Tag: SAINT

Basic configuration on a fiber switch (Zoning)

This document shows how to perform a very basic configuration on a fiber switch, based on how to configure zoning and access permissions between HBAs (Host Bus Adapter) of servers and HBAs in a storage array. This example is based on a configuration executed for a VMware ESX environment, we will have four servers with two HBAs each against a booth that also has two cards. All this will be joined by two switches, each HBA from each server to a switch (logically).

Virtualize an HP Lefthand Array

This is a simple thing, but I document it because not whoever manages storage systems has to know how VMware works, so it feels 😉 like having a storage cabin, a virtualized SAN can serve two purposes, one testing laboratory or a second case, for production. I am not very supportive of this last option, It's a personal thing, HP advises it, for certain small environment scenarios it could be right, couldn't?. But, well, it is always interesting to be able to operate a cabin freely or more visually in a virtual environment such as VMware's. HP Lefthand physical arrays follow the nomenclature of 'HP LeftHand P4000 SAN’ have several models, The P4300, P4500… but in virtual environment the nomenclature changes to HP Lefthand VSA or HP LeftHand P4000 Virtual SAN Appliance.

Connecting an iSCSI-enabled Openfiler NAS to VMware ESX

In this document, we'll look at how to connect an ESX server to a shared storage system, for this we will use an Openfiler NAS, using iSCSI. To configure this document, it is assumed that we already have an Openfiler server installed and with a volume created of the iSCSI type to be able to use HA or DRS with VMotion. And of course a virtual network connection that allows VMotion.

Setting up an MSA – HP StorageWorks Modular SAN Array 1000 with ESX

In this document we will explain how we will connect this SAN to ESX servers, the logical thing is that we have an MSA with two controllers (otherwise, It doesn't make much sense to invest so much, if we don't have redundancy in controllers), as well as two fiber switches on the back to have redundancy at the switch level as well. And on each ESX server we will place a couple of fiber optic HBA's, to which we will connect each HBA to a fiber switch to have a high availability system.

Extending Storage on VMware ESX – Extending a LUN and having VMware ESX extend its VMFS partition

This document shows how to extend the VMware ESX partition. If for whatever reason we want to expand a LUN and this LUN is the shared storage of our VMware ESX servers, we must extend the VMFS partition by following these steps. In any case, it is not advisable to do so, it is always preferable to create a new LUN with the available free size. But if necessary, here we have how to do it. Even so, for it to extend correctly, it is advisable to stop the virtual machines that are running on this LUN (By experience).

Using StarWind to emulate iSCSI/NAS/SAN arrays

With this procedure we are going to explain how a NAS/SAN or iSCSI device works, Everything is simple, with software, we will use it to perform CLUSTER procedures. The StarWind is a software capable of emulating a disk array, be a NAS, or a SAN or the cheapest an iSCSI. In this procedure we will create a virtual array of iSCSI disks with StarWind (will be the iSCSI target) and with the iSCSI Initiator we will connect to it from the servers that we want the disks to have connected, for later create a cluster. This diagram comments on the situation: