Don't be discouraged boss. It takes time to learn.

1) stick to jumbo framing. Keep that in your mind - don't strike that one out. It stays.
2) If you're not sure about your storage setup, check here: http://virtualgeek.typepad.com/virtual_geek/2009/09/a-multivendor-post-on-using-iscsi-with-vmware-vsphere.html
==> Great place to start. The iSCSI superfriends podcast a few weeks ago is REALLY informative (vmware communities roundtable podcast)
3) You're going to find that making a 500G LUN on the thing is equally as slow. Least, I did. I split ours into JBOD, two 1.5 LUNs, and whatever was left as NFS.
4) you won't see the issue arise. I'm pretty sure I know why you got that issue, but I need to research it further to confirm and I don't have a lot of time today to do so.

Good luck trooper. If you need help on specifics, don't hesitate to DM me.

Regards,
- abe

Integritas!

Abe Lister

Just some guy that loves to virtualize
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I didn't want to mention it above, but I've found a slight problem with using the Iomega ix4-200d with a UPS in a power outage. It may be my mis-configuration, but it's a potential issue. It's certainly not a "fault" with the ix4-200d. Here's the problem:

• Power returns after a power outage:
• ESXi server starts up. As you know, this doesn't take very long - maybe a minute.
• Iomega ix4-200d also starts up: This takes some time - about 2 minutes! This is a problem!! Because...
• ESXi server goes to boot up the first VM from the NAS - NAS isn't ready yet!
• All other VM's are not ready yet either, so ESXi skips quickly over them.
• ESXi gives up trying, after the last one.
• 2 minutes later: NAS is ready. Too late though...ESXi has already given up.

I've tried changing the "Default Startup Delay" time in the ESXi "Configuration/Virtual Machine Startup/Shutdown" settings, but that only works for delaying SUBSEQUENT startups after the first VM starts. The first VM tries to start immediately the ESXi server is ready. I can't find a way to delay the startup of the first VM. Am I missing something?

Right now, to get around this, I've put an unneeded XP VM on direct-attached storage, and set that to startup first. By the time it starts up, the NAS is ready. Anyone got a better solution? Maybe I should move this question to another forum?

Dave,

I also have an IX4-200d, and with regards to NFS vs iSCSI... I feel that using NFS doesn't require "partitioning" of drive space like iSCSI does on the unit.

There appear to be 2 types of presented "storage" a folder or an iSCSI target. Folders can be used for NFS, CIFS, etc., while iSCSI targets can only be used for iSCSI connections. With that being said, if the IX4-200d is a general purpose SoHo NAS, it is easier to manage if not using iSCSI, but rather NFS/CIFS/etc.

Cheers,
Jase

Jase McCarty
http://www.jasemccarty.com
Co-Author of VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center (ISBN:1420070274) Auerbach
Co-Author of VMware vSphere 4 Administration Instant Reference (ISBN:0470520728) Sybex
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Hi Jase,

I used NFS for ease of use and backup purposes. In my earlier tests I did find that iSCSI was marginally faster. This was my first time out the gate with NAS storage and VMware though, so I decided to stick with NFS for its versatility.