ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:
• Describe ESXi storage connectivity limits and guidelines
• Describe the implementation of ESXi FC connectivity
• Describe the implementation of ESXi iSCSI connectivity
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
1
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
Lesson 1: ESXi Storage Connectivity
This lesson covers the following topics:
• ESXi system limits and guidelines
• ESXi HBA utilities
• VMware VAAI Integration
• VNX VASA Configuration
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
2
ESXi Connectivity: Requirements
• One or more VNX storage systems
• One or more ESXi hosts
• Supported HBAs, HBA drivers, switches and cables
• Correctly configured switch zoning
• Correctly configured network
• A management station in the environment
 Supported host and OS
 Supported browser
 Supported JRE
 Network connectivity to storage systems
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
3
Array Storage Considerations
Central repository
Scalable and recoverable implementation
Multiple hosts can access the same storage space
Virtual machines can be clustered across physical hosts
Virtual machines can take advantage of vSphere features
•
•
•
•
vMotion
vSphere HA (High Availability)
vSphere DRS (Dynamic Resource Scheduler)
vSphere FT (Fault Tolerance)
Data management capabilities with array software
•
•
•
•
•
LUN/File system expansion and mobility
Thin provisioning
Storage Tiering and Cache capabilities
Archiving and Deduplication
Local and remote replication
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
4
Storage Design Considerations: General SAN
Apply VNX Best Practices for ESXi host
Storage
Ensure Cache is Enabled for the Array and
Individual LUNs
Plan to dedicate an entire LUN to a VMFS
Volume
• Do not create Multiple VMFS Partitions on the same LUN
Place each LUN in a RAID group or Pool that
provides the necessary performance levels
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
5
Storage Design Considerations: RDM
• Use RDMs when VMFS virtual disk would become too large to
•
effectively manage
Use RDMs to leverage native SAN tools
 SAN snapshots
 Direct backups
 Performance monitoring
 SAN management
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
6
Emulex OneCommand Manager Plug-in
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
7
Qlogic QConvergeConsole Plug-in
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
8
Brocade Network Advisor Management Plug-in
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
9
VNX and VMware VAAI Integration
• VAAI – vStorage API for Array Integration
 A VMware vendor neutral storage API
• Offloads ESXi storage functions to compliant storage arrays
 Hardware acceleration of ESXi host storage operations
 Reducing CPU, memory and storage fabric bandwidth consumption
 More ESXi compute power available for running virtual machines
• VNX is compliant for block-based and file-based ESXi storage
operations
Block
API
Commands
NFS
VAAI
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
10
VNX Block-based VAAI Operations
Feature
Array Accelerated Bulk Zero
Typical Scenarios
• VM Provisioning from templates
• VMware Cloning
• Rapid reprovisioning when older
Benefits
• Background Zeroing
• Improved provisioning
performance
VMs are being retired
Array Accelerated Full Copy
Array Accelerated Hardware
Locking
Thin Provisioning
• VM provisioning from templates
• Storage vMotion
• Improved performance by using
• Multiple ESXi Servers accessing
• Improved Performance and
a LUN containing multiple
Virtual Machines
• VM deleted/migrated from Thin
internal array Copy command
Scalability
• Space reclamation on Thin LUN
provisioned datastore
• Thin LUN out of space
Stun and Resume
conditions
• Prevents data corruption
• Ease of management when
using Thin LUNs
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
11
VNX and VMware VASA Integration
• VASA – VMware Aware Storage API
 A VMware vendor neutral storage API
 Out-of-band HTTP communications with storage
• VNX provides storage capabilities to vCenter
 Storage Processors, LUNs, I/O ports and file systems
 Monitors VNX health and capacity status
• VNX is compliant for block-based and file-based capability and
status monitoring
Array capabilities
& status
VASA
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
12
VNX VASA Configuration
• Configure Unisphere user for
VM Administrator role
• Add Vendor Provider into
vCenter
 A Storage Processor for block
 Control Station for file
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
13
VASA and Storage Profiles
• VASA enables VMware
Storage Profiles
 Associates virtual disks to a
specific storage capability.
