MultiStore + Multi Tenancy

[nsitps1976]

We have an environment in which multistore is used when each customer has their own sets of hosts based on iSCSI.

We would like to investigate how multistore could be used in an environment in which the hosts are also shared (VMware ESX), however, the only approach we can assume is having these hosts connected via iSCSI many many times to vfilers. With multiple subnets / ip’s for loadbanacing etc this would result in many iSCSI sessions which would become difficult to administer (not to mention very quickly hitting maximums!) 

I took a brief look at the “Deploying Secure Multi-Tenancy into Virtualised Data Centres” paper which seems to be using NFS within tenant vfilers which are then exported to the ESX servers. Tenant VMs are then placed on their respective vfiler.......

I am looking for thoughts / advice pls.

[scottgelb]

So the hosts would need to connect to each tenant - or each vFiler?  In that case it might not make sense to have multiple vFilers if shared anyway.  It would work but I understand your concern of many iSCSI connections and management and vmkernels / networking that would all be logical to the same backend controller.

[nsitps1976]

All tenants on the same hosts so each host would connect to each vfiler - I think your right, multiple vfilers dont really make sense here...

BTW - Looking forward to your MultiStore sessions @ insight..

[scottgelb]

Cool   The labs worked really well in Vegas and the gear should be in Rome too.  Send me an email if you want a copy of the lab pdf beforehand.