Third Party Known Issues

SANsymphony
Known Issues
Third-party hardware and software
May 2022
This document contains all Third-party

Hardware and Software that, when used
together with SANsymphony, may cause
unexpected behavior or impact accessibility,
performance, and function.
Known issues that apply to DataCore's own

products are in their own release notes
which are all available from the DataCore
Support website.
Also see
Minimum Hardware Requirements
https://www.datacore.com/products/software-defined-storage/tech/prerequisites/
Qualified Hardware Components

http://datacore.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1529
The authority on real-time data

Continued from previous page Table of Contents
All Converged Network Adaptors (CNAs) 15

Changes made to this document 4 CN1000Q 15
NC55* SFP 10 Gigabit Adaptors 16
Disclaimer 5 NC375x/NC382i/NC52x Gigabit Adaptors 16
ProLiant BL460c (Gen10) server blades 16
Server hardware 6
IBM 16
Microsoft Windows (general) 7 49y4250/49y7950 10GiB Adaptor 16
Windows 2016 update regression 7
Intel 17
Windows 2016/2012/2012 R2/2008 7
x710 Ethernet Controller 17
Windows 2012/2012 R2 only 8
Windows 2008 R2 only 8 Nvidia Mellanox 18
ConnectX SmartNICs - general 18
Cisco 9
ConnextX-5 18
Unified Computing Systems (UCS) 9
ConnextX-3 18
Fujitsu 9 All PCI Express 2.0 ConnectX Adaptors 18
Primergy ServerView Control Service 9
Primergy Server Agent 9 Storage hardware 19
Hewlett-Packard 9 Disks previously used for Disk Pools 19
Servers with Windows 2012/2012 R2 9
Servers with Windows 2008 10
NVMe Storage (all vendors) 19
Servers with Xeon 7500 or E7 Processors 10 Adaptec 20
ProLiant G9 Servers 10 maxView Storage Manager 20
Automatic Server Recovery (ASR) 10
C-Class BladeSystems 10 Allied TeleSyn 20
Integrated Lights Out (ILO) 10 Gigabit Media Converter - MC1000 series 20
Insight Management 11
Areca 20
HPE Storage Devices 11
ARC-188x 20
Virtual Connect 12
IBM 12 Dell EMC 20

MD 36xx/38xx FC 20
IPMI Watchdog Timer (IBM) 12
Clariion AX150/AX4 20
BladeCenter and System x 12
Compellant SC series 20
Lenovo 12 RealSSD (Micron) 20
ThinkSystem 12 PowerEdge 21
SAS Arrays using Seagate disks 21
Fibre channel adaptors 13
Fusion-io 21
Emulex 13 Using SANsymphony’s Deduplication 21
Third-party Process Logout (TPRLO) 13 VSL Ram calculations 21
All 16GB (including OEM) 13
Hewlett Packard 22
All 8GB (including OEM) 13
EVA 4000/8xxx 22
QLogic 14 HPE MSA 1040/2040 22
All models (including OEM) 14 P440AR 22
All 16GB (including OEM) 14 SAS Storage systems 22
Hewlett-Packard 14 Hitachi 22
HP StoreFabric 84Q 14 Virtual Storage Platform (VSP) F and G
series 22
Network adaptors (inc. iSCSI) 15
IBM 23
Broadcom 15 DS3400/3500 23
BCM57xxx 15 DS4100 23
ServeRAID M5100e 23
Emulex 15 ServeRAID M and MR10 Series 23
Oce11102-NX/Oce10102-NX 15 System x 23
Hewlett Packard 15 Intel 24
Continued from previous page Table of Contents
Optane - Persistent Memory (PMem) 24 McAfee 31

NVMe 24 VirusScan 31
Lenovo 24 Oracle 32
Intel S4510 and S4610 SATA SSDs 24 Automatic Storage Management (ASM) 32
Micron M.2 and SSD drives 24
Veeam 32
LSI 25 Backup Management Suite 32
Nytro WarpDrive 25 Changed Block Tracking 32
Micron Technology Inc. 25 Previous changes 33
RealSSD 25
NetApp 25
All E Series arrays 25
Automatic Load Balancing (ALB) 25
Netgear 26
ReadyNAS 3100 26
PureStorage 26
All FlashArray storage 26
Skyera 26
skyHawk 26
Toshiba OCZ 26
Z-Drive 26
Transtec 26
Provigo 26
Violin Memory 26
All PCIe Flash Memory Cards 26
X-IO 27
ISE 1 Storage Arrays 27
ISE 2 Storage Arrays 27
G3 and G4 Storage Arrays 27
Switches – FC, FCoE and IP 28

All Switch Vendors 28
Registered State Change Notifications 28
Brocade 28
Fabric OS 7.x 28
Fabric OS 6.x 28
Cisco Systems Inc. 29

Nexus and MDS Series 29
QLogic 29
IO StreamGuard 29
Third-party software 30
Anti-Virus Software 30
Applies to all 30
Broadcom 30
Advanced Server Program (BASP) 30
Symantec 30
Network Threat Protection (NTP) 30
Changes made to this document
The most recent version of this document is available from here:
https://datacore.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/838
All changes since December 2021
Added
Storage Hardware – Intel
Optane - Persistent Memory (PMem)
Affects the DataCore Server
The PMem feature is not supported with SANsymphony.
PMem has two different accessibility modes:
• Memory Mode
This has significantly higher access latency than standard DRAM so is not suitable
for use with SANsymphony.
• App Direct
Raw Device Access mode is not supported when used in a Disk Pool.
For previous changes made to this document please see page 33
Page | 4 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

Disclaimer
DataCore Software cannot be held responsible for any incorrect information regarding third-
party products or assumptions made that DataCore Software has direct communication with
any of the third-party vendors regarding any of the issues listed here. DataCore Software
always recommend that users contact the third-party vendor directly to see if there are any
updates or fixes since they were documented here.
DataCore always recommend that the latest software drivers, firmware and/or BIOS are used
on any SAN component (unless of course they are listed here as not working as expected).
A few of the issues documented here were discovered during DataCore’s own testing but
most have been reported by end users and then subsequently confirmed by the third-party
Vendor.
Known issues that apply to DataCore's own products are in their own release notes which are
all available from the DataCore Support website.

Server hardware
Some of the information in this section may overlap with known issues reported in the
section Storage hardware on page 19.
Also see
Minimum Hardware Requirements
https://www.datacore.com/products/software-defined-storage/tech/prerequisites/
Best Practice Guidelines for SANsymphony


Server hardware
Microsoft Windows (general)

Windows 2016 update regression
Affects the DataCore and Host Servers
Unexpected BSOD when using MPIO Disk Devices after applying updates between
Nov and Dec 2020.
A crash in Microsoft’s mpio.sys driver may occur when two or more paths to an MPIO disk
device are removed, unexpectedly at the same time. This may affect:
• Hosts that being served Virtual Disks that are being managed either by Microsoft’s
own MPIO or DataCore’s Windows Integration Kit both of which use the Widows
mpio.sys driver.
• DataCore Servers that are using iSCSI Mirrored Virtual Disks – where SANsymphony
utilizes the mpio.sys driver. Fibre Channel mirrored Virtual Disks are unaffected.
This issue was fixed in an update issued in January 12th, 2021.

Also see
January 12, 2021—KB4598243 (OS Build 14393.4169)
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4 598243
Windows 2016/2012/2012 R2/2008

Affects clustered, hyper-converged DataCore Servers
Do not use the DataCore Loopback port to serve mirrored Virtual Disks to Hyper-V
Virtual Machines
This known issue only applies when SANsymphony is installed in the root partitions of
clustered, Hyper-V Windows servers where virtual disks are ‘looped-back’ to the Windows
Operating system for use by Hyper-V Virtual Machines.
Also see: https://docs.datacore.com/SSV-WebHelp/hyperconverged_virtual_san_software.htm
A limitation exists in the DataCore SCSI Port driver - used by the DataCore Loopback Ports
- whereby if the DataCore Server providing the ‘Active’ cluster path is stopped, the
remaining DataCore Server providing the ‘Standby’ path for the Hyper-V VMs is unable to
take the SCSI Reservation (previously held by the stopped DataCore Server). This will result
in a SCSI Reservation Conflict and prevent any Hyper-V VM from being able to access the
DataCore Disks presented by the remaining DataCore Server.
In this case please use iSCSI connections as ‘Loopbacks’ for SANsymphony DataCore Disks
presented to Hyper-V Virtual Machines.

BitLocker Drive Encryption
This server feature must not be installed on a DataCore Server as it will prevent
SANsymphony’s Disk Pool feature from working.

Server hardware
Windows 2012/2012 R2 only

SAS boot drives
Restart problems after Microsoft update rollup 2919355. See:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/2966870 (Last update 2015)
A regression in a Windows March 2017 update

This caused a TCP Port 'exhaustion' when one or more Microsoft iSCSI initiators cannot
connect to a Target (e.g. because the DataCore Server is not available /shutdown or if there
is a network problem preventing IP connections from being made). Symptoms include:
• Logins to login to the DataCore Management Console will fail a nd an "Insufficient
Winsock resources available …” error is displayed.
• The Server is unavailable for any RDP and/or other network based logins.
• SANsymphony Asynchronous Replication connections will fail
A fix was made available as of the July 2017 rollup.
Also see
July 18, 2017—KB4025335 (Preview of Monthly Rollup)
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4025335
Windows 2008 R2 only

A regression was introduced in Microsoft’s January 8 th 2019 security update
(KB4480970)
“Local users who are part of the local “Administrators” group may not be able to remotely
access shares”. This affects DataCore’s ‘DcsAdmin’ user and symptoms include:
• Logins to login to the DataCore Management Console will fail.
• DataCore Servers within the same Server Group will lose connection via
SANsymphony’s ‘management LAN’ to other DataCore Servers in the group.
• SANsymphony Asynchronous Replication connections will fail to and from
Replication Groups.
A fix is available from Microsoft (KB4487345).
See: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/448734 5/
Notes:
This regression was previously documented as DataCore Technical Support FAQ #1711
When a new vNIC is created in place of a an existing one custom settings are lost.
See ‘Known issue 1’: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3125574 (Last updated 2018).
The "Win32_Service" WMI class leaks memory in Windows Server 2008 R2”.
A Hotfix is available: https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/981314 (Last updated 2018)
Slow Performance on Windows Server 2008 R2 when using the “Balanced” Power
Plan”. Possible resolutions are documented here https://support.microsoft.com/en-
gb/help/2207548 (Last updated 2017).
System Shuts Down After Modifying Critical Battery Notification Level Policy on
Windows
A resolution is documented here https://support.microsoft.com/en -gb/help/2646852 (Last
updated 2012).

