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Path Management

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22 views7 pages

Path Management

Uploaded by

Eyuel Tesfaye
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Path Management

4.1 Multipathing Configuration

4.1.1 Overview

Multipathing ensures high availability and load balancing in a storage network. For VMware
hosts, Huawei's UltraPath software enhances path management beyond the capabilities of
VMware's Native Multipathing Plugin (NMP).

4.1.2 Prerequisites

 VMware ESXi hosts running a compatible version of ESXi.


 UltraPath software downloaded from the Huawei support site.
 Administrative access to VMware vCenter and ESXi hosts.

4.1.3 UltraPath Installation and Configuration

1. Upload UltraPath VIB to ESXi Hosts


o Upload the UltraPath .vib file to a datastore accessible by the ESXi hosts.

Enabling the Shell and SSH Services for the ESXi Hosts
Enable ESXi Shell and SSH respectively, as shown in Figure 4-2. If you do not need the Shell and
SSH services any more, you can disable the services.

Figure 4-3 Enabling the ESXi Shell and SSH services on vSphere Client 7.0
Figure 4-4 Enabling the ESXi Shell and SSH services on vSphere vCenter 7.0

Disabling ATS Heartbeat


VMware ESXi 5.5 Update 2 and later versions support VAAI ATS Heartbeat, which may cause
the host to lose connectivity to VMFS datastores under certain conditions.

 To disable ATS Heartbeat, perform the following steps:


1. Log in to the ESXi host using SSH and run the following command to disable ATS Heartbeat:
#esxcli system settings advanced set -i 0 -o
/VMFS3/UseATSForHBOnVMFS5
2. Verify the result. If ATS Heartbeat has been disabled, the value
of /VMFS3/UseATSForHBOnVMFS5 is 0.

3. #esxcli system settings advanced list -o /VMFS3/UseATSForHBonVMFS5


4. Path: /VMFS3/UseATSForHBOnVMFS5
5. Type: integer
6. Int Value: 0
7. Default Int Value: 1
8. Min Value: 0
9. Max Value: 1
10. String Value:Default
11. String Value:
Valid Characters:Description: Use ATS for HB on ATS supported VMFS5
volumes

Identifying HBAs
After an HBA is installed on a host, view information about the HBA on the host. Go to the page for
configuration management and choose Storage Adapters in the navigation tree. In the function
pane, hardware devices on the host are displayed, as shown in Figure 4-5.
Figure 4-5 Viewing the HBA information

Querying HBA Priorities


After a host identifies a newly installed HBA, you can view properties of the HBA on the host. The
method of querying HBA information varies with operating system versions.
VMware ESXi 5.5 and Later Versions
In VMware ESXi 5.5 and later, the /proc/scsi/ directory is empty. Run the following command to
query HBA information:
~ # esxcli storage core adapter list
HBA Name Driver Link State UID
Description
---- ---- ---- ------------ ------------------------
vmhba0 ata_piix link-n/a sata.vmhba0
(0:0:31.2) Intel Corporation ICH10 4 port SATA IDE Controller
vmhba1 hpsa link-n/a sas.5001438017531290
(0:5:0.0) Hewlett-Packard Company Smart Array P410i
vmhba2 qlnativefc link-up fc.2000000e1e1aa2f0:2100000e1e1aa2f0
(0:11:0.0) QLogic Corp 2600 Series 16Gb Fibre Channel to PCI Express HBA
vmhba3 qlnativefc link-up fc.2000000e1e1aa2f1:2100000e1e1aa2f1
(0:11:0.1) QLogic Corp 2600 Series 16Gb Fibre Channel to PCI Express HBA
vmhba32 bnx2i unbound iscsi.vmhba32
Broadcom iSCSI Adapter
vmhba33 bnx2i unbound iscsi.vmhba33
Broadcom iSCSI Adapter
vmhba34 bnx2i unbound iscsi.vmhba34
Broadcom iSCSI Adapter
vmhba35 bnx2i unbound iscsi.vmhba35
Broadcom iSCSI Adapter
vmhba36 ata_piix link-n/a sata.vmhba36
(0:0:31.2) Intel Corporation ICH10 4 port SATA IDE Controller
You can run the following command to obtain more HBA details:
# /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmgmt_keyval/vmkmgmt_keyval -a

