Basic network configuration

Basic networking configuration allows you to configure the following:

  • Hostname: network hostname
  • Domain name: DNS domain name to append to hostnames during DNS name resolution
  • Default gateway: a router used by the storage to connect to the internet
  • DNS 1/2/3: domain name servers to be used by SynetoOS when resolving internet names

The current configuration can be seen on Network > Basic configuration page.



Configuring hostname


The host name can be changed from Hostname tab. Please note that this requires a system reboot.



Configuring DNS and domain name



Configuring default gateway



Configuring the interfaces


The Interfaces section allows you to configure the available network interfaces. Click on the menu that is right beside the interface name, then click the Edit button from within that menu.



A modal window with different options allows you to specify the exact properties needed for that interface, as seen below.



You can choose to get a dynamic IP over DHCP or add it manually via the IP / Netmask box.

The Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) is the last option. For information regarding MTU sizes consult this Wikipedia link or leave the default number.

After closing the modal window presented above and returning to the Interfaces main screen, you can change the status of the interface. By clicking on the interface name, you can set its status to Down in order to put it offline, or Up in order to put it online, as shown in the image below.



Adding aggregates


Link aggregation, or IEEE 802.3ad, is a term which describes using multiple Ethernet network cables/ports in parallel to increase the link speed beyond the limits of any one single cable or port and to increase the redundancy for higher availability. The Syneto Storage provides quick and easy interface aggregation.

Link Aggregation does *not* work by passing packets across all the links in an aggregate group in a round robin fashion. Any given source-destination pair will be “pinned” to one of the links in the aggregate. Hence a single TCP connection can never achieve speeds surpassing the throughput of a single link. Therefore, while you might aggregate five 1Gbps links into a single aggregate, you’ll never get more than 1Gbps in any single data transfer.

For this go to the Network Interfaces screen and click on the New aggregate button. A new window will appear where you can configure the new aggregate. After you configured the aggregate press the Add button. The aggregate will appear in the Interfaces section.



The Status, Protocol, IP / Netmask and MTU were thoroughly explained in the Basic network configuration section so we’ll concentrate more on the policy and LACP fields.


Policy


Here you must set the port selection policy to use for load distribution of outbound traffic. The policy specifies which device is used to send packets.

  • L2 – selects outbound device according to source and destination MAC addresses of the packet
  • L3 – selects outbound device according to source and destination IP addresses of the packet.
  • L4 – selects outbound device according to the upper layer protocol information contained in the packet (for TCP and UDP this includes source and destination ports)

Note that the policy you’ll choose will have to match that of the switch. If it doesn’t, you’ll end up with asymmetric data flows and in some cases random behavior.


Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)


LACP supports the automatic creation of port channels by exchanging LACP packets between ports. It learns the capabilities of port groups dynamically and informs the other ports. Once LACP identifies correctly matched Ethernet links, it facilitates grouping the links into a port channel.

LACP packets are exchanged between ports in these modes:

  • active – places a port into an active negotiating state, in which the port initiates negotiations with remote ports by sending LACP packets
  • passive – places a port into a passive negotiating state, in which the port responds to LACP packets it receives but does not initiate LACP negotiation; in this mode, the port channel group attaches the interface to the bundle
  • off – link aggregation occurs without LACP (it works but it is not recommended)

If you want to enable LACP please ensure that your switch supports it.


Editing aggregates


In case you wish to edit and aggregate, hover your mouse over it and click on the Edit button. A screen with all its current configurations will be displayed. Once you’ve made the desired changes, click on the Update button.

To delete the aggregate press the Delete button that will be highlighted on the right once you hover the mouse over it.

Note: you cannot delete an aggregate that is used in HA or for a Local Virtual Machine.


VLANs


VLAN tagging is a network standard for sharing a physical Ethernet network link by multiple independent logical networks. The number should be unique to this particular VLAN.


  Adding, editing and deleting a VLAN



Go to the New VLAN button on the Interfaces view. Here add a name for your new VLAN. We will skip the Status, Protocol, IP / Netmask and MTU details as they were already covered in the Basic network configuration section. Select the interface you want to create the VLAN on and press Add. The VLAN will appear in the Interfaces screen. 

To edit a VLAN click on the Edit by hovering with your mouse over it. The screen will display all its current configurations. The fields you are allowed to change are the Status, Protocol, IP / Netmask and MTU. Once you’ve made all the desired changes, click on the Update button and the new VLAN configuration will be saved.

To delete it press the Delete button that will be highlighted on the right once you hover the mouse over it.
Note: you cannot delete a vlan that is used in HA or for a Local Virtual Machine.


Static routes


You can add a static route by pressing the New static route button. You have to enter the Gateway, through which your data will pass, and the Destination for this data. From then on, all data that wants to arrive at Destination will pass through your selected gateway.



To delete the route press the red Delete button.


 

Windows network


By default, your Syneto Storage is joined to the workgroup called “WORKGROUP”. You can join another one by entering the workgroup name and clicking “Join”. For joining an Active Directory please go to Active directory and SMB Sharing section of the manual.



Missing or broken interfaces


In case one or more of the network interfaces have been physically removed or are broken, the system will display the message: missing: removed or broken!

If that interface had a VLAN configured over it, the VLAN will appear as missing on the UI.

If the broken or missing interfaces were part of an aggregate, they will be removed from its configuration. If all the interfaces in an aggregate are broken or missing, the aggregate itself will be displayed accordingly.

Based on the scenarios presented below, follow the actions to recover from the respective states:

  • The interface was intentionally removed
    Remove the interface from the system configuration, by clicking on the Delete button on the Network page.
  • The interface was replaced with a different model
    The system will detect the new hardware. The broken interface will still be showing on the screen so it has to be removed manually by clicking on the Delete button that will be highlighted on the right once you hover the mouse over it. Once the new interface is configured, it needs to be placed into the aggregates the previous one was part of by editing the aggregate. To recreate the VLANs, delete the VLANs that were created over the old interfaces and recreate them over the new one.
  • The interface was replaced with an exact model
    The system will detect the hardware and it will restore all its previous configuration.