Server hardware
Cisco
Unified Computing Systems (UCS)
Advanced Format 4k storage does not work with SANsymphony versions 10.0 PSP 4
Update 1 or earlier - as a workaround in for earlier versions of SANsymphony with LUNs
greater than 4TB use multiple, smaller sized physical disks and format them using either
512 or 512e.
Fujitsu
Primergy ServerView Control Service
After any reboot of a DataCore Server, this service will prevent SANsymphony’s own DataCore
Executive service from starting - either manually or automatically - for about 20 minutes.
If possible, disable/remove this service or, if this is not possible, change the DataCore
Executive service’s own startup type from Automatic to Automatic (Delayed Start). This
forces the DataCore Executive service to wait for the ServerView Server Control service to
complete its own startup process before starting itself automatically.
Primergy Server Agent

Use version 7.10.14 or later. Earlier versions caused problems with Microsoft’s Windows
Management Instrumentation (WMI) resulting connection problems when using
SANsymphony’s Management Console.
Hewlett-Packard
Servers with Windows 2012/2012 R2
May Blue Screen if Configured with an HP Smart Array Controller and the Windows Server
2012 HPCISSS2.SYS Driver Version 62.26.0.64. Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support
Center using keyword c03793656 (Last updated 2014)
HP ProLiant Agentless Management Service (AMS) May Consume Excessive Amounts of

System Memory on ProLiant Gen8 Servers. Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support
Center with keyword c04219029 (Last updated 2016)
May Experience a Memory Leak Up To 5 Mb/ Hour for Some NIC Teaming Configurations.
Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support Center using keyword c04209163 (Last
updated 2014)
Hewlett-Packard (continued on next page)

Server hardware
Hewlett-Packard (continued from previous page)
Servers with Windows 2008

May Consume Excessive Amounts of System Memory on ProLiant Gen8 Servers. HP
Agentless Management Service (AMS) Version 9.60 corrects this issue. Search Hewlett
Packard’s Enterprise Support Center with keyword c04219029 (Last updated 2015)
HP ProLiant Agentless Management Service (AMS) May Consume Excessive Amounts of

System Memory on ProLiant Gen8 Servers. Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support
Servers with Xeon 7500 or E7 Processors

System ROM Upgrade required to Prevent Unpredictable System Behavior in ProLiant
Servers. Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support Center with keyword c03346558 (Last
updated 2012)
ProLiant G9 Servers
The Server May Stop Responding and Will Display Power-On Self-Test (POST) Error
Messages on Reboot When Running Smart Array Controllers and/or Host Bus Adaptors.
Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support Center using keyword c04805565 (Last
updated 2016)
Automatic Server Recovery (ASR)

This feature must be disabled on a DataCore Server. Some SANsymphony drivers can trigger
these function which will result in an unexpected reboot or shutdown.
C-Class BladeSystems
Server Blades May Sporadically Lose SAN Connections Through HP Virtual Connect
FlexFabric Modules. HP Virtual Connect firmware Version 4.10 corrects this issue. Search
Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support Center with keyword c03811226 (Last updated 2012)
Integrated Lights Out (ILO)

Significant TZ (time zone) settings differences within the ILO software and the server’s own
system clock/BIOS may result in the DataCore Executive service faulting. These faults will
result in unexpected ‘Not Connected’ and/or ‘Logstore not available’ warning messages
from other DataCore Servers in the group. Ensure that the TZ settings match.
Hewlett-Packard (continued next page)

Server hardware

Insight Management
After a reboot of a DataCore Server, these services may prevent SANsymphony’s own
DataCore Executive service from starting for anywhere up to 20 minutes. It is possible to
manually start the service during this period either, as it will eventually fail with a ‘timeout’
warning. If this happens either:
• Disable/remove the Insight Management feature
or
• Change the DataCore Executive service’s own startup type from Automatic to
Automatic (Delayed Start). This forces DataCore Executive service to wait for all the
Insight Management services to complete their startup before starting itself
automatically.
HPE Storage Devices

HPE NVMe SSD

Certain SSD drive models may report an excessive number of media errors. These errors
may be the result of data written incorrectly when the NVMe drive is in idle power mode.
The media errors may not be reported in the logs for AHS, IML, or iLO. Instead the errors
will be visible in the operating system (or application) logs. In some cases, one or more files
may not open. Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support Center with keyword
a00113342en_us (Last updated Jun 2021)
HPE SAS SSD

Critical Firmware Upgrade Required for Certain HPE SAS Solid State Drive Models to
Prevent Drive Failure at 32,768 Hours of Operation – 12th December 2019. Search Hewlett
Packard’s Enterprise Support Center with keyword a00092491en_us (Last updated Dec
2019)
Smart Array Controllers

Update to Smart Array firmware Version 5.04 to Correct Intermittent Controller Lockup
Issues. Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support Center with keyword
a00007847en_us (Last updated 2017)
P212/P410/P410i/P411/P711m/P712m/P812 Controllers
One or More Spare Drives and firmware Version 6.40 (or Earlier) May Halt with "Lockup
Code = 0xAB" Around 64, 128, or 256 Days. Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support
HP’s cpqfcac.sys driver

Removed from the Windows Operating system before installing SANsymphony when
using DataCore’s FC drivers on Back-end Port connections to HP storage arrays. Otherwise,
the DataCore Server may crash during the install/upgrade of SANsymphony.
Hewlett-Packard (continued next page)

Server hardware
Virtual Connect
A pause flood detection on VC uplink ports results in poor performance and/or an FCoE
outage. Generic parity errors are fixed for the HP VC FlexFabric-20/40 F8 Module.
HP Virtual Connect Version 4.45 corrects these issues. Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise
Support Center with keyword c04731344 (Last updated 2015)
IBM
IPMI Watchdog Timer (IBM)
This feature must be disabled on a DataCore Server. Some SANsymphony drivers can
trigger these function which will result in an unexpected reboot or shutdown.
Affects the DataCore and Host Server

BladeCenter and System x
UEFI systems with HBA and >2 TB LUN may have data consistency errors. (Last updated
2010). See: https://www.ibm.com/support/home/docdisplay?lndocid=MIGR-5084554
Lenovo
ThinkSystem
Affects the DataCore or Host Server
Micron 5100 SSD series may report errors and cause background process to fail. Upgrade
the Micron 5100 drive firmware to version MD51 or later. Search Lenovo’s own support
website for Document ID:HT507307 (last updated May 2019)

Fibre channel adaptors
Also see
The DataCore Server: Qualified hardware components
Best Practice Guidelines for SANsymphony – ISCSI and Fibre Channel connections
Emulex
Third-party Process Logout (TPRLO)
Applies to the Host Server
This must be disabled on a Host using any Emulex fibre channel port connected to a
DataCore Server.
All 16GB (including OEM)

These HBAs may behave erratically when using the DataCore Emulex fibre channel driver
with SANsymphony 10.0 PSP 7 Update 1 or earlier.
End users that were already using DataCore's 16GB/s Emulex fibre channel driver before
October 2016 (and were therefore supported by DataCore) should upgrade to 10 PSP 7
Update 2.
Also see
Qualified hardware components

Use firmware 2.01a12 or later. Earlier versions may cause the DataCore Server to hang or
crash during the installation or upgrade of SANsymphony.

Fibre channel adaptors
QLogic
All models (including OEM)
When using a vendor’s own fibre channel driver to connect to a storage array.
• QLogic driver version 9.1.17.21 with a firmware earlier than 08.03.00 may cause some
storage arrays to panic/crash.
• QLogic driver version 9.3.3.20 with firmware 8.01.41 has been reported to cause loss
of access to storage attached to the DataCore Server or a crash of the DataCore
Server itself after 42 days. DataCore recommend upgrading to driver version 9.4.1.20
or later (which also includes later firmware).
Also see:
http://driverdownloads.qlogic.com/QL ogicDriverDownloads_UI/DefaultNewSearch.aspx

When using directly connected QLogic 16GB Mirror ports between two DataCore Servers
with SANsymphony 10.0 PSP 4 Update 1 or earlier, set the 'Data rate mode' of all the
connected SANsymphony MR ports to 8GB.
Also see
Modifying Fibre Channel Port Settings
https://docs.datacore.com/SSV-WebHelp/Modifying_Fibre_ Channel_Port_Settings.htm
Using direct-connected Fibre Channel Ports with a DataCore

Hewlett-Packard
HP StoreFabric 84Q
Do not use the DataCore Fibre Channel driver on this 4-port HP branded HBA.
It has been reported to DataCore that using DataCore QLogic driver on the HP-branded
QLogic HBA is unstable. Symptoms include unexplained CRC errors and/or high
Transmission and Link error counts.
Replace the DataCore driver with the vendor’s own recommended driver. However, by
using the vendor’s own driver, the HBA can then only be used to connect to storage arrays
and will not appear in the SANsymphony Management Console.
Also see
Qualified Hardware Components – How to replace the DataCore fibre channel driver
Important: Using the equivalent QLogic ‘own-branded’ version of this 4-port HBA does not
show the same symptoms when using the same DataCore QLogic driver.

Network adaptors (inc. iSCSI)
Also see
The DataCore Server: Qualified hardware components
Best Practice Guidelines for SANsymphony – ISCSI and Fibre Channel connections
Broadcom
BCM57xxx
Disable the ‘iSCSI MBA initiator’ feature as this interferes with DataCore’s iSCSI Target
Driver. Even if the NIC is only used for management LAN connections between DataCore
Servers it is still recommended to disable this feature. Please contact the vendor for
instructions.
Emulex
Oce11102-NX/Oce10102-NX
Disable ‘TCP Chimney Offload’ on these adaptors otherwise the SANsymphony software
may not be able to be stopped properly.
See https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/9510 37 (Last Updated 2014)
Hewlett Packard
All Converged Network Adaptors (CNAs)
"Immediate Data" is not supported and must be set to "No".
CN1000Q
Use firmware version 4.8.22 or later.
HPE Intel Ethernet 10Gb 562SFP+ Adapter

Affects the DataCore or Host Servers
HPE Intel i40ea Driver for Windows Server 2016 Versions 1.8.83.0 or 1.8.94.0 May Cause NTFS
File Corruption to iSCSI Mounted Volumes When Jumbo Frames Are Enabled . Search
Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support Center using keywords a00074697en_us (Last
updated June 2019).
Hewlett Packard (continued on next page)

Hewlett Packard (continued from previous page)

NC55* SFP 10 Gigabit Adaptors
See https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/9510 37 (Last Updated 2014)
NC375x/NC382i/NC52x Gigabit Adaptors

Applies to the DataCore or Host Server
When used for iSCSI connections use driver version 5.3.27.606 and firmware: 4.0.0.19 (9 Sep
2014) or later. Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support Center using keywords
c02964542 (Last updated 2012) and c03734205 (Last updated 2013)
ProLiant BL460c (Gen10) server blades

It has been reported that these server blades use NICs with Broadcom BCM57xxx chipsets
– please see the Broadcom entry on the previous page for more details.
IBM
49y4250/49y7950 10GiB Adaptor
Applies to the DataCore or Host Server
See https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/9510 37

