Comunication error with the SAN

[MaikoVA]

Hi !! I hope somebody can help my with this issue: I´m having problems with the cold cloning process, I have to migrate 3 HP servers and I successfully migrated one of them but since then every time I tried to migrate the other 2 servers after 1 or 3 hr the process crashed and the server reboot.

Yesterday I made a connection with the SAN (that has a "!" orange led) and the gurú tells me that the SAN has an error in module B.

Today I shutdown the 2 ESX servers, the SAN and the Switches in order to see if this could fix the problem ( a local guy from IBM told me to do it) but everything´s the same, I still see the "!" orange led and I´m not able to create a new Virtual machine or migrate a new server.

Thanks a lot.

Message was edited by: RDellimmagine

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[beagle_jbl]

Do you have any more details? IE. Are you using VMWare Converter? Are you trying to clone to a VM on the same ESX server as the first? Can you narrow it down to one ESX Server? Are both ESX servers using the same IO Path. Is tha path and type set correctly for your brand of SAN? What model is the SAN? Have you checked the management software for the SAN to get more details on your alert (Orange !). Are all the HP servers on the same layer 2 network? When you say the server reboots - what server are you speaking of (the HP server, the target ESX server, or the target VM)?

[MaikoVA]

Hi beagle_jbl !! Thanks for your response

I´m gonna try to answer all your questions ´cause I have to say that this

is the first time i´m wotking with this technology and i have only been

here for 2 weeks.

• The SAN model is a DS4700 it has 10 H.D.

• I´m using the VMWare Converter tool but not the "Hot Cloning" I´m using

the "Cold Cloning" tool wich as you know is a boot CD and runs the VMWare

converter but without using the local resources of the server (in this

case an HP server) is like a Ghost boot disk.

• About the SAN error message I have this screen :

• The ESX servers are x3650 they are connected as you know with fiber

using 2 cisco

• When I talk about the server rebbot is because I left one f the HP

servers running with the "Cold Cloning" CD in order to make it virtual and

the process at some point crashed and the server (HP) rebooted and the

process did not finish.

The main and current problem is that if I try to create a new virtual

machine manualy using the wizard the VM takes a lot of time in be created

when 1 week ago it took seconds, also if you tried to stsrt the new VM it

never starts only an error message apears saying that: "It took much time

to contact the server where i want to create the new VM".

I hope this can give you more info.

And again thanks for your help !! 😃

Saludos / Regards

[jccoca]

Hi,

First at all try to connect to the storage with an in-band conection to discard networks problems, you need a machine directly conected by fibre to the switch.

Put the event log from the storage manager, it seems a Storage problem and not an ESX problem. Is a new SAN or it was working before?

[beagle_jbl]

It is apparent to me that the ESX server(s) cannot write to the LUN on the SAN - and there could be many reasons for that.

It sounds like the DS4700 is new and used just for VM. I would be concerned that your out of band managament is unresponsive and that your fault LED is lit. Is there anything in your DS4000/4700 event log? If not, here is an article that may be helpful: I would pursue the storage angle and call the vendor - utilizing their support to get your out of band management working, get rid of that fault light, and eliminate the SAN as the source of the problem.

Once that is resolved I have more questions if you are still having problems:

Can you provide info on your LUN/SAN config and zoning config. I am assuming you are very familiar with SANs but if not let me know. How large is the LUN you created and then formatted with VMFS? Did you present it to both servers in the DS4000 config. When you create a VM, are you ensuring you select the SAN LUN and not the local storage on the x3650s? You will have difficulties creating VMs when you approach the storage limit for the target VMFS partition.

I'll keep an eye on this thread.

[MaikoVA]

Hi !

The SAN es new and the way I´m connecting with is not with fiber but with

a regular UTP patch-cord. Yesterday after I shutdown everything i´m not

able to connect with the san. I was abe to connect to one of my 2 IP

adresses 192.168.128.101 was working but the 192.168.128.102 was not

responding and the Gurú said that it may be manually moved to Offline

(wich nobody did). Today I´m not able to connect to any of the 2 IP´s and

the "!" led is still there.

Saludos / Regards

[MaikoVA]

Hi good morning !

