Setup Guide (C5000 Series)

April 10, 2023

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Published on April 10, 2023

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 2

Contents
Pre-Setup Tasks 4
Required Cohesity Software Version 4
Verify Network Requirements 4
Fill Out Worksheets 5

Setup Cluster 6
Rack the Cohesity Cluster 6
Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series 6
Verify Cluster Setup Prerequisites 23
Set Up Nodes 24
Initial Cluster Creation 25
Configure the Primary or Secondary Network in Cohesity cluster with Multicast
Disabled 30
Record Chassis Information 31

Post-Deployment Tasks 32
Change the Default Admin Password 32
Configure Cluster (Required) 34
Verify Cluster Capacity 34
Upgrade the Cluster 34
Check the Resolution of the Cluster FQDN 34
Additional Documentation 35

Node Detection and Cluster Creation Issues 36

Cohesity UI: Log In Page does Not Appear 36
No Node is Detected 36
Some Nodes are Not Displayed 37
Cluster Creation Process is Stuck 37
Cluster Creation Succeeds with Warnings 37

Cohesity Support 38
Reach Cohesity Support 38
Reach Cohesity Support by Email 38
Support/Service Assistance 38
Cohesity Software Running on Partner Hardware 39

Documentation Feedback 40

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 3

Pre-Setup Tasks Required Cohesity Software Version

Pre-Setup Tasks
The section includes the following pre-setup topics:
Required Cohesity Software Version 4
Verify Network Requirements 4
Fill Out Worksheets 5

Required Cohesity Software Version

Version 6.5.1f or later of the Cohesity software is required for the C5000 hardware model.

Verify Network Requirements

Verify the following Cohesity cluster network requirements for a four node Cohesity cluster.

Note: This list assumes a Cohesity cluster with four nodes. Adjust the numbers to
reflect your Cohesity cluster.

l Reserve IP addresses for the nodes in the cluster on a single subnet (the cluster
subnet). Most hardware platforms require two IP addresses for each node. For
example, if you have a four node cluster, reserve eight IP addresses—four for node
IP addresses and four for VIP addresses.
l Open firewall ports to allow the Cohesity cluster to transmit and receive data. For
more information, see Manage Firewall Ports.
l Verify that the cluster subnet can communicate with the source's subnet.
l Reserve high speed ports (one for each node) on one switch. Minimum of 10GbE
required.
l Reserve high speed ports (one for each node) on another switch. Minimum of 10GbE
required.
l Reserve IP addresses for the IPMI interfaces. Most hardware platforms require one
IP address for each node. All the IPMI IP addresses must be in the same subnet,
either in the IPMI subnet or the cluster subnet.

Note: From 6.5.1 release onwards, configuring IPMI while creating a

Cohesity cluster is optional. You can either specify the IPMI configuration
while creating the Cohesity cluster or after creating the cluster.

l Reserve 1GbE ports (one for each node) for the IPMI or iRMC Interfaces on a switch.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 4

Pre-Setup Tasks Fill Out Worksheets

l Enable multicast traffic on your network (required for Cohesity's auto-discovery

function).

For more information on Networking Requirements, see Cohesity Networking Quick Start
Guide.

Fill Out Worksheets

Cohesity provides a Worksheet PDF that contains a checklist of network requirements
and a worksheet with the information required to install and configure the Cohesity cluster.
Fill out the worksheets in the PDF prior to setting up the Cohesity cluster. You can enter
values in the fields and save the filled out PDF.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 5

Setup Cluster Rack the Cohesity Cluster

Setup Cluster
The section includes the following initial cluster setup topics:
Rack the Cohesity Cluster 6
Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series 6
Verify Cluster Setup Prerequisites 23
Set Up Nodes 24
Initial Cluster Creation 25
Configure the Primary or Secondary Network in Cohesity cluster with Multicast
Disabled 30
Record Chassis Information 31

Rack the Cohesity Cluster

Important: Cohesity recommends two people lift the system into the rack rails.

1. Open the box.

2. Ground yourself before touching the system.
3. Find the rack rails and the rack mounting instructions in the box (or see the hardware
vendor mounting instructions).
4. Follow the racking instructions provided in the Rack Rail Instructions.
5. Rack the system in the rails.
6. Secure the system in the rack by tightening the screws.

Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

This section describes how to cable the Cohesity cluster on the C5000 Series with 10 Gigabit
Ethernet Ports (SPF+ or RJ45).

Note: The C5000 Series has 40GB NICs SKUs. Please note that 4X10G breakout
cables are not supported on the C5000 Series platform.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 6

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

Cable C5000 Series with SFP+ 10 GbE Network Connections (PCIe

Slot)
The following figure of the Cohesity cluster back panel shows how to cable SFP+ 10GbE
network connections in the PCIe slot. See the instructions on how to cable the Cohesity
cluster after the figure below.
C5000 Series (NIC Type: SFP+; Slot: PCIe Slot)

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 7

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 8

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

When you receive your Cohesity C5000 Series appliance, you will find the SFP+ NICs
installed in the PCIe slot. When you set up your appliance, you will use ports P1 and P2 to
create bond0.
The following table enumerates the port numbering on the NIC cards.