Intel
x710 Ethernet Controller
DataCore had previously made recommendations to avoid using this family of adaptors for
any/all ISCSI connections after reports of erratic behavior under load. Symptoms included
continual disconnect/reconnect events to/from Host and Mirror Port iSCSI Initiators.
Initial reports of erratic behavior were for:
• Rebranded versions of the NICs - e.g., as provided by HP and Dell - rather than
directly from Intel.
• Using February 2017 released drivers that were from HP and Dell rather than Intel.
DataCore have had reports from other end users after updating Intel’s own Non-Volatile
Memory (NVM) to version 6.01 (issued December 2017) the adaptors appear to no longer
show the same erratic behavior as before.
Therefore, based on this, DataCore are cautiously recommending Intel’s NVM version 6.01
(or later) be applied to any x710 adaptors in a DataCore Server and Host for any iSCSI
Target/Initiator port connections.
If your x710 adaptor is rebranded, then contact the vendor to see if an equivalent version of
the NVM code is available for their version of Intel’s NIC.
Also see:
Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) Update Utility for
Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter 710 Series
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/24769
Affects ESXi hosts (including Hyperconverged SANsymphony installations)

ESXi host that uses Intel Corporation Ethernet Controller X710 for 10GbE SFP+ NIC with
the i40e driver fails with PSOD
https://kb.vmware.com/s/arti cle/2126909
If using HP server hardware with ESXi see https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/21 26909

Nvidia Mellanox
ConnectX SmartNICs - general
DataCore have had reports by customers using ConnectX-5 SmartNICs configured for
speeds of 100Gb/s behaving erratically – the symptoms being IO stalls and continuous
disconnects /reconnects between the Target and Initiator - when used for iSCSI
connections to or from a DataCore Server.
It is also not clear if other models of the ConnectX SmartNIC family (4, 6 and 7) will also
show this same problem when using speeds of 50Gb/s or more.
DataCore are recommending reducing the speed of these NIC to 25Gb/s as this has
been shown to resolve the problems stated above.
DataCore are currently investigating this problem.
ConnextX-5
Use a minimum firmware version of 16.27.1016 and WinOF-2 driver version 2.40 (22511.0 or
later). Users on earlier firmware and driver versions reported unexpected and repeated
network disconnections.
ConnextX-3
DataCore recommend a minimum of WinOF VPI version 5.50 or later.
All PCI Express 2.0 ConnectX Adaptors

When used for iSCSI connections use firmware version 2.9.1000 or later with PCI Express
2.0 otherwise I/O may stall or stop working completely.

Storage hardware
Some of the information in this section may overlap with known issues reported in the
section Server hardware on page 6.
Also see:
Storage Hardware Guideline for use with DataCore Servers
Disks previously used for Disk Pools

Physical disk devices that had previously been used in another Disk Pool but had not
been ‘cleanly’ deleted may be re-discovered as a ‘foreign’ Disk Pool that cannot be
deleted or imported.
This happens because the Disk Pool driver has detected the previous Disk Pool’s indexes
on the discovered disk device(s), the index references other physical disks that no longer
exist or cannot be seen by the DataCore Server.
To prevent this from happening, always cleanly decommission physical disks from a Disk
Pool or, if that is not practical, make sure that the disk device is completely re-formatted
before presenting it back to the DataCore Server to remove any residual Disk Pool indexes
from being detected.
Also see
Removing Physical Disks from Pools
https://docs.datacore.com/SSV-WebHelp/removing_physi cal_disks.htm
NVMe Storage (all vendors)

SANsymphony versions 10.0 PSP 1 Update 1 or earlier
NVMe devices do not work with SANsymphony versions 10.0 PSP 1 Update 1 or earlier.
SANsymphony versions 10.0 PSP 2 or later

DataCore always recommend using the NVMe vendor’s own device driver for any devices
used in a DataCore Server (e.g., SANsymphony Disk Pool disks) as we have found in both
testing and reports from the field that performance, when using the vendors own driver, is
often better than when using those that might be automatically provided by Microsoft (i.e.,
via Windows Updates).

Storage hardware
Adaptec
maxView Storage Manager
Use version v1.07.21229 or later. Earlier versions prevented Adaptec RAID controllers from
being discovered and SANsymphony Task Triggers from sending Emails.
Allied TeleSyn
Gigabit Media Converter - MC1000 series
Do not use ‘Smart Missing Link’ (SML) Mode Status.
Areca
ARC-188x
Use firmware versions 1.51 2012-12-24 or later. Earlier versions may cause the DataCore
Server to become unresponsive or unable to boot after a restart.
Dell EMC
MD 36xx/38xx FC
Access to and failover of storage LUNs will not work as expected when connected to
DataCore FC drivers. Use Dell EMC-approved FC drivers and MPIO software.
Clariion AX150/AX4
DataCore FC drivers. Use Dell EMC-approved FC drivers and MPIO software.
Compellant SC series
DataCore have had reports of significant increased latency while using this storage array’s
own, built-in, deduplication feature. While DataCore do not have any special
recommendations when using a storage array’s own deduplication feature, we would
recommend temporarily turning this feature off to see if there is any overall increased
performance.
RealSSD (Micron)
Use Support Pack version 145.07.xx with firmware version 218 or higher. Earlier versions
have been reported as having performance issues.
Dell EMC (continued on next page)

Storage hardware
Dell EMC (continued from previous page)
PowerEdge
Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC)
Fan Offset settings for PowerEdge servers are lost after any power failure when using any
firmware version 2.15.10.10 to 2.21.21.21. Use a later firmware version.
SAS Arrays using Seagate disks

Model number ST8000NM0185
Dell recommend updating firmware to PT52, A00 (25 April 2019) or later. See:
https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/drivers/DriversDetails?productCode=poweredge -
r730xd&driverId=13YD9&lwp=rt
Customers using older firmware version 2.3.11.183 reported SANsymphony Disk Pools going
offline unexpectedly because of constant I/O resets.
Fusion-io
Using SANsymphony’s Deduplication
When configuring SANsymphony’s deduplication feature with Fusion-io disk devices use
Fusion-io driver/firmware versions 3.2.10.1509 or greater.
Customers using the older Fusion-io firmware version 2.3.11.183 reported ‘indefinite hangs’
during the creation process of SANsymphony Deduplication Pools. After upgrading the
Fusion-io driver/firmware the problem was resolved. Version 3.2.10.1509 was the most current
at that time.
VSL Ram calculations

DataCore recommends setting the Average Written Block Size (bytes) to 512 for the purposes
of calculating the Maximum RAM Requirements for the VSL software.

Storage hardware
Hewlett Packard
EVA 4000/8xxx
Do not use storage controller firmware version 6.22 as this causes unexpected
disconnections to the DataCore Server.
HPE MSA 1040/2040

Use storage controller firmware version GL220P008 or later. Earlier versions cause
unexpected disconnections to the DataCore Server. Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise
Support Center with keyword c05158553 (Last updated 2016)
P440AR
Use driver version 63.12.0.64 (A) or later. Earlier versions (including 63.12.0.64) have been
reported causing poor performance when connected to a DataCore Server.
SAS Storage systems

Firmware upgrade required for Specific SAS Hard Drive Models to Prevent a Rare Data
Compare Issue. Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support Center with keywords
c03747345 (Last updated 2014) and c03924194 (Last updated 2013)
Hitachi
Virtual Storage Platform (VSP) F and G series
Affects the Host
System Option Mode 725 = OFF (default setting) may prevent Host Virtual Machines from
being able to access DataCore Virtual Disks after rebooting the DataCore Server.
Each time a DataCore Server is stopped, HUS VMs will report that paths to the DataCore
Server’s Virtual Disks are ‘Not Ready’. When this ‘Not Ready’ is status is returned 3 times
within 3 minutes to the VM, the path to the DataCore Server’s Virtual Disk is blocked – even
if the DataCore Server is running and the Virtual Disk is accessible. This blocked status
cannot be recovered automatically. Therefore, DataCore recommend using System Option
Mode 725 = ON for paths to DataCore Virtual Disk devices to avoid this problem.
Please contact Hitachi for more information on this System Option Mode setting and also
see Hitachi’s own Knowledgebase:
https://knowledge.hitachivantara.com/Documents/Storage/VSP_Gx00_and_VSP_Fx00/83-
04-2x/VSP_F400%2C_F600%2C_F800_Hardware_Guide/System_Option_Modes

Storage hardware
IBM
DS3400/3500
These arrays may need to have LNXAVT enabled to function as an ‘Active/Active’ storage
array for DataCore Server Back End connections. Testing is strongly advised.
DS4100
DataCore FC drivers. Use IBM-approved FC drivers and MPIO software.
ServeRAID M5100e
Poor performance under ‘high load’ has been reported to DataCore when the
‘Performance Accelerator for IBM System x with MegaRAID FastPath’ setting was enabled.
Testing is strongly advised.
ServeRAID M and MR10 Series

When using driver v6.702.07.00 for Microsoft Windows Server 2012R2/2012/2008R2/2008
releases may experience an unexpected controller reset or system hang whi le under
moderate to heavy I/O. See http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ibm1MIGR-
5096069 (Last updated 2015)
System x
NMI may occur when network cables are removed or connected. See:
https://www.ibm.com/support/home/docdisplay?lndocid=migr-5084146 (Last updated
2012)

Storage hardware
Intel
Optane - Persistent Memory (PMem)
The PMem feature is not supported with SANsymphony.
PMem has two different accessibility modes:
• Memory Mode
This has significantly higher access latency than standard DRAM so is not suitable
for use with SANsymphony.
• App Direct
Raw Device Access mode is not supported when used in a Disk Pool.
NVMe
Disk device ID not unique
Always use the latest Intel device driver available. Earlier intel drivers - including the driver
comes with Microsoft Windows - will prevent the NVMe disk devices from having a unique
disk device identifier. This will cause problems in SANsymphony Server Groups with more
than one DataCore Server, where each server has its own NVMe storage. Without a unique
device identifier, all NVMe storage will appear incorrectly as ‘shared physical disks’ across
all DataCore Servers.
Microsoft Windows PCIe driver

Possible BSOD when issuing a temperature request. Use driver version 4.4.0.1003 or later.
See release notes from : https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/29983/Client-NVMe-
Microsoft-Windows-Drivers-for-Intel-SSDs? (September 2020)
Lenovo
Intel S4510 and S4610 SATA SSDs
After 1700 hours of cumulative power-on idle time users can see critical errors under
certain use conditions. The drive may report BAD_CONTEXT_2033, BAD_CONTEXT_1042 or
excessive LBA mismatch (SMART attribute B8h) after. Once the error code is triggered, the
drive will fail to respond on the bus. Search Lenovo’s own support website for Document
ID: HT507987 (last updated Sept 2019)
Micron M.2 and SSD drives

Micron 5100 SSD series may report errors and cause background process to fail. Upgrade
the Micron 5100 drive firmware to version MD51 or later. Search Lenovo’s own support
website for Document ID:HT507307 (last updated May 2019)

Storage hardware
LSI
Nytro WarpDrive
These SSDs may ship with identical disk device identifiers. Reformat the SSD using LSI’s
own disk utility to re-generate a new unique disk device identifier. Contact LSI directly for
instructions.
Without a unique device identifier, all LSI SSD storage will appear incorrectly as ‘shared
physical disks’ across all DataCore Server groups with more than one DataCore Server.
Micron Technology Inc.

