New User Help - First Setup

[Grant]

Hi all,

First setup/attempt at using Starwind. Have a single HP Storageworks X1600 Storage system that I want provision so some VMWare hosts can utilize it with iSCSI. Was intending to use the MS iSCSI, but some research pointed me in the Starwind direction as a better option.

First problem is, I don't know which option to deploy for optimal performance. Starwind in installed (free version at this point in time) and I have raw drives on the storage system I can deploy as either numerous drives or a large single drive (up to 24TB) depending on RAID levels etc.

Open to any suggestions as to the best deployment options in Starwind for deploying a single storage system to VMWare 5 shared storage.

Thanks...

Grant

[anton (staff)]

We do rely on operating system logical volume manager (dynamic disks, software RAID etc) so make sure you don't expose raw disks with a single node config - it's too dangerous. We do recommend RAID10 for a single node and 2-way replica and JBOD/RAID0 for a 3-way replication. Capacity is up to you but don't put more then ~30 VMs on the same LUN. You know your VM disk footprint requirements so you should be able to calculate the sizes. We don't expose VAAI yet but it's in beta phase so far.

Hi all,

First setup/attempt at using Starwind. Have a single HP Storageworks X1600 Storage system that I want provision so some VMWare hosts can utilize it with iSCSI. Was intending to use the MS iSCSI, but some research pointed me in the Starwind direction as a better option.

First problem is, I don't know which option to deploy for optimal performance. Starwind in installed (free version at this point in time) and I have raw drives on the storage system I can deploy as either numerous drives or a large single drive (up to 24TB) depending on RAID levels etc.

Open to any suggestions as to the best deployment options in Starwind for deploying a single storage system to VMWare 5 shared storage.

Thanks...

Grant

[Grant]

Thanks for the quick reply Anton,

Unfortunately...I understand little of it as it directly applies to the software. If I guess at what you were getting at, I think you are suggesting configuring the RAID as RAID 10 in the storage system (easy enough to do).

What I don't understand is, in the software, which option to choose when creating the devices.

ps. There are only 4-5 VM's connecting to the iSCSI target.

Grant

[Grant]

OK....through a bunch of trial/error, I have an iSCSI target set up (using a simple 6TB image file).

A different Windows 2008 server can see the iSCSI target on the Starwind box, and bring it on-line under disk-management etc.

But, the problem I have now is that VMWare does not see it properly to allocate storage. Under VMWare (5.0.0) iSCSI software adapter, I have added the IP address of the Starwind server, and in VMWare (under Details/Devices), the only iSCSI devices found are another HP Lefthand SAN I have operational. Under the VMWare iSCSI Initiator STATIC DISCOVERY page, it does show the target, but rescanning etc. does not allow me to allocate storage to it.

Any suggestions?



Thanks...

Grant

[Anatoly (staff)]

Hi Grant,

But, the problem I have now is that VMWare does not see it properly to allocate storage.

May I ask you do you mean that you want to connect to the same target with different platforms (WS and VMware)?