Using the System Menu

Owned by Rumena Zlatkova (Deactivated)
Last updated: Dec 05, 2023 by Bala Harish A(AC)
3 min read

About the System Menu

The System Menu on the physical console of a Swarm node provides options to administer and troubleshoot a node and hardware. 

Actions from the System Menu:

  • Review system information

  • Diagnose startup errors

  • Format hard disks

  • Perform diagnostics

  • Shut down and restart the cluster nodes

Caution

Use the option to reformat all devices after verification With the System Menu, all discovered devices can be reformatted, including. the Swarm USB flash drive. Verify it is removed before choosing this option.

Verify the node and/or cluster configuration file is configured before beginning.

Important

Access to the System Menu on the console should be restricted to Swarm administrators if the node is not physically secure. (v10.2.1)

Enable this option in the node.cfg file for this node:

Menu Options

The node has been secured against unauthorized tampering if these menu options are not accessible on the console. This option is controlled by the Node-level configuration setting, security.securePhysicalConsole.

Menu

Usage

Menu

Usage

System Information

1. Configuration - Displays the current node configuration. Press :  q to close.

2. Startup Errors - Displays the boot errors. This option displays only if errors appeared during boot-up.

Disk Volumes

Displays a list of all detected volumes of at least 8 GB in size.

Select a volume and enter one of the following:

  • F to format the volume

  • I to identify the volume by flashing its LED

  • ALL to perform F and I on all disks

Caution

All discovered devices are reformatted, including the Swarm USB flash drive if selecting ALL and press F. Remove the USB flash drive before choosing this option.

Diagnostics 

Assists with gathering network and log information and provides utilities such as ping and traceroute. 

Select an option from the menu and follow the prompts on the screen to complete the tasks.

  1. Kernel log (dmesg)

  2. Systemd Unit Status

  3. Systemd journal

  4. Time synchronization (NTP)

  5. Top processes list

  6. Network Interfaces and Routes

  7. Ping a host

  8. Traceroute to a host

  9. Socket connections

  10. Network send/receive buffers

  11. ARP cache

System Control

Enables node management:

1. Reboot System - Restart the node.

2. Shutdown System - Shut down the node (stop all processes and power it off).

3. Stop Storage Processes - Stops the running Swarm processes so volumes can be reformatted if needed.

Formatting a Disk

The disk automatically format on bootup (or insertion, in the case of hot plug) if a disk has not been recognized by Swarm and it boots into a Swarm chassis. Use the System Menu on the storage node if a disk has been retired from a cluster and needs to be reformatted.

  1. Using a remote terminal or a keyboard and monitor, access the System Menu on the Swarm storage node.

  2. Take the chassis offline.

    1. Select 4. System Control.

    2. Select 3. Stop Storage Processes.

    3. Verify by choosing Yes. At this point, Storage Processes: STOPPED displays.

  3. Mark the disk for reformatting on next reboot.

    1. Select 2. Disk Volumes

    2. Arrow down to the disk in question and press "f"

    3. When prompted, type FORMAT to continue. (This only queues the formatting, so do not expect a delay.)

  4. Restart the chassis.

    1. Select 4. System Control.

    2. Select 1. Reboot System.

Reformatting all Disks in a Cluster

To reformat all disks in a cluster:

  1. Shut down all nodes in the cluster. 

  2. Remove the USB flash drive from any node in the cluster.

  3. (versions prior to 6.0) Edit the configuration file and remove the cluster.settingsUuid value.

  4. Insert the USB flash drive in the node and reboot it.

  5. Select Disk Volumes in the System Information menu.

  6. Select a formatting option in the Disk Volumes menu.

  7. Wait for the selected disks to be formatted.

  8. Shut down the node.

  9. Repeat step 2 through step 8 on the remaining cluster nodes, one node at a time.

  10. Start the nodes in any order after all nodes are reformatted.

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