RealSSD
Use Support Pack version 145.07.xx with firmware version 218 or higher. Earlier versions are
known to cause performance issues.
NetApp
All E Series arrays
Access to storage LUNs will not work when connected to DataCore FC drivers. Use
NetApp’s own DSM as well as NetApp-approved HBA and Switch firmware (refer to their
own Interoperability Matrix Tool).
Automatic Load Balancing (ALB)

This feature, when enabled, may cause additional latency for backend I/O to and from a
DataCore Server. Any user that experiences latency warnings or errors when connected to
NetApp storage should disable this feature as a first-step to see if this resolves the problem.
From NetApp’s own documentation:

“Although overhead for volume ownership transfer has been minimized in development,
the feature is not completely free, and there is some amount of added I/O latency for the
duration of the transfer. As a result, ALB should be disabled in latency-sensitive
environments that cannot tolerate even the slightest fluctuation in I/O response times.”
See section 4.1 - Enabling and Disabling ALB from NetApp’s Technical Reference
documentation TR-4737 for more details - https://www.netapp.com/us/media/tr-4737.pdf

Storage hardware
Netgear
ReadyNAS 3100
Poor performance under ‘high load’ has been reported to DataCore using these arrays.
Testing is strongly advised.
PureStorage
All FlashArray storage
Access to storage LUNs will not work when connected to DataCore FC drivers unless using
controller versions 3.40 or later. For versions before 3.40 use PureStorage-approved drivers
and MPIO software.
Skyera
skyHawk
Using firmware versions v1.0 or later to avoid unexpected loss of the array’s own disk
configuration settings - which results loss of access from the DataCore Server.
Toshiba OCZ
Z-Drive
Affects 4500, R4 R and Deneva 2 R Series drives. Use firmware 3.22e or higher. Storage
arrays using older firmware versions have been reported with serious problems with Disk
Pool access and data integrity when used in a DataCore Server.
Transtec
Provigo
For firmware releases 3.5 or 3.7 go into the Storage Management Software > Advanced
Options > Performance Options and set ‘Overload Management’ to ’Disabled’ for lowest
latency.
Violin Memory
All PCIe Flash Memory Cards
These storage devices may ship with identical disk device identifiers. Reformat them using
Violin Memory’s recommended disk utility to re-generate a new unique disk device
identifier. Contact Violin Memory directly for instructions.
Without a unique device identifier, all storage devices will appear incorrectly as ‘shared
physical disks’ across all DataCore Server groups with more than one DataCore Server.

Storage hardware
X-IO
ISE 1 Storage Arrays
Use controller firmware versions 1.7.20 and higher. Earlier versions would cause the
DataCore Server to crash.
ISE 2 Storage Arrays

DataCore recommend firmware 4.1.14 or higher which contains improvements to I/O
queue handling that will help improve overall performance. Please contact X -IO for more
information.
G3 and G4 Storage Arrays

For G4 Storage Arrays:
DataCore recommend firmware version 4.1.14 or higher which contains improvements to
I/O queue handling that will help improve overall performance.

Please contact X-IO to see if there is a later firmware version with equivalent
improvements as per the G4 storage arrays noted above.

Switches – FC, FCoE and IP
All Switch Vendors
Registered State Change Notifications
This must be enabled on all DataCore Server and Host connected switch ports. RSCNs
Event Timeout setting must also be the same across all DataCore Server, Host and Storage
Array controller ports.
Brocade
Fabric OS 7.x
Use FOS 7.4.1a or later.
This includes a fixes where:
• DataCore and Host ports may not login after a DataCore Server or switch reboot, or
after any other ‘significant’ disruption - Brocade defect DEFECT000429695 – also
fixed in FOS 7.0.2d, 7.1.1 and 7.2.0a.
• Switches may observe loss of connectivity on ports and/or trunked Inter Switch
Links (ISL) – Brocade defect DEFECT000324848.
• A small number of user had reported unexpected, random logouts for 16Gb FC Port
connections while using FOS versions before 7.0.3a because of Switch Buffer Credit
exhaustion. A workaround to this specific case was to set the DataCore FC Port’s
‘Data rate mode’ to 8Gb.
Fabric OS 6.x
Use a FOS 6.4.3e or later.
This includes fixes where:
• State Change Registration (SCR) value was not properly registered in the switch’s
own name server table – Brocade defect DEFECT000284472.
• DataCore and Host ports may not login after a DataCore Server or switch reboot, or
after any other ‘significant’ disruption – Brocade defect DEFECT000429695.
• Switches may observe loss of connectivity on ports and/or trunked Inter Switch
Links (ISL) – Brocade defect DEFECT000324848.
Brocade (continued on next page)

Switches – FC, FCoE and IP
Brocade (continued from previous page)
Applies to 8GB brocade switches only

Mixing 4GB and 8GB FC connections in the same fabric zone require specific fillword
settings to be set
Each FC port’s ‘fillword’ setting may need to be changed to avoid symptoms such as
random port log-outs and errors (e.g er_enc_out or er_bad_os) from being generated.
Use the portcfgshow command to check the current fill word setting. Use the
portCfgFillWord command to change the fill word for each port.
• Use ‘mode 3’ on all 8GB Ports

• Use ‘mode 0’ (zero) on all 4GB Ports
Refer to Brocade’s documentation for the correct syntax for your switch. Changing the
fillword will force the port to be temporarily unavailable while the change takes place.
There should be no need to stop the SANsymphony software but care should be taken to
avoid double failures. Make one port change at a time, making sure that the port
connection has been re-established before proceeding to the next.
Cisco Systems Inc.

Nexus and MDS Series
All DataCore Server ports connected to these switches must have their own unique FC
Area IDs configured. Please refer to the appropriate Cisco switch documentation for more
information.
Nexus 7xxx and MDS 9xxx Series using releases 8.2(0)SK(0.90) 8.2(1) 8.2(2)
Intermittent frame timeout drops with no other signs of congestion in the form of transmit
credit wait or credits to zero transition events. Drops may occur on any port type (Fibre
Channel or Ethernet).
See: https://quickview.cloudapps.cisco.com/quickview/bug/CSCvj 58687/
QLogic
IO StreamGuard
Must be disabled so as to enable RSCN (see the ‘All Switch Vendors’ entry on the previous
page).

Third-party software
This section applies to any third-party software installed on a DataCore Server.
Anti-Virus Software
Applies to all
When installed on a DataCore Server
Exclude the following on a DataCore Server:
• The DataCore Executive process – Dcsx.exe
• The SANsymphony installation folder - C:\Program Files\DataCore
This prevents any interference to SANsymphony updating configuration files.
• SANsymphony’s Asynchronous Replication buffer
This stops any delay in the sending of replication data to the remote DataCore
Server.
Also see
The ‘Third-party software’ section in Best Practice Guidelines for SANsymphony
See the entry, further down in this section for McAfee-specific configuration settings.
Broadcom
Advanced Server Program (BASP)
TCP/IP interruptions can cause the virtual NIC’s MAC Address to change unexpectedly. This
will cause existing DataCore iSCSI Targets offline and new Targets Port to appear.
Symantec
Network Threat Protection (NTP)
Disable this feature when installed on a DataCore Server as it can affect the performance of
SANsymphony.

McAfee
VirusScan
Current versions of McAfee’s software products interfere with the installation/upgrade of DataCore’s
software products. Apply the following settings to avoid any conflicts or unexpected results when
running, upgrading, or modifying either SANsymphony or DataCore’s Windows Integration Kit (WIK).
Using ePolicy Orchestra (ePO) settings:

Exclusions:
• C:\Program Files\DataCore
• Any other directory where the DataCore Installation/upgrade binaries are run from.
• Asynchronous Replication buffer (applies to SANsymphony only)
Using unmanaged client settings: Common → Advanced options

Exclusion:
• ‘Dcsx.exe’ as a process (applies to SANsymphony only)
Threat Prevention
Exclusions:
• The SANsymphony installation folder - C:\Program Files\DataCore
Threat Prevention → Advanced options → On-Access Scan

Process Settings
Add the following as ‘Low Risk’:
• setup.exe
• smartdeploymentwizard.exe
• DatacoreServer.exe
• DcsAddMem.exe
• DcsConsole.exe
• DcsDriverSetup.exe
• DcxGroupInstall.exe
• DcsImport.exe
• DcsTelemetry.exe
• DcsTrace.exe
• DCSX.exe
Process Type
Exclusions:
Threat Prevention → Advanced options → On-Demand Scan

Full, Quick Scan and Right Click Scans
Exclusions (include subfolders)
• Asynchronous Replication buffer (applies to SANsymphony only)
Also see
The ‘Third-party software’ section in Best Practice Guidelines for SANsymphony

Oracle
Automatic Storage Management (ASM)
Affects the Host
The ASM default ‘15’ second timeout needs to be increased so that it is greater than the
DataCore-recommended disk timeout setting for the host’s Operating System. Please refer
to DataCore’s host-specific Configuration Guides.
Also see:
ASM diskgroup dismount with "Waited 15 secs for write IO to PST" (Doc ID 1581684.1)
https://support.oracle.com/knowledge/Oracle Database Products/1581684_1.html
The ‘Host Server configuration guides’ section from SANsymphony Administrators:

Veeam
Backup Management Suite
Affects the DataCore Server when used with DataCore’s VSS Hardware provider
Requires Patch 4 (or later) with Veeam Backup & Replication 7.0
The following SANsymphony-related issues are fixed by this patch:
• The DataCore’s VSS Hardware Provider cannot be selected by the ‘Resource Owner’
of a Microsoft Cluster when using Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVs).
• The ‘Resource Owner’ cannot backup its own CSVs using DataCore’s VSS. Nodes
that are not designated however are still able to use the DataCore VSS hardware
provider as normal.
Also see:
https://www.veeam.com/kb1891 (Last updated 2014).
Changed Block Tracking

Do not install Veeam’s Changed Block Tracking driver (CBT) on a DataCore Server as this
will prevent the DataCore Server from being able to boot (until Veeam CBT is removed via
the "Veeam Recovery Media").
Also see:
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/agentforwindows/userguide/ba ckup_cbt_driver.html

Previous changes
December 2021
Added
Storage Hardware - NVMe Storage (all vendors)
ConnectX SmartNICs
SANsymphony versions 10.0 PSP 2 or later
DataCore always recommend using the NVMe vendor’s own device driver for any devices used in a DataCore
Server (e.g., SANsymphony Disk Pool disks) as we have found in both testing and reports from the field that
performance, when using the vendors own driver, is often better than when using those that might be
automatically provided by Microsoft (i.e., via Windows Updates).
Storage Hardware – HPE Storage Devices (HPE NVMe SSD)

