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Table Of Contents
VMware Server User’s Guide
290 VMware, Inc.
To enable SCSI reservation in a virtual machine
1Makesurethatthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.
2Setthescsi<x>.sharedBus parameter(where<x>isthenumberoftheSCSIbus
beingshared)tovirtualinthevirtualmachineconfigurationfile,asdescribedin
“ChangingVirtualMachineAdvancedSettings”onpage 127.
Forexample,toenableSCSIreservationfordeviceson
thescsi1bus,set
scsi1.sharedBustovirtual.Thisallowsthewholebustobeshared.
Ifyoudonotwanttosharethewholebus,youcanselectivelyallowSCSI
reservationforaspecificSCSIdiskonthesharedbus.Forexample,ifyouwantto
shareaSCSIdisklocated
atscsi1:1,setscsi1:1.sharedtotrue.Youmust
specifythesameSCSItarget(inthisexample,scsi1:1)intheconfigurationfilefor
eachvirtualmachinethatsharesthedisk.IfSCSIreservationisenabledforthe
wholebus(thatis,scsi1.sharedBusissettovirtual),thissettingis
ignored.
3Setthedisk.lockingparametertofalseinthevirtualmachineconfiguration
file.
Becausedisklockingisdisabled,multiplevirtualmachinescanaccesstheshared
diskconcurrently.
Naming Reservation Lock Files
WhenSCSIreservationisenabled,VMwareServercreatesareservationlockfilethat
containsthesharedstateofthereservationforthegivendisk.Thenameofthisfile
consistsoftheSCSIdiskfilenameappendedwiththe.RESLCKextension.
Forexample,ifthediskscsi1:0.filenameisdefinedintheconfiguration
fileas
/<path_to_config>/vmSCSI.vmdk,thereservationlockfileforthisdiskhasthe
defaultname/<path_to_config>/vmSCSI.vmdk.RESLCK.
N
OTEDonotshareresourcesusingtwoseparatebuses(forexample,dataon
SCSI1:0andquorumonSCSI2:0).Thiscausestheconfigurationfiletobecome
invalid.Iftheconfigurationfileisnotvalid,youcannotbootthevirtualmachine.
N
OTEThissettingappliestoalldisksinthevirtualmachine.
CAUTIONIfanyvirtualmachinethatisnotconfiguredforSCSIreservationattemptsto
accessthediskconcurrently,theshareddiskisvulnerabletodatalossorcorruption.