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How to properly Create iSCSI connections from ESXi 4.1 to SAN
STEP: SAN Network Adapter Setup
Assumption: Two physical iSCSI network connections on two separate network adapters.
Action: - Create a single vSwitch assign both SAN network adapters to this vSwitch - Create a new port group and choose VMkernel as the type, enter the first iSCSI ip address. - Repeat the last step with the second iSCSI IP address. - Edit the first SAN port group that you created in the last step, go to the last tab "network adapters", keep only one adapter in the active adapter area, but the second one in the unused area. - repeat the last step for the second SAN port group, choose the oposite network adapter for the active one, put the active adapter from port group 1 as unused.
STEP: Enable Software iSCSI
Action: on the ESXi 4.1 vSphere client go to: Storage Adapters, select the software iSCSI adapter and click the properties link. Enable software iSCSI. This will generate an iSCSI ID and give the software iSCSI adapter a name like "vmhba33" or something similar. Save this name for a future step.
STEP: Locate which vmknic id for your physical iSCSI network adapters.
Action: log into the ESXi SSH console with putty
Command: esxcfg-vmknic --list
Result:
Interface Port Group/DVPort IP Family IP Address Netmask Broadcast MAC Address MTU TSO MSS Enabled Type
vmk0 Management Network IPv4 192.198.1.55 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.255 84:2b:2b:61:39:36 1500 65535 true STATIC
vmk1 SAN_VLAN_11_ISCSI_1 IPv4 10.1.5.26 255.255.255.0 10.1.5.255 00:50:56:72:47:7f 1500 65535 true STATIC
vmk2 SAN_VLAN_11_ISCSI_2 IPv4 10.1.5.27 255.255.255.0 10.1.5.255 00:50:56:77:4b:7a 1500 65535 true STATIC
~ #
STEP: Bond the vmknic IDs to the software iSCSI adapter.
Action:
At the SSH CLI of your ESXi 4.1 server type this command once per physical SAN adapter.
esxcli swiscsi nic add -n vmk1 -d vmhba33
When you type the command you will need to substitute the correct vmknic id and the correct iSCSI vmhba id.
Configure iSCSI SAN adapters on yoru new ESXi 4.1 Server
Last Updated: 7/10/11How to properly Create iSCSI connections from ESXi 4.1 to SAN
STEP: SAN Network Adapter Setup
Assumption: Two physical iSCSI network connections on two separate network adapters.
Action: - Create a single vSwitch assign both SAN network adapters to this vSwitch - Create a new port group and choose VMkernel as the type, enter the first iSCSI ip address. - Repeat the last step with the second iSCSI IP address. - Edit the first SAN port group that you created in the last step, go to the last tab "network adapters", keep only one adapter in the active adapter area, but the second one in the unused area. - repeat the last step for the second SAN port group, choose the oposite network adapter for the active one, put the active adapter from port group 1 as unused.
STEP: Enable Software iSCSI
Action: on the ESXi 4.1 vSphere client go to: Storage Adapters, select the software iSCSI adapter and click the properties link. Enable software iSCSI. This will generate an iSCSI ID and give the software iSCSI adapter a name like "vmhba33" or something similar. Save this name for a future step.
STEP: Locate which vmknic id for your physical iSCSI network adapters.
Action: log into the ESXi SSH console with putty
Command: esxcfg-vmknic --list
Result:
Interface Port Group/DVPort IP Family IP Address Netmask Broadcast MAC Address MTU TSO MSS Enabled Type
vmk0 Management Network IPv4 192.198.1.55 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.255 84:2b:2b:61:39:36 1500 65535 true STATIC
vmk1 SAN_VLAN_11_ISCSI_1 IPv4 10.1.5.26 255.255.255.0 10.1.5.255 00:50:56:72:47:7f 1500 65535 true STATIC
vmk2 SAN_VLAN_11_ISCSI_2 IPv4 10.1.5.27 255.255.255.0 10.1.5.255 00:50:56:77:4b:7a 1500 65535 true STATIC
~ #
STEP: Bond the vmknic IDs to the software iSCSI adapter.
Action:
At the SSH CLI of your ESXi 4.1 server type this command once per physical SAN adapter.
esxcli swiscsi nic add -n vmk1 -d vmhba33
When you type the command you will need to substitute the correct vmknic id and the correct iSCSI vmhba id.
Keywords: vmware esxi vsphere iscsi san setup, MPIO, hp san, redundancy