6.0.1
Table Of Contents
- vSphere Storage
- Contents
- About vSphere Storage
- Updated Information
- Introduction to Storage
- Overview of Using ESXi with a SAN
- Using ESXi with Fibre Channel SAN
- Configuring Fibre Channel Storage
- Configuring Fibre Channel over Ethernet
- Booting ESXi from Fibre Channel SAN
- Booting ESXi with Software FCoE
- Best Practices for Fibre Channel Storage
- Using ESXi with iSCSI SAN
- Configuring iSCSI Adapters and Storage
- ESXi iSCSI SAN Requirements
- ESXi iSCSI SAN Restrictions
- Setting LUN Allocations for iSCSI
- Network Configuration and Authentication
- Set Up Independent Hardware iSCSI Adapters
- About Dependent Hardware iSCSI Adapters
- Dependent Hardware iSCSI Considerations
- Configure Dependent Hardware iSCSI Adapters
- About the Software iSCSI Adapter
- Modify General Properties for iSCSI Adapters
- Setting Up iSCSI Network
- Using Jumbo Frames with iSCSI
- Configuring Discovery Addresses for iSCSI Adapters
- Configuring CHAP Parameters for iSCSI Adapters
- Configuring Advanced Parameters for iSCSI
- iSCSI Session Management
- Booting from iSCSI SAN
- Best Practices for iSCSI Storage
- Managing Storage Devices
- Storage Device Characteristics
- Understanding Storage Device Naming
- Storage Refresh and Rescan Operations
- Identifying Device Connectivity Problems
- Edit Configuration File Parameters
- Enable or Disable the Locator LED on Storage Devices
- Working with Flash Devices
- About VMware vSphere Flash Read Cache
- Working with Datastores
- Understanding VMFS Datastores
- Understanding Network File System Datastores
- Creating Datastores
- Managing Duplicate VMFS Datastores
- Upgrading VMFS Datastores
- Increasing VMFS Datastore Capacity
- Administrative Operations for Datastores
- Set Up Dynamic Disk Mirroring
- Collecting Diagnostic Information for ESXi Hosts on a Storage Device
- Checking Metadata Consistency with VOMA
- Configuring VMFS Pointer Block Cache
- Understanding Multipathing and Failover
- Raw Device Mapping
- Working with Virtual Volumes
- Virtual Machine Storage Policies
- Upgrading Legacy Storage Profiles
- Understanding Virtual Machine Storage Policies
- Working with Virtual Machine Storage Policies
- Creating and Managing VM Storage Policies
- Storage Policies and Virtual Machines
- Default Storage Policies
- Assign Storage Policies to Virtual Machines
- Change Storage Policy Assignment for Virtual Machine Files and Disks
- Monitor Storage Compliance for Virtual Machines
- Check Compliance for a VM Storage Policy
- Find Compatible Storage Resource for Noncompliant Virtual Machine
- Reapply Virtual Machine Storage Policy
- Filtering Virtual Machine I/O
- VMkernel and Storage
- Storage Hardware Acceleration
- Hardware Acceleration Benefits
- Hardware Acceleration Requirements
- Hardware Acceleration Support Status
- Hardware Acceleration for Block Storage Devices
- Hardware Acceleration on NAS Devices
- Hardware Acceleration Considerations
- Storage Thick and Thin Provisioning
- Using Storage Providers
- Using vmkfstools
- vmkfstools Command Syntax
- vmkfstools Options
- -v Suboption
- File System Options
- Virtual Disk Options
- Supported Disk Formats
- Creating a Virtual Disk
- Example for Creating a Virtual Disk
- Initializing a Virtual Disk
- Inflating a Thin Virtual Disk
- Removing Zeroed Blocks
- Converting a Zeroedthick Virtual Disk to an Eagerzeroedthick Disk
- Deleting a Virtual Disk
- Renaming a Virtual Disk
- Cloning or Converting a Virtual Disk or RDM
- Example for Cloning or Converting a Virtual Disk
- Migrate Virtual Machines Between DifferentVMware Products
- Extending a Virtual Disk
- Upgrading Virtual Disks
- Creating a Virtual Compatibility Mode Raw Device Mapping
- Example for Creating a Virtual Compatibility Mode RDM
- Creating a Physical Compatibility Mode Raw Device Mapping
- Listing Attributes of an RDM
- Displaying Virtual Disk Geometry
- Checking and Repairing Virtual Disks
- Checking Disk Chain for Consistency
- Storage Device Options
- Index
Install and Boot ESXi from Software FCoE LUN
When you set up your system to boot from a software FCoE LUN, you install the ESXi image to the target
LUN. You can then boot your host from that LUN.
Prerequisites
n
Congure the option ROM of the network adapter to point to a target LUN that you want to use as the
boot LUN. Make sure that you have information about the bootable LUN.
n
Change the boot order in the system BIOS to the following sequence:
a The network adapter that you use for the software FCoE boot.
b The ESXi installation media.
See the vendor documentation for your system.
Procedure
1 Start an interactive installation from the ESXi installation CD/DVD.
The ESXi installer veries that FCoE boot is enabled in the BIOS and, if needed, creates a standard
virtual switch for the FCoE capable network adapter. The name of the vSwitch is
VMware_FCoE_vSwitch. The installer then uses precongured FCoE boot parameters to discover and
display all available FCoE LUNs.
2 On the Select a Disk screen, select the software FCoE LUN that you specied in the boot parameter
seing.
If the boot LUN does not appear in this menu, make sure that you correctly congured boot parameters
in the option ROM of the network adapter.
3 Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
4 Reboot the host.
5 Change the boot order in the system BIOS so that the FCoE boot LUN is the rst bootable device.
ESXi continues booting from the software FCoE LUN until it is ready to be used.
What to do next
If needed, you can rename and modify the VMware_FCoE_vSwitch that the installer automatically created.
Make sure that the Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) mode is set to Listen or Both.
Troubleshooting Installation and Boot from Software FCoE
If the installation or boot of ESXi from a software FCoE LUN fails, you can use several troubleshooting
methods.
Problem
When you install or boot ESXi from FCoE storage using a VMware software FCoE adapter and a network
adapter with partial FCoE ooad capabilities, the installation or the boot process fails.
Solution
n
Make sure that you correctly congured boot parameters in the option ROM of the FCoE network
adapter.
n
During installation, monitor the BIOS of the FCoE network adapter for any errors.
n
If possible, check the VMkernel log for errors.
Chapter 7 Booting ESXi with Software FCoE
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