Users Guide
Table Of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 2: Installation
- Chapter 3: Configuration
- 3.1 ESXi Command Line Tool Transition
- 3.2 FC Driver Configuration
- 3.2.1 Configuration Methods for FC Driver Parameters
- 3.2.2 Emulex ExpressLane Support
- 3.2.3 FC-SP-2 Authentication (DH-CHAP) Support
- 3.2.4 Trunking Support
- 3.2.5 Dynamically Adding LUNs
- 3.2.6 Dynamically Adding Targets
- 3.2.7 FC Driver Module Parameters
- 3.2.8 Creating an FC Remote Boot Disk
- 3.2.9 Managing Devices through the CIM Interface
- 3.2.10 Installing the Emulex CIM Provider
- 3.2.11 Creating, Deleting, and Displaying vPorts
- 3.2.12 Configuring VVols
- 3.2.13 Adjusting the LUN Queue Depth
- 3.3 Configuring NVMe over FC on a NetApp Target
- 3.4 Configuring NVMe over FC on an Initiator System
- Chapter 4: Troubleshooting the FC Driver
- Chapter 5: Troubleshooting the NVMe Driver
- Appendix A: esxcli Management Tool
- Appendix B: lpfc Driver BlockGuard Functionality
- Appendix C: Using the VMID Feature on a Brocade Switch
- Appendix D: Using the VMID Feature on a Cisco Switch
- Appendix E: NPIV Configuration
- Appendix F: License Notices
Broadcom DRVVM-UG128-100
5
Emulex Drivers for VMware ESXi User Guide
Chapter 1: Introduction
This product supports the following Emulex
®
HBAs:
LPe12000-series adapters
LPe16000-series adapters
LPe31000-series adapters
LPe32000-series adapters
LPe35000-series adapters
The VMware ESXi drivers support the FC protocol. In addition, ESXi 7.0 supports NVMe over FC on Emulex
LPe31000-series, LPe32000-series, and LPe35000-series adapters in initiator systems.This document explains how to
install the VMware ESXi drivers on your system and how to configure the drivers’ capabilities. The following is a partial list
of configurable VMware ESXi features:
Adding LUNs and targets
Configuring driver parameters
Creating an FC remote boot disk
Managing devices through the CIM interface
Working with vPorts
Configuring VVols
Troubleshooting FC issues
Refer to the Emulex HBA Manager Application User Guide and the Emulex HBA Manager Application for VMware vCenter
User Guide for a complete list of supported technology.
NOTE: The Emulex OneCommand
®
Manager application has been renamed as the Emulex HBA Manager application.
NVMe over FC is a relatively new protocol for solid-state storage devices built with nonvolatile memory technologies. NVMe
provides substantially lower latency for storage I/O operations and significantly higher IOPs per device. NVMe scales up the
number of devices it can address by adopting NVMe over fabric technology. LPe31000-series, LPe32000-series, and
LPe35000-series HBAs are enabled for NVMe over fabrics. NVMe-enabled HBAs support NVMe over fabrics and SCSI
concurrently, allowing data centers to transition to all-flash storage at their own pace.
You will need a basic understanding of NVMe over FC before configuring it. You can use a search engine to find various
websites and books that describe NVMe over FC. In particular, you will need to understand the concept of namespaces (the
NVMe equivalent of SCSI LUNs) and NVMe subsystems (containers of SCSI LUN equivalents).
Refer to the Emulex Drivers for VMware ESXi Release Notes for known issues regarding NVMe over FC support.
1.1 ESXi Compatibility
For information on compatible firmware versions, go to www.broadcom.com.