Port Numbering (Right to Left)

P4 P3 P2 P1

To cable the Cohesity cluster:

1. Connect four network cables to the 10GbE ports of a single switch. Connect the other
ends of the four network cables to the left 10GbE ports of the Cohesity cluster as
shown in the figure above. Note that you can substitute a Fiber Optic SFP+ cable for
the coaxial cable.

Note: All network connections must be connected to a 10GbE network.

Connecting to a 1GbE network is not supported.

2. Connect four network cables to the 10GbE ports of a different switch as shown in the
figure above. Connect the other ends of the four network cables to the right 10GbE
ports of the Cohesity cluster.

Note: All network connections must be connected to a 10GbE network.

Connecting to a 1GbE network is not supported.

3. Connect the four blue Cat 6 network cables to 1GbE ports in a switch as shown in the
figure above. Connect the other ends of the cables to the IPMI 1GbE ports in the
Cohesity cluster.
4. Connect the power cables to two different power sources.

Note: Cohesity does not recommend having a Cohesity cluster with a mixture of
nodes with SFP+ 10GbE ports and nodes with RJ45 10GbE ports. This is currently
an untested configuration.

Cable C5000 Series with RJ45 10 GbE Network Connections (PCIe

Slot)
The following figure of the Cohesity cluster back panel shows how to cable RJ45 10GbE
network connections in the PCIe slot. See the instructions on how to cable the Cohesity

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 9

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

cluster after the figure below.

C5000 Series (NIC Type: RJ45; Slot: PCIe Slot)

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 10

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

The following table enumerates the port numbering on the NIC cards.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 11

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

Port Numbering (Left to Right)

P1 P2 P3 P4

To cable the Cohesity cluster:

1. Connect four Cat 6 network cables to the RJ45 10GbE ports of a single switch. Connect
the other ends of the four Cat 6 network cables to the left RJ45 10GbE ports of the
Cohesity cluster as shown in the figure above. (These Cat 6 network cables are
represented in black in the preceding figure. The actual Cat 6 cables shipped with the
Cohesity cluster may be a different color.)

Note: All network connections must be connected to a 10GbE network.

Connecting to a 1GbE network is not supported.

2. Connect four Cat 6 network cables to the RJ45 10GbE ports of a different switch as
shown in the figure above. Connect the other ends of the four Cat 6 network cables to
the right RJ45 10GbE ports of the Cohesity cluster. (These Cat 6 network cables are
represented in black in the preceding figure. The actual Cat 6 cables shipped with the
Cohesity cluster may be a different color.)

Note: All network connections must be connected to a 10GbE network.

Connecting to a 1GbE network is not supported.

3. Connect four Cat 6 network cables to 1GbE ports in a switch as shown in the figure
above. Connect the other ends of the cables to the IPMI 1GbE ports in the Cohesity
cluster. (These Cat 6 network cables are represented in blue in the preceding figure.)

Note: In the figure above, the IPMI ports are connected to a switch in a
different VLAN than the RJ45 10GbE switches. However, you may choose to
connect the IPMI cables into dedicated 1GbE switch(es) or you can connect
the IPMI cables into same RJ45 10GbE switches used for the primary and
secondary network.

4. Connect the two power cables to two different power sources.

5. Verify that all the nodes and disks are firmly inserted into the system and are not
loose.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 12

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

Note: Cohesity does not recommend having a Cohesity cluster with a mixture of
nodes with SFP+ 10GbE ports and nodes with RJ45 10GbE ports. This is currently
an untested configuration.

Cable C5000 Series with SFP28 25 GbE Network Connections (PCIe

Slot)
The following figure of the Cohesity clusterback panel shows how to cable SFP28 25GbE
network connections in the PCIe slot. See the instructions on how to cable the Cohesity
cluster after the figure below.
C5000 Series (NIC Type: SFP28; Slot: PCIe Slot)

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 13

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 14

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

The following table enumerates the port numbering on the NIC cards.

Port Numbering (Right to Left)

P4 P3 P2 P1

To cable the Cohesity cluster:

1. Connect four SFP28 network cables to the SFP28 25GbE ports of a single switch.
Connect the other ends of the four SFP28 network cables to the left SFP28 25GbE
ports of the Cohesity cluster as shown in the figure above. Note that you can
substitute a Fiber Optic SFP28 cable for the coaxial cable.
2. Connect four SFP28 network cables to the SFP28 25GbE ports of a different switch as
shown in the figure above. Connect the other ends of the four SFP28 network cables
to the right SFP28 25GbE ports of the Cohesity cluster.
3. Connect the four blue Cat 6 network cables to 1GbE ports in a switch as shown in the
figure above. Connect the other ends of the cables to the IPMI 1GbE ports in the
Cohesity cluster.
4. Connect the power cables to two different power sources.

