esxi 5 MSCS

[pantos21]

Dear all,

I have an ISCSI storage and vsphere 5 with HA and DRS. I want to setup sql cluster in 2 VM's. I wanted to do it with windows ISCSI initiator inside the vm for the shared disks, this is not suported in version 5?So I have to present the shared disk to vm's with raw maping through esxi? Am i correct?Thanks in advanced

[VTsukanov]

Hi

Take a look at vmware kb Microsoft Clustering on VMware vSphere: Guidelines for Supported Configurations

and Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service

according documentation you can create virtual network adapter for iSCSI and connect to your iSCSI SAN (without RDM ESXi, because "RDMs on other than FC are not currently supported.")

[pantos21]

hi vtsukanov,

The kb you sent is refering to esx4. In the documentation says this:"The following environment and finctionalities are not supported with MCSC in this version of vsphere. Clustering on ISCSI,FCoE, and NFS" But you said that i can configure iscsi initiator in guest os.

[Troy_Clavell · Accepted solution]

pantos21 wrote:

Dear all,

I have an ISCSI storage and vsphere 5 with HA and DRS. I want to setup sql cluster in 2 VM's. I wanted to do it with windows ISCSI initiator inside the vm for the shared disks, this is not suported in version 5?So I have to present the shared disk to vm's with raw maping through esxi? Am i correct?Thanks in advanced

Using an iSCSI initiator within the guest is not MSCS within vSphere. You would be by-passing ESXi all together and going directly to the storage array.  To do MSCS within vSphere, you need to use RDMs, whether physical or virtual.

[pantos21]

Oh i see, now it is clear. I will configure iscsi inside the guest os as i have done in past with esxi 4 and configure afinity rules for DRS to keep each node in spesific host. Thank you both, i will mark troy answer as answered and VT as helpfull.