iSCSI, VMware recommended reading

If you are setting up a VMware environment using iSCSI storage (especially EqualLogic) then I recommend reading these links:

• Michael Ellerbeck’s “So you bought an EqualLogic SAN, now what?” series (part 1, part 2, part 3)
• A “Multivendor Post” to help our mutual iSCSI customers using VMware (written by experts from VMware, NetApp, EqualLogic, HP/Lefthand and EMC).
• Configuring VMware vSphere Software iSCSI with Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage

And some tips when configuring your VMware storage…

• Keep your VM swap files with the VM.
• Use shared LUNs, only use a LUN per VM when performance or security requires it.
• Make your shared LUNs at least 500GB.
• Keep a maximum of 15-20 VMs on each LUN.
• Use the Software iSCSI adaptor, jumbo frames aren’t supported in VMware on hardware adaptors and you’ll get much more performance from jumbo-frames than from offloading iSCSI processing to a HBA - see benchmarks.
• But if you need to boot from an iSCSI volume then you’ll have to use a hardware adaptor.
• Set Round-Robin MPIO policy on each volume.

Finally, see my previous post about configuring VMware ESXi iSCSI software adaptor via PowerShell.