Intel S4510 and S4610 SATA SSD (only 1.8 TB and 3.84 TB are affected)
Certain SSD drive models may report an excessive number of media errors. These errors may be the result of data
written incorrectly when the NVMe drive is in idle power mode. The media errors may not be reported in the logs
for AHS, IML, or iLO. Instead, the errors will be visible in the operating system (or application) logs. In some cases,
one or more files may not open. Search Hewlett Packard’s Ent erprise Support Center with keyword
a00113342en_us (Last updated Jun 2021)
September 2021
Added
Network adaptors (inc. iSCSI) – Nvidia Mellanox
ConnectX SmartNICs
DataCore have had reports by customers using ConnectX-5 SmartNICs configured for speeds of 100G behaving
erratically – the symptoms being IO stalls and continuous disconnects /reconnects between the Target and
Initiator - when used for iSCSI connections to or from a DataCore Server.
It is also not clear if other models of the ConnectX SmartNIC family (4, 6 and 7) will also show this same problem
when using speeds of 50GB or more. DataCore are recommending reducing the speed of the NIC to 25GB as this
has been shown to resolve the problems stated above.
We are currently investigating this problem.
Storage Hardware – Lenovo

Intel S4510 and S4610 SATA SSD (only 1.8 TB and 3.84 TB are affected)
After 1700 hours of cumulative power-on idle time users can see critical errors under certain use conditions. The
drive may report BAD_CONTEXT_2033, BAD_CONTEXT_1042 or excessive LBA mismatch (SMART attribute B8h)
after. Once the error code is triggered, the drive will fail to respond on the bus. Search Lenovo’s own support
website for Document ID: HT507987 (last updated Sept 2019)
Updated
Third Party Software – Anti-Virus software
Exclude the following on a DataCore Server:
The DataCore Executive process – Dcsx.exe
February 2021
Added
Fibre Channel Adaptors – QLogic
All models (including OEM)
When using a vendor’s own fibre channel driver to connect to a storage array.

Previous changes
• QLogic driver version 9.3.3.20 with firmware 8.01.41 has been reported to cause either loss of access to
storage (attached to the DataCore Server) or a crash of the DataCore Server itself after 6 weeks of
operation. Upgrading to QLogic driver version 9.4.1.20 or later (which also includes later firmware)
resolves the problem.
Also see: http://driverdownloads.qlogic.com/QLogicDriverDownloads_UI/DefaultNewSearch.aspx
Updated
Microsoft Windows – General
Windows 2016 update regression
Unexpected BSOD when using MPIO Disk Devices after applying updates between Nov and Dec 2020.
A crash in Microsoft’s mpio.sys driver may occur when two or more paths to an MPIO disk device are removed,
unexpectedly at the same time. This may affect:
• Hosts that being served Virtual Disks that are being managed either by Microsoft’s own MPIO or
DataCore’s Windows Integration Kit both of which use the Widows mpio.sys driver.
• DataCore Servers that are using iSCSI Mirrored Virtual Disks – where SANsymphony utilizes the mpio.sys
driver. Fibre Channel mirrored Virtual Disks are unaffected.
This issue was fixed in an update issued in January 12th, 2021.

Also see
January 12, 2021—KB4598243 (OS Build 14393.4169)
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4598243
January 2021
Added
Server Hardware – Lenovo - ThinkSystem Servers
Added
Microsoft Windows – General - Windows 2016 update regression
Unexpected BSOD when using MPIO Disk Devices after applying KB4586830
A crash in Microsoft’s mpio.sys driver may occur when two or more paths to an MPIO disk device are removed,
unexpectedly at the same time. This may affect:
• Hosts that being served Virtual Disks that are being managed either by Microsoft’s own MPIO or DataCore’s
Windows Integration Kit both of which use the Widows mpio.sys driver.
• DataCore Servers that are using iSCSI Mirrored Virtual Disks – where SANsymphony utilizes the mpio.sys driver.
Fibre Channel mirrored Virtual Disks are unaffected.
At this time (December 2020) DataCore are currently testing a fix provided by Microsoft with a view to Microsoft
either releasing their own hotfix or publishing the fix in a future Windows Update.
Also see November 10, 2020— KB4586830 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4586830
Storage Hardware – Intel NVMe - Microsoft Windows PCIe driver

Possible BSOD when issuing a temperature request. Use driver version 4.4.0.1003 or later. See release notes from :
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/29983/Client-NVMe-Microsoft-Windows-Drivers-for-Intel-SSDs?
(September 2020)
Updated - Storage Hardware – X-IO - G3 and G4 Storage Arrays

DataCore recommend firmware version 4.1.14 or higher which contains improvements to I/O queue handling that
will help improve overall performance.

Please contact X-IO to see if there is a later firmware version with equivalent improvements as per the G4 storage
arrays noted above.

Previous changes
August 2020
Added
Server Hardware – Lenovo - ThinkSystem Servers
Micron 5100 SSD series may report errors and cause background process to fail. Upgrade the Micron 5100 drive
firmware to version MD51 or later. Search Lenovo’s own support website for Document ID:HT507307 (last updated
May 2019)
Network Adaptors - Hewlett Packard - HPE Intel Ethernet 10Gb 562SFP+ Adapter
HPE Intel i40ea Driver for Windows Server 2016 Versions 1.8.83.0 or 1.8.94.0 May Cause NTFS File Corruption to
iSCSI Mounted Volumes When Jumbo Frames Are Enabled. Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support Center
using keywords a00074697en_us (Last updated June 2019).
Network Adaptors - Mellanox Technologies - ConnextX-5
Use with a minimum firmware version of 16.27.1016 and WinOF-2 driver version 2.40 (22511.0 or later). Users on
earlier firmware and driver versions reported unexpected, and repeated network disconnections.
Storage Hardware – Lenovo - Micron M.2 and SSD drives
Micron 5100 SSD series may report errors and cause background process to fail. Upgrade the Micron 5100 drive
firmware to version MD51 or later. Search Lenovo’s own support website for Document ID:HT507307 (last updated
May 2019)
January 2020
Added
Server Hardware - HPE Storage Devices
HPE SAS Solid State Drives
Critical Firmware Upgrade Required for Certain HPE SAS Solid State Drive Models to Prevent Drive Failure at
32,768 Hours of Operation – 12th December 2019. Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support Center with
keyword a00092491en_us (Last updated Dec 2019)
October 2019
Updated
General
This document has been reviewed for SANsymphony 10.0 PSP 9. No additional settings or configurations are
required.
August 2019
Added
Storage Hardware – NetApp - Automatic Load Balancing (ALB)
This feature, when enabled, may cause additional latency for backend I/O to and from a DataCore Server. Any user
that experiences latency warnings or errors when connected to NetApp storage should disable this feature as a
‘first step’ to see if this resolves the problem.
From NetApp’s own documentation:

“Although overhead for volume ownership transfer has been minimized in development, the feature is not
completely free, and there is some amount of added I/O latency for the duration of the transfer. As a result, ALB
should be disabled in latency-sensitive environments that cannot tolerate even the slightest fluctuation in I/O
response times.” See section 4.1 - Enabling and Disabling ALB from NetApp’s Technical Reference
documentation TR-4737 for more details - https://www.netapp.com/us/media/tr-4737.pdf
July 2019
Added
Storage Hardware - Dell EMC - Compellant SC series
DataCore have had reports of significant increased latency while using this storage array’s own, built -in,
deduplication feature. While DataCore do not have any special recommendations when using a storage array’s

Previous changes
own deduplication feature, we would recommend temporarily turning this feature off to see if there is any overall
increased performance.
Removed
Storage Hardware - Fusion-IO - SANsymphony Console display
Affects the DataCore Server with SANsymphony-V 9.0 PSP4 Update 4 (and earlier)
Fusion-io disk devices will not display ‘UNKNOWN’ for all Vendor-specific information in the ‘Info’ tab. This has no
functional impact and can be ignored.
As SANsymphony 9.0 PSP 4 Update 4 is now end of life, this entry has been removed.
Added
Storage Hardware - Hitachi - Virtual Storage Platform (VSP) F and G series
Affects the Host
System Option Mode 725 = OFF (default setting) may prevent Host Virtual Machines from being able to access
DataCore Virtual Disks after rebooting the DataCore Server.
Each time a DataCore Server is stopped, HUS VMs will report that paths to the DataCore S erver’s Virtual Disks are
‘Not Ready’. When this ‘Not Ready’ is status is returned 3 times within 3 minutes to the VM, the path to the
DataCore Server’s Virtual Disk is blocked – even if the DataCore Server is running and the Virtual Disk is accessible.
This blocked status cannot be recovered automatically. Therefore, DataCore recommend using System Option
Mode 725 = ON for paths to DataCore Virtual Disk devices to avoid this problem.
Please contact Hitachi for more information on this System Option Mode setting and also see Hitachi’s own
Knowledgebase: https://knowledge.hitachivantara.com/Documents/Storage/VSP_Gx00_and_VSP_Fx00/83-04-
2x/VSP_F400%2C_F600%2C_F800_Hardware_Guide/System_Option_Modes
April 2019
Added
Storage Hardware - Dell EMC - Compellant SC series
DataCore have had reports of significant increased latency while using this storage array’s own, built -in,
deduplication feature. While DataCore do not have any special recommendations when using a storage array’s
own deduplication feature, we would recommend temporarily turning this feature off to see if there is any overall
increased performance.
SAS Arrays using Seagate disks with model number ST8000NM0185

Dell recommend updating firmware to PT52, A00 (25 April 2019) or later.
Customers using older firmware version 2.3.11.183 reported SANsymphony Disk Pools going offline unexpectedly
because of constant I/O resets.
See: https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/drivers/DriversDetails?productCode=poweredge -
r730xd&driverId=13YD9&lwp=rt
Third Party Software

Oracle
Automatic Storage Management (ASM)
Affects the Host
The ASM default ‘15’ second timeout needs to be increased so that it is greater than the DataCore-recommended
disk timeout setting for the host’s Operating System. Please refer to DataCore’s host -specific Configuration
Guides.
Also see:
ASM diskgroup dismount with "Waited 15 secs for write IO to PST" (Doc ID 1581684.1)
https://support.oracle.com/knowledge/Oracle Database Products/1581684_1.html
A valid oracle login is required to view the contents of this document.
The ‘Host Server configuration guides’ section from SANsymphony Administrators:

April 2019
Added
Veeam - Changed Block Tracking
Do not install Veeam’s Changed Block Tracking driver (CBT) on a DataCore Server as this will prevent the
DataCore Server from being able to boot (until Veeam CBT is removed via the "Veeam Recovery Media").

