iSCSI SAN Connectivity

Similar Questions

• How to reconnect safely iSCSI SAN connection after new ESXi4u1 reinstall on USB?

  Hi all

  Can anyone here guide me how to add the connection to the current host of ESXi 4 iSCSI SAN?

  I think not as export the ESXi existing profile using vMA can do much because the version number is different so ESXi profile export is useless.

  Note: during the installation of 4u1 ESXi I unplug the host LAN cable.

  Thank you.

  Kind regards

  AWT

  Access to the host on the MD3000i configured?

  Cause the host will have a different IQN, you must reconfigure the access.

  André

• 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 '.

• Connection iSCSI SAN to ESXi servers

  Hi all

  I am trying to work through the iSCSI SAN Config Guide and get our three ESXi servers connected to our iSCSI SAN, but I'm confused about a few points.

  Background - Our production network is 172.16.10.x, our management network is 172.16.64.x and the SAN is on the 10.1.1.x network.

  The Guide says that the service console and VMkernel need to access the iSCSI storage - but in ESXi, there is no service console. Our network administrator (who has used 2 ESX) said just put in place two vSwitches and configuring each of them to VMkernel access, one on network 10 and the other on the management network. Every time I try this, I lose connectivity to the management console. It seems VMkernel wants a default gateway set and when I put it for 172.16.64.1, the SAN does not connect, but when I put it to 10.1.1.1, vCenter loses the connection. Our network administrator says he won't let the 172.16.64.x network traffice to the 10.1.1.x network, but I think that we have to set up in this way.

  Is there something I'm missing. There actually seems to be three issues. (1) when the Guide says of console, VMkernel and service is possible to distinguish between the two in ESXi? (2) if we set VMkernel network 172.16.64.x, can we create a second VMkernel on the 10.1.1.x network? and (3) should just bite the bullet and set up routing between the VMkernel and the San?

  Thank you. I know it was long and complicated, but that reflects my confusion! Any help would be appreciated.

  The answer to the first question is no, there is no distinction between console and vmkernel port in ESXi, like network service management of walks on the portgroup vmkernel.

  You should be able to create a vmkernel 2nd interface, and you do not change the default gateway.  As you have noticed, you can have a default gateway, that is why the default part.  That alone, and you should have two exchanges vmkernel, one on the network management and the other on the storage network.  The vmkernel being on the same segment as the storage, traffic goes out through it and not the default gateway, so no routing must take place.

  -KjB

  VMware vExpert

• How to connect to iSCSI SAN without compromising security

  Hello:

  How to enable server OSes (VMS or physical host computers) to connect and LUN iSCSI mount without compromising the safety of our ESX host?  We have a few Microsoft servers that need to use iSCSI initiators at Mount MON for MSCS.   We cannot use the ESX initiators because VMware doesn't support iSCSI to virtual storage with MSCS.  We have already read all the documentation and spoke with VMware support, so we know that our only option is to use the iSCSI initiators in Microsoft servers to connect to the LUN.

  Our concern is security.  If we let the servers use their iSCSI initiators to connect to the San, then they also won't have access to our service and the vkernels via the iSCSI network console?  ESX requires that you have a port the service console and the port of vkernel on the iSCSI network for each ESX box that you want to use the ESX initiator for.  We struggle to understand how to connect any machine (virtual or physical) to the iSCSI network to mount LUN without exposing our service and vkernels consoles.  I know that the best practice is to remove this VMs network for this exact reason, but of course many organizations also have physical servers (UNIX, Windows) who need to access their iSCSI SAN.  How people treat this?  How much of a security problem is it?  Is there a way to secure the service console and vkernel ports while allowing host ESX - no access to the SAN?  I know that many of you are facing this exact in your organizations situation, please help.  Obviously, it is not supposed that nobody uses their SAN iSCSI for anything else except for the ESX host.  I thank very you much.

