Install ESX 4 on iSCSI SAN?

[JoruusC]

Hi,

i'm quite new to esx and SAN, so perhaps this question is quite simple to answer... i tried google for several hours, but couldnt find any suitable answers.

got 2 dell r610 (broadcom 5709 with toe and iscsi offload, NO local disks/controller) and one md3200i. this configuration was made by dell, i just told them, wie need a functional eviroment for 2 servers and storage. so they told me: go with diskless and install esx an flashdrive...

i tried that, but discoverd after serveral hours that it is not possible to do a flash-only install, because esx needs a vmfs-partition for the serverconsole datastore, which will be created during install. great

so i thought: hey, i got 2tb worth of diskspace on the md3200, why not use some of that for the datastore... so i created 2 dedicated LUNs and defined one r610 each as a host. in the storage-manager the md3200 detected the boradcomes as initiators...

so i fired up the install... and what the frag, no SAN to choose from...

connection between nics and md3200 is working (when i select the nic as boot device, it connects to the md3200)...

what am i missing? what did i wrong? or is this not possible and we have to purchase local disks/controllers? (then i'll have a little talk with the dell technician who recommends that setup)...

thanx for your help

[RParker]

so i fired up the install... and what the frag, no SAN to choose from... connection between nics and md3200 is working (when i select the nic as boot device, it connects to the md3200)...

First you have to set security to allow iSCSI client traffic. Then you have to add the iSCSI target in the iSCSI software (from configuration in ESX) to discover the target.

Then you have to ADD that iSCSI initiator to the MD3200 to allow it access to the VD you created on the 3200. Then rescan the ESX, it should work.

[DSTAVERT]

Welcome to the forums.

I would install ESXi rather than ESX. ESXi will install directly to a USB flash drive.

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[RParker]

I would install ESXi rather than ESX. ESXi will install directly to a USB flash drive.

I would agree with that, but it still won't matter if he can't get the storage to show up on ESX/ESXi. So that's a different issue, but it is a better solution long term.

[JoruusC]

thx for the quick reply, but i dont have problems connecting the SAN to an already running esx.

i need to access the SAN during the installation process of esx, and there i dont see, how zto do this.

[JoruusC]

not an opption, we need vMotion etc.

[DSTAVERT]

ESX and ESXi are functionally the same and there is no difference in licensed features. Far easier to connect to the SAN after you have installed. ESX classic will be gone in the next release so not a bad time to get started with ESXi.

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[DSTAVERT]

Whatever license level you purchase you have the choice to use ESX or ESXi. There is a free version of ESXi now called Hypervisor. It just doesn't have any of the advanced features like HA, vMotion nor can it be managed through vCenter

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[JoruusC]

ok, not part of the discussion... but i thought esxi is the "free" version with and esx the "commercial".

so, what you tell me is, i can use esxi with my "vSphere essential plus" licence and get the same features as with esx 4.1?

if that works, its fine by me...

[DSTAVERT · Accepted solution]

It is what Dell was recommending you do. ESXi loads totally to RAM and does very little writing to disk (once per hour it copies the configuration to an alternate boot partition). All logs are written to a ramdisk so it would be wise to create a location on the SAN and point the logs to that directory

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[JoruusC]

:smileyblush:

embarrassing... didnt get the product/license-info right.

btw: i hate those

thanx a lot!!!

[DSTAVERT]

Glad to help. Licensing is always the most confusing thing about computing.

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