Previous changes
Also see: https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/agentforwindows/userguide/backup_cbt_driver.html
March 2019
Added
Server Hardware - Microsoft Windows (general) - Switches – Fibre Channel, FCoE and IP
Cisco Systems Inc. - Nexus 7xxx and MDS 9xxx Series using releases 8.2(0)SK(0.90) 8.2(1) 8.2(2)
Intermittent frame timeout drops with no other signs of congestion in the form of transmit credit wait or credits
to zero transition events. Drops may occur on any port type (Fibre Channel or Ethernet).
See: https://quickview.cloudapps.cisco.com/quickview/bug/CSCvj58687/
QLogic - IO StreamGuard
Must be disabled so as to enable RSCN.
Removed
Switches – Fibre Channel, FCoE and IP - McData Sphereon
This company no longer exists (it was acquired by Brocade in 2006)

Previous changes
February 2018
Added
Server Hardware - Microsoft Windows (general)
Windows 2016/2012/2012 R2/2008
Affects clustered, hyper-converged DataCore Servers
Do not use the DataCore Loopback port to serve mirrored Virtual Disks to Hyper-V Virtual Machines
This known issue only applies when SANsymphony is installed in the root partitions of clustered, Hyper-V
Windows servers where virtual disks are ‘looped-back’ to the Windows Operating system for use by Hyper-V
Virtual Machines.
Also see: https://docs.datacore.com/SSV-WebHelp/hyperconverged_virtual_san_software.htm
A limitation exists in the DataCore SCSI Port driver - used by the DataCore Loopback Ports - whereby if the
DataCore Server providing the ‘Active’ cluster path is stopped, the remaining DataCore Server providing the
‘Standby’ path for the Hyper-V VMs is unable to take the SCSI Reservation (previously held by the stopped
DataCore Server). This will result in a SCSI Reservation Conflict and prevent any Hyper-V VM from being able to
access the DataCore Disks presented by the remaining DataCore Server. In this case please use iSCSI connections
as ‘Loopbacks’ for SANsymphony DataCore Disks presented to Hyper-V Virtual Machines.
Windows 2008 R2 only

A regression was introduced in Microsoft’s January 8 th 2019 security update (KB4480970)
“Local users who are part of the local “Administrators” group may not be able to remotely access shares”. This
affects DataCore’s ‘DcsAdmin’ user and symptoms include:
• Logins to login to the DataCore Management Console will fail.
• DataCore Servers within the same Server Group will lose connection via SANsymphony’s ‘management
LAN’ to other DataCore Servers in the group.
• SANsymphony Asynchronous Replication connections will fail to and from Replication Groups.
A fix is available from Microsoft (KB4487345).
See: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4487345/
Notes:
This regression was previously documented as DataCore Technical Support FAQ #1711
Network Adaptors (inc. iSCSI) - Hewlett Packard

ProLiant BL460c (Gen10) server blades
It has been reported that these server blades use NICs with Broadcom BCM57xxx chipsets – please see the
Broadcom entry on the previous page for more details.
November 2018
Added
Server Hardware - Microsoft Windows (general) - Windows 2016
This feature must be disabled on a DataCore Server as it prevents Disk Pools from functioning properly.
Hewlett-Packard - Integrated Lights Out (ILO)

Significant TZ (time zone) settings differences within the ILO software and the server’s own system clock/BIOS
may result in the DataCore Executive service faulting. These faults will result in unexpected ‘Not Connected’
and/or ‘Logstore not available’ warning messages from other DataCore Servers in the group. Ensure that the TZ
settings match.
Storage hardware - X-IO - ISE 2, G3 and G4 Storage Arrays

DataCore recommend to use firmware 4.1.14 or higher which contains improvements to I/O queue handling that
will help improve overall performance.
Removed
Fibre Channel Adapters - Directly connected ports
This information has now been moved to:
‘Using direct-connected Fibre Channel Ports with a DataCore Server’

Previous changes
ISCSI and Network Adaptors - Hewlett-Packard

• NC510* 10 Gigabit Server Adaptor
• NC512m Dual Port 10GbE Multifunction Adaptor
Neither of these adaptors are supported by HP on Windows 2008 or later
Search Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Support Center using keyword c01507703 (Last Updated 2008)
October 2018
Added
McAfee VirusScan
Updated
Any AV Software
ISCSI and Network adaptors

Intel - All x710 Adaptors – added a VMware KB as this ‘Known Issue’ will apply if configuring ESXi as a DataCore
Server Hyperconverged Host.
Removed
Server and storage controller hardware
NetApp
All E Series arrays
Cannot be used for SANsymphony Multi-Path Array (SMPA) configurations.
X-IO
ISE2
Use controller firmware versions 2.8.3 or later when used as storage for SANsymphony Shared Multipath Arrays
(SMPA). The information regarding SMPA issues for both of these arrays is already documented in the ‘Shared
Multi Port Array (SMPA) Tested Configurations’ document available at:
February 2018
Added
Mellanox Technologies – ConnectX-3 Adaptors
Hewlett Packard – All Converged Network Adaptors
Updated
• Third Party Hardware
• Storage Array Controllers
These two sections have been merged into one new section called Server and storage controller hardware.
• ISCSI host bus adaptors

• Network interface cards (NICs)
• Converged network adaptors (CNA)
These three sections have been merged into one new section called ISCSI and Network adaptors.

Intel - All x710 Adaptors
February 2018
Updated
Third Party Software – Microsoft
Affects the Host and the DataCore Server (Windows 2012 or 2012 R2 only):
A regression was introduced in a Windows update from March 2017 that caused a TCP Port 'exhaustion' when one
or more Microsoft iSCSI initiators cannot connect to a Target (e.g. because the DataCore Server is not available
/shutdown or if there is an network problem preventing IP connections from being made).
Symptoms include:

Previous changes
• including Replication connections to fail

• An "Insufficient winsock resources available …” error when the user tries to login to the DataCore
Management Console
• The DataCore Server is unavailable for any RDP and/or other network based logins.
A fix is available from Microsoft - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4025335
December 2017
Added
Storage arrays and controllers
Intel – NVMe storage
Updated
Fibre Channel host bus adaptors - Emulex and QLogic
The information here was duplicated in both the 'Emulex' and 'HP' sections; therefore the Emulex and QLogic
sections have both been retitled to cover OEM Vendor equivalents as well.
Removed
DataCore server hardware settings
Turbo Boost (Intel), Processor ‘States’ (aka C-states) and PowerNow Technology (AMD)
The information for all of the above settings has been moved to the more appropriate 'Best Practice Guidelines
for SANsymphony' from: http://datacore.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1348
Fibre Channel host bus adaptors

Hewlett Packard - SN1000E and FC2142SR, Agilent, ATTO, Brocade and LSI
The information for all of the above HBAs has been moved to the more appropriate 'Qualified hardware
components' document available from http://datacore.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1529
October 2017
Added
Storage arrays and controllers
Smart Array in P2xx, P4xx, P7xx, P8xx and ProLiant Servers
Update to Smart Array firmware Version 5.04 to Correct Intermittent Controller Lockup Issues.
June 2017
Added
Switches (Fibre Channel and FCoE) - All Switch Manufacturers
Registered State Change Notification (RSCN) settings
Fibre Channel Host Bus Adaptors – Emulex Corporation
16GB HBA Models
Third-party Software – Microsoft Corporation
The DataCore Server Operating System - Windows 2012 or 2012 R2
A regression was introduced in a Windows update issued in March 2017 that causes TCP Port 'exhaustion'. Please
see the entry for more information.
Updated
Storage Arrays and Controllers – All Storage
512b, 512(e)b and 4Kbyte sector support.
Removed
Switches (Fibre Channel and FCoE)
Registered State Change Notification (RSCN) settings.
These duplicate entries have all been removed and a single entry, under 'All Switch Manufacturers', has been
added – see 'Added' above.
Fibre Channel Host Bus Adaptors
Emulex Corporation LP1150, Lpe1150 and Lpe111 - These HBAs could not take the DataCore Fibre Channel Driver
and are documented as 'Discontinued' by Emulex.

Previous changes
April 2017
(Re)moved
XenServer
"If using QLogic QLA405x/406x iSCSI HBAs, use QLogic’s firmware revision 3.01.49 or later …"
This has been moved to the 'Known Issues' section in the 'The Host Server – Citrix XenServer Configuration Guide'.
See DataCore Answer ID #1561
Converged Network Adaptors
QLogic's Dual-Port, 10Gbps Ethernet-to-PCIe Converged Network Adaptor (CNA)
For VMware ESX Hosts disable (a) select a LUN to Boot from, and (b) the adaptor BIOS.
This has been moved to the 'Known Issues' section in the 'The Host Server - VMware ESXi Configuration Guide'.
See DataCore Answer ID #1556
The following issues have all been moved to the 'Known Issues' section in the 'The Host Server - Microsoft
Windows Configuration Guide'. See DataCore Answer ID #1560
Third-party Software – Microsoft Corporation
Offloaded Data Transfers (ODX)
Only supported with or SANsymphony-V 9.0 PSP4 and later. For earlier versions of SANsymphony-V, ODX must be
disabled on the Host. Please refer to http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj200627.aspx
QLogic - All 2 or 4 GB HBAs
Do not use driver versions 9.0.1.12 or 9.0.2.11 as they may cause unexpected disconnections…
QLogic - 16GB HBAs
Do not use driver version 9.1.17.21 with firmware older than 08.03.00 when connecting to Da taCore Server Front-
end ports.
March 2017
Added
Network Interface Cards – Intel x710 Family
Affects the DataCore Server and the Host when using iSCSI:
DataCore have had reports by customers using NICs from the Intel x710 family behaving erratically under load –
the symptom being continuous disconnect/reconnect between the Target and Initiator - when used for iSCSI
connections to or from a DataCore Server. Reports were based on rebranded Intel NICs (e.g. as provided by HP,
Dell etc.) using the most current drivers that were supported by those third parties as of February 2017. Later
drivers were available directly from Intel but these could not be applied to the rebranded N ICs, so it is still unclear
if this erratic behavior has been resolved by later Intel drivers or not. At this time DataCore are recommending to
avoid any NICs using Intel's x710 chipset.
Updated
Storage Arrays and controllers - HP P440AR
Affects the DataCore Server:
Driver Version 63.12.0.64 appears to give poor performance; use Driver Version '63.12.0.64 (A)' or later. Please
contact HP directly for more information. Previously there had been no later driver than '63.12.0.64'
February 2017
Added
Storage Arrays and controllers
Hewlett Packard – MSA 1040/2040
From HP: “Virtual pool is read-only due to multiple failures and rare race condition”. DataCore recommend
applying HP's Storage Controller firmware GL220P008.
October 2016
Added
Microsoft Corporation
Windows 2008 R2 SP1 - Convenience rollup update for Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
September 2016
Updated

Previous changes
Cisco Systems Inc. - Unified Computing Systems (UCS)

This entry previously stated: "Storage disks greater than 4TB may only be formatted using ‘4K Sectors’; this is not
currently supported by SANsymphony…” Disks that use 4K sectors are now supported in SANsymphony 10.0 PSP5
and greater. The entry has been changed to reflect that.
June 2016
Added
Hewlett Packard- HP Smart Array P2xx, P4xx, P7xx and P8xx
Controllers Configured with One or More Spare Drives and firmware Version 6.40 (or Earlier) May Halt with
"Lockup Code = 0xAB" Around 64, 128, or 256 Days.
Fibre Channel host bus adaptors - QLogic

Affects the DataCore Server – SANsymphony-V 10.0 PSP 4 update 1 or earlier:
16GB QLogic Fibre Channel HBAs using the DataCore fibre channel driver must have their 'Data rate mode' set to
8GB if they are directly connected to other 16 or 32GB HBAs that are also using the DataCore fibre channel driver.
May 2016
Added
Hewlett Packard P440AR
Driver Version 63.12.0.64 appears to give poor performance.

