Dell MD3000 with ESX 3.5

[jt30605]

Has anyone configured ESX 3.5 to run with a Dell MD3000 arrary (non i)? I'm trying to get a host to see this array, but I'm not having much luck. I tried installing the linux driver, but it really did not like that! Under configuration/Storage Adapters, I do see vmhba1, and vmhba2. These point to a lun that is 20MB. I'm not sure how to get this thing configured. My only experience is with Fiber and iscsi.

[balacs · Accepted solution]

You should not install drivers on ESX. When you install ESX, it will have the latest drivers. Note that the ESX drivers are not exactly Linux drivers, but modified versions.

Did you create RAID volumes with MD3000? MD3000 comes with a management application. (It comes in a CD/DVD). You need to install it on a system (or VM), discover the storage and create RAID volumes.

Let me know if it works.

Bala

Dell Inc

[cody_bunch]

I've got one running in production. While it works I don't know that I'd do it again. The 20Mb you see is a default. You need to use the Dell software (from another host) to carve up the array and present a "LUN" to the ESX server.

-Cody Bunch

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[Texiwill]

Hello,

Never install drivers on ESX unless they come from VMware or are management agents designed for VMware by the hardware Vendors. I suggest you reinstall ESX to fully remove your linux drivers. Remember ESX is not Linux. It is ESX and the vmkernel drivers are the only drivers you can use.

In general most SANs have a controlling LUN that is fairly small and is memory not disk. This is generally LUN 0 and the controlling LUN. You will need to create LUNs using some other system, most likely you can not do it through ESX.

Best regards,

Edward L. Haletky

VMware Communities User Moderator

====

Author of the book 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise: Planning and Securing Virtualization Servers', Copyright 2008 Pearson Education.

CIO Virtualization Blog: http://www.cio.com/blog/index/topic/168354

As well as the Virtualization Wiki at http://www.astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Virtualization

[jt30605]

We decided to return the MD3000 and get an MD3000i since those are officially supported. Thanks for the responses.

[balacs]

MD3000 is also official supported.

But with MD3000i you can connect more number of ESX servers (max 16 to max 4 for MD3000). You also get VMotion.

Support Matrix: http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/shared/vmware_software_compatibility_matrix.pdf?c=us&cs=555&l=e...

Reference Configurations: http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/solutions/pvault_esx_storage_deployment_guide_v1.pdf

Bala

Dell Inc

[jt30605]

Right, I should have clarified. We want to use vmotion with this so we're switching to the MD3000i.