EVA6000 and VMWARE 4.x

[Greg Manzanilla]

We are in the process of evalutaing VMWARE 4.x. We have the ESX 4.x installed and ready to go but I want to present a 300GB LUN from our EVA6000 SAN. When I go to HOST | Add HOST and select the OS, does it need to be Linux (Since ESX runs on Linux) or VMWARE?

Thanks,
Greg

[Víctor Cespón · Accepted solution]

http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01080117/c01080117.pdf

Configuring the EVA4x00/6x00/8x00 in VMware host servers

1. Use HP StorageWorks Command View EVA to configure one host for each ESX server.
2. Ensure that the Fibre Channel Adapters (FCAs) are populated in the world wide port name (WWPN) list. Edit the WWPN, if necessary.
3. Set the connection type to VMware.
4. Add a port to the host defined in step 1. Do not add host entries for servers with more than one FCA.

[Greg Manzanilla]

Thanks, VMWARE can now see the VDISK.

What do you mean by:

Do not add host entries for servers with more than one FCA. All of our Blade 460c G1 and G6 servers will have dual HBAs (Two ports)

Whan I add a host, I add both WWN.

[Víctor Cespón]

It means just that, do not create two host entries for a server with two HBAs. Create one host with two HBA WWNs.

[Greg Manzanilla]

One last question:

When I present the LUN to ESX and create a VM, can I have multiple partitions with that VM Like c:\ 20GB, D:\40GB....etc? Sounds like a stupid question but I'm new with VMWARE.

[Uwe Zessin]

> (Since ESX runs on Linux)

First, ESX (the VMkernel) *does NOT* run 'on Linux' - it is the other way ;-)

The service console runs as a VM and is a stripped-down and paravirtualized version of Red Hat Linux.


> One last question:

It is not a good idea to put multiple, independend VMFS partition onto one virtual disk !!

Meta-data operations like file-create, -delete, -expand, VM power-on, -off and so on are serialized using SCSI reservations.

Please put only one VMFS on one virtual disk.

[Greg Manzanilla]

OK, but what if, I created a VM with 200GB and installed the OS on 20GB. What can be done with all the remaining space? Create additional partition correct?

[Uwe Zessin]

I think we are talking about different things

- a VMFS is the file system which is used to hold all files of a VM (as you are a beginner - please do not take offense - I ignore more complex configurations). It should use the full space of the virtual disk.

You don't need 300 GB? Well, then create a smaller virtual disk! Or keep the free space for additional VMs or snapshots. Never ever plan to fill a VMFS to 100%!!

- lets say you create a Windows VM and want put the OS on the C: drive with 20GB.

In that case you create a 20GB 'container file' with a '.vmdk' file type and map it to the first SCSI address (0:0) in the VM.

- You need 180 GB for the data? Then create a second '.vmdk' and map it to (0:1). Windows believes it has 2 (two) physical SCSI disk drives.


You can quite easily expand the second '.vmdk', as long as you don't store a pagefile on it. And with some work you can even expand the C: disk without backup/restore or partition games.

- The remaining 100 GB of the VMFS from the EVA virtual disk are unused - well, not completely:
-- there is VMFS meta-data which takes a few-100 MB
-- some small files that describe the VM and hold logs
-- the virtual machine swap file which by default is as large as the VM's memory.

[Greg Manzanilla]

Thanks!

How can I create a second '.vmdk' and map it to (0:1). Windows believes it has 2 (two) physical SCSI disk drives.

[Uwe Zessin]

In the vSphere client select the VM and use "Edit Setting".

The new Windows lists the current Window and has an [Add] button.