New Datastore Size v5

[RParker]

So if the new ESXi can handle larger than 2TB VMFS, yet current storage controllers (such as Netapp) are limited to 2TB LUN, creating a 4TB VMFS datastore amounts to the same thing as (2) 2TB LUN using an extent, true or false?

To say that the new vSphere will support greater than 2TB VMFS is a half truth, because the current storage controllers are still pretty much using the old LUN limits..

Unless I missed something?

[RParker]

OK so There are 13 LUN Types.

AIX, HP-UX, Hyper-V, Linux, Netware, OpenVMS, Solaris, Solaris EFI, VMware, Windows, Windows 2008, Xen

*ONLY* types Windows GPT, Windows 2008 and Hyer-V will allow creation of GREATER than 2TB LUN's.  The problem is LUN TYPE needs to be VM Ware for the API's to work (at least that's what Netapp documentation shows).

So the restriction STILL applies to my situation, if we create Hyper-V LUN's and we are using Windows 2008 / GPT we are good, but we are using ESX.

I can't create a single LUN for VM Ware bigger than 2TB.

[EdWilts]

My 3TB lun was created with -t vmware.

You may need to open up a support call with NetApp to help you create larger luns or post to a NetApp-specific forum.  What you're running into is obviously not an ESXi issue at all.

[fduranti]

I think you can have some kind of problem... what version of NetApp do you have?

We have a 3050c (so 3000 series right?) with Data Ontap 7.3.5.1P4.

I don't have space left so I've created some "overcommitted" volume/luns... with those commands:

lun create -s 500g -t vmware  -o noreserve /vol/test1/lun500g
lun create -s 4t -t vmware  -o noreserve /vol/test1/lun4t
lun create -s 12t -t vmware  -o noreserve /vol/test1/lun12t

Aggregate                total       used      avail capacity
aggr1                   2810GB      844GB     1966GB      30%
aggr1/.snapshot           57GB       25GB       31GB      44%
aggr0                  11244GB     9458GB     1785GB      84%
aggr0/.snapshot          229GB        0GB      229GB       0%

lun show -v
/vol/test1/lun12t             12t (13194139533312) (r/w, online)
                Serial#: C4f5gJeoDgfA
                Share: none
                Space Reservation: disabled
                Multiprotocol Type: vmware
/vol/test1/lun4t               4t (4398046511104) (r/w, online)
                Serial#: C4f5gJeoDWxE
                Share: none
                Space Reservation: disabled
                Multiprotocol Type: vmware
/vol/test1/lun500g         500.1g (536952700928)  (r/w, online)
                Serial#: C4f5gJeoDVF7
                Share: none
                Space Reservation: disabled
                Multiprotocol Type: vmware

[RParker]

Ed Wilts wrote:

My 3TB lun was created with -t vmware.

You may need to open up a support call with NetApp to help you create larger luns or post to a NetApp-specific forum.  What you're running into is obviously not an ESXi issue at all.

Yeah I never said this was an ESX issue.  My only question was how people get around the limit on controllers.  I know now the problem is with Netapp which is what I suspected all along, but I thought the LUN limitations were industry wide, but it's limited to ONLY certain Netapp's apparently.

[RParker]

fduranti wrote:

I think you can have some kind of problem... what version of NetApp do you have?

We have a 3050c (so 3000 series right?) with Data Ontap 7.3.5.1P4.

3070 Ontap 8.0. 

[RParker]

/vol/SASVol02/SASData02      1.9t (2040109465600) (r/w, online, mapped)

                Comment: "ESXDEV VM Storage"

                Serial#: Hn/OBZbXN-JD

                Share: none

                Space Reservation: disabled

                Multiprotocol Type: vmware

                Occupied Size:    1.5t (1601513172992)

                Creation Time: Thu Mar 10 14:42:05 EST 2011

                Cluster Shared Volume Information: 0x0

[fduranti]

I don't know if it's a limitation of 8.0.... we was tempted to go to 8 (on other 2 storages) but 8.0.x has quite some limitation (don't support many features) so we'll wait for 8.1 (I hope in 64 bit conversion to be able to use new feature).

The lun was created with "lun create -t vmware" so I suppose they're of vmware type. I've not used them just created because we use only NFS for VMWare/Oracle RAC and all our needs. We only use iscsi lun as RDM for exchange but they're really small.

8.0 is a bit old as a release and when it was out vmware lun was limited to 2GB if I've understood well so probably NetApp was forcing (with old versions) lun of type vmware to be at max 2 TB (you was not able to use bigger lun right?).

7.3.5.1/7.3.6 and 8.0.2 are relatively new (some months old) so probably they know that vmware 5 has support for +2TB lun and had removed the limit?

[fduranti]

Try to ask on netapp communities... I think the problem can be the version....

Checking on kb I found an old article that was explaining that creating a "2t" size lun with type vmware that lun was not recognized from vmware so you should create it manually with a lesser size. Probably they "corrected" this behaviour in some version (like 8.0) putting a maximum to lun size (the max size recognized by vmware). It's also possible that with latest version they removed those limits.

I think you should check with someone that has 8.0.1 or 8.0.2 (you should probably be good to upgrade and you'll also get VAAI support on your netapp lun with those versions) if they can create lun >2tb.

[jayctd]

After testing with the vmware lun type I got the same error as you when doing it from system manager

When I did it from command line I did NOT have the same error when specifying LUN type

lun create -s 3t -t vmware /vol/luntest/testlun

Looks like system manager may be the culpret here I tested from the web interface too without any problem but it sure as heck did error when I used system manager

[titaniumlegs]

"The data on the MiG is inaccurate."

I'm sorry, but the max LUN size for NetApp systems is much larger than 2TB.  You are probably using a tool that has a separate, intentional limit.  Just to make sure, I just tried it on a FAS3070 running 7.3.5 and a FAS3140 running 8.0.1.

f35> vol create huge aggr1 7t

Creation of volume 'huge' with size 7t on containing aggregate

'aggr1' has completed.

f35> snap reserve huge 0

f35> snap sched huge 0 0 0

f35> lun create -t vmware -s 6t /vol/huge/lun

f35> lun show -v

        /vol/huge/lun                  6t (6597069766656) (r/w, online)

                Serial#: W-BvmJepnDyl

                Share: none

                Space Reservation: enabled

                Multiprotocol Type: vmware

I also checked FIlerView.  Works fine.

Now, if you're talking about Virtual Storage Console or System Manager, those limit to LUNs for VMware 2TB in current versions because they were written around vSphere 4, which has the 2TB limit.  The next version of VSC will support larger LUNs.  But to be clear, the limit is NOT the NetApp storage itself.

You can also check the documentation, such as http://now.netapp.com/NOW/knowledge/docs/san/fcp_iscsi_config/QuickRef/fc_iscsi_config_guide_73.pdf which, for those who don't have a NOW account, lists per-host OS LUN limits, as well as per-platform, and other than some really old platforms (FAS270, 900, R200 which range from 4-12TB), all current and recent platforms support 16TB LUNs.

Statements like "Netapp isn't really a block storage controller" are pretty ridiculous, competitor planted FUD.  If that was the case, nobody would buy SAN from NetApp, and VMware wouldn't have NetApp as one of the select few main storage partners for projects like VAAI, VASA, SRM, and some others I can't talk about.

Share and enjoy!

[titaniumlegs]

I'm telling you FAS3000 series, right back to the very first one (FAS3020 and FAS3050) *DO* support >2TB LUNs,even in 7.3.