Manifesto for block access service

IT/DB storage service has configured iSCSI block access, in its current NetApp infrastructure for database access, just exclusively for the purpose of providing LUNS for OpenStack VMs via the CINDER NetApp driver.
Administrative access to the storage cluster is provided with the least privilege policy, and configuration is done to keep iSCSI isolated of prime services on clustered storage where it runs. This principle can not be tampered.

Upgrades of the CINDER driver and its possible implications on actual storage elements should be handled via administrative account provided by Openstack manager.

Support

The CINDER NetApp driver is not officially supported by NetApp. It is supported by NetApp communities (open community support). IT-DB does (and can) not provide support for the CINDER driver. This may have implications should a problem related to the driver affect the stability of the service.

Management of luns and its metadata is also managed by CINDER components. IT/DB storage service will not touch any storage element generated by CINDER NetApp driver.
Management of luns is totally under responsibility of application layer managers (either OpenStack manager or their clients). Any functionality derived from those luns is also under responsibility of the application layer managers.

Planned interventions on the cluster supporting IT/DB databases and iSCSI block device service will be announced on IT SSB and to the contact person(s) for iSCSI service. Sometime little flexibility is possible while organizing such interventions considering the number and variety of clients on that NetApp cluster. Interaction on NFS related services (databases) and iSCSI service could occur due to NetApp upgrades that affect one but not the other service. Nevertheless we expect most planned intervention to occur transparently thanks to the setup in place (clustered storage, mpio, alua).

-- RubenGaspar - 2015-04-23