Config network initial ESX with iSCSI SAN

Similar Questions

• ESXi 4.1 or ESXi 5.0 with iSCSI SAN

  Hello

  I'm trying to establishing an environment that is / will be an iSCSI SAN backend entirely.  I know of a lot of reading that the best practice is to config the ESXi host with:

  VMKernel > vmnic > physical network adapter > switch ports > port on SAN (config 1:1 - no grouping of vmnic)

  Environment:

  ESXi 4.1 & 5.0

  Force10 switches

  EqualLogic iSCSI SAN (PS4000 & 6000)

  Here's my real question (playing the Devil's advocate):

  Why I shouldn't team 3-4 vnmics on a vswitch with multiple vmkernel ports?

  Given my environment.  Can someone point me to a technical document that explains what will / could happen if I set up the environment ESXi in this way?

  Thank you

  BDAboy22

  So, basically, we want the SAN to take full responsibility for the failover instead of the network and/or the SAN for who should resolve the failure (which could lead to the time of restitutio in integrum longer session).   I understand that correctly?

  Yes, that's right, we want to stack storage for vSphere manage with path selection and tipping - and by connecting each vmknic directly to the physical vmnic map we sort of "simulate" how to CF cards and also ignores the network failover mechanisms. As you probably know you also need to "bind" the iSCSI Software to the two vmnic (GUI now in 5.0, esxcli in 4.x)

• SMB ESXi with iSCSI SAN

  I'm looking for make a SMB deployment for the clients of mine. The new features offered by 4.1 for SMB as VMotion and HA are now in their budget. I've seen DELl offering some broadcom with TOE and ISCSI unloading cards. I know that 4.1 now supports TOE cards, but these broadcom cards actually iSCSI HBAs or just TOE cards Motors iSCSI? VSphere 4.1 will support this card? Its much cheaper than buying full host bus adapters blown for a small business.

  I'd go with the R710 mainly because of the experience with the model and how strong they are. You will save all the money using the R610, so you could spec on a solid R710 for the host. In addition, the R710 has four GB of NETWORK map (with the option of TOE on the four) and four open expansion for multiple network interface cards and other slot. With the R610, you will have only two expansion slots. So if you want to add more cards later (more than two), you must either delete that you installed to make room, or do the purchase.

  I would always use the SAS drives on board to install ESX/ESXi on. You will save money by not getting NOT the HBA you can use to boot from SAN with the same (or similar) performance level. It also helps to isolate the questions when you're starting from local disks... I would go with a pair of 10 k / 15 k RPM SAS drives (2.5 "or 3.5", your choice there) on the RAID controller (using RAID 1 on them) support. Confirm with either your VAR or rep Dell to make sure that the controller is 100% compatible with VMware (or you check the HCL). They list the 146 GB drives in the Configurator (normal site of SMB) fairly cheap price.

  I'd also go with processors Xeon E5620 (get a pair inside the host) so you'll have plenty of CPU power. Get as much RAM as you can, using not more than 12 sticks (multiple of six).

  In fact, I have configured a R610 and R710 a using the SMB website... The R710 has the 146 GB (10 k RPM) drives the R610 has 73 GB 15 k RPM drives. The R610 comes out to almost $300 more than the R710. We're talking same memory (24 GB), TOE enabled on the built-in NETWORK interface, no additional NIC at build time (they would get another provider, getting Intel NIC, NOT of Broadcom), redundant power supplies, kits of rapid-rail (without the wire management arm), two-processor Xeon E5620, iDRAC 6 Enterprise (so you can do it all remotely, no need to use any KVM don't setup once configured the iDRAC 6). Both versions include the 5 x 10 hardware only (NBD onsite) support. I also put the hard drives RAID 1, so you have redundancy here.

