How to make an HP EVA controller visible to a VM?

[TedH256]

Folks -

I'm trying to figure out how to get a Virtual Machine to "see" an HP EVA storage controller. I am not trying to do an RDM or even "VM Direct Path/PCI passthrough" (though the latter would be another option if it is easier).

My goal is to configure the EVA management tool Command View EVA" on a VM. In order to do that, the VM has to be able to directly see the controller (I guess that means it is in-band management).

See a snippet from the install guide below. The particular passage that I'd like to figure out is:

"the active path to LUN 0 of a single

controller can be made visible to HP P6000 Command View on the virtual machine.

Virtualized SCSI Mode is enabled by default when you install HP P6000 Command

View 9.3 or later."

How do I accomplish this?

From the Command View EVA install guide:

Installing,

upgrading, and removing HP P6000 Command View on a virtual machine is the same

as installing HP P6000 Command View on a management server (a physical machine).

When using the VMware guest operating system, two methods are supported:

– Virtualized SCSI Mode: With this method, only the active path to LUN 0 of a single

controller can be made visible to HP P6000 Command View on the virtual machine.

Virtualized SCSI Mode is enabled by default when you install HP P6000 Command

View 9.3 or later.

– VMDirectPath (PCI pass-through): Supported on HP P6000 Command View 9.3 or

later. See Table 4.0, HP software deployment options, in the HP P6000 Enterprise

Virtual Array Compatibility Reference for VMDirectPath hardware requirements. To

8 Preparation

configure VMDirectPath, see “Configuring VMDirectPath I/O for HP ProLiant Servers,”

which is available on the VMware website at:

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1025641

NOTE: Although this technical note indicates that the VMDirectPath configuration

is experimental, HP and VMware have an agreement that this configuration is

supported.

[Josh26]

I went back and forth on this and could never get anything better than "Please setup VMDirectPath" after extensive discussion with HP.

I'm aware that's a terrible answer because it means you can't then use that FC HBA to serve SAN access. I raised the same issue you did regarding HP documentation implying otherwise and insisted it got escalated to management - but only got the same response back.

Ultimately, we needed a physical server for backups (since you can't attach a tape drive to a VM) so we figured we may aswell setup CV there.

I'd be very interested to see where you get with this.

[TedH256]

This is pretty discouraging news - I have an open incident with both HP and VMware at this point, and am going back and forth. I'll post an update when there is one.

In the meantime, VM Direct Path - that would require that the HBA in the server be dedicated to PCI Passthrough? Well gees - that is not very attractive. But the other "virtualized SCSI" mode, I would think that means "NPIV" where the workstation gets a WWPN and can be zoned in the fabric - do you think that is correct? Given the text in the Command View install guide I would think that should work? Did neither VMWare or HP think that would be the approach to use?