Note: LeftHand Operating System (LeftHand OS) is the new name for SAN/iQ. Use CMC to upgrade to LeftHand OS 9.5 or higher (LeftHand OS 11.0 is recommended) on the P4000 Storage Systems. If your P4000 Storage Systems already has LeftHand OS 9.5 installed, you do not need to perform this procedure. Vintage & UsedElectricBassAcousticAmpsEffectsDrums Pro AudioAccessoriesGibson SG High Performance 2019 Trans Black Fade w / OHSC LEFTY (Serial #190023129).

Last week, HP Storage Division took the lion’s share at HP Discover. Almost every product in the portfolio has been updated, except for the small P2000. While new 3Par models has been the superstars, and StoreAll got great interest, there has been many news also about my beloved LeftHand.

I should be honest, I appreciate this technology all along: linear scaleout, redundancy by network raid, but also ease of management and a complete set of features without any additional required license has always been great points while evaluating it.

Previous models were starting to be a little outdated, so HP introduced a completely new lineup.

The new LeftHand, ops I mean StoreVirtual

The very first news, even if already known from some time, is the name itself: LeftHand has become StoreVirtual (Store-something is more in general the name of the new HP storages). “Virtual” seems to be the core element of the products, even if there are 5 new hardware models; nonetheless also the VSA (virtual storage appliance) has been updated.

The name “Leftand” however has not disappeared: the operating system previously known as San IQ has become LeftHand OS, and its first version is 10.0 (San IQ last version was 9.5).

Serial Number Lookup

The new hardware models

HP addes 5 news StoreVirtual hardware models. All of them are based on the new server architecture Generation 8, thus adding a visible news: they are all now 1U tall, while previous models were 2U. For really dense installations, or for hosted costumers, a 50% reduction in rack usage is a great improvement.
For sure the usage of Gen8 servers has brought other benefits: more powerful CPUs, faster RAM, more efficient controllers.

Disk subsystem deserves a deep examination. First of all the controller: now it’s a new P420i, with 2 Gb onboard cache. There are no more 3.5″ disks, replaced by 2.5″ disks. Also, there are no more 15k rpm disks, but only 10k. HP told me the higher density of those disks and the new controller conbine for better performances anyway, improving at the same time price and power consumption.
There are no plans at the moment for new SSD based models. For those of you willing to use SSDs, you can still buy the 4900 verison, or build a server with SSDs and run VSA on top of it.

The new models’ details are:

Connectivity

there is a real news about the frontend: for the first time ever a LeftHand storage is no more iSCSI-only, but offers also FC connectivity. This addition brings some interesting commercial advantages, targeting now those customers where FC is mandatory so they would not have bought an iSCSI-only storage. Furthermore, the FC model has from the beginning all the 1G and 10G iSCSI connections available.

Better explain this: FC connectivity is available only on the FrontEnd. BackEnd as always is managed via iSCSI interconnections between the nodes of the cluster, and both replica and management are done here. The usage of 4 Gbit connection instead of the previous 2 has been done to better manage the higher troughput of the new models, especially for replica activities. This new design allows new configurations, as HP guys explained to me in this outline:

• You do not need to use FC-based StoreVirtual for all the nodes. You need at least 2 FC nodes (for redundancy) to export a LUN via FC, while the LUN itself is then replicated a spread among all nodes, even those with iSCSI only (red lines in the outline). This allows you to add FC models to an existing cluster if you want, or use them to do migrations from FC-only storages towards a StoreVirtual system
• In the past some customers complained for the need to connect via the iSCSI network to manage them. Having only 2 connections, you were force to use both in the same subnet to guarantee redundancy for eveery node. Now, with 4 connections available, you can use one of them for management purposes, using an IP address completely different from those of the iSCSI network (pale blu in the outline). So, we can say now StoreVirtual has a management connection!