  James

  Hello

  Check out this blog

  Use of firewall is certainly a step in the right direction for that. If you can't have separate iSCSI networks, then you will need to isolate nodes NON-ESX/VCB iSCSI using other mechanisms. I would certainly opt for firewalls or reduce the redundancy to just 2 network-by-network cards and not 4 to a single network.

  Someone at - it any other suggestions? Surely many ESX users share their iSCSI SAN with a lot of different systems and operating systems. Thanks again.

  They do, but they do not secure their networks for their VMs ESX iSCSI / other physical systems. You have asked a very important question and it's how to connect to iSCSI SAN without compromising safety. If the options are currently:

  1. Physically isolate

  2. Isolate using firewall

  Given that ESX speaks in clear text and does not support IPsec for iSCSI, you have very limited options that are available to you. The firewall you use and charge iSCSI, you send through it will determine if there is no latency. Yes its a cost extra, but if it is an independent network switches/ports/etc.

  Best regards
  Edward L. Haletky
  VMware communities user moderator, VMware vExpert 2009
  ====
  Author of the book ' VMWare ESX Server in the enterprise: planning and securing virtualization servers, Copyright 2008 Pearson Education.
  Blue gears and SearchVMware Pro items - top of page links of security virtualization - Security Virtualization Round Table Podcast

• Design of network for VMware/iSCSI SAN

  I am currently reshaping our business network to take account of the variation between stand-alone servers and an Equallogic/VMware environment. We will use iSCSI to connect to the virtual machine to the San.

  My question is this. How a proper network design should seek this kind of deployment? I've specified my current hardware less than what I have to work with. Given that I can't pay by port / vlan database MTU value on the 3750/2960 should I dedicate a switch for iSCSI?

  Equipment available:

  Core switch/router:

  WS-C37560G-24TS-1U

  Stacked switches:

  WS-C2960S-48TS-L access switch

  WS-C2960S-48TS-L access switch

  WS-C2960S-48LPS-L voice changer

  WS-C2960S-24TS-L Server switch (dedicated iSCSI Possible)

  Unused stacked switches:

  Dell Powerconnect 6224 x 2 reference

  Servers:

  Reference Dell R710 Quad NIC

  Reference Dell R610 Quad NIC

  Storage:

  EqualLogic PS4100 with two 2 x 1 GbE controllers = 4 GbE for iSCSI

  Best regards

  Markus

  given that the same logic has two controllers that you will have to use a pair of switches to cross connect for redundancy. You are going to need some maps as well. 1 sc, 1 for vmotion, 2 for iscsi (cross connected) and probably 2 for the production traffic.

  Sent by Cisco Support technique iPad App

• Impossible to mount simultaneously multiple targets since a single iSCSI SAN iSCSI

  Hi guys,.

  I recently deployed FreeNAS 8.0.3 as a practice laboratory iSCSI SAN on one of my HP Proliant microservers.  The first target is a measure of physical disk since it was noted that the drive is faster than file extensions.  I have install the Initiator Software for dynamic and found discovery.  I built on that vCenter.  It was pretty slow going to see that it is also on a 100 MB network.  I decided to buy a gigabit switch and a 240 GB SSD.  I added the SSD as another target.  However, I can't get two data warehouses at the same time.  Am I missing something?  The two are listed under iSCSI Software Initiator...

  Connected targets: 2

  Features: 1

  Paths: 2

  When I'm actually in the paths, I see two targets, but only one can be Active (e/s) and the other is active.  To switch between data warehouses, I had to disable the currently active (e/s) an and the reactivate to failover to the other.  I wish that both target mounted at the same time.  How can I do this?  Thanks for any help.

  Mark

  My apologies in advance if I'm wrong understand something in the description of the problem, but it seems that you have only 1 "" meaning a block at the level of the device (iscsi) LUNS presented through two separate iscsi (two separate cobinations iqn/IP) targets. You can't have a VMFS in LUN data store so I am bit confused with your statement "I can't climb the two warehouses of data at the same time"...