Note: Cohesity does not recommend having a Cohesity cluster with

different network configurations. All nodes in a cluster should have a similar
network configuration and connections. Nodes with Cohesity Data Cloud and
100GbE or 40GbE ports do not support QSFP28/+ to 4xSFP28/+ breakout
cables.

Cable C5000 Series with QSFP+ 40 GbE Network Connections (PCIe

Slot)
The following figure of the Cohesity clusterback panel shows how to cable QSFP+ 40GbE
network connections in the PCIe slot. See the instructions on how to cable the Cohesity
cluster after the figure below.
C5000 Series (NIC Type: QSFP+; Slot: PCIe Slot)

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 15

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 16

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

The following table enumerates the port numbering on the NIC cards.

Port Numbering (Left to Right)

P2 P1

To cable the Cohesity cluster:

1. Connect four QSFP+ network cables to the QSFP+ 40GbE ports of a single switch.
Connect the other ends of the four QSFP+ network cables to the left QSFP+ 40GbE
ports of the Cohesity cluster as shown in the figure above. Note that you can
substitute a Fiber Optic SFP+ cable for the coaxial cable.
2. Connect four QSFP+ network cables to the QSFP+ 40GbE ports of a different switch as
shown in the figure above. Connect the other ends of the four QSFP+ network cables
to the right QSFP+ 40GbE ports of the Cohesity cluster.
3. Connect the four blue Cat 6 network cables to 1GbE ports in a switch as shown in the
figure above. Connect the other ends of the cables to the IPMI 1GbE ports in the
Cohesity cluster.
4. Connect the power cables to two different power sources.

Note:
l Cohesity does not recommend having a Cohesity cluster with different
network configurations. All nodes in a cluster should have a similar
network configuration and connections.

l Nodes with Cohesity Data Cloud and 100GbE or 40GbE ports do not
support QSFP28/+ to 4xSFP28/+ breakout cables.

Cable C5000 Series with QSFP28 100 GbE Network Connections

(PCIe Slot)
The following figure of the Cohesity clusterback panel shows how to cable QSFP28 100GbE
network connections in the PCIe slot. See the instructions on how to cable the Cohesity
cluster after the figure below.
C5000 Series (NIC Type: QSFP28; Slot: PCIe Slot)

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 17

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 18

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

The following table enumerates the port numbering on the NIC cards.

Port Numbering (Left to Right)

P2 P1

To cable the Cohesity cluster:

1. Connect four QSFP28 network cables to the QSFP28 100GbE ports of a single switch.
Connect the other ends of the four QSFP28 network cables to the left QSFP28 100GbE
ports of the Cohesity cluster as shown in the figure above. Note that you can
substitute a Fiber Optic SFP+ cable for the coaxial cable.
2. Connect four QSFP28 network cables to the QSFP28 100GbE ports of a different switch
as shown in the figure above. Connect the other ends of the four QSFP28 network
cables to the right QSFP28 100GbE ports of the Cohesity cluster.
3. Connect the four blue Cat 6 network cables to 1GbE ports in a switch as shown in the
figure above. Connect the other ends of the cables to the IPMI 1GbE ports in the
Cohesity cluster.
4. Connect the power cables to two different power sources.

Note: Nodes with Cohesity Data Cloud and 100GbE or 40GbE ports do not
support QSFP28/+ to 4xSFP28/+ breakout cables.

5.

Cable C5000 Series with SFP+ 10 GbE Network Connections (OCP

Slot)
The following figure of the Cohesity cluster back panel shows how to cable SFP+ 10GbE
network connections in the OCP slot. See the instructions on how to cable the Cohesity
cluster after the figure below.
C5000 Series (NIC Type: SFP+; Slot: OCP Slot)

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 19

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

The following table enumerates the port numbering on the NIC cards.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 20

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

Port Numbering (Right to Left)

P2 P1

To cable the Cohesity cluster:

1. Connect four SFP+ network cables to the SFP+ 10GbE ports of a single switch.
Connect the other ends of the four SFP+ network cables to the left SFP+ 10GbE ports
of the Cohesity cluster as shown in the figure above. Note that you can substitute a
Fiber Optic SFP+ cable for the coaxial cable.

Note: All network connections must be connected to a 10GbE network.

Connecting to a 1GbE network is not supported.

2. Connect four SFP+ network cables to the SFP+ 10GbE ports of a different switch as
shown in the figure above. Connect the other ends of the four SFP+ network cables to
the right SFP+ 10GbE ports of the Cohesity cluster.

