RDM Disk Migration

[phetertheo]

Hi Teams

I need you support as below situation

Infra:

-Running ESXi 5.0 Enterprise and vCenter 5 Standard

-storage using IBM DS8800

-one of virtual machine attach with RDM disk direct to LUN DS8800

-eg:

Virtual Disk 1 (OS) stored in VMFS Datastore

Virtual Disk 2 (Data) stored in RDM

We are planning to get new storage. How we can migrate RDM Disk into new SAN Storage Array and Keep Using RDM in new SAN.

Thanks.

[eddzta]

Hi phetertheo,

Could you tell us what Application this is in regards to?

Also what is your new SAN array that you are migrating to? Do you have the means to copy the data from your current Storage Array to the new one?

Cheers

[phetertheo]

Hi eddzta

Currently the the server running on RHEL 6.3 which second disk (Virtual Disk 2) we mapping using RDM. This RDM direct connect using virtual mode of RDM to Storage IBM DS8800.

We have new storage IBM DS8870, and plan to move all the virtual machine data into this new SAN.

I have no idea whether we can migrate RDM just like that using vMotion or any other method that easy and friendly.

Pls advice.

[eddzta]

Unfortunately there isn't a way to change the physical location of the RDM from SAN to SAN via vmware IF you want to keep the Disk as an RDM. All we can do here is change the pointer file location if this is the case.

You can perform a Storage vMotion and migrate the Virtual Mode RDM into a .vmdk disk if this would be acceptable? Just follow the same process as you would for a normal Storage vMotion.

An alternative would be to create a LUN on the new SAN array, present it to the VM, and then perform an OS level copy of the data over to the new drive.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

[rcporto]

You can replicate the volume on IBM DS8800 to IBM DS8870 using pprc (Metro Mirror) and once the volumes are synchronized, unmount and remove the disk from VM and map the disk on IBM DS8870 to VM and mount it.