Operating and Managing

Hitachi Content
Platform v8.x

Network Configuration

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Module Objectives

 When you complete this module, you should be able to:

• Configure networks and integrate Hitachi Content Platform (HCP) with DNS
and Active Directory
• Describe the concepts of IPv6 and Link Aggregation
• Explain VLAN usage

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HCP Networking Basics

 Hitachi Content Platform has 2 networks accessing each of the nodes:

• System (front-end or Bond 0) public network for customer/application
interaction with the platform
 2 connections: 1 primary, 1 secondary
• Back-end private network (Bond 1) for inter-node communication and
coordination (heartbeat, file copy, and others)
 2 connections: 1 primary, 1 secondary

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HCP Networking Basics

 Options for Eth ports include: 1Gbps or 10Gbps, Base-T or SFP+

 HCP supports user-defined virtual networking with up to 200 VLANs

 Separate 1Gb Management Port on each node may be configured

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LAN Connections Review

 Front-end, or customer-facing LAN

(external)
• Customer supplied IP addresses and
called Bond 0 address
 Primary = Green (eth0) recommended
 Secondary = Yellow (eth2)
recommended

 Back-end, or Private LAN (internal)

• Created at cluster-build time and
called Bond 1 address
 Primary = Blue (eth1)
 Secondary = Red (eth3)

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 HCP Connectivity: LAN and Fibre Channel
Public LAN
BE LAN Primary
connection
Node 1 Node 2 Node 3 Node 4
Secondary
connection

Primary Paths Alternate Paths

16Gb Fibre
Channel
Switches
Note: To handle the 4 nodes,
each storage port has 2 0A 0B 1A 1B Example of a modular storage
host groups. system with LUs provisioned
RG 00 RG 01 RK from individual RAID Groups.
LUN 1 LUN 2 The LUs could be provisioned
RG 02 RG 03 RKA from HDP pool(s).
Data
RG size ÷ 2 © Hitachi Vantara LLC 2020. All Rights Reserved.
Active Learning Exercise: Follow the Manual

To get detailed information about Front-end network usage, refer to the HCP
System Management Help web pages

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DNS Configuration

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On the Whiteboard: Understand HCP DNS
Service Basics
Topic: DNS Service

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 Name Resolution

 DNS can handle 1:N relations

admin.hcp.dom.com ?
 A DNS query for an FQDN will be
answered with all available IP hcp.demo.com
addresses 192.168.0
.10
 It is up to the application to pick one .11
.12
.13
 A properly designed application will
make use of all available nodes

 HCP and DNS can communicate to DNS

keep DNS’s information current
admin.hcp.demo.com =192.168.0.10, .11, .12, .13
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 DNS Notify

 DNS updates are no longer passive

 DNS updates and Service-Oriented

Architecture (SOA) expirations are
now customizable to take place,
regardless of cluster state, every N
minutes

 Benefit to the user: secondary zone

deployments can now utilize a DNS
refresh for failover updates and other
tasks

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 Hidden Master Functionality

 Allows for each virtual network DNS Notify and Shadow Master

to be apart of its own domain

DNS
Updates
 Each domain can now have
their own DNS server
DNS
 System limit: maximum of 32 Request
downstream DNS servers customer.com
DNS Server Authoritative
Response

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 Name Resolution – Recommended Practice

 In corporate DNS, configure a secondary zone per domain created in

HCP

 In HCP, enable Notify and configure the corporate DNS

 In case HCP is replicated:

• Configure HCP to replicate its domains and certificates
• Add the remote HCPs IP addresses at the end of the masters list for each
zone configured in corporate DNS

 This allows DNS to pick up notification of HCP being failed-over

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 DNS Zone Definitions
With Hidden Master or Notify Enabled
 Associated domain must be defined as a secondary zone
• (Also known as a slave zone)
• Not as a stub zone

 On the specified downstream DNS servers

 HCP DNS failover feature can automate the process of redirecting client
requests from a failed system to a healthy one

 In the case of a whole site failure, DNS can redirect the read request to
any surviving cluster participating in namespace replication

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 Configuring Active Directory

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 VLAN Configuration

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 HCP Integration With VLANs

 Each network requires a hcp-10.dom.com - VLAN 0 – hcp.dom.com

VLAN 10 VLAN 20 – hcp-20.dom.com
separate domain in HCP and
individual zones in DNS Apps

 Each network requires IP

addresses out of a separate
logical IP network

 Each tenants’ data and

management access must be
individually assigned to a Infrastructure Servers
specific network

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 Network Segregation

 VLANs can be used Infrastructure Servers

for: Apps VLA
(Te N 10 50
nan N
• System Management t 1) A
VL SMC
)
Console (
VLAN 20
• Tenant management (Tenant 2)
GAT
• Data access
VLAN 30 VLAN 60
• Replication links (Tier)
Amazon 0
N4
• HCP S Nodes A
VL ier)
(T HCP-S
• External tiers
Google

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 SMC Advanced Settings

 SMC > Configuration > Networks >

Advanced Settings

 Enabled IP modes displayed on

this page match IP modes
selected during installation

 Disable IPv4 when system is

ready and to be converted to
IPv6 only

 Enable IPv6 here for a dual stack

system if originally IPv4 only

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 SMC Network Configuration

 System Management Console > Configuration > Networks

 With virtual network management feature enabled, users can:

• Create network
• Create network alias
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 SMC Network View

 SMC > Configuration > Networks > Network View

• Ability to find a network by Name or IP Mode
• Ability to page through lists of networks
• Table displays overview information for each network
 Name
 IP Mode
 Subnets
 Domain

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 SMC Network View

 SMC > Configuration > Networks > Network View > Settings >
Downstream DNS Configuration

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 SMC Node View

 SMC > Configuration > Networks > Node View

• Ability to find a network by Node ID or status
• Ability to page through lists of networks
• Table displays overview information for each network
 Node ID
 Status
 Back-end IP Address

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 Network Responsibility

Communication Type [hcp_system] [hcp_backend] VNeM

System Management ✓ ✓
Console
Tenant Management ✓ ✓
Multicast ✓
Communication
Cluster Health ✓ ✓
Data Access ✓ ✓
MAPI ✓ ✓
Replication ✓ ✓
NTP ✓ ✓
SNMP ✓
DNS ✓ ✓
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 Module Recap

 Hitachi Content Platform has 2 networks accessing each of the nodes:

• System (front-end or Bond 0) public network for customer/application
interaction with the platform
• Back-end private network (Bond 1) for inter-node communication (heartbeat,
file copy)
• Either FE or BE network may be 10GigE BaseT or SFP

 DNS is required for Tenant and NS access

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 Questions and
Discussion

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 Module Review

1. An HCP with the Management Network configured has how many

networks?
a. 2
b. 3
c. 4

2. Corporate DNS resolution of HCP FQDN is optional. (True or False)

3. If the CE connects to the BE network, they can access everything just

like the FE. (True or False)

4. Both the FE and BE networks have a Linux bond, so each are

accessed by one IP address to two NICs. (True or False)
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 Lab

DNS Integration

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