Note: All network connections must be connected to a 10GbE network.

Connecting to a 1GbE network is not supported.

3. Connect the four blue Cat 6 network cables to 1GbE ports in a switch as shown in the
figure above. Connect the other ends of the cables to the IPMI 1GbE ports in the
Cohesity cluster.
4. Connect the power cables to two different power sources.

Cable C5000 Series with SFP28 25 GbE Network Connections (OCP

Slot)
The following figure of the Cohesity clusterback panel shows how to cable SFP28 25GbE
network connections in the OCP slot. See the instructions on how to cable the Cohesity
cluster after the figure below.
C5000 Series (NIC Type: SFP28; Slot: OCP Slot)

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 21

Setup Cluster Cable the Cohesity Cluster C5000 Series

The following table enumerates the port numbering on the NIC cards.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 22

Setup Cluster Verify Cluster Setup Prerequisites

Port Numbering (Right to Left)

P2 P1

To cable the Cohesity cluster:

1. Connect four SFP28 network cables to the SFP28 25GbE ports of a single switch.
Connect the other ends of the four SFP28 network cables to the left SFP28 25GbE
ports of the Cohesity cluster as shown in the figure above. Note that you can
substitute a Fiber Optic SFP28 cable for the coaxial cable.
2. Connect four SFP28 network cables to the SFP28 25GbE ports of a different switch as
shown in the figure above. Connect the other ends of the four SFP28 network cables
to the right SFP28 25GbE ports of the Cohesity cluster.
3. Connect the four blue Cat 6 network cables to 1GbE ports in a switch as shown in the
figure above. Connect the other ends of the cables to the IPMI 1GbE ports in the
Cohesity cluster.
4. Connect the power cables to two different power sources.

Note: Cohesity does not recommend having a Cohesity cluster with

different network configurations. All nodes in a cluster should have a similar
network configuration and connections.

Verify Cluster Setup Prerequisites

Verify the following prerequisites for setting up the Cohesity cluster:

l Ensure that you have a 34'' deep rack to install a C5000 Series hardware model.
l Ensure that the 10GbE port that you connect to and the Cohesity cluster
nodes' NIC connections are within the same VLAN or broadcast domain.
l Ensure that the switch supports multicast (required for Cohesity's auto-discovery
function).
l The laptop used to configure the Cohesity cluster must be configured with one NIC
only. If the laptop has multiple NICs configured, disable all but one to set up the
Cohesity cluster.
l OS X requirements:
l Bonjour (for Windows, which provides mDNS service discovery to resolve the
name)
l Safari browser (for Mac OS)

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 23

Setup Cluster Set Up Nodes

l Using the figure below, locate and pull out the serial number tab and record the
Cluster Setup S/N.

Set Up Nodes
After you verify that all prerequisites are met, you can set up the nodes that will be part of
the Cohesity cluster.
To set up Nodes for the Cohesity cluster:

1. Power on the nodes you want to add to the Cohesity cluster.

2. After all Cohesity cluster nodes are cabled and powered on, connect your setup laptop
directly to Cohesity cluster node 1 using the RJ45 cable / USB Crash Cart (KVM)
Adapter.
For more information on configuring networking settings and accessing the Cohesity
CLI, see Networking Workflows and Using the Cohesity CLI.
3. On the laptop, open the Safari browser and enter the C5000 Series serial number in
the browser address bar:

http://chassis-SN-node-1.local/

Where SN is the serial number of one of the C5000 Series nodes.

See Node Detection and Cluster Creation Issues if the Cohesity cluster login page
does not appear.
4. When the Cohesity cluster login page appears, log in using the default System Admin
account called admin and the default password, admin.
If Safari indicates This Connection is Not Private, click Show Details. In the
resulting dialog, click the visit this website link and then click Visit Website in

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 24

Setup Cluster Initial Cluster Creation

the confirmation. If prompted, type the system administrator password for the
laptop.
5. The first page shows the number of chassis and nodes that were discovered. This
page also lists the requirements for setting up the Cohesity cluster.
Ensure that you have all the necessary information and click Get Started.
See Node Detection and Cluster Creation Issues if no node is detected.
6. Select the nodes you want to set up. Click Select all available to select all available
nodes, or select the corresponding check boxes. The node that you are connected to is
automatically selected. You need a minimum of three nodes to create a Cohesity
cluster.
Click Select Nodes to continue.
See Node Detection and Cluster Creation Issues if some nodes are not displayed.
7. The Set Up Nodes page shows all nodes that you selected. Using the information from
your completed worksheet, fill in all IP and IPMI IP fields.
Click Continue to Cluster Settings.

Note: Ensure that the MTU is set with the same value end to end and there is no
mismatch.

