VMware ESXi 5.5 – 6.
Revisions Date Status April 2012 Initial release September 2012 Updates for VMware® ESXi™ 5.1 and MEM 1.1.1 October 2012 Correction in section 2: “Enable flow control on iSCSI NICs” December 2012 Added info for connecting to iSCSI volumes April 2013 Added info for setting Software Initiator LoginTimeout parameter December 2013 Added info for ESXi 5.5, MEM 1.2, and Dell™ PS Series firmware version 7 July 2015 Added info for ESXi 6.0, MEM 1.3, and Dell PS Series firmware version 7.1.
1 Prerequisites This document is one part of a complete installation guide series from the Rapid EqualLogic Configuration Portal. Please make sure that you have the complete set for your configuration before proceeding. Before proceeding: Ensure that ESXi 5.5, 6.0, or 6.5 is installed on the host server. Update the ESXi 5.5, 6.0, or 6.5 host by applying all VMware patches. The recommended method is to patch the ESXi host using VMware vCenter® Update Manager.
2 Enable flow control on iSCSI NICs The following procedure requires physical or remote SSH access to the server. Refer to VMware KB article 101790 for more information on using the ESXi console in Tech Support Mode. 1. At the ESXi console, type: esxcli nic pauseParams list 2. The available NICs, support for pause parameters, and each NICs RX and TX pause parameter setting are among the information displayed. 3.
3 Configure additional security access for ESXi 6.0 1. To enable SSH access to the ESXi host using the vSphere Web Client, select Host > Manage in the Navigator pane, then select TSM-SSH in the Services tab, and click Start. Note: SSH can also be enabled via the ESXi console: Troubleshooing Options > Enable SSH. Note: The VMware vSphere® Command Line Interface (version-specific for the environment) must be installed on the management server. 2. Connect to the ESXi host using an SSH utilty. a.
4 Install and configure the Multipathing Extension Module Note: The Multipathing Extension Module (MEM) requires VMware vSphere licensing of: Version 5.x - Enterprise or Enterprise Version 6.x - Standard or higher 1. To place the ESXi host in Maintenance Mode, right-click the ESXi host from vSphere Web client and select Enter Maintenance mode. Note: The appropriate VMware vSphere CLI (vCLI 5.5, 6.0, or 6.5) environment must be installed on the management server. 2.
5 Connecting to volumes 1. From the vSphere ESXi Embedded Host client, in the Navigator area, select Storage > Adapters > iSCSI Software Adapter, and click Configure iSCSI at the top of the Adpaters area. 2. Copy the iSCSI initiator name found in the Name & alias field and proceed to the next step. The next screenshot illustrates how to use the iSCSI initiator name to limit iSCSI access at the EqualLogic Group Manager.
3. Select the access type that allows to Define one or more basic access points. 4. Click Yes to allow simultaneous access to this volume from more than one iSCSI initiator. 5. Click Add, and in the New Basic Access Point window, specify the type of access you plan to use (CHAP, initiator name, or IP address). 6. In the vSphere ESXi Embedded Host client, select Storage > Adapters > iSCSI Software Adapter, and click Rescan at the top of the Adpaters area 7.
6 Creating a datastore 1. From the vSphere ESXi Embedded Host client, on the Storage > Devices tab, click New datastore. 2. In the New datastore wizard, provide a name for the new datastore and click Next. Note: Dell EMC recommends using the PS Series storage volume alias as the name for the datastore within vSphere to aid in effective management and troubleshooting. 9 VMware ESXi 5.5 – 6.
3. Select the appropriate available device from which to create the new datastore and click Next. Note: Step 4 is skipped in ESXi 6.0 because VMFS-5 is the only option. 4. Select the partitioning layout and file system version from the drop-down lists and click Next. 10 VMware ESXi 5.5 – 6.
5. Confirm the summary information and click Finish to complete the New Datastore wizard. 6. Click Yes to confirm the warning message. 11 VMware ESXi 5.5 – 6.