• A Storage Profile used instead
of an actual storage device in
vSphere management
workflows (e.g. vMotion or
Cloning) and the system will:
Flash Drives
Platinum Profile
SAS drives
Gold Profile
 Determine a target device
that matches the profile
 Highlight the most suitable
target for placement
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
14
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
Lesson 1: Summary
During this lesson the following topics were covered:
• ESXi system limits and guidelines
• ESXi HBA utilities
• VMware VAAI Integration
• VNX VASA Configuration
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
15
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
Lesson 2: ESXi FC, FCoE, and iSCSI Connectivity
This lesson covers the following topics:
• VNX FC connections to ESXi
• VNX FCoE connections to ESXi
• VNX iSCSI connections to ESXi
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
16
Viewing Block Storage Ports
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
17
Initiator Registration Records: Fibre
Number of initiators is model dependent
An initiator is an HBA or CNA port that can access the
storage system
• Some HBAs and CNAs have two ports
• Each path consumes one initiator record
Access from a server to an SP in a storage system can be:
• Single path
• Multipath
• Alternate path
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
18
Initiator Registration Records Format: Fibre Channel
• Hostname
• Host IP address
• Host HBA WWNs
 128 bit number - WWNN + WWPN
• VNX port WWNs
 128 bit number - WWNN + WWPN
• Operating system type
 Allows appropriate response to host SCSI commands
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
19
Unisphere Host Initiators: Fibre
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
20
Initiator Information: Fibre
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
21
Viewing SP Fibre Channel Port Properties
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
22
ESXi Server HBAs Hardware
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
23
FCoE with VMware
• As a block level access protocol, currently, there is limited
VMware support for FCoE
 Integrates with CNAs at the ESXi level
 No direct pass-through to the guest Operating Systems
 CNA interfaces as either a traditional NIC or HBA, depending upon
which I/O stack is being utilized.
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
24
Initiator Registration Records: iSCSI Names
• iSCSI address
 Uniquely identifies nodes
 Two variations
 iqn. – iSCSI Qualified Name (IQN)
 iqn.1992-04.com.emc:cx.fnm00130702376.a5
 iqn.1992-04.com.emc:cx.fnm00130702376.b5
 eui. – Extended Unique Identifier (EUI)
 eui.50060162AEA5574E
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
25
ESXi Server: iSCSI Hardware
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
26
Unisphere Host Initiators: iSCSI
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
27
Initiator Information: iSCSI
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
28
Viewing iSCSI Front-end Port Properties
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
29
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
Lesson 2: Summary
During this lesson the following topics were covered:
• VNX FC connections to ESXi
• VNX FCoE connections to ESXi
• VNX iSCSI connections to ESXi
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
30
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
Lesson 3: Implementing ESXi connectivity
This lesson covers the following topics:
• Implementing FC connectivity
• Implementing iSCSI connectivity
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
31
ESXi Connectivity Steps
Check and validate all
host to VNX connectivity
• OCManager Plug-in (Emulex)
• QConvergeConsole Plug-in
(Qlogic)
• Network Advisor Management
Plug-in (Brocade)
• Unisphere Initiators
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Create a storage group,
add LUNs and connect
your ESXi host
Perform a rescan to see
the newly provisioned
LUNs
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
32
Manual Host Registration
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
33
ESXi Server: Configure iSCSI Hardware
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
34
ESXi Server: Set up SW iSCSI (Vmkernel Setup)
• ESXi SW iSCSI support
 Supports both send and static





targets discovery
Requires only VMkernel port
to be in the network
configuration
Supports multipathing
Supports NIC-teaming
Supports ALUA, failover mode
4 for VNX series systems
Supports EMC PowerPath/VE
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
35
ESXi Server: Set up SW iSCSI (Enable)
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
36
ESXi Server: SW iSCSI (Send Targets)
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
37
Creating a Storage Group
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
38
Adding LUNs to a Storage Group
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
39
Adding Hosts to a Storage Group
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
40
vSphere Rescan
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
41
ESXi Server – Useful Functions and Utilities
Function/Utility
Definition
vmkfstools
Command to create and manipulate virtual disks, file
systems, logical volumes, and physical storage
devices on an ESX/ESXi host.
vmware-cmd
Command to provide an interface to perform
operations on a virtual machine, including to retrieve
information about the power state, register and
unregister the virtual machine, set configuration
variables, and manage snapshots.
resxtop
Command to retrieve performance statistics.
Command is included in vSphere command line
interface (CLI) and is part of the vSphere
Management Assistant (vMA), which is an equivalent
to esxtop that runs only inside an ESX service
console.
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
42
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
Lesson 3: Summary
During this lesson the following topics were covered:
• Implementing FC connectivity
• Implementing iSCSI connectivity
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
43
Summary
Key points covered in this module:
• Connectivity requirements include:
 Supported HBAs, HBA drivers, vendor management software, and
proper cabling to the fabric switches.
 Fabric switches properly configured and zoned
 Management station with supported OS, Web Browser, Java, and
network connectivity to the VNX.
• Paired with VAAI, VNX provides a hardware acceleration of the
•
•
ESXi storage operations.
VASA enables the storage array to provide its storage capabilities
into VMware vCenter.
Steps to implement Linux connectivity in both a Fibre Channel
and iSCSI environment
Copyright © 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ESXi Host Installation and Integration for Block
44