  Peter D

• 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)

• is it possible to have 2 iscsi san?

  Hi all

  is it possible to have 2 iscsi san?

  Thanks for any comments, you can add...

  Hello.

  Yes, but it is better to keep them separate connections on separate switches/VMkernel as well.

  Good luck!

• 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 of iSCSI san

  Hello everyone,

  I just created my first with software e open iscsi san solution.

  My situation: on the local disk, I put my VM

  I created 4 iscsi data warehouses

  1 will be used to back up my VM and can be reached for Vsphere

  The other 3 serve as a backup for my 3 VMS solution. I am connected to them through the Iscsi initiator in the virtual machine, format them, and now they appear as an additional drive in the virtual machine. I can see them in Vsphere but is no longer in data warehouses, but in devices (because they are formatted as NTFS)

  Now the question:

  Is it possible to see what data is on data warehouses that are formatted to ntfs When you are not connected to the virtual computer?

  When a virtual machine should crash, backupped data should always be saved to disk iscsi, but where can I get it?

  Thanks in advance, onkt

  NTFS is only accessible via windows server only. You can mount the iSCSI drive backup on another virtual computer.

• 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.

• Assistant can't see iSCSI SAN software

  Hello

  I test StarWind version 5 (www.starwindsoftware.com) with an ESX v3.5

  I have configured an adapter for iScsi (vmhba40) and specific vswitch (only the VMkernel port) software. There are specific NIC for iSCSI traffic and no rule of firewall between ESX and SAN.

  .

  Using the Wizard "Adding storage", I don't see the "iSCSI SAN software.

  Anyone have problems with this software SAN?

  Thank you for your reply,

  Yossi

  REM: to be sure that the Starwind is set correctly, I tried

  connect through Microsoft Initiator. And it has been directly

  Ok.

  You probably followed the white paper of http://www.starwindsoftware.com/images/content/StarWind_HA_ESX.pdf

  ?

  ---

  iSCSI SAN software

  http://www.starwindsoftware.com

• Slow performance read/write on iSCSI SAN.

  This is a new configuration of ESXi 4.0 running virtual machines off a Cybernetics miSAN D iSCSI SAN.

  Having a high data read the test on a virtual machine, it took 8 minutes vs 1.5 minutes the

  the same VM on a slower 1.0 Server of VMWare host with virtual computers on

  local disk.   I look at my reading speed of the SAN, and

  It's getting a little more than 3 MB/s max in reading, and usage of the disk on the virtual computer is slower 3MB/s...horribly.

  The SAN and the server is both connected to the same switch 1 GB.  I followed this guide

  virtualgeek.typepad.com/virtual_geek/2009/09/a-multivendor-post-on-using-iSCSI-w

  ITH-vmware - vsphere.html

  to get the configuration of multiple paths correctly, but I still do not get good

  performance with my VM.   I know that the SAN and network

  must be able to handle more than 100 MB/s, but I am not getting

  it. I have two network cards of GB on the multipath SAN to GB two network cards on the

  ESXi host.  One NETWORK card per VMkernel.  Is there anything else I can check

  or do to improve my speed?  Thanks in advance for advice.

  Another vote for IOMeter.

  Try to test 32K 100% sequential read (and write) with 64 IOs in circulation, this will give sequential performance.  Should be close to 100 Mbps per active path of GigE, depending on how much the storage system can get out.

  Then 32K 0% sequential read (and write) with 64 traffic against a LUN will IOs (say 4 GB +) good test size give a value for IOPS, which is the main factor for virtualization.  Look at the latency, must remain below approximately 50ms usually in order to be able to work if the default 32 IOs in circulation (by host) is OK (say you had six hosts, the table should be able to deliver the random i/o with a latency)<50ms with="" 192="" outstanding="" ios="" (="">

  Do not use the "test connect rate" and cela effectively tests only cached flow, which we are not so interested in any case.

  Please give points for any helpful answer.