All QLogic 16GB HBAs
Do not use driver version 9.1.17.21 with firmware older than 08.03.00.
March 2016
Updated
Switches (Fibre Channel & FCoE)
Brocade - All Switches (8GB and 16GB) - DataCore recommend not using FOS v7.4.1.
Refer to Brocade DEFECT000578406
February 2016
Added
(Other) Third-party Hardware
Hewlett Packard - HP Virtual Connect
A pause flood detection on VC uplink ports results in poor performance and/or an FCoE outage. Generic parity
errors are fixed for the HP VC FlexFabric-20/40 F8 Module.
January 2016
Added
Storage Arrays and Controllers
General (All) - SANsymphony-V 9.x and 10.x do not, currently, support block sizes on physical disks greater than
512bytes although Advanced Format 512e (also known as '512 emulation') can be used instea d.
Fusion-io - When used with Dell PowerEdge Servers: please see the section '(Other) Third-party Hardware Dell -
Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC)' in this document.
NVM Express (NMVe) SSDs - Not supported with SANsymphony-V 9.x, 10.0 and 10.0 (no PSP) update 1. Use
SANsymphony-V 10.0 PSP1 Update 1 or later.

Brocade — All Switches (8Gb and 16GB) - DataCore recommend not using FOS v7.4.1. Please use FOS v7.3.1d.

Dell - Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) - Fan Offset settings for PowerEdge servers are lost after a power
failure when using firmware versions from 2.15.10.10 up to and including 2.21.21.21.

Previous changes
Removed
The following separate entries have been removed as they are now covered in the 'Storage Arrays and Controllers
— NVM Express (NMVe) SSDs' entry.
EUROstor — ES-2100 iSCSI,
Texas Memory Systems — RAMSAN-70,
Virident Systems Inc. — FlashMAX
Dell Inc. — NVM Express SSDs
December 2015
Added
Micron Technology Inc. - RealSSD
A minimum Support Pack version of 145.07.xx with firmware version 218 or higher is required.
Dell Inc. – RealSSD (Micron)
A minimum Support Pack version of 145.07.xx with firmware version 218 or higher is required.
Updated
Hewlett Packard – ProLiant Servers
May 'Blue Screen' if Configured With an HP Smart Array Controller with Windows Server 2012 and Windows 2012
R2.
Gen9 Server
The Server May Stop Responding and Will Display Power-On Self-Test (POST) Error Messages on Reboot When
Running Smart Array Controllers and/or Host Bus Adaptors
September 2015
Added
(Other) Third-Party Hardware
Affects the DataCore server SANsymphony-V10.0 PSP2 or later:
Fujitsu – Primergy Servers
The Fujitsu ServerView Server Control service can prevent the DataCore Executive service from starting up
immediately after any reboot of the DataCore Server for up to 20 minutes
Updated
All Storage Arrays
NetApp – E Series (All)
This Storage Array cannot be used for SANsymphony-V Multi-Path Array (SMPA) configurations.
August 2015
Added
Virident Systems Inc. – General
SANsymphony-V is not able to display any the Serial Number information under the Info tab of the
SANsymphony-V management console
(Other) Third-Party Hardware
Fujitsu – Primergy Servers
Older version of the ‘Fujitsu Server Agent’ caused a problem with Microsoft’s Windows Management
Instrumentation (WMI) affecting the DataCore Servers which encounter timeouts and connection problems
when trying to open the SANsymphony-V Management Console
June 2015
Added
Fusion-io – General - Creating a SANsymphony-V Deduplication Pool using Fusion-io disk devices that are
running on ‘old’ drivers may cause the Deduplication Console to become unresponsive.

Previous changes
May 2015
Removed
General Server BIOS settings
Intel – Turbo Boost - Previously there were number of specific chipsets listed as examples, these examples have
been removed as the information may also apply to later models not necessarily listed here.
February 2015
Added
Storage Arrays and Controllers:
Dell Inc.
MD 38xx FC: This is an ‘Active/Passive’ array and requires both Dell-approved drivers and Multi-Pathing software
for Back-End (BE) failover to work correctly.
NVM Express SSDs: Use SANsymphony-V 10.0 PSP1 Update 1 or later.
Network Interface Cards
Hewlett Packard - NC382i Dual Port Multifunction Gigabit Adaptors
DataCore are recommending that the latest driver and firmware versions always be used with these Adaptors
Updated
Hewlett Packard - NC375* Gigabit Server Adaptors
DataCore are recommending that the latest driver and firmware versions alw ays be used with these Adaptors
Fusion-io – General - SANsymphony-V 9.0 PSP4 Update 4 and earlier will not display any Vendor, Product, Serial
Number or Unique Identifier
Brocade, QLogic, Cisco and McData - Added note to state that the RSCN Events Timeout should be the same
across all ports that are connected to or from a DataCore Server.
Third-party Software
Hewlett Packard - Insight Management - HP recommends upgrading to HP Insight Management Agents for
Windows Server x64 Editions Version 10.0.0.0 (or later).
January 2015
Added
Brocade – 16GB Switches
Added note about a possible ‘Buffer Credit’ exhaustion issue for some environments with 16GB QLogic HBAs.
Adaptec – maxView Storage Manager - Use version v1.07.21229 (15 Dec 2014) or later.
Windows 2012 R2 Servers that boot from SAS storage controllers
“Fix restart problems after you install update rollup 2919355 in Windows Server 2012 R2”.
Removed
Microsoft Corporation - Removed note about very old QLogic Driver versions that are no longer available for
Download (9.0.1.12 or 9.0.2.11).
2014 and earlier
November
Added
IBM – System x3550 and x3650
Non-Maskable Interrupt (NMI) and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) errors may occur when removing or
connecting the Ethernet cable into the Ethernet ports.

ServeRAID M and MR10 Series SAS Controller
Users running the ServeRAID M and MR10 Series SAS Controller device driver v6.702.07.00 for Microsoft Windows
Server 2012 R2, 2012, 2008 R2, and 2008 releases, might experience an unexpected restart or system hang while
under moderate to heavy I/O workload.

Previous changes
Updated
Third-party Software:
All issues regarding the VMware ESX Host Operating system have now been moved to the 'Host Configuration Guide
– VMware ESX' FAQ please see: http://datacore.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1556
September
Added
Hewlett Packard - ProLiant Servers
Agentless Management Service (AMS) for Windows Server may consume excessive amounts of system memory. A
System ROM Upgrade is required to Prevent Unpredictable system behavior with Intel Xeon 7500-Series or Intel
Xeon E7-Series Processors; includes URL to HP’s own advisories.
IBM – System x3550 and x3650
Non-Maskable Interrupt (NMI) and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) errors may occur when removing or
connecting the Ethernet cable into the Ethernet ports.
Updated
Hewlett Packard: NC375* Gigabit Server Adaptors
NC522m Dual Port 10GbE Multifunction BL-c Adaptor
NC522SFP Dual Port 10GbE Server Adaptor
NC523SFP Dual Port 10GbE Server Adaptor
No new technical information added as such, but a URL now exists to point to the advisory already mentioned (HP
Document ID: c02964542) – users are recommended to re-check to make sure this does not affect their current
DataCore Server or Hosts.

Cisco MDS 9000 and Nexus 5000 Series
Updated the URLs to Cisco’s own documentation for the information regarding ‘Unique Area FC IDs for HBAs’ for
each of the switch models.
August
Added
Hewlett Packard
HP ProLiant Agentless Management Service (AMS)
HP c-Class BladeSystem
Updated
General
Removed all references and known issues that are specific to SANsymphony 7.
July
Updated
LPe1200x
Typo with firmware version. Should have said “Use firmware Version 2.01a12 or later …” instead of “Use firmware
Version 2.10a12 or later …”

Skyera – skyHawk
Using firmware versions before v1.0 may cause in an unexpected loss of the array’s own Disk Configuration resulting
in failure of Storage Sources using those Physical Disks.

Brocade
Added note about ‘disabling’ RSCN suppression (so as to ‘enable’ RSCN) as this was not clear. Note: The layout for
this section has been reordered so that it is clearer with regard to each firmware version’s different ‘known issues’.
No new information has been added.
Third-party Software Veeam Software

“The DataCore’s VSS Hardware Provider cannot be selected by the ‘Resource Owner’ of a Microsoft Cluster when
using Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVs). …”. There is now an official fix for this issue here http://www.veeam.com/kb1891
please refer to Veeam for more information.

Previous changes
May
Added
PureStorage - FlashArray (all Series)
These require controller firmware version 3.40 or later to use DataCore’s Backend Failover. Please note that even
with the later versions of the controller firmware; DataCore’s Backend Failover will not use any of the Storage Array’s
ALUA capabilities. For all versions before 3.40 (or to use the array’s ALUA capabilities regardless) please use
Microsoft’s own MPIO.
Updated
Emulex
LP12004: Removed the previous statement about Hosts having to have firmware version 2.70a5 or later – this was
erroneous. However, for any Emulex 1200x Fibre Channel HBA in a DataCore Server that needs to or is already, using
the DataCore Driver, use firmware Version 2.10a12 (or later) to avoid a crash during a new Install or an Update from a
previous version of SANsymphony-V.
Veeam Software
Backup Management Suite: Added Veeam’s own Knowledge base article link regarding “Hardw are provider is
missing in Veeam Backup and Replication user interface” – relevant to the existing issue documented.
April
Added
FusionIO – General
Added note about Physical Disk devices not showing any Identification and Usage information in the
SANsymphony-V Management Console.
Updated
DataCore Server Hardware Settings
General BIOS Settings
Added URL to the ‘Recommended BIOS settings on a DataCore Server’ FAQ.
March
Added
All Storage Arrays
Some storage array manufacturers allow ‘failed’ RAID sets to become healthy without actually rebuilding the entire
RAID properly (zeroing blocks as well as rebuilding parity). The name of this feature is different for each
manufacturer but may be called something like ‘Force RAID Set Healthy’, ‘Mark Disk as Healthy’ or similar. If this
feature is used and the Disk Pool catalog is still intact, the SANsymphony-V software will allow the Disk Pool to come
online as if there was no RAID failure and only log recoveries will take place. This will lead to data on the mirror
partner not being synchronized properly and so create an inconsistent mirrored Virtual Disk. Always rebuild any
failed RAID sets so that all the block data is completely destroyed and t he RAID set is rebuilt ‘as new’.
Veeam Software
Backup Management Suite: The DataCore’s VSS Hardware Provider cannot be selected by the ‘Resource Owner’ of a
Microsoft Cluster when using Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVs) and so cannot ba ckup its own CSVs using DataCore’s
VSS. Cluster Nodes that are not designated ‘Resource Owners’ can however use the DataCore VSS hardware provider
as normal to back-up their own CSVs.
Updated
Brocade – All Switches
The following was previously only reported for 16GB Switches: “Host Front End (FE) and/or DataCore Mirror (MR)
connections may not login after a reboot or after any significant disruption on the fibre channel link. Remote Ports in
the DataCore Server UI will show as logged out. Applies to Brocade DEFECT000429695 and fixes were planned in
firmware versions: 6.4.3e, 7.0.2d, 7.1.1 and 7.2.” However, it also applies to 8GB switches too and so has been moved to
the ‘All Switches’ section.
February
Added

