NPIV Deployment Guide For Microsoft® Virtual Server 2005 and Virtual Machine Manager 2007 FC0054604-00 A
s NPIV Deployment Guide For Microsoft® Virtual Server 2005 and Virtual Machine Manager 2007 Information furnished in this manual is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, QLogic Corporation assumes no responsibility for its use, nor for any infringements of patents or other rights of third parties which may result from its use. QLogic Corporation reserves the right to change product specifications at any time without notice.
Table of Contents 1 Introduction Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N_Port ID Virtualization . . . . . . . .
NPIV Deployment Guide For Microsoft® Virtual Server 2005 and System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007 A s Troubleshooting Troubleshooting VMM 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troubleshooting Virtual Server 2005 and Virtual Machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troubleshooting QLogic Virtual HBA (NPIV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B A-1 A-1 A-1 Activity Flow Chart List of Figures Figure Page 1-1 N_Port ID Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1 Introduction Abstract This guide describes procedures and best practices for planning and deploying an N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) solution with QLogic Fibre Channel (FC) adapters in a Microsoft® Virtual Server 2005 and Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2007 environment. Overview This guide describes how and why data center system administrators should deploy the QLogic Fibre Channel adapter NPIV solution in Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 environments in conjunction with Microsoft VMM 2007.
s 1 – Introduction Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 Microsoft currently offers Virtual Server 2005 R2 SPI, a cost-effective server virtualization technology engineered for the Windows Server System™ platform. As a key part of any server consolidation strategy, Virtual Server increases hardware utilization and enables organizations to rapidly configure and deploy new servers.
a 1 – Introduction QLogic FC Adapter NPIV Solution NPIV allows a single physical FC HBA port to function as multiple logical ports, each with its World Wide Port Name (WWPN), as shown in Figure 1-1. Figure 1-1. N_Port ID Sharing QLogic FC Adapter NPIV Solution To complement Microsoft and other server virtualization software solutions, QLogic has extended virtualization capabilities to the HBA hardware through NPIV. All QLogic 2400 and 2500 series FC adapters implement and support NPIV.
1 – Introduction How this Guide is Organized s For a detailed discussion of NPIV benefits, see the QLogic White Paper HBA Virtualization Technologies for Windows OS Environments. This white paper is available at the following web page: www.qlogic.com/EducationAndResources/WhitePapersResourcelibrarySan.aspx How this Guide is Organized This step-by-step guide is organized as a set of procedures: Step 1: NPIV Deployment Requirements (Section 2).
a 1 – Introduction How this Guide is Organized Appendix A. Troubleshooting Appendix B.
1 – Introduction How this Guide is Organized s Notes 1-6 FC0054604-00 A
2 NPIV Deployment Requirements The following sections list the hardware and software requirements that must be met before deploying a QLogic NPIV solution on Microsoft Virtual Server 2005. Hardware Requirements NPIV Enabled FC HBA. QLogic 2400 series (4Gb) or 2500 series (8Gb) Fibre Channel HBA (also referred to as adapter). NPIV Enabled FC Switch.
2 – NPIV Deployment Requirements Software Requirements s Notes 2-2 FC0054604-00 A
3 Sample Configuration and Topology Figure 3-1 is an example of an NPIV configuration that uses all of the system elements from Section 2. A real-life data center is a more complex version of the same configuration. Figure 3-1. NPIV Configuration Example In Figure 3-1, Server A and Server B are called the host servers, which host the Virtual Machines and QLogic FC HBAs. These servers are connected to the SAN via an NPIV-enabled switch. Both Server A and Server B are part of a domain hosted by Server C.
3 – Sample Configuration and Topology s Figure 3-2 shows the NPIV topology (how all the logical components of the virtualization solution are connected to each other). Courtesy of Microsoft Corporation. Figure 3-2.
4 Configuring the Host and VMM Servers This section describes, at a high level, how to configure the host (Virtual Server 2005) and VMM (VMM 2007) servers. Detailed documentation for each of these steps can be found at: www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/virtualserver/ Initial Configuration of the VMM Server To initially configure the Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) server: 1. Install Microsoft Windows 2003 server R2 SP2. 2. Configure this server to be part of a Windows domain (Active Directory). 3.
