6.7
Table Of Contents
- vSphere Storage
- Contents
- About vSphere Storage
- Introduction to Storage
- Getting Started with a Traditional Storage Model
- 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 Recommendations and Restrictions
- Configuring iSCSI Parameters for Adapters
- Set Up Independent Hardware iSCSI Adapters
- Configure Dependent Hardware iSCSI Adapters
- Configure the Software iSCSI Adapter
- Configure iSER Adapters
- Modify General Properties for iSCSI or iSER Adapters
- Setting Up Network for iSCSI and iSER
- 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 Rescan Operations
- Identifying Device Connectivity Problems
- Enable or Disable the Locator LED on Storage Devices
- Erase Storage Devices
- Working with Flash Devices
- About VMware vSphere Flash Read Cache
- Working with Datastores
- Types of Datastores
- Understanding VMFS Datastores
- Upgrading VMFS Datastores
- Understanding Network File System Datastores
- Creating Datastores
- Managing Duplicate 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
- Failovers with Fibre Channel
- Host-Based Failover with iSCSI
- Array-Based Failover with iSCSI
- Path Failover and Virtual Machines
- Pluggable Storage Architecture and Path Management
- Viewing and Managing Paths
- Using Claim Rules
- Scheduling Queues for Virtual Machine I/Os
- Raw Device Mapping
- Storage Policy Based Management
- Virtual Machine Storage Policies
- Workflow for Virtual Machine Storage Policies
- Populating the VM Storage Policies Interface
- About Rules and Rule Sets
- Creating and Managing VM Storage Policies
- About Storage Policy Components
- Storage Policies and Virtual Machines
- Default Storage Policies
- Using Storage Providers
- Working with Virtual Volumes
- About Virtual Volumes
- Virtual Volumes Concepts
- Virtual Volumes and Storage Protocols
- Virtual Volumes Architecture
- Virtual Volumes and VMware Certificate Authority
- Snapshots and Virtual Volumes
- Before You Enable Virtual Volumes
- Configure Virtual Volumes
- Provision Virtual Machines on Virtual Volumes Datastores
- Virtual Volumes and Replication
- Best Practices for Working with vSphere Virtual Volumes
- Troubleshooting Virtual Volumes
- Filtering Virtual Machine I/O
- 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
- Thin Provisioning and Space Reclamation
- Using vmkfstools
- vmkfstools Command Syntax
- The vmkfstools Command Options
- -v Suboption
- File System Options
- Virtual Disk Options
- Supported Disk Formats
- Creating a Virtual Disk
- Initializing a Virtual Disk
- Inflating a Thin Virtual Disk
- Converting a Zeroedthick Virtual Disk to an Eagerzeroedthick Disk
- Removing Zeroed Blocks
- Deleting a Virtual Disk
- Renaming a Virtual Disk
- Cloning or Converting a Virtual Disk or RDM
- Extending a Virtual Disk
- Upgrading Virtual Disks
- Creating a Virtual Compatibility Mode Raw Device Mapping
- 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
VMware supports two categories of NICs with the software FCoE adapters.
NICs With Partial FCoE
Offload
The extent of the offload capabilities might depend on the type of the NIC.
Generally, the NICs offer Data Center Bridging (DCB) and I/O offload
capabilities.
NICs Without FCoE
Offload
Any NICs that offer Data Center Bridging (DCB) and have a minimum
speed of 10 Gbps. The network adapters are not required to support any
FCoE offload capabilities.
Unlike the hardware FCoE adapter, the software adapter must be activated. Before you activate the
adapter, you must properly configure networking.
Note The number of software FCoE adapters you activate corresponds to the number of physical NIC
ports. ESXi supports a maximum of four software FCoE adapters on one host.
Configuration Guidelines for Software FCoE
When setting up your network environment to work with ESXi software FCoE, follow the guidelines and
best practices that VMware offers.
Network Switch Guidelines
Follow these guidelines when you configure a network switch for software FCoE environment:
n
On the ports that communicate with your ESXi host, disable the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP).
Having the STP enabled might delay the FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP) response at the switch and
cause an all paths down (APD) condition.
The FIP is a protocol that FCoE uses to discover and initialize FCoE entities on the Ethernet.
n
Turn on Priority-based Flow Control (PFC) and set it to AUTO.
n
Make sure that you have a compatible firmware version on the FCoE switch.
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Set the MTU on the vSwitch to 2500 or more.
Network Adapter Guidelines and Best Practices
If you plan to enable software FCoE adapters to work with network adapters, specific considerations
apply.
n
Whether you use a partially offloaded NIC or a non-FCoE capable NIC, make sure that the latest
microcode is installed on the network adapter.
n
If you use the non-FCoE capable NIC, make sure that it has the DCB capability for software FCoE
enablement.
n
If the network adapter has multiple ports, when configuring networking, add each port to a separate
vSwitch. This practice helps you to avoid an APD condition when a disruptive event, such as an MTU
change, occurs.
vSphere Storage
VMware, Inc. 50