HP 3PAR VMware ESX Implementation Guide
Table Of Contents
- HP 3PAR VMware ESX Implementation Guide
- Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Configuring the HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage for Fibre Channel
- 3 Configuring the HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage for iSCSI
- 4 Configuring the HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage for FCoE
- 5 Configuring the Host for a Fibre Channel Connection
- Installing the HBA and Drivers
- Installing Virtual Machine Guest Operating System
- Multipath Failover Considerations and I/O Load Balancing
- Performance Considerations for Multiple Host Configurations
- ESX/ESXi 4.1, ESXi 5.x Additional Feature Considerations
- Storage I/O Control
- vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI)
- HP 3PAR VAAI Plugin 1.1.1 for ESX 4.1
- HP 3PAR VAAI Plugin 2.2.0 for ESXi 5.x
- UNMAP (Space Reclaim) Storage Hardware Support for ESXi 5.x
- Out-of-Space Condition for ESX 4.1 and ESXi 5.x
- Additional New Primitives Support on ESXi 5.x
- VAAI and New Feature Support Table
- VAAI Plugin Verification
- 6 Configuring the Host as an FCoE Initiator Connecting to a FC target or an FCoE Target
- 7 Configuring the Host for an iSCSI Connection
- Setting Up the Switch, iSCSI Initiator, and iSCSI target ports
- Installing iSCSI on VMware ESX
- Installing Virtual Machine Guest Operating System
- Creating a VMkernel Port
- Configuring a Service Console Connection for the iSCSI Storage
- Configuring the VMware SW iSCSI Initiator
- iSCSI Failover Considerations and Multipath Load Balancing
- Performance Considerations for Multiple Host Configurations
- ESX/ESXi Additional Feature Considerations
- 8 Allocating Storage for Access by the ESX Host
- 9 Booting the VMware ESX Host from the HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage
- 10 Support and Other Resources
- 11 Documentation feedback
- A Appendix
A brief description of the "primitives":
• Full Copy (XCOPY) enables the storage array to make full copies of data within the array
without having to have the ESX host read and write the data. This offloads some data copy
processes to the storage array.
• Block Zeroing (WRITE-SAME) enables the storage array to zero-out a large number of blocks
within the array without having to have the ESX host write the zeros as data and helps expedite
the provisioning of VMs. This offloads some of the file space zeroing functions to the storage
array.
• Hardware Assisted Locking (ATS) provides an alternative to SCSI reservations as a means to
protect the metadata for VMFS cluster file systems and helps improve the scalability of large
ESX host farms sharing a datastore.
HP 3PAR VAAI Plugin 1.1.1 for ESX 4.1
Support for VMware VAAI functionality is available via installation of the HP 3PAR VAAI Plugin
1.1.1 on ESX/ESXi 4.1 in combination with HP 3PAR HP 3PAR OS version 2.3.1 MU2 (minimum).
For further information on VMware VAAI, the HP 3PAR VAAI Plugin for ESX/ESXi 4.1 installation
package, and the HP 3PAR VAAI Plug-in 1.1.1 for VMware vSphere 4.1 User's Guide, go to:
HP Software Depot
NOTE: There is an HP 3PAR VAAI plugin v1.1.1 limitation in which VAAI Full Copy (XCOPY)
does not function, and data copy processes are not offloaded to the array, as of HP 3PAR OS
3.1.2 using 16-byte volume WWNs.
HP 3PAR VAAI Plugin 2.2.0 for ESXi 5.x
HP 3PAR VAAI Plugin 2.2.0 on ESXi 5.x needs to be installed if the HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage
HP 3PAR OS is 2.3.1 MU2 or a higher version of HP 3PAR OS 2.3.1, to take advantage of the
storage array primitives or hardware offloads (mainly XCOPY, Write-Same, and ATS).
HP 3PAR VAAI Plug 2.2.0 should not be installed on the ESXi 5.x if connected to an HP 3PAR
StoreServ Storage running HP 3PAR OS 3.1.1 or later, because the VAAI primitives are handled
by the default T10 VMware plugin and do not require the HP 3PAR VAAI plugin.
The following table summarizes the HP 3PAR VAAI Plugin installation requirements.
Table 2 HP 3PAR VAAI Plugin Installation Requirements
ESXi 5.xESXi 5.xESX 4.1ESX 4.1VMware ESX
Features/Primitives
HP 3PAR OS 3.1.1 or
later
HP 3PAR OS 2.3.1 MU2
or later
HP 3PAR OS 3.1.1 or
later
HP 3PAR OS 2.3.1 MU2
or later
Supported. Does not
require HP 3PAR VAAI
Requires HP 3PAR VAAI
2.2.0 plugin
Requires HP 3PAR
VAAI 1.1.1 plugin
Requires HP 3PAR VAAI
1.1.1 plugin
ATS
XCOPY
plugin (supported by
Standard T10 ESX
plugin).
WRITE_SAME
52 Configuring the Host for a Fibre Channel Connection