in all cases, but you can examine the log files for more details.