Initial Cluster Creation

Create the Cohesity cluster as described in the following procedure.
To complete the initial creation of the Cohesity cluster:

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 25

Setup Cluster Initial Cluster Creation

1. Enter the initial Cohesity cluster settings:

Cluster Name Specify a unique name for the Cohesity cluster. Only alphanumeric characters and hyphens
are allowed. A hyphen cannot be the first or last character. Length cannot exceed 32
characters. No other characters are allowed.

Cluster Domain The domain name(s) for the Cohesity cluster.

Name

Cluster Subnet Specify the IP address of the subnet gateway for the Cohesity cluster.
Gateway

Cluster Subnet Specify the subnet mask for the subnet that the Cohesity cluster is a part of.
Mask

IPMI Subnet Specify the IP address of the Subnet Gateway for the IPMI or iRMC network interfaces.
Gateway
Note: From 6.5.1 release onwards, configuring IPMI while creating a Cohesity
(Optional from
cluster is optional. You can either specify the IPMI configuration while creating
6.5.1 release and
the Cohesity cluster or after creating the cluster.
later)

IPMI Subnet Specify the Subnet Mask for the IPMI or iRMC Subnet.
Mask

(Optional from
6.5.1 release and
later)

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 26

Setup Cluster Initial Cluster Creation

IPMI Username Specify the IPMI username to connect to the IPMI interface for each of the nodes in the
Cohesity cluster. The cluster uses the IPMI username to get system health information
(Optional from
about the nodes in the cluster.
6.5.1 release and
later) All nodes in the cluster must use the same IPMI username and IPMI password.

Only alphanumeric characters and hyphens are allowed, but a hyphen cannot be the first
character. The length cannot exceed 32 characters.

The default IPMI username is admin.

From 6.5.1 release onwards:

l The Cohesity cluster does not depend on the IPMI configuration to get system
health information about the nodes. For ease of managing the nodes remotely, you
can configure IPMI.

l The IPMI username and password can be set for each node in the cluster and can
be different than the IPMI credentials configured for the cluster. The username
length should not exceed 16 characters.

IPMI Password Specify the IPMI password to connect to the IPMI interface for each node in the Cohesity
cluster.
(Optional from
6.5.1 release and All nodes in the cluster must use the same IPMI username and IPMI password.
later)
The password can be 8 to 16 characters. It cannot include the following characters: dollar
sign ($), asterisk (*), quote ("), single quote (`) or backslash (\).

The default IPMI password is admin.

Cohesity recommends to change the default password after creating the cluster. For more
information, see Change the Default Admin Password.

From 6.5.1 release onwards:

The IPMI password can be set for each node in the cluster, and the password can be
different from the IPMI password configured for the cluster. The password can be 8 to 16
characters. It can include at least the following three characters:

l Upper case

l Lower case

l Numbers

l Special character, such as: _, -, @, #, ^, &, !, +, ~.

Search Domains Specify a domain search list for hostname lookup.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 27

Setup Cluster Initial Cluster Creation

DNS Servers The IP addresses of the Domain Name System (DNS) servers that the Cohesity cluster
should use. Separate multiple IPs with commas. Ensure that the Active Directory DNS IP
address (if applicable) is listed first. Verify that the specified DNS server can resolve the
NTP servers and other entities in the system.

NTP Servers Cohesity recommends using the external Google Public Network Time Protocol (NTP)
server and specifying multiple servers ( time1.google.com, time2.google.com,
time3.google.com, time4.google.com). Avoid using the pool.ntp.org or
time.nist.org NTP servers, as they are sometimes unavailable and their IP addresses
tend to change. If using an internal NTP server, use only one server (and no external
servers). Specify the IP address or the Fully Qualified Domain Name of the NTP server(s).
The Cohesity cluster uses the specified NTP server to synchronize the time on all nodes in
the cluster.

Note: To use a Windows NTP server, follow the instructions in this

Knowledge Base article.

Also, toggle on Use Authentication Key to secure the communication between the
NTP server and the Cohesity cluster. In the Key ID field, enter the Key id associated with
the SHA-1 key and in the Key field, enter the SHA-1 key.

Note: Only SHA-1 Keys are supported.

Configure Apps Specify the private IPv4 address for the app subnets. The default IP 192.168.0.0/16 is used
management for app subnets. If the default IP 192.168.0.0/16 is allocated to a node network, cluster
network (From network, or any other network, provide any other private network IP range.
7.0 release
Only a private IP range with a minimum subnet size /24 and a maximum subnet size /12 is
onwards)
supported.

2. If desired, toggle Encryption on. Turning on encryption for a Cohesity cluster

encrypts all data that will be stored on the cluster.

