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.