VMware with EMC Clariion

[onefortheroad]

does anyone have a view on the correct way to ste up 2 ESX servers on a Clariion CX SAN with a view to using VMotion?

 

[Chacalinc]

what do you need to setup? the ESX or the CLARiiON?

ESX must be installed as ussual (o internal disks) and clarrion should be connected with 2 FC paths (set persistent binding in the ESX), and in CX navisphere set the failover setings with "array compath disabled" and "failover mode 1".

Hope this help.

 

[onefortheroad]

the question is over the storage group setup within navisphere. as we are looking at VMotion we will use 2 ESX servers but both will need access to the same disk, in a standard clustering environment I'd put both Hosts in the same group however this is different in that both hosts will be writing to the same disk at the same time although not neccessarily the same data area, we have tried vmotion already using both hosts in the same storage group, from host A to B worked fine,but when we tried to go back to A it wouldn't function. We had a Guy set it up in Calif. using 2 storage groups with the same LUN in each, he said it worked but this is not supported by EMC as they would say you can only put LUNs in 1 storage group.
as it stands neither company seems to want to make a decision on the supported way to run, so I'm trying to find people who've done it and then build an advisory to send to EMC.

 

[Chacalinc]

Ok, I understand... it's quite weird anyway, if you have the LUN in one Storage Group (SG in short from now on) with the 2 servers OR to have 2 SG with the same LUN (servers in each SG) is the same thing! because you will have access from both server with each method.

I didn't use VMotion, but I setup, some time ago, 2 SG for 2 servers in cluster (why 2 SG?) because not all LUNs were shared, 1 server had 10 LUNs where 5 were shared with the another one, so we set 2 SG, one for server, with the corresponding LUNs (5 shared, I mean 5 in the 2 SG). This is still working with no problems.

Hope this helps you.

 

[onefortheroad]

I think I concur, until VMware/EMC say otherwise we'll go with 2 SG's with the same LUN in each.
cheers
Paul

 

[Chacalinc]

cools.. pls tell me how you are going, I would like to know whether you have the same problem (with VMotion) or not passing from server A to B and back, ok?

thanks.

 

[Chacalinc]

Hi Paul,

Did you make the tests with VMotion? What was the results? Did you have the same problem o with 2 storage group was resolved the issue?

Thanks.

 

[onefortheroad]

haven't progressed as my customer isn't ready, however what I'm now being told is since flare 14 you can no longer have the same LUN in more than 1 storage group so it looks like that option is off the table.

 

[Chacalinc]

gosh! so what gonna happen with VMotion!? I mean, if the solution is to have the same LUN in 2 differents SG... hmmm... did EMC or VMWare tell you something about your issue?

I'm really interested in your test since I'm a system engineer for clarrion, symmetrix, legato networker and vmware (like you, I guess) but unfortunately I have no boxes in order to play with them.

Cheers.

 

[Chacalinc]

what I'm now being told is since flare 14 you can no longer have the same LUN in more than 1 storage group

I spoke with EMC guys and told me that releases 14, 15 and 16 (the currect one) does support to have the same LUN in 2 SGs.. so this should not be a problem. In addition, EMC doesn't plan to restrcit the use of the same LUN in 2 SGs.

Cheers.