Lab 5 iSCSI - Storage Management[1]

Lab Exercise 5 – iSCSI

Storage Management

Overview

In this set of lab exercises you create NetApp and VMware Snapshots, and you create NetApp FlexClones of volumes provisioning RDM and VMFS data stores.

Objectives

When you have completed this lab exercise, you will be able to do the following:

Create a VMware Snapshot

Create a NetApp Snapshot

Use a Quiesced Snapshot to create an RDM FlexClone

Create a VMFS FlexClone

Time Estimate

The estimated time for these exercises is 60 minutes.

Created by: Ginger Coffey, Tim Coste, Silviu Angelescu 1

Task: Create VMware Snapshots

In this exercise you create two VMware Snapshots.

Start of task

Step Action

1. Telnet to the server and cd to /vmfs/volumes/iSCSI VMFS/Win2003VMFS.

You should see a number of files in this directory similar to those shown here.

vmware-1.log vmware.log Win2003VMFS.vmdkvmware-2.log Win2003VMFS-e713341f.vswp Win2003VMFS.vmsdvmware-3.log Win2003VMFS0flat.vmdk Win2003VMFS.vmxvmware-4.log Win2003VMFS.nvram Win2003VMFS.vmxf

Leave this telnet session open.

2. Now, take a VMware Snapshot. From the Virtual Infrastructure Client, right-click on


Win2003VMFS and select Snapshot and Take Snapshot.

3. When the Take Virtual Machine Snapshot window appears, name the Snapshot Snapshot1. Note that the VMware Snapshot does not occur immediately. The


Virtual Machine is placed in a consistent state and then changes are written to a log file. A NetApp Snapshot occurs much more quickly.

4. Return to the telnet session and type ls. You should see several new files in the output including Win2003VMFS-Snapshot1.vmsn and Win2003VMFS-00000f1-delta.vmdk.

Viewing this directory will let you know if active Snapshots are present.

5. Take a second Snapshot by repeating steps 2 and 3. Name this Snapshot Snapshot2.

6. Return to the telnet session and type ls. Notice that Win2003VMFS-Snapshot2.vmsn and Win2003VMFS-000002-delta.vmdk now exist.

7. You can also view active VMware snapshots using the Virtual Machine Snapshot Manager. Right-click on the Virtual Machine name and select Snapshot and


Snapshot Manager…

End of task


Task: Create NetApp Snapshots

In this exercise you create a NetApp Snapshot.

Start of task

Step Action

1. Now you take a NetApp Snapshot of the Win2003RDM. Telnet to your server. Type the following commands:

vmware-cmd –l

This lists all of the vmx files. Find your RDM vmx file.

vmware-cmd <full_path_to_your_RDM_vmx_file> \ createsnapshot backup quiesce

This places the RDM in a quiesced state. The VM is now in hot backup mode.

2. Open FilerView for your storage system and select Volumes and Manage.

Notice the esx_iscsi_vol2 volume which is the volume hosting the raw LUN1 (vmhba40:0:1) that you used to provision the data store of the Win2003RDM Virtual Machine.


3. Select Snapshots and Add. Select the esx_iscsi_vol2 volume and name the Snapshot Quiesced Snapshot. Click Add.


4. Select Manage under Snapshots. Notice that the Quiesced Snapshot is now present.

You will use this Snapshot in the next lab exercise.

5. Now you need take the Win2003RDM VM out of quiesced state (out of hot backup mode). Telnet to your server. Type the following command:

vmware-cmd <full_path_to_your_RDM_vmx_file> removesnapshots

NOTE: Ensure to use the same <full_path to_your_RDM vmx_file> as above.

End of task


Task: Create NetApp FlexClone

In this exercise you create a NetApp FlexClone of a virtual machine provisioned by a RDM data store and another NetApp FlexClone of a virtual machine provisioned by a VMFS data store.

Start of exercise

PART 1: NetApp FlexClone of a virtual machine provisioned by a RDM data store

1. Create a FlexClone using FilerView or the command line interface. Instructions are provided here for FilerView.

Select Volumes, then FlexClones and Create.

Note: If the FlexClones link does not appear in the Volumes section ensure that flex_clone is licensed on the storage controller.


The FlexClone Wizard appears:

Name the clone RDM_FlexClone. The Parent Volume should be esx_iscsi_vol2.

Leave the Space Guarantee set to volume. Click Next

2. Select the Quiesced Snapshot as the Parent Volume Snapshot. Click Next.

3. Review the summary and select Commit.

4. When the message appears that the clone was created successfully, select Close.

5. Select Manage from the FlexClones menu.


Notice that the RDM_FlexClone was created.


6. Select Manage from the LUNs menu. Notice that the /vol/RDM_FlexClone/LUN is created offline. You need to bring it online.

Select the /vol/RDM_FlexClone/LUN from the list and select Online. Confirm by clicking OK. The LUN is brought online.

7. Next, map the LUN to the initiator.

Select Map LUN. Click Add Groups to Map and select the esx_iscsi_ig initiator group. Click Add.

Give the LUN a LUN ID of 5 and click Apply.

A message appears indicating that the mapping was successful.


Select Manage from the LUNs menu to verify that the /vol/RDM_FlexClone/LUN is mapped and online:

8. Return to the Virtual Infrastructure Client, click on the SAN<pod#>esx server tree branch, and select Storage Adapters from the Hardware menu (Configuration tab).

Right-click on the iSCSI Software Adapter (vmhba40) and select Rescan… from the pop-up menu. Do not scan for new VMFS Volumes. Click OK.