Note: To encrypt an entire Cohesity cluster, you must specify the

encryption option while creating the Cohesity cluster. After a cluster has
been created, cluster encryption is not editable. If encryption is not enabled
for a Cohesity cluster, you can enable encryption at the Storage Domain
level.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 28

Setup Cluster Initial Cluster Creation

The Cohesity cluster supports AES256 software encryption. The Cohesity cluster
provides a built-in Key Management Service (KMS) that automatically generates
keys.
After Encryption is turned on, the following options are available:
a. The Rotation Period is how often the Cohesity cluster's encryption key is
rotated. After the time period is reached, the old encryption key is replaced by
a new key and the data on the Cohesity cluster remains as it was originally
encrypted. The Rotation Period default value is 30 days. You can change this to
the desired value.
b. Toggle FIPS on to operate the Cohesity cluster under Federal Information
Processing Standard 140-2 certification.

Note: From 6.3.1 release onwards, Federal Information

Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 certification is enabled by default
and cannot be disabled.

3. A partition and default Storage Domain are created automatically. Cohesity adds all
currently selected nodes to the partition.
l Specify a fully qualified domain name (FQDN). For a Cohesity cluster hosted
directly on Cohesity hardware, specify a FQDN that DNS round robin resolves to
the specified VIPs.
In situations where the customer has not yet added the FQDN with VIPs to DNS,
in versions 6.4 and later, enter the FQDN but do not add the VIPs (see next
point).

Note: Best practice warrants a DNS entry for the cluster's FQDN and
VIPs to achieve optimum cluster performance.

l Complete VIP Address fields. Specify individual virtual IP addresses or ranges

of virtual IP addresses for the Cluster. Specifying a VIP range means network
traffic to the Cluster can be routed to a range of IP addresses instead of a single
IP address. For better load balancing, Cohesity recommends specifying the
same number of VIPs as there are nodes in the Cohesity cluster. Click Add VIP
or VIP Range.
If you do not have VIP addresses yet, leave these fields empty. After the
cluster is created, you can add VIP addresses in the Cohesity UI. Select
Settings > Networking and select the VIPs tab.
4. Click Create Cluster.
The page displays the Cohesity cluster creation progress.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 29

 Configure the Primary or Secondary Network in Cohesity cluster with Multicast
Setup Cluster
Disabled

5. Wait several minutes to allow services to restart, and then click the displayed URL
and log in to the Cohesity cluster using the default System Admin account called
admin, and the default password, admin.
6. Accept the license agreement. Then you will be asked to validate the license either by
connecting to Helios or deploying On Prem and providing the license key. If you do
not already have a valid license key, see How to Apply a Cohesity License Key to
Activate a Cluster. Cohesity Support portal credentials are required.
From 6.4.1 release onwards, perform the following steps:
l Read the EULA License Agreement and click Agree.
l Select SaaS or On Prem configurations and click Connect.
For more information on licensing feature, see Cohesity License.
7. In the Change Password dialog box, enter and confirm the new password for the
System Admin account. The minimum length of the password must be 8 characters.
An Overview Dashboard page displays.
See Node Detection and Cluster Creation Issues if the cluster creation process is
stuck or succeeds with warnings. If Cohesity detects an issue, make corrections
before continuing.

After you see the Overview Dashboard page, the next step is to configure the Cohesity
cluster.

Configure the Primary or Secondary Network in Cohesity

cluster with Multicast Disabled
To configure the primary (data) network and secondary network during cluster setup or
when you add a node to the existing cluster while multicast is disabled:

1. Configure networking on each node using the configure_network.sh script and the
iris_cli. In general, using the iris_cli is preferred if available. For more details, see
Networking Workflows.
2. Run the following command in the iris_cli to create a Cohesity cluster:

iris_cli cluster create

domain-names=<name of the domain> ntp-servers=<name of the ntp server>
name=<short name of the cluster> hostname=<cluster name>
subnet-gateway=<Network-Gateway> subnet-mask=<Network-Subnet>
dns-server-ips=10.2.0.1
node-ids=<comma separated node-IDs>
vips=<Comma separated VIPs> enable-encryption=<optional>

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 30

Setup Cluster Record Chassis Information

Note: vips and enable-encryption are optional in the preceding

command.

For example:

Physical (HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 Plus)

iris_cli cluster create
domain-names=eng.cohesity.com ntp-servers=pool.ntp.org
name="haswell2" hostname=haswell2.eng.cohesity.com
subnet-gateway=10.1.0.1 subnet-mask=255.255.240.0
dns-server-ips=10.2.0.1
node-ips=10.1.4.16,10.1.4.17,10.1.4.18
node-ids=181140266786854,181140264583348,181140264822986

For more information on Networking Requirements, see Cohesity Networking Quick Start
Guide.

Verify Cluster Creation

To verify that a cluster has been created when multicast is disabled, do one of the
following:

l To check the cluster creation status using the CLI, see the How to check or monitor
the status of Cluster creation KB article.
l To check the cluster creation status using the Cohesity cluster, do the following:
l Log in to the Cohesity cluster and navigate to Settings > Summary.
l Verify the Cohesity cluster details on the Summary page.

