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3 Replies Last post: Feb 18, 2009 5:50 AM by Ken.Cline
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Configuring a Virtual Machine (windows 2003 server) to Use Qlogic FC HBA Adapter

Jan 8, 2009 2:16 AM

Click to view Strauy's profile Lurker Strauy 3 posts since
Jan 7, 2009
Hi,

I installed windows 2003 server on ESX2.5 server. The physical server on which is installed ESX 2.5 can see my 2 HBA cards, but my windows 2003 server virtual machine doesn't see any HBA card.

What can I do so that my windows 2003 server virtual machine sees my Qlogic card so that I am able to affect him an IBM SAN DS4700 disk ?

Thanks for your help

Message was edited by: Strauy
Reply Re: Configuring a Virtual Machine (windows 2003 server) to Use Qlogic FC HBA Adapter Feb 13, 2009 12:54 PM
Click to view athlon_crazy's profile Expert athlon_crazy 340 posts since
Oct 28, 2007

Your ESX can see your Qlogic HBA is one thing & but does the IBM storage already present to your ESX?. BTW, I believe your ESX will take care the HBA. The rest, you have an option to use RDM to let you vm's using IBM storage.
Reply Re: Configuring a Virtual Machine (windows 2003 server) to Use Qlogic FC HBA Adapter Feb 16, 2009 8:39 PM
Click to view satishgte's profile Enthusiast satishgte 75 posts since
Sep 14, 2008

Hi

You installed ESX Server with your Physical Machine and connected 2 HBA to access your storage. If the storage is visible to your ESX server. You can create a LUN for your Windows 2003 server VM. Edit VM setting add a Harddisk and do the RAW DEVICE MAPPING with assigned LUN. So it will work like a physical Harddisk for your VM also you can enable quorum disk for virtual to physical microsoft clustering. Is it helpful for you?

thanks

Reply Re: Configuring a Virtual Machine (windows 2003 server) to Use Qlogic FC HBA Adapter Feb 18, 2009 5:50 AM
Click to view Ken.Cline's profile Champion Ken.Cline 5,132 posts since
Jul 7, 2004 VMware Moderator
Your VM cannot - and should not - see the HBA. Part of the virtualization provided by ESX is to "hide" the underlying physical hardware from the guest OS. Your Windows VM will have a virtual LSI Logic SCSI disk controller. This will be mapped to either a .vmdk file that resides on a VMFS filesystem or, as suggested above, to a raw LUN via an RDM.

I'd suggest a quick read through the Administration Guide to improve your understanding of the concepts.

Ken Cline
Technical Director, Virtualization
Wells Landers
TVAR Solutions, A Wells Landers Group Company
VMware Communities User Moderator
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