4 – Configuring the Host and VMM Servers Adding Hosts to the VMM Server 8. s Configure the QLogic Fibre Channel switch so that the physical FC HBAs on both host servers have access to the same storage array. The switch is configured by creating the appropriate zones. For example, if you have storage array A and two hosts (Server A and Server B,) you can create Zone1, which has Server A and array A, and Zone2, which has Server B and array A.
a 4 – Configuring the Host and VMM Servers Configuring QLogic SANsurfer FC HBA Manager on the VMM Server Configuring QLogic SANsurfer FC HBA Manager on the VMM Server This section describes how to configure the QLogic SANsurfer FC HBA Manager GUI on the VMM server to allow QLogic FC HBAs that reside on host servers to be managed via the VMM server. Alternately, you can use QLogic’s SANsurfer FC HBA Command Line Interface (CLI) to achieve the tasks below. 1.
s 4 – Configuring the Host and VMM Servers Configuring QLogic SANsurfer FC HBA Manager on the VMM Server 4. When all the servers have been connected, the final screen will be similar to Figure 4-3. Figure 4-3.
5 Virtual HBA (NPIV) Port Creation and Verification This section describes how to set up virtual ports and verify that they have been created successfully. Create Virtual HBA Ports Use QLogic’s SANsurfer FC HBA Manager to create virtual HBA ports. Perform the following steps on the VMM server to create a virtual port on a host server. 1. In the SANsurfer tree view (left pane), select the host server where you want to create a virtual port (see Figure 5-1).
s 5 – Virtual HBA (NPIV) Port Creation and Verification Create Virtual HBA Ports 3. Right-click the QLogic FC HBA image and click Create vPort (see Figure 5-2). Figure 5-2. SANsurfer FC HBA Manager —Create vPort 4. The vPort WWPN Generation dialogue box displays (see Figure 5-3). Do one of the following: Click OK to accept the automatically generated WWPN. Click Generate. SANsurfer FC HBA Manager generates another WWPN.
a 5 – Virtual HBA (NPIV) Port Creation and Verification Verify Virtual HBA Port Login to FC Switch 5. A dialog box displays, prompting for a password. Type the password previously set for SANsurfer FC HBA Manager. If the default password has not been changed, type config. 6. If the vPorts have been created successfully, the final SANsurfer FC HBA Manager screen will be similar to Figure 5-4. Figure 5-4.
5 – Virtual HBA (NPIV) Port Creation and Verification Verify Virtual HBA Port Login to FC Switch s Before Virtual Port Creation Figure 5-5 shows what the switch ports look like before the Virtual HBA is created. As shown in Figure 5-5, physical port 10 of the switch has one entry for a QLogic Corporation FC HBA. This is the entry of the physical FC HBA port that resides on the host server connected to port 10 of this FC switch. Figure 5-5.
a 5 – Virtual HBA (NPIV) Port Creation and Verification Verify Virtual HBA Port Login to FC Switch After Virtual HBA Port Creation Figure 5-6 shows what the switch port looks like after the Virtual HBA is created. As shown in Figure 5-6, physical port 10 of the switch has two entries for QLogic Corporation FC HBAs. There is an additional entry for the virtual HBA port just created; the WWPN matches the WWPN created in the SANsurfer vPort WWPN Generation dialog box (see Figure 5-3). Figure 5-6.
5 – Virtual HBA (NPIV) Port Creation and Verification Verify Virtual HBA Port Login to FC Switch s Notes 5-6 FC0054604-00 A
6 Presentation of LUNs to a Virtual HBA Port This section describes, at a high level, how to present LUNs to a virtual HBA port. For detailed step-by-step instructions, please refer to documentation from your storage array vendor. The following example uses the EMC CX3-20 Fibre Channel storage array managed via EMC Navisphere®. 1. Check the zoning on the Fibre Channel switch to ensure that the newly created virtual port has access to the storage array. 2.
6 – Presentation of LUNs to a Virtual HBA Port s 3. Register this virtual HBA port as a QLogic initiator, which is installed in a host physically connected to the storage array via the Fibre Channel switch. 4. Determine the size and number of LUNs needed based on the disk size a Virtual Machine hosted on this LUN would need. Factor in additional LUNs based on the needs of the application running inside the Virtual Machine. 5.
