vcb, CX3-10, Powerpath Dualport Adapter, recognizing VMFS/LUNs

[thomaskn]

Hi forum users,

Situation: ESX3.5; VC 2.5; W2K3 Backup Proxy, vcb 1.1, Dualport Adapter at the vcb Proxy with Powerpath installed.

The vmfs-LUNs are promoted with the correct Host-LUN IDs.

5 LUNs appearing correctly as basic disks and vcbSanDbg.exe shows "Lun contains VMFS/LVM Signatures"

Only one LUN making troubles - appearing NOT as Basic Disk but as unknown --> vcbSanDbg.exe says "Luns does not contain VMFS Luns".

Ok, we know - officially powerpath were not be supported. But, if we had troubles using powerpath in the past, no LUN was recognized. Sometimes configs like this are function correctly.

So, we think, there is another fault in our config...

Any ideas, suggestions...

Following an outpout of vcbSanDbg.exe with one correct recognized VMFS LUN an one wrong...

Current working directory: C:\Programme\VMware\VMware Consolidated Backup Framework

HOSTINFO: Seeing Intel CPU, numCoresPerCPU 4 numThreadsPerCore 1.

HOSTINFO: This machine has 2 physical CPUS, 8 total cores, and 8 logical CPUs.

Building SCSI Device List...

Evaluating 1 paths.

Trying to open path
?\scsi#disk&ven_dell&prod_perc_6#i&rev_1.11#5&de8ec15&0&010000#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}.

Now using Path
?\scsi#disk&ven_dell&prod_perc_6#i&rev_1.11#5&de8ec15&0&010000#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}.

Reading 32256 bytes from offset 0.

Reading 32256 bytes from offset 111040512.

No partitions could be found on this device.

Evaluating 1 paths.

Trying to open path
?\scsi#disk&ven_emc&prod_power&#emcp&0001&0005&60060160ec101f00826ab3e8d1e9dc11#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}.

Now using Path
?\scsi#disk&ven_emc&prod_power&#emcp&0001&0005&60060160ec101f00826ab3e8d1e9dc11#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}.

Reading 32256 bytes from offset 0.

Found 1 partition(s) on this device.

Evaluating 1 paths.

Trying to open path
?\scsi#disk&ven_emc&prod_power&#emcp&0001&0005&60060160ec101f0008c907eddae9dc11#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}.

Now using Path
?\scsi#disk&ven_emc&prod_power&#emcp&0001&0005&60060160ec101f0008c907eddae9dc11#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}.

Reading 32256 bytes from offset 0.

Found 1 partition(s) on this device.

Partition #1 is a VMFS partition.

Reading 1574400 bytes from offset 1114112.

Found an ESX LVM v3 signature on partition 1.

Found logical volume 47d0ec6c-8f049163-fb46-001e4f1612ba.

Dumping SCSI Device/LUN List.

**** Begin SCSI Device LIst ****

Found SCSI Device: NAA:6001e4f01dc582000f2d060204590f56504552432036

Visible on 1 paths:

Device Name:
?\scsi#disk&ven_dell&prod_perc_6#i&rev_1.11#5&de8ec15&0&010000#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}, Bus: 1 Target: 0 Lun: 0

Lun does not contain any VMFS/LVM signatures.

Found SCSI Device: NAA:60060160ec101f00826ab3e8d1e9dc11524149442035

Visible on 1 paths:

Device Name:
?\scsi#disk&ven_emc&prod_power&#emcp&0001&0005&60060160ec101f00826ab3e8d1e9dc11#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}, Bus: 0 Target: 1 Lun: 0

Lun does not contain any VMFS/LVM signatures.

Found SCSI Device: NAA:60060160ec101f0008c907eddae9dc11524149442035

Visible on 1 paths:

Device Name:
?\scsi#disk&ven_emc&prod_power&#emcp&0001&0005&60060160ec101f0008c907eddae9dc11#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}, Bus: 0 Target: 1 Lun: 2

Lun contains VMFS/LVM signatures:

VMFS LVM signature.

ID: LVID:47d0ec6c-af615c84-cb1a-001e4f1612ba/47d0ec6c-8f049163-fb46-001e4f1612ba/1 Name: 47d0ec6c-8f049163-fb46-001e4f1612ba

**** End SCSI Device LIst ****

Thanks a Lot in advance.

[Schorschi]

As I recall, VCB can not handle ANY pathing, not MPIO, not powerpath, not even HP MSA SecurePath. Had no end of issues until we completely removed all pathing software with VCB. VCB does not understand what powerpath provides nor leverage it, so you have no option but to remove it, this is per VMware, but that was about 6 or 8 months ago when we really stressed VCB and found it worked (without pathing software) but did not scale well as we needed.

[thomaskn]

****As I recall, VCB can not handle ANY pathing, not MPIO, not powerpath,

not even HP MSA SecurePath.

Hmm - it is not supported, but it functions sometimes. My last two implementations Dell2900, QLogic 4Gbit Adapter CX3-10 and Dell2960, QLogic and CX3-20 Multipathing functions correctly! In the current case the prblem were another one. Customer talked about a 170GB LUN and 170GB LUN must be a VMFS.... at the end it was an 150G NTFS LUN expanded using navisphere to 170GB but not expanded the ntfs.. 8-O - so it was indeed a big fault...

• but

did not scale well as we needed.

Hmm - we backup about 300GB per hour at nearly every implementation. Putting 6 Disks in the Backup Proxy. Backing up the .vmdk direct over FC from storage (indifferently EMC CX Series, EqualLogics, netapps..) ... It´s important to take the full .vmdk because the backup is blocklevel. The file-level backup quasi mounts the filesystem and is rather slowly...

[Schorschi]

Yup, VCB worked great, once we got everything setup right, which was a pain, but did not scale, did not scale well at all.