Observe that the new LUN 5 (vmhba40:0:5) is available. This is the LUN 5 hosted by the /vol/RDM_FlexClone clone volume.


9. You should still have the SAN<pod#>esx branch selected in the Inventory browsing tree. Click on the Summary tab, and then click on the New Virtual Machine link in the Commands section.

Select Custom and click Next.

Name the Virtual Machine FlexClone of Win2003RDM. Select Next.

Select the iSCSI VMFS as the location for storing the configuration file (.vmx) and the pointer to the RDM. Click Next.

Select Microsoft Windows as the Guest Operating System and Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition as the version. Click Next.

Select 1 as the Number of Virtual Processors and click Next.

Select 512MB as the Virtual Machine’s memory size. Click Next.

Leave the defaults on the Choose Networks screen and select Next.


Leave the defaults on the Select I/O Adapter Types screen and select Next.

Select Raw Device Mappings on the Select a Disk screen and click Next.

Select LUN 5 and click Next.

Select Store with Virtual Machine and click Next.

Select Virtual as the Compatibility Mode and click Next.

Leave the defaults on the Specify Advanced Options screen and select Next.


Review the parameters and click Finish.

You can watch the progress of the Virtual Machine creation in the Recent Tasks portion of the screen.


10. Observe the new Virtual Machine named “FlexClone of Win2003RDM” show up in the “Inventory” browsing tree. This virtual machine is provisioned by LUN 5 which is a clone of LUN 1.

Both of these virtual machines have VMware data stores provisioned by raw LUNs (LUN 1 and LUN 5, respectively) and both of these virtual machines store their configuration file (.vmx) and the pointer to their RDM data store in the same VMFS file system, named iSCSI VMFS. Recall that the iSCSI VMFS is also used as data store for the Win2003VMFS virtual machine.

Optional task: You can use Putty to log on to your ESX server and cd to /vmfs/volumes/iSCSI\ VMFS. Next, use the ls command to view the virtual machines which are using the iSCSI VMFS file system. You should see the “Flexclone of Win2003RDM” show up in the list.


PART 2: NetApp FlexClone of a virtual machine provisioned by a VMFS data store

1. Finally, you will clone an entire VMFS LUN.

Click on the SAN<pod#>esx branch in the “Inventory” browsing tree. Click on the Configuration tab, and then click on the Storage (SCSI, SAN, and NFS) link in the Hardware section

You will use FlexClone on the iSCSI VMFS LUN.

2. Open FilerView on your storage system.


You will use the /vol/esx_iscsi_vol1 volume as source for the FlexClone. This is the volume that hosts the LUN 0 (vmhba40:0:0) which provisions the “iSCSI VMFS” VMware storage device as shown in the screen shot below.


In FilerView, select Volumes and FlexClones.

Click on Create. The FlexClone Wizard appears. Select Next.


Name the clone VMFS_FlexClone. Use the esx_iscsi_vol1 Parent Volume. Leave Space Reservation to Volume.

NOTE: Make sure you use the esx_iscsi_vol1 volume not the esx_nfs_vol1 which is selected by default.

Click Next.

Select Create new for the Parent Volume Snapshot. Click Next.

Review the summary and select Commit.

When a message appears that the FlexClone was created successfully, click Close.


Click on Manage in the FlexClones section to view the new FlexClone volume. You can also see the FlexClone volume in Volumes/Manage.

3. Select Manage from the LUNs menu. Notice that the FlexClone LUN


(/vol/VMFS_FlexClone/LUN) is present.

Now you bring the LUN online and map it to an igroup.

Select the /vol/VMFS_FlexClone/LUN and click Online. Click OK to confirm.

Select Map LUN and Add Groups to Map. Select the esx_iscsi_ig initiator group and click Add.

Provide a LUN ID of 6 and click Apply. You should get a message indicating that the mapping was successful.

Select Manage from the LUNs menu.


Verify that the /vol/VMFS_FlexClone/LUN is online and mapped to the esx_iscsi_ig initiator group with a LUN ID of 6 as shown above.

4. Return to the Virtual Infrastructure Client.

You should still be in the Configuration tab of your SAN<pod#>esx server.

Click on the SAN<pod#>esx branch in the “Inventory” browsing tree. Click on the Configuration tab, and then click on the Storage (SCSI, SAN, and NFS) link in the Hardware section

Click on Advanced Settings from the Software section.


Select LVM. Change the value for LVM.EnableResignature to 1. Click OK.

This gives us the ability to bring a clone back in.

5. Select Storage Adapters. Rescan the iSCSI Software Adapter by right-clicking on the vmhba40 iSCSI adapter and selecting Rescan…

Scan for both New Storage Devices and New VMFS Volumes. Click OK.

Note: If the process times out, rescan once for New Storage Devices only and once for New VMFS Volumes only.

Notice that the LUN 6 is now present.


This LUN is shown as LUN 6 (vmhba40:0:6) since we mapped the cloned LUN with LUN ID 6 to the initiator group esx_iscsi_ig (which contains the iqn number of the iSCSI Software initiator on your ESX server). The LUN clone (LUN 6) was cloned as part of the FlexClone you created above from the esx_iscsi_vol1 volume which contained LUN 0. So, basically, LUN 6 is a clone of LUN 0.

6. Select Storage (SCSI, SAN, and NFS) from the Hardware menu.


Notice that snap-00000002-iSCSI VMFS now appears in the Storage list.

You could now right-click and Browse the Datastore to create new VMs. We will not do that in this lab exercise.

End of task


Documents

Lab 5 iSCSI - Storage Management[1]