7 Creating a Virtual Machine Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 enables the creation of Virtual Machines on top of a host computer running Microsoft Windows 2003 Server. Microsoft VMM allows you to use the Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 software to create Virtual Machines with configurations based on user requirements. For a detailed description on how to create Virtual Machines via VMM, refer to the appropriate Microsoft documentation.
7 – Creating a Virtual Machine 3. s Click Next until the Select Path dialog box appears (see Figure 7-2). By default, a path on the local hard drive of the host server is shown. The path specified in this box determines where the Virtual Hard Drive that contains the operating system image of the Virtual Machine resides. Figure 7-2.
a 7 – Creating a Virtual Machine 4. Click Browse and select the destination folder as a Network Drive that is a LUN that was formatted as an NTFS partition as described in Section 6. By providing for the destination folder, a SAN LUN that is visible to other host servers in the SAN ensures that a SAN-based Virtual Machine migration is possible. VMM automatically marks a volume that is capable of SAN migration as Migration Capable, as shown in Figure 7-3. Figure 7-3. Migration Capable Volume 5.
s 7 – Creating a Virtual Machine 7. If required, assign additional LUNs/Virtual Hard Drives (VHDs) to a Virtual Machine by modifying the properties of the Virtual Machine and adding a VHD. Append the drive letter (e.g. E:\) of an NTFS formatted LUN to the name of the VHD, as shown in Figure 7-4. Figure 7-4.
8 Migrating Virtual Machines and Virtual Ports Microsoft VMM 2007 allows you to quickly migrate Virtual Machines from one host to another. Migration allows administrators to perform maintenance on physical servers and easily move Virtual Machines to more powerful servers with minimal downtime. VMM 2007 allows for two types of migrations: LAN Transfer/Migration of Virtual Machines.
8 – Migrating Virtual Machines and Virtual Ports Performing SAN Transfers s The LUN must be configured as a basic/fixed disk. A SAN transfer will not work with volumes that are mapped to dynamic disks. See the Microsoft documentation on the difference between basic and dynamic disks. A single volume must be created on the basic disk. LUNs that contain multiple volumes cannot be migrated via a SAN transfer. A single Virtual Machine and all its associated files must be placed on this volume.
a 8 – Migrating Virtual Machines and Virtual Ports Performing SAN Transfers 2. The Migrate Virtual Machine Wizard dialog box displays. Choose the destination host for the Virtual Machine migration. 3. When all the requirements of SAN transfer have been met for the selected destination host, the screen displays “This host is available for SAN migrations” in the SAN Explanation tab, as shown in Figure 8-2. Figure 8-2.
8 – Migrating Virtual Machines and Virtual Ports Performing SAN Transfers 6. s Monitor the migration status through the Jobs windows by clicking the Jobs tab in the left tab of VMM. Once the job completes, the Jobs screen will be similar to Figure 8-3. Figure 8-3. VMM—Migration Complete 8-4 7. Verify that the virtual HBA port associated with the Virtual Machine has been migrated to the destination host.
A Troubleshooting Troubleshooting VMM 2007 See the troubleshooting section at the System Center Virtual Machine Manager TechCenter page: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb740739.aspx Troubleshooting Virtual Server 2005 and Virtual Machines See the troubleshooting section at the Microsoft website: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=87204 Troubleshooting QLogic Virtual HBA (NPIV) The following table lists some of the issues that may arise when programming a QLogic Virtual HBA.
s A – Troubleshooting Troubleshooting QLogic Virtual HBA (NPIV) Issue Possible Cause When trying to create a virtual HBA port, SANsurfer FC HBA Manager reports an “Unable to Create vPort” error. The creation of the virtual HBA port has failed; there are multiple reasons why this happens. Solution Ensure that the physical FC HBA port is connected to an NPIV-capable switch. Ensure that the physical FC HBA port is in a point-to-point connection.
B Activity Flow Chart The flow chart in Figure B-1outlines the steps required to create a virtualized network that includes creating virtual HBA ports using NPIV, creating Virtual Machines using VMM, and assigning LUNs using the storage array vendor’s management tool. Figure B-1.
B – Activity Flow Chart s Notes B-2 FC0054604-00 A