  Seen readers on board, for ESX/ESXi is on will also configure the host much easier and will not require something special on the side storage. Otherwise, you need to configure up to the MD3000i to present the solitary start-up LUN to a host for ESXi. Everyone that I spoke with who implements guests, always with local disks. Especially if you are looking to save the ~ 1 k $ the HBA adds to the build (not to mention the extra complexity to things). I was talking with some people in charge of a large IBM virtual data center not long there. They were forced to boot from SAN on their hosts fear. They were forced to do so by higher ranking people within the company. It was decided that because it sounded good on paper, it would be good in practice. Initial tests have shown how much pain he would be, and they were not happy about the extra work required so that it can happen. Until VMware clearly indicates that booting from THE SAN is recommended to local disk (properly configured on either) I will continue to use local drives for ESX/ESXi reside opon. Even in this case, we have a significant performance win by going to the boot of model SAN. Maybe when 10 GB is on the environment as a whole, it will make sense. As it is, you get new SAS disks that are 6 GB, everything in-house, and you still beat the trunk of the SAN performance model. In addition, you don't need to worry about someone making something accidentily to the LUN you are booting from...

  Network administrator

  VMware VCP4

  Review the allocation of points for "useful" or "right" answers.

• The use of frames with iscsi SAN

  Hello

  We are moving our warehouses of local DAS to a SAN iscsi in common.

  We will have two physical hosts (1 ESX 3.5 and an ESXi 3.5) with two iscsi devices (1 DELL MD3000i and 1 openfiler 2.2 "in the home-built') and two dedicated switches (a 16 ports GBit 1216T one one port 8 Gbps unmanaged Linksys Dlink).

  Both iscsi devices have connections ethernet redundand (Dell has 4 ports on 2 different controllers, openfiler has 2 ports), so I planned to distribute connections on two switches for redundancy.

  each ESX and ESXi physical hosts have 2 ethernet NIC dedicated to iscsi

  My doubts/questions are:

  -is the switch 'Office' of linksys OK for this configuration? Or should I get a second Dlink 1216 T?

  -J' need to have the Dell MD3000i to least performance that we conduct with the local SAS DAS storage.

  Can I activate "frames" switch and Dell MD300i? What ESX and ESXi? and linksys switch (will it work with thaat jumbo mtu)?

  -If I DO NOT activate the Jumbo on openfiles iscsi, will it work with standard MTU even if it is connected to the switches with active Jumbo?

  -should I 'team' toghether both connections ethernet in iscsi on the physical ESX/ESXi hosts?

  an another question I have is:

  -We currently have a LUN iscsi on device openfiler which is accessible using the initiator Microsoft iscsi sw inside a win2k03 virtual machine on the host ESX 3.5. Can I disable initiator Microsoft iscsi inside the virtual machine, log on to this LUN using ESX iscsi sw and have win2k03 to find all the data?

  Thanks in advance

  Guido

  Take a lok at it to your specific questions

  http://communities.VMware.com/thread/107173

  And for an overview of ISCSI on ESX reading this, when you get a chance.

  http://virtualgeek.typepad.com/virtual_geek/2009/01/a-multivendor-post-to-help-our-mutual-iSCSI-customers-using-VMware.html#more

• Please help me with iSCSI software initiator setup in ESX.

  Greetings,

  I have a DELL MD3000i SAN with two controllers. Each controller has both for the multipath iSCSI network interface cards.  I've always used CF so I'm a little nervous in the implementation of iSCSI network on ESX. Please help me.

  Controller 1 port 1 is the IP 192.168.253.2

  Controller 1 port 2 is the IP 192.168.254.2

  2 1 joystick port is the IP 192.168.253.3

  2 2 joystick port is the IP 192.168.254.3

  I have Setup VLANS on my level 3 for switch vlan 253 and 254.  IP addresses are 192.168.253.1 and 192.168.254.1 respectively.

  My goal is to set up a fully redundant connection with failover support, but I can't enter the network on ESX configuration.

  I intend using two network adapters in an active / standby (one active NETWORK card on a VLAN, put on hold for the other and vice versa) configuration.

  Can someone please tell me exactly what to do to ensure the fully redundant connectivity?