Previous changes
Skyera - skyHawk
Updated
X-IO
A typo in the firmware version was corrected; 1.7.19 should have read 1.7.9.
Broadcom
NetXtreme II BCM57xxx now refers to affecting the Host as well a s the DataCore Server.
VMware
ESX 4.1 and 5.x: Software iSCSI Port Binding is not supported.
January
Added
Hewlett Packard
Storage Systems (General)
Updated
Offloaded Data Transfers (ODX). This is now supported with SANsymphony-V 9.0 PSP 4.
December 2013
Added
Hewlett Packard
SAS Hardware (General)
Violin Memory
PCIe Flash Memory Cards
Removed
Xyratex
This entry was actually referring to an old (circa 2009) Xyratex Technical Support Bulletin describing a workaround
for a specific VMware ESX 3.5 bug (SR# 1133918351) when using specific storage array models (F5402E, F5412E, F6412E,
F5404E) with a specific level of array firmware (2.4.x), when the Overload Management (Target Queue Management)
feature was enabled on the arrays. This ‘known issue’ would therefore apply only to DataCore Servers running inside
VMware ESX 3.5 Virtual Machines; where the ESX Hosts were using those specific Xyratex arrays. Due to the age of
the version of ESX being referenced, and the specific set of circumstances that this ‘issue’ would apply to, DataCore
feel this issue is now redundant and so it has been removed. All users with these a rrays connected to physical
DataCore Servers should re-enable the Overload Management (Target Queue Management) feature and refer to
Xyratex for instructions on how to do this.
Updated
Brocade
16GB Switches
Added a note to say that the ‘fillword issue’ (reported in the 8GB Switch entry), does not apply to 16GB switches.
NetXtreme II BCM57xxx
Reworded the issue, the technical detail has not changed but is now less ambiguous.
November 2013
Updated
Brocade – 16GB Switches
Typographical error corrected: “Applies to Brocade DEFECT00042965 and fixes were planned …” should have said
“Applies to Brocade DEFECT000429695 and fixes were planned …”.
October 2013
Added

Previous changes
ISCSI Host Bus Adaptors

Mellanox Technologies
ConnectX - InfiniBand Adaptor Cards

IBM
ServeRAID M5100e Series (SSD) and Netgear – ReadyNAS 3100
Updated
Virident Systems Inc.
FlashMAX
Updated the notes to remove the implication that the SSD’s block size was configurable when it has been reported
to DataCore that it is not.

Cisco MD 9000 and Nexus 5000 switches
Updated the URLs referred to as the previous URL was pointing to out-of-date documentation.
Hewlett Packard
Insight Management (WBEM)
Updated the notes with the method of setting the DataCore Executive service to use the ‘Automatic (Delayed Start)’
(as a workaround).
August 2013
Added
Converged Network Adaptors
QLogic
Dual-Port, 10Gbps Ethernet-to-PCIe CNA when used on VMware ESX Hosts
Hewlett-Packard CN1000Q Dual Port CAN
Added general entries for Anti-Virus Software on the DataCore Server and iSCSI Software Drivers on the Host (for any
Operating System).
Updated
All issues are now listed based on the type of component (instead of the Vendor). Simplified many of the existing
entries to avoid duplication in other DataCore documentation (i.e. Technical Bulletins and Qualified Lists).

More extensive list of those HBAs that can be used in a DataCore Server but only as Back -End connections to
storage arrays using the HBA vendor’s own drivers.

Emulex
Split the Emulex NIC models and their equivalent OEM IBM models into separate entries.
Hewlett-Packard
firmware versions for some Hewlett-Packard NICs based on updated HP Advisories “… to prevent the loss and
recovery of Ethernet connectivity, or adaptor unresponsiveness requiring a reboot to recover, from occurring.”
NC375x was previously listed needing to be 4.0.556 is now 4.0.585. NC522x was previously listed needing to be
4.7.17.926 (which was wrong) is now 4.0.585. NC523x was previously listed needing to be 4.8.22 is now 4.9.81
Removed
All references to Storage Arrays that do not support SANsymphony-V’s Shared Multi Port Array (SMPA) feature as
they now appear in a separate document.
July 2013
Added
Hewlett-Packard
HP NC522SFP.
Updated HP NC55* SFP. Updated NetApp. Updated Cisco MDS 9000. Removed HP EVA 6400 (included HSV400) as
this is now supported with SMPA.

Previous changes
June 2013
Updated
IBM DS3xxx. Added LSI Corporation Nytro WarpDrive. Added Dell EqualLogic PS4000.
Removed
SUN Microsystems and all Linux entries as the information is now too old to be considered relevant to current
versions of DataCore Software or Vendor’s own requirements.
May 2013
Updated
HP EVA 6400 (included HSV400). Now included Storage Array Controller firmware levels for all Shared Multi-Port
Array (SMPA) entries where applicable.
Removed
APC Powerchute
The issue previously documented was a memory leak caused by older versions of Java and not specific to APC
Powershute at all.
All references to SANmelody as this is now an ‘End of Life’ product.
April 2013
Added
Fujitsu
HP EVA 6000
Infotrend
Virident Systems Inc.
Updated
3Ware
Brocade
FusionIO
Hitachi
Hewlett-Packard
HP NC375*
HP NC523SFP
QLogic
QLE3044 NIC
UPS and Windows 2012 ODX
February 2013
Added
Dell Compellent SC30, SC40 & DS3524
IBM DS3524.
January 2013
Added
N-Tec
ICEBOX-R
Areca
ARC-188x
IBM
XIV
NetApp
E5400
December 2012
Added
Hitachi
AMS2500

Previous changes
Promise Technology Inc.

VTrak
E830
Updated
Hewlett-Packard
HP Insight Management WBEM
APC Powerchute
WMI (Win32_Service)
November 2012
Updated
Cisco
MDS 9000 Series
October 2012
Added
Texas Memory Systems
July 2012
Updated
VMware
‘vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI)’ for ESX 5.x.
Trend Micro
OfficeScan
June 2012
Updated
Hewlett-Packard
April 2012
Added
Hewlett-Packard
HP NC523SFP Dual Port 10GbE Server Adaptor
EMC
Clariion AX4
Updated
Hewlett-Packard
HP Insight Management WBEM.
March 2012
Added
Hewlett-Packard
HP NC552SFP 10 GB NIC
IBM
49y4250 OCe10102-N-X and 49y7950 OCe11102-N-X 10GB NICs
Windows 2008 Power Saving Mode
Updated
Hewlett-Packard
HP NC375* (QLE3044), NIC.
Allied Telesyn
Corrected entry for Gigabit Ethernet Media Converter MC1000 series (the 'mode' stated previously was incorrect)

Previous changes
January 2012
Added
Allied Telesyn
Gigabit Ethernet Media Converter MC1000 series
Trend Micro
OfficeScan
APC Powerchute.
Updated
UPS Services
December 2011
Added
VMware
ESX 5.x
Emulex
LP1250 HBA
Updated
Hewlett-Packard
November 2011
Added
Hewlett-Packard
HP NC375* (QLE3044), HP NC510* and HP NC512m NICs
QLogic - General
Note about setting QLogic FC HBAs to ‘Loop Only’ mode in certain cases of Host Ports shown as ‘logged out’.
QLogic - HBA
QLE220
October 2011
Added
Fusion IO
Updated
Disclaimer (page 2)
Brocade
Note in Brocade HBAs that only QLogic HBAs can be a Front End port.
Emulex
HBAs to not use TPRLO.
VMware
All VMware 'Known issues' that were in Technical Bulletin #5x are now in this document.
Removed
All references to ‘End of Life’ SANsymphony and SANmelody versions that are no longer supported as of July 31 2011.
July 2011
Updated
AMD
Brocade
Emulex
Intel

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Third Party Known Issues

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Third Party Known Issues

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SANsymphony

This document contains all Third-party

Known issues that apply to DataCore's own

Qualified Hardware Components

The authority on real-time data

All Converged Network Adaptors (CNAs) 15

IBM 12 Dell EMC 20

Optane - Persistent Memory (PMem) 24 McAfee 31

Switches – FC, FCoE and IP 28

Cisco Systems Inc. 29

All changes since December 2021

For previous changes made to this document please see page 33

Page | 4 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

Page | 5 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

Best Practice Guidelines for SANsymphony

Page | 6 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

Microsoft Windows (general)

This issue was fixed in an update issued in January 12th, 2021.

Windows 2016/2012/2012 R2/2008

Also see: https://docs.datacore.com/SSV-WebHelp/hyperconverged_virtual_san_software.htm

Affects the DataCore Server

Page | 7 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

Windows 2012/2012 R2 only

A regression in a Windows March 2017 update

Windows 2008 R2 only

Page | 8 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

Primergy Server Agent

HP ProLiant Agentless Management Service (AMS) May Consume Excessive Amounts of

Hewlett-Packard (continued on next page)

Page | 9 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

Hewlett-Packard (continued from previous page)

Servers with Windows 2008

HP ProLiant Agentless Management Service (AMS) May Consume Excessive Amounts of

Servers with Xeon 7500 or E7 Processors

Automatic Server Recovery (ASR)

Integrated Lights Out (ILO)

Page | 10 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

Hewlett-Packard (continued from previous page)

HPE Storage Devices

HPE NVMe SSD

HPE SAS SSD

Smart Array Controllers

HP’s cpqfcac.sys driver

Hewlett-Packard (continued next page)

Page | 11 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

Hewlett-Packard (continued from previous page)

Affects the DataCore and Host Server

Page | 12 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

All 16GB (including OEM)

All 8GB (including OEM)

Page | 13 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

All 16GB (including OEM)

Using direct-connected Fibre Channel Ports with a DataCore

Page | 14 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

HPE Intel Ethernet 10Gb 562SFP+ Adapter

Hewlett Packard (continued on next page)

Page | 15 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

Hewlett Packard (continued from previous page)

NC375x/NC382i/NC52x Gigabit Adaptors

ProLiant BL460c (Gen10) server blades

Page | 16 Known Issues - Third-party hardware and software

Affects ESXi hosts (including Hyperconverged SANsymphony installations)

If using HP server hardware with ESXi see https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/21 26909