228 Implementing the IBM Storwize V5000 Gen2 with IBM Spectrum Virtualize V8.1
For more information, see the VMware Compatibility Guide:
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php
Configuring SAS HBAs on VMware ESXi
In this example, we used an LSI 9207-8e card and did not need to configure HBA parameters
beyond the default settings. We advise that you check the parameters through the HBA BIOS
or vendor tools to confirm that they are suitable for your requirements.
Multipath support for SAS on VMware ESXi
As with FC, we can use native ESXi multipathing for SAS attachment on VMware ESXi 5.5.
For more information, see 5.3.4, “VMware ESXi: Preparing for Fibre Channel attachment” on
page 215.
Determining host WWPNs
The worldwide port names (WWPNs) of the SAS HBA are required to configure host
attachment on the IBM Storwize V5000.
The host WWPNs are not directly available through VMware vSphere Client. However, you
can obtain them by using vendor tools or the HBA BIOS. The method that is described in
5.3.3, “Windows 2012 R2: Preparing for SAS attachment” on page 214 also works.
These basic steps are required to prepare a VMware ESXi host for SAS attachment. For
information about configuring SAS attachment on the IBM Storwize V5000 side, see 5.5.5,
“Creating SAS hosts” on page 256.
For more information and guidance about attaching storage with VMware ESXi, the following
document, which was published by VMware, is a useful resource:
http://ibm.biz/Bd4ND5
5.4 N-Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) Support
The usage model for all IBM Spectrum Virtualize products is based around two-way
active/active node models. That is a pair of distinct control modules that share active/active
access for a given volume. These nodes each have their own Fibre Channel WWNN, and
thus all ports that are presented from each node have a set of WWPNs that are presented to
the fabric.
Traditionally, should one node fail or be removed for some reason, the paths that are
presented for volumes from that node would go offline, and it is up to the native OS
multipathing software to failover from using both sets of WWPN to just those that remain
online. While this is exactly what multipathing software is designed to do, occasionally it can
be problematic, particularly if paths are not seen as coming back online for some reason.
Starting with IBM Spectrum Virtualize V7.7.0, the IBM Spectrum Virtualize system can be
enabled into NPIV mode. When NPIV mode is enabled on the IBM Spectrum Virtualize
system, ports do not come up until they are ready to service I/O, which improves host
behavior around node unpends. In addition, path failures due to an offline node are masked
from host multipathing.
To Next Page
Loading...
Need help?
General