  Thank you in advance.

  Yes. This look is good so far.

  http://blog.laspina.ca/

• Implementation of electronic networks for ESX 3.5 with iSCSI?

  Well, I'll have a bit of a problem here...

  I have 3 VLAN:

  ID

  1 - network management

  2 - iSCSI network

  3 - production or Guest OS Communication LAN

  I can't figure out how to get properly configured ESX or something because my iSCSI storage is not being discovered. Can someone guide me on how my network cards should be configured? I have 6 network adapters and possibly their sticks, but for now I wanted to 1 for ESX management, 1 for iSCSI and 1 for the virtual computer network if that makes sense. If there is a better please let me know, but I defnitely want to configure my iSCSI is own VLAN (2). I have been through a few docs and can't make it work... Thank you...

  Ed

  Have you checked this here:

  http://communities.VMware.com/message/1140885#1140885

• How to get iSCSI SAN connected to ESX when the SAN is on a different subnet?

  Hi all

  I have two machines ESX which are directly connected to a San that are on a different subnet other network cards.  Other network cards are 10.x.x.x and the SAN is on 172.16.x.x, however whenever I try to add the iSCSI storage, the system will never find the LUN.  I put the vmkernel 172.16.x.x but it does not always find them.  I know that the LUNS are configured correctly if its ESX just having problems with the other subnet.

  You need to activate the Service Console to see the iSCSI SAN, too. This is because you use the initiator software. For example, you can add a second SC in the vSwitch that your VMKernel Port is connected and align on the same subnet.

  Kind regards

  Gerrit Lehr

  If you have found this or other useful information, please consider awarding points to 'Correct' or 'useful '.

• Make Accessible iSCSI SAN-VM via Windows iSCSI initiator

  I have a "total newbie" question that I hope can respond quickly enough.

  I added a new DELL MD3000i SAN to my storage network in order to use this SAN exclusively for Windows virtual machines. I have the vdisks large (2) 4 to 7 to each (Yes, I REALLY need unique and large volumes) defined on the MD3000i. (4) the MD3000i ports are connected to my iSCSI VLANS and have the id default host port 192.168.130.101/102 and 192.168.131.101/102.

  I have a MD3220i installed in the network and working with hosts ESXi 4.1 (2) (192.168.230.101/102, 192.168.231.101/102 of the subnets). I am quite familiar with how to make the storage available to the host via the initiator of the iSCCI, but I know not how to make accessible storage for virtual machines WITHOUT using the host to connect to the iSCSI SAN, create a data store, and then add a new virtual disk to the virtual machine.

  Only the vmnic dedicated to the iSCSI initiator have physical links to iSCSI VLANS (vSwitch01). The network switch has (2) network adapters connected to the network via vSwitch0 "inside".

  Any ideas on the best way to "get there from here"?

  Hello.

  You will need to create a group of ports in virtual machine on the same vSwitch created in your iSCSI ports group.  Give the virtual machine a 2nd NETWORK card and then assign it to the created virtual machine port group previously.

  Good luck!

• question put on the vSphere iSCSI SAN infrastructure network

  Hi all

  We are a small company with a small virtualized environment (3 ESX servers) and are about to buy an AX-5 SAN EMC (model Ethernet not CF) to implement some of the features of high availability of vSphere. My question is related to the networking of the SAN: we switch dual Cisco 2960 G Gigabit and dual Cisco ASA 5510 firewalls in a redundant configuration.

  I understand that the best practice is to implement iSCSI traffic on a separate from all other traffic LAN switch. However, I do not have the knowledge and experience to determine the real difference than a separate switch would really vs the plan to create a separate VLAN on the switches Cisco dedicated to iSCSI traffic only. I would ensure that the iSCSI traffic has been on a VLAN dedicated Physics (not just a logic) with any other VLAN logical (subinterfaces) on the same VLAN). It is difficult for me to understand how a port gigabit on a VLAN isolated on kit Cisco will perform much poorer than on a dedicated Cisco switch somehow. But then again, I don't know what I don't know...

  The thoughts and the input would be appreciated here: I'm (very) hard not to drop another $6 + in another pair of Cisco switches, at least that this decision will significantly compromised performance iSCSI SAN.

  Enjoy your time,

  Rob

  You have 2 SP each with 2 iSCSI, for example:

  SPA: 10.0.101.1 101 VLANS and VLAN 102 10.0.102.1

  SPB: 10.0.101.2 101 VLANS and VLAN 102 10.0.102.2

  On your ESX to create 2 vSwithes, each with a port vmkernel on an iSCSI network and each with a single physical NIC.

  See also:

  http://www.DG.com/microsites/CLARiiON-support/PDF/300-003-807.PDF

  André

• HP SAS HBAS with IBM Storage and SAS SAN vs iSCSI SAN

  Hello, I am working on a project, and I have to add a SAN solution to my client infaestructure. My client already has a HP Server and we wanted to add another server, but an IBM one. I thought I'd add storage IBM (DS3200) that has two SAS interfaces. The problem is that the Distributor IBM says who does not know if the HP Server will be able to communicate with the SAS IBM storage. So, one possibility was to put on the server HP HP SAS HBA Controller. The second option is to put a SAS HBA Controller IBM. I think that the SAS is a standard, it doesn't matter what brand I use of HBA. Should not it works anyway?

  There is another option which adds instead of SAS one iSCSI storage. The problem is that I do not know the performance than the iSCSI storage. I want to put inside it's VM with Exchange Server (50 mailboxes), an ERP (for 50 users) with it's SQL Server, a computer file virtual, a virtual machine server with Active Directory.

  So, the questions are:

  1 - does anyone have experience with iSCSI storage to see if its performance if goog enough (I intend to use a dedicated to the iSCSI network gigabit switch)?

  2 does anyone know if I use different brands of servers (in this example an IBM and HP) with a SAS storage IBM? Who be it already done? The HP SAS HBA are compatible with the IBM iSCSI storage? IBM SAS HBA are compatible with HP servers?

  3. in the case of being able to do what I say to question 2, that do you suggest? Put a HP SAS HBA within the HP Server or upgrade an IBM SAS HBA inside HP Server?

  Of course the option I want to use is the addition of SAS IBM storage instead of using an iSCSI one, but I'm not sure of their compatibility between HP and IBM storage servers.

  Thanks in advance.

  In this case, the reason why I wouldn't use SAS is that your application requires this level of performance and the cost as not justified. You can configure iSCSI and direct savings in most important features such as snapshot, replication and dedup. If you were available to this solution with the DS3200 spend you 10K and that none of these features. Performance is very good, but you will find that the system is not yet warmed up with this load. The SAS Protocol can support high IO, but is not what provisions IO, is the number of disks and the RAID mode that defines your ability to e/s. I put 40 K terraced small IOPS / s on a single caching of 1 GB iSCSI target, so he can make the e/s. flow is not as high , but do you really need it. In the future you can profitable move to 10Gbe if you find insufficient bandwidth, which would be faster than the SAS 3 GB limit that is uneconomic to upgrade 3 + times.

  Kind regards

  Mike

  http://blog.laspina.ca/

  vExpert 2009

• Config network for SAN traffic

  Please see the image as an attachment. It is what I currently have, the one after is what I think I need to do.

  Here's my number; I think I have install the networking incorrectly for my esx boxes hit the SAN.  For now, it's that everything works fine, however I think I may have made a few extra STREP that does not need to do.  Right now I have a NIC deticated to two different vSwitches which are useless, but SAN traffic.  the more I watch this, more I think that I should have used a unique vSwitch on every box of esx and just added the necessary ports console and core it.  So I would have a unique vswitch on each box dedicated to SAN traffic, each vSwitch would have two network cards current with both console and two ports of kernel.