Yes ..... I´m very new with VMWare and very new in this company, as far as

I know VMware is here since January 2007 but for different reason the ESX

and the SAN were not working. Finally after several HW replacement the HW

started working and I was able to create new virtual machines using both

servers and as in the SAN as in the local ESX hard disk.

Everything was looking fine and we started with a "hot cloning" migration

process but because of the los free space in the curren HP servers we were

not able to do so. After the supplier support he sent us a boot CD in

order to make a "cold cloning" process wich does not need the free space

in the local server.

With taht we were able to migrate our Lotus Notes server but having to

resize the 3 partitions because my understanding is that 50% of the SAN is

managed by one ESX and the other 50% for the second ESX so we only had 305

Gb to create migrate notes. The current HP server was bigger than that and

we had te resize 2 partitions (makeing them smaller) and after that the

cold cloning process worked just fine !!

Never the less after doing that we have not been able to migrate any of

the other to HP servers because of the SAN, I really don´t know whay ....

We´re trying to migrate them to an empty ESX server with enough SAN free

space to migrate the las 2 servers. We also tried to create them manually

instead of migrate them and install everything from 0 but I´m not able to

do that either !!

Nothing has been moved (fiber, connections) Just as the local supplier

left the connectios is the way they are today, nobody has disconnected

anything ....... it´s really weird at least fot me that I´m new in this

virtualization technology not for you guys who are the experts !!

I know that maybe I´m not giving so much info about this and I´m sorry for

that but I really apreciate all your help. 😃

Saludos / Regards

[beagle_jbl]

Can you provide screen shots from your VI Client for both ESX hostson the Configuration tab, with Storage(SCSI, SAN, and NFS) selected.

Are you using Virtual Center or just standalone copies of ESX Server?

[MaikoVA]

You mean this screen?

Saludos / Regards

[beagle_jbl]

You didn't attach a screen shot.

[MaikoVA]

Here´s a file

Saludos / Regards

[beagle_jbl]

Can you provide the same screens from the other server?

[MaikoVA]

Sure thing !! here´s the other server´s screens 😃

Saludos / Regards

[beagle_jbl]

Can you try creating a VM on Storage1 (local storage) instead of on the SAN. If you can create one there without issue, that will point to the SAN/LUN. If not, then the problem is with ESX server.

It looks as though your SAN LUNs and paths are correct - which makes this a bit of a head-scratcher. Maybe there is an issue with the extent you added. I want to bang my head on my desk because I know I've seen a similar problem before, but it was so long ago I cannot recall what the issue was. What OS is the PC you are trying to convert and how large is the disk?

[MaikoVA]

Hi again !!

Here´s a file with the screens of several test I made some mins. ago as

you asked me to do, I created 4 new VM two on each server.

The SV02 works just fine wherever I created the new VM both booted just

fine.

In the SV01 is another story.... I created the new VM as in the SAN as in

the ESX HD and both failed, i mean I was able to create them but the did

not boot ... you can see the error message in the file

About the HP servers i need to convert ... both are Windows 2000 Server

one of them is not bigger thar 80 Gb and the other one is not bigger than

200 gb

Saludos / Regards

[beagle_jbl]

Well, there is some progress. It looks like the machines are powering on, you just can't connect to the console. For the ESX Server you are having trouble with, can you go to the configuration tab and post the Networking screen shot and the Security Profile screen shot?

[MaikoVA]

Hi 😃 !!

Here´s the file with the screens

Saludos / Regards

[beagle_jbl]

Looks good, can you verify that you can connect to 10.119.0.150. Can you ping that IP? If you can, can you also telnet to port 902 (from a command prompt type: telnet 10.119.0.150 902) - you should get a response that looks like this: 220 VMware Authentication Daemon Version 1.10: SSL Required, ServerDaemonProtocol:SOAP, MKSDisplayProtocol:VNC To exit that the Escape Character is 'CTRL+]'

As a side note, do you have Virtual Centre installed?

[MaikoVA]

Hi there !

Here´s the latest screen and I was not able to do the Telnet to the IP =(

Saludos / Regards

[beagle_jbl]

Oops - missing the screen shot.