Volumes presentation ports mix

[GioV]

Hello everybody,

for a customer of mine I'm planning a ESXi host migration in the following scenario:

- E2800 SAN with ethernet onboard ports and quad SAS HIC

- old servers connected to the SAN on the SAS ports

- new servers connected to the SAN on the ethernet ports (iSCSI)

In order to live migrate VMs from old servers to new ones, is it possible to present volumes (VMFS) via both SAS and ethernet (iSCSI) ports of the SAN?

Thanks

[Amitra]

Yes, it is possible to present volumes (VMFS) via both SAS and Ethernet (iSCSI) ports of the SAN for the purpose of live migrating VMs from old servers to new ones. This approach allows you to have multiple paths to the storage, which can enhance performance and provide redundancy.

To achieve this, you need to configure your E2800 SAN to support both SAS and iSCSI connections. Here's a general outline of the steps involved:

1. Ensure that the SAS and iSCSI ports on the E2800 SAN are properly configured and connected to the respective servers.

2. Configure the SAS ports on the E2800 SAN to present the volumes (VMFS) to the old servers. This typically involves creating LUNs (logical unit numbers) on the SAN and mapping them to the SAS ports used by the old servers.

3. Configure the iSCSI ports on the E2800 SAN to present the same volumes (VMFS) to the new servers. This involves creating iSCSI targets and configuring the appropriate access controls and authentication settings.

4. On the old servers, use the vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client to add the SAS-based storage as a datastore. This will allow the VMs running on the old servers to access the VMFS volumes presented via the SAS ports.

5. On the new servers, use the vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client to add the iSCSI-based storage as a datastore. This will allow the new servers to access the VMFS volumes presented via the iSCSI ports.

Once the volumes are presented via both SAS and iSCSI ports, you can use vSphere vMotion or VMware Storage vMotion to live migrate the VMs from the old servers to the new servers. These migration methods take care of transferring the VMs and their associated storage between the hosts without downtime.

It's important to note that the exact steps and configuration details may vary depending on your specific SAN model, VMware version, and network setup. It's recommended to consult the documentation provided by the SAN vendor and VMware for detailed instructions specific to your environment. I recommend engaging NetApp Accounts rep or Solutions engineer for validating configuration. 

[GioV]

Dear @Amitra ,

thanks for your reply.

Volumes already exists and are currently presented throught SAS ports; before going ahead with iSCSI configuration, my customer want the confirmation that this scenario is supported by NetApp, could you point me to the right piece of documentation?

Thanks

[Amitra]

HI @GioV ,

I am afraid if there will be any public document for the same. Thats why It's recommended to consult the documentation provided by the VMware for detailed instructions specific to your environment and from NetApp side, I recommend engaging NetApp Accounts rep or Solutions engineer for validating configuration and discussing this migration with them.

[GioV]

Dear @Amitra ,

as per in the SAN Controllers iSCSI and SAS ports are already installed (AKA supported), I don't understand why it's not possible to find public information about this scenario in official SANtricity documentation.

Regards

[Amitra]

Hi @GioV 

Please find documentation for iSCSI specific steps for VMware configuration - https://docs.netapp.com/us-en/e-series/config-vmware/iscsi-perform-specific-task.html 

[GioV]

Dear @Amitra the link you provided is not about the post topic: I need to know if presentig the same LUN via iSCSI and SAS ports is supported SAN side.

Thanks

[Amitra]

HI @GioV ,

I have already informed you above and would re-iterate:

On a NetApp E-Series storage system, you can access the same LUN (Logical Unit Number) via both iSCSI and SAS ports by creating a single LUN on the array and then configuring the appropriate target ports for each protocol, allowing hosts to connect to the same data using either iSCSI or SAS connections depending on their configuration; essentially, the LUN itself is a single logical entity that can be accessed through multiple protocols. 

[GioV]

Dear @Amitra ,

thanks for the confirmation, but my customer wants an official NetApp one (SANtricity documentation would be enough) to make sure this is a supported scenario and plan the maintenance window accordingly.

You said that the LUN itself is a single logical entity that can be accessed through multiple protocols but I need to get in touch with the customer NetApp Accounts rep or Solutions engineer for validating the configuration; if this is a supported scenario, why the hell is there no official documentation about that? 

The systems are in production and I'm not allowed to do tests in order to validate what you said:  what do you base your considerations on?

Thanks