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
The client, called iSCSI initiator, operates on your ESXi host. It initiates iSCSI sessions by issuing SCSI
commands and transmitting them, encapsulated into the iSCSI protocol, to an iSCSI server. The server is
known as an iSCSI target. Typically, the iSCSI target represents a physical storage system on the
network.
The target can also be a virtual iSCSI SAN, for example, an iSCSI target emulator running in a virtual
machine. The iSCSI target responds to the initiator's commands by transmitting required iSCSI data.
iSCSI Multipathing
When transferring data between the host server and storage, the SAN uses a technique known as
multipathing. With multipathing, your ESXi host can have more than one physical path to a LUN on a
storage system.
Generally, a single path from a host to a LUN consists of an iSCSI adapter or NIC, switch ports,
connecting cables, and the storage controller port. If any component of the path fails, the host selects
another available path for I/O. The process of detecting a failed path and switching to another is called
path failover.
For more information on multipathing, see Chapter 18 Understanding Multipathing and Failover.
Nodes and Ports in the iSCSI SAN
A single discoverable entity on the iSCSI SAN, such as an initiator or a target, represents an iSCSI node.
Each node has a node name. ESXi uses several methods to identify a node.
IP Address Each iSCSI node can have an IP address associated with it so that routing
and switching equipment on your network can establish the connection
between the host and storage. This address is like the IP address that you
assign to your computer to get access to your company's network or the
Internet.
iSCSI Name A worldwide unique name for identifying the node. iSCSI uses the iSCSI
Qualified Name (IQN) and Extended Unique Identifier (EUI).
By default, ESXi generates unique iSCSI names for your iSCSI initiators,
for example, iqn.1998-01.com.vmware:iscsitestox-68158ef2.
Usually, you do not have to change the default value, but if you do, make
sure that the new iSCSI name you enter is worldwide unique.
iSCSI Alias A more manageable name for an iSCSI device or port used instead of the
iSCSI name. iSCSI aliases are not unique and are intended to be a friendly
name to associate with a port.
Each node has one or more ports that connect it to the SAN. iSCSI ports are end-points of an iSCSI
session.
vSphere Storage
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