• Remote Copy: the code has been improved and now HP claims it can reduce copy operations up to 3X
• Active Directory Integration: you can now authenticate users or groups based on Active Directory. There are still only Administrators or Read-Only roles, but HP guys told me they are working on a more granular permission schema.
• Selective Download: this is a little but appreciated improvement. FOr those of you who already used LeftHand in the past, you know the first set of updates were about 7-8 Gb, and you would need to download all of them before applying the updates. Now you can use this feature to download only the needed upgrades.
• Active Tasks Box: it’s a small box in the right of the console where you can see all running tasks, also those scheduled (and invisible in the past). This is useful when you need for example to check if a scheduled snapshot is running, without opening the snapshot section or the logs.
• FC management: this is the real new area of the GUI, obvously needed to manage FC of the 4330FC model.

From the recent meningitis contamination to the past peanut problems, businesses need to know what’s in their supply chain and have the traceability ability to track and trace on demand.

Product recall has been a fact of business life for decades and this is particularly sensitive in the food & medical industries as the health of the public is clearly at stake.

The ability to track serial numbers & lot numbers is also important for manufacturers & distributors across numerous industries who need to track items for a variety of purposes including quality control, service management, warranty management, product recalls and as a theft deterrent.

Acctivate inventory software with traceability and lot number tracking user, Heron Point Seafood

In the past, many smaller businesses have not been able to keep track of where products have been sent and, in the event of recall, how they can come up with the list of customers to whom they shipped the recalled lots.

With modern technology this is no longer a problem. The owners and managers of companies should be able to sleep better knowing they can produce the needed information when required.

Nearly every small business has a supply chain that needs careful tending. So, how do you make sure the components you put in your own product are perfectly safe, sanitary, and non-defective?
“Don’t Put Your Customers at Risk”
Inc.com

How do you do it? Let’s start with serial and lot numbers.

Acctivate inventory software with traceability and lot number tracking user, Matthew 25 Ministries

What is a serial number & a lot number?

Serial & lot numbers – and the ability to easily track serial & lot numbers – are an important part of the supply chain process and getting products from manufacturer to consumer, safely & accurately.

• A serial number is a unique number assigned to identify a specific item.
• A lot number is an identification number assigned to products indicating the batch or lot in which the product was manufactured or processed.
• Serial number tracking& lot number tracking, is the ability to track and trace serial numbers back to suppliers, through distributors or to customers by lot or batch.

Serial Number Idm

Acctivate inventory software with traceability and lot number tracking user, Eclipse Aesthetics

Tracking lot numbers and tracking serial numbers

Serial Number Check

Serial numbers and lot numbers are tracked using barcode technology and software.

With barcoding, lot numbers can be recognized when received, shipped or both, enabling products to be tracked & traced throughout the supply chain.

Acctivate inventory software with traceability and serial number tracking user, American Standard Water Heaters

Total control over lot numbered & serial numbered products with Acctivate

Acctivate’s powerful lot number and serial number tracking & traceability capabilities, when combined with Acctivate’s barcoding functionality, form one of the most robust, yet affordable solutions available to businesses requiring lot and serial number management with traceability.

Acctivate inventory software with traceability and serial number tracking user, DataRay

• Track an unlimited amount of products that have lot numbers or serial numbers back to suppliers, through distributors or to customers, including lot numbers for ingredients used in manufacturing
• Flexibility in tracking. Record lot or serial numbers when the product is received (and track each number), or don’t record them and only enter that number when a product is shipped, or a combination of both.
• You choose how to operate. Pre-assign specific lot or serial numbers for the warehouse to pick or allow warehouse personnel the convenience of picking any number and record it when shipping.
• Additional information. Capture expiration date, test certification and specification & related references. A complete history of each lot and serial number may be looked up for each product and customer who receives that product.
• Track expiry dates. Record and manage expiration dates by lot number or serial number.
• Searching and reporting. Manage, view and report on source, expiration date, lot, inspection and quarantine information and comply with regulatory requirements.
• Issue tracking & management: Tracking & trending of product issues, defects, bugs, service issues and product enhancement requests

Lefthand San Serial Numbers

Acctivate inventory software with traceability and serial number tracking user, Cantrell Turf Equipment

Learn more about Acctivate supply chain software

Lefthand San Serial Number Lookup

We invite you to explore more or, if you’d like to get started with a free trial, let us know here or give us a call at 817-870-1311.