Record Chassis Information

After the cluster is set up, record the serial number and rack location of each chassis in the
Networking Requirements and Worksheets for future reference. You can find the serial
number label on the front panel of the chassis.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 31

Post-Deployment Tasks Change the Default Admin Password

Post-Deployment Tasks
The section includes the following post-deployment topics:
Change the Default Admin Password 32
Configure Cluster (Required) 34
Verify Cluster Capacity 34
Upgrade the Cluster 34
Check the Resolution of the Cluster FQDN 34
Additional Documentation 35

Change the Default Admin Password

1. Open a browser and enter the IP address of any node in the Cohesity cluster.
2. When the Cohesity UI login page appears, log in using the default System Admin
account called admin and the default password, admini.
3. When prompted, accept the EULA and apply the license key provided by Cohesity.
4. In the Change Password dialog box, enter and confirm the new password for the
System Admin account. The minimum length of the password must be 8 characters.

Note: Cohesity recommends changing the iLO default credentials. For more
information, see iLO Default Credentials.

Enable Support User for Local Shell Access

From the 6.5.1b release onwards, the 'cohesity' user account is removed for local shell
logins. Cohesity introduces a new 'support' user for improved security, and you need to
use the support user account to log into the Cohesity cluster bash shell using SSH.
By default, the support user account is disabled on the Cohesity node part of a Cohesity
cluster. You need to enable the support user account by setting a password for the user
account in the Cohesity UI. Also, you can enable or disable Linux sudo access for the
support user account.

Set the Support User Password for the First Time

Using the Cohesity UI or Cohesity CLI, you can set the password for the support user. You
cannot retrieve the password once it is set. Therefore, ensure that you set a strong
password that is longer and easy to remember. In case, if you want to reset the support
user password and have forgotten the existing password then
To set the support user password:

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 32

Post-Deployment Tasks Change the Default Admin Password

1. Navigate to Settings > Access Management.

2. In the Support user section, under Password, click Set Password and define the
new password for the Support user account (the minimum length of the password
must by 15 character).

3. Toggle the button for Sudo Access depending on the user requirement. For more
information, see Enable or Disable Linux Sudo Access.

Also, from the Cohesity CLI, you can use the following iris_cli command to change the
support user password:

iris_cli user linux-user linux-username=support linux-password=<password>

Enable or Disable Linux Sudo Access

Without sudo access, the support user has read-only access privilege and limited read-write
access privilege. To perform advanced operations that require privileged access, you need
to enable Linux sudo access to the support user account.

Note: Apart from the admin user, if you use a local user account to enable Linux
sudo access to the support user, ensure that you configure the local user account
with Manage Linux user sudo access privilege.

To enable or disable sudo access:

1. Navigate to Settings > Access Management.

2. In the Support user section, toggle Sudo Access to enable or disable linux sudo
access to the support user.

Also, from the Cohesity CLI, you can use the following iris_cli command to enable Linux
sudo access for the support user:

iris_cli user linux-sudo-access enable=<true/false>

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 33

Post-Deployment Tasks Configure Cluster (Required)

Tip: For detailed information about cluster security, see Cohesity Security
Hardening Guide.

Configure Cluster (Required)

In addition to the settings initially entered when the Cohesity cluster was set up, you must
enter additional configuration information if it is not already specified. For more
information on additional configuration, see Configure Settings.

Verify Cluster Capacity

After setting up the Cohesity cluster, verify the total cluster storage.

1. Start a browser and enter the Cohesity cluster domain name in the browser address
bar.
2. Log in to the Cohesity cluster.
3. Select System > Storage and verify that the available storage.

Upgrade the Cluster

You can upgrade the Cohesity software that runs on the cluster without any cluster
downtime. For more information, See Upgrade Cohesity Cluster.

Check the Resolution of the Cluster FQDN

Hypervisor hosts that attempt to mount cloned or recovered VMs in a view must be able to
resolve the cluster's fully qualified domain name (for Cloud Edition clusters, this is the
hostname). Machines that are mounting a view for storage must also be able to resolve the
FQDN. Verify that the FQDN can be resolved from each machine that is mounting the view.
To check that machines can resolve the FQDN:

1. Securely connect (SSH) in to the hypervisor host that is going to mount the view.
2. Ping the FQDN you specified for the cluster:

ping <myClusterFQDN>

If packets are received and the request does not time out, the FQDN was found. If the
request times out, fix the networking problem.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 34

Post-Deployment Tasks Additional Documentation

Additional Documentation
For more information about using the Cohesity cluster, Cohesity features and the Cohesity
command line interface, visit docs.cohesity.com.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 35

Node Detection and Cluster Creation Issues Cohesity UI: Log In Page does Not Appear

