QuantaStor for VMware Architecture Guide

Ordering QuantaStor

Complete the following steps to order a 24 TB usable QuantaStor hybrid system that is tuned for mid-range performance for VMware workloads:

1. Log in to IBM Cloud® infrastructure customer portal and click Account > Place an Order.
2. Select Bare Metal Servers, Monthly.
3. Enter the following configuration options:
   • Data Center: Location of the VLANs and ESXi hosts that were previously created
   • Server: 36-bay chassis with Dual Processor Xeon
   • RAM: 128 GB
   • Operating System: OSNEXUS QuantaStor 5.x (48 TB)
   • Hard disk drives:
     • OS Disks: 2 x 960 GB SSD in RAID 1
     • Data Disks: 24 x 2 TB SATA in Individual
     • Log Disks: 2 x 960 GB SSD in Individual
     • Cache Disks: 2 x 960 GB SSD in Individual
   • Public Bandwidth: Private Network Only
   • Uplink Port Speeds: 10 Gbps Redundant Private Network Uplinks
4. Click Continue Your Order.

The storage server is configured with two network interfaces that are unbonded so that two different subnets can be used to load balance traffic to the storage array.

Finishing Configuration

You now have a QuantaStor appliance in your shopping cart. Assign the private VLAN, hostname, and domain to the device so it can be provisioned correctly.

1. Assign the following VLANs and create hostnames for the devices: QuantaStor host – Backend VLAN: (1102 in the environment)
2. Select your payment method, agree to the Terms and Conditions, and click Finalize Your Order.

Do not proceed to Step 3 until the server is provisioned and is accessible through VPN or virtual server.

Configuring Networking

1. Open a web browser and go to the QuantaStor IP address listed on the Devices page.
2. Enter the Admin username and Password (found in the Passwords section on the Device Details page). Before you proceed, note the private network devices that are used by the QuantaStor server, such as eth4.
3. Go to Storage System > Network Ports.
4. Select the private adapter that is active (example: eth4) from the list of network adapters. Right-click and select Modify Network Port from the menu.
5. Clear the iSCSI Enabled checkbox to disable iSCSI connections to this adapter and click OK.
6. Select the private adapter that is not active, but is assigned to the private network (example eth6).
7. Right-click on the eth6 adapter and select Modify Network Port from the menu.
8. Select a Config Type of Static on the Modify Network Port screen.
9. Enter a primary private IP address, subnet, and gateway for the adapter. Use an address from the Storage row if you are using the VLAN worksheet from the Advanced Single-Site VMware Reference Architecture cookbook.
10. Clear the iSCSI Enabled checkbox to disable iSCSI connections to this adapter.
11. Right-click the private adapter and select Enable Network Port to bring the adapter online after you configure it with an IP address.
12. Click OK to enable the port upon verifying the IP address.

Opening a Support Ticket

You need to open a support ticket after you configure a second adapter with a primary private IP address. Opening the ticket helps make sure that the IP address that you used is not taken if another system is provisioned on the VLAN.

1. Click Support > Add Ticket and enter the following information:
   • Subject: Private network question
   • Title: Reserve and assign a private IP address
   • Associate Devices: 'Select the QuantaStor server'
   • Details: Reserve and assign on VLAN. This IP address is used for the second adapter on the QuantaStor server.

Configuring QuantaStor

Now that the array can accept connections from both adapters, the adapters’ virtual interfaces that are on the Storage Path A and Storage Path B subnets must be assigned.

1. Right-click the initial private adapter interface (eth4) and select Create Virtual Interface on the menu.
2. Enter a portable private IP address and subnet for the adapter on the resulting screen, and make sure that iSCSI Enabled is checked.
3. If you are using the VLAN worksheet, use an address from the Storage Path A row.
4. Record the IP address that is used in the Notes section on the Portable IP address page.
5. Select the initial private adapter interface (eth4) to bind the virtual interface and click OK.
6. Right-click the other private adapter interface (eth6) and select Create Virtual Interface on the menu.
7. Enter a portable private IP address and subnet for the adapter and make sure that iSCSI enabled is checked on the resulting window.
8. If you are using the VLAN worksheet, use an address from the Storage Path B row.
9. Record this IP address as used in the Notes section on the Portable IP address page.
10. Select the other private adapter interface (eth6) to bind the virtual interface and click OK.

After the QuantaStor server is configured with IP addresses and virtual interfaces, configure the routing to make sure that the outgoing traffic uses the correct interface. Two NICs are on different subnets.

1. SSH into the QuantaStor server with your root credentials and append the following lines to /etc/network/interfaces. Assuming eth4 and eth6 are the NICs on the private network:
   • post-up ip route add 10.0.0.0/8 on dev eth4
   • post-up ip route add 10.0.0.0/8 on dev eth6 table eth6
   • post-up ip rule adds from table eth6

Configure pass-through (RAID0) Units

** Depending on provisioning, the physical disks might not be exposed to QuantaStor. You can check by clicking the Physical Disks section and looking at the list of available hard disk drives. If you do not see the correct number of drives, follow these steps:

1. In the Hardware Controller menu, click Controllers & Enclosures > **Create pass-through Units.
2. Verify host and controller and click OK.
3. After the task completes, click Physical Disks and verify.

Creating a Storage Pool

Next, you must create a storage pool that is used to allocate volumes before you can create volumes or shares.

1. Right-click Storage Pools and select Create Storage Pool.
2. Enter the following information on the Create Storage Pool screen:
   • Name: Enter the appropriate name for the storage pool. Example: StoragePool-01
   • Pool Type: Default (zfs)
   • I/O Profile: Virtualization
   • Disks to use for the Storage Pool: check all the data disks (do not check SSDs).
3. Click OK.

Creating iSCSI Storage Volumes

You need to create two storage volumes. One volume is used for management VMs on the management cluster and the other for VMs on the capacity cluster. Complete the following steps to create the iSCSI storage volumes:

1. Right-click Storage Volumes and select Create Storage Volume on the menu.

2. Enter the information for the storage volumes.

   While your configuration might differ depending on workload and storage capacity, the example shows the values in Table 1 and Table 2 for each storage volume.

Assigning Host Access to Volumes

You need to configure QuantaStor to allow access from the ESXi hosts through each host’s IQN after the volumes are set up.

1. Go to the QuantaStor administration page and right-click the Hosts menu and select Add Host.
2. Enter the following information on the Add Host screen:
   • Hostname: Enter an appropriate hostname. The hostname does not have the fully qualified domain name (FQDN), but it must describe the host. Example: MyESXiHostName
   • Operating System Type: VMware
   • Initiator: iSCSI Qualified Name (IQN)
   • iSCSI Qualified Name: The IQN for the respective host.
3. Click OK.

Follow these steps for each host in an ESXi environment. After you add each host in the management and capacity clusters, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the Host Groups menu and select Create Host Group.
2. Enter `ManagementCluster in the Name field and select all the hosts that are in the management cluster.
3. Click OK. A host group is created that we can assign to a particular volume.

Repeat this process for the capacity cluster.

1. Click the Storage Volumes menu.
2. Right-click the Mgmt-Lun0 volume and select Assign or Unassign Host Access.
3. Confirm that Mgmt-Lun0 is an option in the menu and select the host group that you created in the previous step. This option allows each ESXi host in the management cluster to access the Mgmt-Lun0 volume. Do the same for Capacity-LUN0.