Disk more than 2 tb

[belanp]

Hi all,

I have a san disk 4 TB for the user storage data.

I would like to connect a 4 TB disk storage on one of my virtual machine. Is it possible to connect a drive on a virtual server without create a datastore (datastore is limited to 2 TB)?

Thanks.

[azn2kew · Accepted solution]

You can neither split to two 2TB LUNs or using NPIV WWN Nat'ing feature or look at Microsofit iSCSI within the OS itself. Otherwise you can create extents but not recommended.

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Regards,

Stefan Nguyen

VMware vExpert 2009

iGeek Systems Inc.

VMware, Citrix, Microsoft Consultant

[TomHowarth]

there is also the posibility to utilize NPIV if your HBAs support it

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Tom Howarth VCP / vExpert

VMware Communities User Moderator

Blog: www.planetvm.net

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[AntonVZhbankov]

There is another point of view on extents: http://virtualgeek.typepad.com/virtual_geek/2009/03/vmfs-best-practices-and-counter-fud.html

---

VMware vExpert '2009

http://blog.vadmin.ru

[Texiwill]

Hello,

You can neither split to two 2TB LUNs or using NPIV WWN Nat'ing feature or look at Microsofit iSCSI within the OS itself. Otherwise you can create extents but not recommended.

The limit is 2TB - 512 Bytes. The 512 Bytes is VERY important and will mess things up if you go truly to 2TBs.

NPIV works by first creating an RDM (again a 2TB - 512 Byte limit) and then you get virtual WWPNs.

So in this case the 2 TB - 512 Bytes rears up a gain.

If you use an iSCSI initiators within a VM besure you do not cross security zones by having them point to the same storage your ESX hosts use.

Best regards,

Edward L. Haletky VMware Communities User Moderator, VMware vExpert 2009, Virtualization Practice Analyst[/url]
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[RParker]

there is also the posibility to utilize NPIV if your HBAs support it

NPIV is a SWITCH feature not an HBA feature, we found this out the hard way, because the HBA's will support NPIV, but our SWITCH won't (Brocade 4000). Thus we are unable to utlize NPIV