Node Detection and Cluster Creation Issues

If you encounter issues during initial Cohesity cluster creation, read the following sections
for possible resolutions:
Verify the following:

l Multicast is enabled on the network switch that the Cohesity cluster Nodes are
connected to.
l All of the following are reachable from the network switch:
l Default gateway
l DNS server
l NTP server

Cohesity UI: Log In Page does Not Appear

Possible cause

l The cable connecting the laptop to the Node has an issue.

l The Node's management NICs are not enabled in the BIOS.
To determine if this is the cause, follow these steps:
1. On the laptop connected to the Node, open a terminal window and run:
dns-sd -Z _cohesity._tcp

2. Check the output for Nodes.

If Nodes are not listed, the management NICs may need to be enabled in the
BIOS.

Resolution

l Replace the cable.

l Verify that the Node's management NICs are enabled in the BIOS. Checking the BIOS
requires a VGA terminal to access the console.

No Node is Detected
Possible cause
The network switch configuration prevented mDNS from being received/transmitted.
Resolution
Attempt to connect the laptop to another Node's management port to narrow down which
network cable, switch port, or Node network port has an issue so you can resolve it.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 36

Node Detection and Cluster Creation Issues Some Nodes are Not Displayed

Some Nodes are Not Displayed

Possible cause
The Node’s network connection has an issue.
Resolution
Check the Node’s cable connection, network switch port or the Node’s network interface.
Checking indicator lights may help you identify the issue.

Cluster Creation Process is Stuck

If the Cluster creation is stuck, investigate the listed connectivity issues.
Possible cause

l A connectivity issue with the default gateway that was entered.

l A connectivity issue with the NTP server.

Resolution
Once the connectivity issue is resolved, setup should proceed.

Cluster Creation Succeeds with Warnings

Cluster creation can succeed but still issue warnings.
Possible warnings and resolutions

l Ping to gateway failure - If this failure is unexpected, contact Cohesity Support to

update the Cluster bond0 gateway.
l Ping to DNS failure - If this failure is unexpected, edit the Cluster DNS on the Cluster
Settings page in the Cohesity UI.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 37

Cohesity Support Reach Cohesity Support

Cohesity Support

Reach Cohesity Support

Go to Cohesity Support, to search in our knowledge base; or contact us by phone - United
States and Canada: 1-855-9CO-HESI (926-4374), option 2.

Reach Cohesity Support by Email

There are several ways to create a Cohesity support case.

l Email Cohesity Support with a brief description of the problem. If the Cohesity
software is running on a hardware platform, include your product's chassis serial
number.
l Log in to the Cohesity Support Portal. Click OPEN CASES and Create Case.
l On the Cohesity UI, click Support that appears in the footer.

Creating a customer support case for Cohesity Cloud Services (CCS)

When creating a customer support case for Cohesity Cloud Services (CCS), follow the steps
listed below:

1. Mention CCS in the subject and select CCS as the Issue Type.
2. Provide the case information.
3. Edit the Case Subject as CCS (AWS_Region): <Input Issue Subject
Information>.
4. Update the Issue Type field to CCS.

Additionally, provide the Cluster ID and the Support Token information if a SaaS
connector is involved.

Support/Service Assistance
First contact the Service Provider that you have contracted for service and support. If you
work directly with Cohesity and have a product warranty/entitlement, repair pricing or
technical support related question, see your options below:

l To find solutions to your product issues or for suggestions or best practices, visit
Cohesity Knowledge Base.
l To open a Service Request online, go to Cohesity Support Portal, log in to the portal,
and go to My Cohesity > Submit a Case.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 38

Cohesity Support Cohesity Software Running on Partner Hardware

l To monitor your open cases, log in to the portal, click My Cases on the upper right
side of the home page. This page should have all the case statuses and updates. You
can also view individual case status.

Cohesity Software Running on Partner Hardware

For Cohesity software running on qualified third-party hardware, the following support
workflow applies:

1. The customer may contact Cohesity Support first if the issue cannot be determined as
a hardware issue.

Note: Cohesity cannot process hardware replacement requests for partner

hardware.

2. Cohesity Support triages the issue. If it is a software issue, Cohesity Support

continues to work on it.
3. If it is a hardware/firmware issue or is suspected to be a hardware/firmware issue,
Cohesity provides information about the issue to the customer and requests that the
customer open a support ticket with the appropriate partner.
4. If needed, Cohesity Support can join a three-way call with the partner and the
customer.
5. The customer informs Cohesity Support on the progress of the partner’s case.

Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 39

Documentation Feedback Cohesity Software Running on Partner Hardware

Documentation Feedback
We encourage you to provide feedback so that we can improve our documentation. Click
here to send us your feedback!
Ensure that you provide the following details in your email:

l Document name
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Setup Guide (C5000 Series) 40