If using local storage for ESXi, should this be raid storage or is a simple harddisk sufficient. What is recommended? P.S. The VM's are on the SAN.
If you are install on local hdd, choose an RAID1!
MCP, VCP
Aggreed. Definitely do Raid 1. I'd even set another disk up as a hot spare.
As for me there is no need in local storage with ESXi, install it on flash drive.
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MCP, MCTS, VCP, VMware vExpert '2009
There is no need to install ESXi on RAID, moreover you can face with troubles if you will use not supported RAID adapter.
StarWind Software R&D
As far as I know, this isn't "officially" supported by VMWare? In case of HA, where is the swapspace located? (SAN?)
ESX vs ESXi. Using ESXi you can`t make HA configuration, only if you will using clustering for VMs.
StarWind Software R&D
If you are running production VMs, why would you create a single point of failure by installing ESXi on a flash drive or non-raid configuration. I understand there is little configuration to ESXi but can you afford the downtime if something were to go wrong? Put it on a RAID 1. If a drive fails, you're still running while you replace it.
My config is, two 15K SAS drives in a RAID1 with a hot spare.
Tobias, you CAN do HA configurations with ESXi. And it works fine.
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MCP, MCTS, VCP, VMware vExpert '2009
If you are running production VMs, why would you create a single point of failure by installing ESXi on a flash drive or non-raid configuration. I understand there is little configuration to ESXi but can you afford the downtime if something were to go wrong? Put it on a RAID 1. If a drive fails, you're still running while you replace it.
My config is, two 15K SAS drives in a RAID1 with a hot spare.
Do understand that your drive controller is a single point of failure. ESXi on a flash drive is a good choice. There is very little writing to the flash drive. I don't think the server manufacturers would be selling servers with ESXi in flash if it was a big problem. The reason we have been using RAID for storage is because we know our rotating media WILL fail.
For this you have to buy VI Standard, while using free ESXi in HA configurations possible in case of resource cluster
StarWind Software R&D
I understand, ESXi is often mistakenly judged as "Free ESXi" only - but ESXi is fully functional as ESX. Yes, full business license is needed for HA to work.
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MCP, MCTS, VCP, VMware vExpert '2009
>In case of HA, where is the swapspace located? (SAN?)
It should be located not on flash disk, ESXi on local disks works without additional configuration and diskless ESXi have normal r/w access to SAN only, so in this case you place scratchconfig on SAN.
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MCP, MCTS, VCP, VMware vExpert '2009
Yes, I know the difference between`em.
StarWind Software R&D
Do understand that your drive controller is a single point of failure. ESXi on a flash drive is a good choice. There is very little writing to the flash drive. I don't think the server manufacturers would be selling servers with ESXi in flash if it was a big problem. The reason we have been using RAID for storage is because we know our rotating media WILL fail.Yes, and your USB controller could fail too. Although I have seen both failed disks and RAID controllers I have seen far more of the previous. My point is to limit the number of SPOF. Why create another one, and put production VMs on it?
That's why I asked for the local storage recommendations. I don't like the increased I/O burden on the SAN
As far as I understand there is very low level of IO, but flash disks are very sensitive to writes, and have limited amount of writes which can be exhausted really fast.
I haven't noticed any IO burden on entry level SATA disk shelf, so don't worry about it.
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MCP, MCTS, VCP, VMware vExpert '2009
Yes, USB has a small amout of data writes, but if there will be small I/O and also lets remember that it has a really big amout of data writes, but with insufficient write speed. So, I don`t think that if will store on SAN you will have big overhead.
StarWind Software R&D
As far as I understand there is very low level of IO, but flash disks are very sensitive to writes, and have limited amount of writes which can be exhausted really fast.
Have a look at www.corsair.com/_faq/FAQ_flash_drive_wear_leveling.pdf
Good link. Thanks!
- abe