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Using ESX/ESXi with Fibre Channel
SAN 2
When you set up ESX/ESXi hosts to use FC SAN array storage, special considerations are necessary. This section
provides introductory information about how to use ESX/ESXi with a SAN array.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“Storage Area Network Concepts,” on page 15
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“Overview of Using ESX/ESXi with a SAN,” on page 17
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“Understanding VMFS Datastores,” on page 18
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“Making LUN Decisions,” on page 19
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“Specifics of Using SAN Storage with ESX/ESXi,” on page 21
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“How Virtual Machines Access Data on a SAN,” on page 22
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“Understanding Multipathing and Failover,” on page 22
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“Choosing Virtual Machine Locations,” on page 26
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“Designing for Server Failure,” on page 26
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“Optimizing Resource Use,” on page 27
Storage Area Network Concepts
If you are an ESX/ESXi administrator planning to set up ESX/ESXi hosts to work with SANs, you must have a
working knowledge of SAN concepts. You can find information about SANs in print and on the Internet.
Because this industry changes constantly, check these resources frequently.
If you are new to SAN technology, familiarize yourself with the basic terminology.
A storage area network (SAN) is a specialized high-speed network that connects computer systems, or host
servers, to high performance storage subsystems. The SAN components include host bus adapters (HBAs) in
the host servers, switches that help route storage traffic, cables, storage processors (SPs), and storage disk
arrays.
A SAN topology with at least one switch present on the network forms a SAN fabric.
To transfer traffic from host servers to shared storage, the SAN uses Fibre Channel (FC) protocol that packages
SCSI commands into Fibre Channel frames.
To restrict server access to storage arrays not allocated to that server, the SAN uses zoning. Typically, zones
are created for each group of servers that access a shared group of storage devices and LUNs. Zones define
which HBAs can connect to which SPs. Devices outside a zone are not visible to the devices inside the zone.
VMware, Inc.
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