Add new Datastore from NAS or USB

[lifeonmars]

Hi guys

My ESXi 3.5 U4 is running low on space and we can afford new hard drives at the moment...we have a NAS with XFS file system it also includes a USB port for external drives whcih we'd like to use as our seconadry store for VMs.

I have tried to add a NAS share on the Infrastructure Client using the NFS option but it keeps failing, see 'fails.jpg'. Is this because its not formated with NFS file system? If so, how do I format a drive with NFS or an NFS compatible format?

Please advise

Many thanks

[john23]

Are you able to do vmkping to vmkernel?

-@m!t

[lifeonmars]

How would i do that? I am a Windows guys, struggling with Linux terms could you dumb it down for me?

Our VMWare guru has been injured and is off sick.

[john23]

Okay..

1)Open esxi host using VMware vSphere Client.

2)Go to confiugration tab and check netwoking for vmkenel,it should have proper gateway and should be in same network

3)Open ESXi host using ilo or direct access (iF you can )Go to yellow screen (DCUI)and test the network, are you able to ping NFS share.

-@m!t

[lifeonmars]

Thanks...I dont have VMware vSphere Client, I am using Infrastructure Client, will that do?

I have set the ESXi server network credentials for our local network, i.e. gateway settings etc. See attached 'network.jpg'

[DSTAVERT]

What NFS server are you using?

Is NFS enabled?

Shares properly set up and permissions assigned?

[lifeonmars]

i dont have an NFS sever persay, what i do have a NAS drive with shares and permissions set on it, on XFS file system and it also has a usb port for external drives.

[patrickds]

You need NFS to be able to access it.

NFS is a file sharing protocol, mostly used in Linux world, just like on Windows you usually have SMB or CIFS.

Do you access those share on the NAS from Windows machines? Then they're probably SMB or CIFS, which cannot be used by ESX.

You'll have to check the NAS' docs or configuration to know whether it supports NFS or not.

Seeing it uses an XFS file system, it must use some linux-like OS, and probably will support NFS, you'll just have to find out how to create exports (NFS term for shares)

[DSTAVERT]

Is the NFS service(s) started. Post your exports file.

As long as the NFS server is visible to the esxi host on the network it is about as simple as it gets. Also be aware that ESXi does not support NFS4

[lifeonmars]

I see...thanks. would it be possible to install a plug in for the NFS protocol on the ESXi server/Infrastructure Client?

It'd be so much easier if I could just plug in a USB drive in to the ESX server.

[DSTAVERT]

USB is just far too slow to run a virtual machine. Why not migrate some of the data from the VM to the NAS device.

If that isn't an option then check the NAS documentation to see if it is capable of running NFS. If this is just a linux server then it is very easy to set up NFS. The exports file is single line.

[thecakeisalie]

From the VMware HCL:

---

Network Attached Storage

The following Linux distributions support network attached storage

ESX 3.x

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 NFS Server (Update 2).

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 NFS Server (Update 5).

• Fedora Core 4 NFS Server (2.6.12-1.1456_FC4.9550smp).

• Fedora Core 6 NFS Server (2.6.18-1.2798.fc6 #1 SMP) for ESX 3.5 only.

ESX 4.0

Fedora Core 8 NFS Server

NOTE: Windows Clustering (MSCS) is not supported with NAS.

---

So, if you have a server that has any kind of hard disk in it at all, or a USB disk (regardless of the fact that it will have horrible, unstable performance as other posters have commented on), you will technically have supported NFS storage for your virtual machines until you're able to buy a real NAS/SAN or additional disks; provided you're running one of the aforementioned operating systems running NFS server.

You will still need to configure all of the exports you're going to be providing to the ESX servers will need root access, not just read/write.

[lifeonmars]

The NAS is XFS formatted and the ESXi wont recognise the shares, even with very lose permissions.

I will try the solutions suggested and report back!

Thank you all for your support so far!

[patrickds]

The question at this point is not wether ESX supports NFS (which it does), but wether your NAS does.

As said before, it appears to be linuxbased, so it probably will (though not guaranteed)

Check the NAS, or post the Brand/model.

When you talk about permissions, do you mean Filesystem permissions or Share permissions?

For ESX to access an NFS export, it requires root access.

You never answered the previous question about your shares: what filesharing protocol are they using? (do you access them from windows machines without having to install nfs client?)

[lifeonmars]

Sorry Patrickds, please see below:

The question at this point is not wether ESX supports NFS (which it does), but wether your NAS does - Having spoken to the manufacturers, Buffalo they suggest although the NAS is Linus based, they can not confirm if it supports NFS. Here is a link to the exact one http://www.buffalo-technology.com/products/network-storage/linkstation/ls-chl-linkstation-live/

When you talk about permissions, do you mean Filesystem permissions or Share permissions? - I mean share permissions, the shares are accessed through Windows clients and can be accessed by Fedora 11 too but are created through a Web Interface for the NAS by any OS. I dont and havent installed anything to access the shares. I have even tried turning off the share permissions but this doesnt work either.

[DSTAVERT · Accepted solution]

Buffalo does not support NFS. It lacks the services. Many of the small NAS devics used to support NFS. Iomega storecenter devices do support NFS, are on the HCL and are quite inexpensive. I have one for storing ISO's and one VM. Works great and I think it was $100.

[lifeonmars]

Ah I see...we chosse against IOMEGA due to the negative reviews online. Buffalo was raved about and hence Buffalo was the obviouse choice at the time. It was only supposed to be used a file store but now we need it to store more VMs on.

I have confirmation from the MD we can buy more disks for the ESXi server!!

Many thanks to everyone for their contribution!

[patrickds]

You're out of luck on that one: no NFS indeed

http://www.buffalo-technology.com/products/network-storage/linkstation/ls-chl-linkstation-live/specs...

check the protocol support part

If you don't need shared storage, adding local disks would be your option (like you said in the other post)

[TomHowarth]

Actually although the Terastation may not support NFS they do now have an iSCSI model and this appears to be an excelent choice for a SMB upto 4TB of storage.

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Tom Howarth VCP / vExpert

VMware Communities User Moderator

Blog: www.planetvm.net

Contributing author for the upcoming book "[VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment|http://my.safaribooksonline.com/9780136083214]”. Currently available on roughcuts