Configure external storage integrations

External storage configuration overview

This guide explains how to connect your external storage systems (SAN or NAS) to CubeCOS.

Adding a new storage system to CubeCOS involves three stages: registering the backend, providing connection details, and verifying the configuration.

1. Enable the Backend:: Register the new storage system with CubeCOS before configuring any connection parameters.
2. Add Connection Details:: Add connection details. Provide the specific IP address and login credentials for your storage type (FC, iSCSI, or NFS).
3. Apply & Verify:: Apply and verify by restarting the services to finalize the connection.

Add external storage

After setting up a template, link the physical hardware to the system.

1. Navigate to Home > Integrations > Storages > Add external storage and select the model you want to use.

   

2. Fill in the fields corresponding to your storage configuration.

   
   Required Fields

   • Storage Name: A custom name for this storage.
   • Vendor: Select the template you imported (e.g., Dell EMC SC FC).
   • Credentials: Enter the SAN management IP, login, and password as defined by your driver.

3. Wait for the system update and Click Verify make sure the driver and values you filled can works properly.

   

4. Once verification succeeds, the storage entry will show as Verified in the list.

   
   warning

   Non-verified storage can still be selected in CubeCOS, but proper functionality is not guaranteed.

Troubleshooting external storage issues

If your backend does not appear as active or you cannot attach volumes, use the following commands to diagnose the issue at each layer.

1. Verify disk multipath management

   Multipath is required by external SANs to handle redundant links.

   • Verify path status: Ensure that you see multiple paths to your storage LUNs.

   • Check daemon status: Ensure the multipath service is active and running.

     systemctl status multipathd

   • Test your configuration: Validate your configuration file for syntax errors before applying it.

     # This shows the compiled configuration and checks for errors
     multipath -t

   • Check custom configs: Verify if any vendor-specific configuration files exist in the subdirectory.

     ls -ahl /etc/multipath/conf.d

   • Reload configs: If you changed /etc/multipath.conf, reload without rebooting.

     # 1. Reload the service: Tells the daemon to re-read the configuration file.
     systemctl reload multipathd
     
     # 2. Reload device maps: Forces the kernel to update the actual path mappings.
     multipath -r

   • Verify Path Status: Ensure you see multiple paths to your storage LUNs.

     multipath -ll

2. Check the volume and device mapping

   • Check if the system has mapped the external storage to local device nodes.

     # List all mapped devices
     ls -ahl /dev/mapper

   • Display a tree view of all available block devices.

     lsblk

   • Show details for a specific mapped volume (e.g., replace your_device_name with sda1 or vg0-lv1).

     lsblk -ln /dev/mapper/your_device_name

   • Show custom columns, such as file system and transport type.

     lsblk -ln -o NAME,KNAME,TYPE,TRAN,RO,PARTLABEL,LABEL,FSTYPE,SIZE,MOUNTPOINT

3. Check the service status and logs

   If the services appear "down" or the backend pools are missing, verify the status of the following core components on your controller/storage nodes:

   • Check Cinder status

     Ensure that the management API, scheduler, and volume drivers are active:

     systemctl status openstack-cinder-api openstack-cinder-scheduler openstack-cinder-volume
     # Optional: Only if using backup features
     systemctl status openstack-cinder-backup

   • Glance (Image Storage)

     If image-backed volumes fail or Step 4 was applied, verify the Glance API:

     systemctl status openstack-glance-api

   • Manila (Shared File Systems)

     Ensure that the share management services and drivers are running.

     systemctl status openstack-manila-api openstack-manila-scheduler openstack-manila-share