  Maybe I'm just beating a dead horse because they're all going two do the same thing, but maybe it's something smarter and simpler to go with scenario after since they can load the balance between the two and failover works better.  ???   My biggest concern is, can I have two console different and two ports in different kernel, both on different subnets, to the same vSwitch?

  Thanks for any advice.

  Yes, your thought is good. having two NICS on a unique vswitch will give you more options for failover and load balancing. Having also several ports console and kernal on the same vswitch is not a problem.

  Ben Karciauskas

• Problem with ESXi 3.5 host or our iSCSI SAN

  Hello

  Last week, twice we came into work and notice that some virtual machines on a host somehow the bomb and break the connection or work habit and are turned off.  It happens with mutiple errors, but we are not sure if it's the host itself or iSCSI SAN is too connected a NETgear ReadyNAS.  All the vmdk and vmx VM files are on the SAN storage are loacted here for targets.  Your opinion on this if someone could help determine what may be the question, please, thank you?

  Welcome to the forums

  I edit your images and delete the business credentials. There is a security risk that you should not expose.

  Take a look at the following.

  http://communities.VMware.com/message/1333118#1333118

• Live iSCSI SAN upgrade production network (Dell MD3000i and PowerConnect & ESXi 4)

  Hi all

  For the moment, I have a direct connection to my Dell MD3000i iSCSI SAN in ESXi 4 2 x host with no switch between the two, all of the virtual machine is within the SAN and running on both hosts.

  If I want to put a switch between the two and add one more iSCSI SAN so that the two SAN can be accessed / shared with the 3 ESXi 4 guests total, how should I approach the issue?

  any idea or guideline would be greatly appreciated.

  What I have to plan the time or can I change the old IP on the existing SAN iSCSI manually cable one by one without damage/alter the existing operation of the virtual machine on SAN? or I have to stop the virtual machine and then terminate the connection manually iSCSI session and then restart the host SAN?

  Thank you

  AWT

  Standard installation on the MD3000i is for a port iSCSI on each controller on a subnet and one on each controller to be on another.

  There have been people working successfully on a subnet, reported problems too.   I wish we were longer on our Vsphere upgrade, I'm not at a point but where I test things like Vmotion.

• solution for ESX iSCSI SAN

  Hello.

  We are looking into getting a SAN iSCSI for ESX.

  On readers, y at - there a big difference between sata and sas and sas 10K vs 15K?

  How iSCSI performance are compared to the SAN fiber?

  Can you guys recommend an iSCSI solution right?

  Excerpt from Dell PS4000 and it seems to be a good product.

  (On players, is there a big difference between sata and sas and sas 10K vs 15K?)

  Yes, 15 k SAS are faster and a bit more expensive, but worth it!

  (How iSCSI performance are compared to the fiber SAN?)

  ISCSI SAN is not as fast as the fiber, but compared to the local drive is a big improvement for your applications, users, etc.

  (You guys can recommend a good iSCSI solution?)

  Personally, I think Dell equallogic are great! PS600XV is what I put in place.

• Best practices for Exchange 2003 with VMWare ESXi 3.5 and iSCSI SAN

  Hello guys,.

  Here's the Q? We have 1 physical Exchange 2003, the HOST of 4 and 1 iSCSI SAN with LUN 3, 1 for data, 1 for VMWare and 1 for SQL, if we're going to virtualize it, I don't know where to put data Exchage and newspapers. I do not think that that is a good practice to put together the data but I do not have another SAN. So, what can I do?

  Thank you.

  We have 813 mailbox.

  I agree with cainics, start an average size and go from there.  I know it's a production mail server and you can not exactly 'play' with the settings because this requires time, but if you do the VM too big, you would have nothing left for other virtual machines.

  I would go 2 vCPU and at least 4 GB of RAM, maybe 8GB.  There must be parameters for the Exchange mailbox 813 and X users # to implement your environments in order to get an idea of the amount of RAM that will be... 4GB seems minimal to me, but 8 GB would probably be better like that.