iscsi vmkernel configuration

[pencer]

Hi,

We have NetApp FAS3020, Proliant DL360 G5, 6 nics, ESX3.5. VM's use MS iscsi initator and Snapdrive to connect to storage.

We've had numerous consultants give us varying information on how to setup our iscsi config.

We are being told that in Netwroking we should create one vswitch with two nics for SC and VMK, a second vswitch with two nics for second SC and VM Lan, a third vswitch with one nic for ISCSI and ISCSI VMK, a fourth vswitch for our other ISCSI range with another VMK.

Do we really need three VMKs?

Do we need to seperate the two ISCSI ranges on to seperate nics (so no teaming) and give them both a VMK?

I've tried searching and can't seem to find any advice on how to set up ISCSI and VMkernel settings.

Please help.

Cheers,

Andy.

[Mujina]

Hi Spencer,

try this :

Service console port and VmKernel port share a vSwitch and be in the same subnet

ex :

VMKernel Port X

192.168.1.100

Service Console Y

192.168.1.200

[Mujina]

Pencer,

Be sure you have both SC and VMkernel port can acces the storage.

You talk about MS iSCSI initiator, that is the one which is managed by the deamon vmkiscsid ?

[NTurnbull]

Hi pencer, have you seen the VMware iSCSI Design Considerations and Deployment Guide?

[Texiwill]

Hello,

Check out http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/34581 as well. But mainly you need to have your SC participate with the iSCSI network. This could be by having multiple SC ports or having things firewalled/routed from the single SC. Remember multiple SCs will at least double the network attack surface.

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.

SearchVMware Blog: http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/virtualization-pro/

Blue Gears Blogs - http://www.itworld.com/ and http://www.networkworld.com/community/haletky

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

[SkyC]

Are you using the ESX software iSCSI initiator for the OS vmdk's, or utilizing some other type of storage and relying on the MS iSCSI and Snapdrive to connect a data drive from within the VM?

If you are using ESX's software iSCSI initiator, as previous people replied, you will need to have a service console and VM Kernel port on each vSwitch that is accessing iSCSI storage.

If you are relying on the Microsoft iSCSI initiator installed within the guest operating system, the iSCSI traffic will just go out the normal virtual machine network that you configured for the particular virtual machine.

[pencer]

We aren't using ESX isci. We have vm's with W2k3 installed, then Microsoft ISCSI Initiator, then NetApp Snapdrive. We use Snapdrive to configure the ISCSI connection to our filer, then create and connect to our Netapp Luns.

I can't understand why we would need VMKernel for each ISCI network in Vmware?

I've attached a screenshot,. please have a look so you can see how we've been told to set it up.

Many thanks for the quick responses.

[weinstein5]

If you are using the MS iSCSI intitator as your only access to your iSCSI storage than no you do not need to create all those bmkernel ports and service console ports - you would only need to do that if you are using the ESX software iSCSI initiator and having your ESX server use the iSCSI LUNs -

If you find this or any other answer useful please consider awarding points by marking the answer correct or helpful -

[Mujina]

From the picture I can see you have 3 vswitchs with ports group, so they don't be usefull for the iSCSI initiator.

The first vSwith uses VMKernel and SC both attached to 2 NICs... So this is the problem i think, because the vSwith says us : " vSwich uses both VMkernel and SC, that is correct, but access the storage with 2 access, that is not correct..."

I remember you don't have any NIC teaming; so don't use 2 physicals adapters, and i think the communication with the storage will be great. (think to open port 3260 in the firewall properties...).

To answer you question, why you need to use vmkernel for iSCSI network is easy : iSCSI initiator works with the deamon vmkiscsid that runs in the SC.

SC NIC and VMkernel NIC need yo talk to the iSCSI storage; vmkiscsid initiates the session and performs login and authentication

Please, feed back, i just want to know...

Vincent

[pencer]

After reading a bit more i can see where my question isn't clear enough.

We aren't using a vmware iscsi software adapter, or anything iscsi in vmware to access the NetApp luns.

We have fibre channel connections from our hosts to our NetApp, where we connect to LUNS presented from there.

Our VM's are created on those FC LUNS.

Inside the Windows VM we install NetApp Snapdrive and Microsoft ISCSI Initiator. We then use these to connect from within the VM to our NetApp to create and connect to the data LUNS.

My question is if we are only using MS ISCSI from within a VM to connect, is there any need for a vmkernel on that same vswitch?

Please have another look at the picture i posted further up as it shows what i mean.

Many thanks,

Andy.

[weinstein5]

If you are using the MC iSCSI initator there is no need for a vmkernel port to acces your iSCSI datastores - the vmkernel port is need for when the vmkernel accsses IP based storage like iSCSI and NAS/NFS or fro VMotion -