2. Install UltraPath VIB on ESXi Hosts


o Connect to the ESXi host via SSH.
o Navigate to the directory where the .vib file is stored:

sh
Copy code
cd /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/

o Install the UltraPath VIB:

sh
Copy code
esxcli software vib install -v
/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/ultrapath.vib

o Reboot the ESXi host:

sh
Copy code
reboot

3. Verify UltraPath Installation


o After the host reboots, connect via SSH and run:

sh
Copy code
esxcli software vib list | grep ultrapath

oCheck that UltraPath is listed and active.


4. Configure UltraPath on ESXi Hosts
o Ensure that UltraPath is correctly managing the paths by running:

sh
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upadm show path

o Configure any additional UltraPath settings as required for your environment.

4.1.4 VMware NMP Configuration

1. VMware NMP Overview


o VMware ESXi includes the Native Multipathing Plugin (NMP) as its default
multipathing software. NMP consists of Storage Array Type Plug-in (SATP) and
Path Selection Plugin (PSP) submodules for failover and load balancing.
2. Path Selection Policies (PSP)
o Most Recently Used (MRU): Uses the most recently used path for I/O transfer.
Does not revert to the original path when it becomes available again.
o Round Robin (RR): Rotates through all active paths for load balancing. Suitable
for active-active arrays.
o Fixed: Uses a designated preferred path. If unavailable, another path is used but
reverts back when the preferred path is restored.
3. Configuration Steps
o In the vSphere Client, navigate to Host > Configure > Storage > Storage
Devices.
o Select the relevant storage device and set the multipathing policy to the desired
PSP (e.g., Round Robin).

4.1.5 ALUA Configuration

1. Overview
o Asymmetric Logical Unit Access (ALUA) is a multi-target port access model
supported by Huawei storage systems. It provides a way of presenting
active/passive LUNs to a host and offers a port status switching interface for path
failover and failback.
2. Configuration
o Ensure LUN home/working controllers are evenly distributed on storage systems
for load balancing.
o Configure hosts to preferentially select the optimal path to deliver I/Os, even after
an I/O path switchover.

4.1.6 Failover Policies

 Failover Mode: Set to automatic to allow seamless recovery in case of a path failure.
 Failback Mode: UltraPath automatically delivers I/Os to the first path again after the
path recovers from a fault.
 Load Balancing:
o Within a controller: I/Os poll among all the paths of the controller.
o Across controllers: I/Os poll among the paths of all controllers.

4.2 Path Testing

 Faulty Paths: UltraPath tests faulty paths frequently to detect recovery promptly.
 Idle Paths: UltraPath tests idle paths at a lower frequency to identify potential faults,
minimizing impact on service I/Os.

5. Performance Optimization
5.1 QoS Policies

5.1.1 Overview

Quality of Service (QoS) policies ensure that replication traffic does not negatively impact
production traffic.

5.1.2 Implementation

 Identify Critical Workloads: Determine which workloads are critical and prioritize
them.
 Configure QoS on Storage Arrays:
o Access the management interface of Huawei Dorado.
o Navigate to Quality of Service (QoS) settings.
o Set limits or reservations for replication traffic to ensure it does not exceed a
specified bandwidth, preserving bandwidth for critical workloads.

5.1.3 VMware QoS Settings

 Configure network QoS on the VMware distributed switch, if used, to prioritize


replication traffic.
o In the vSphere Client, navigate to Networking > Distributed Switch >
Settings > Network I/O Control.
o Define shares or limits for replication traffic to ensure it has adequate resources
without overwhelming other traffic.

5.2 Cache Settings

5.2.1 Overview

Optimizing cache settings on the Dorado storage arrays can significantly enhance replication
performance.

5.2.2 Cache Configuration


 Read Cache: Ensure that the read cache is enabled and optimized to reduce latency for
read operations.
 Write Cache: Configure write cache settings to ensure that write operations are
efficiently processed and protected.
o Access the Dorado management interface.
o Navigate to Cache Settings.
o Adjust the read and write cache allocations based on your workload
characteristics and performance testing results.

5.2.3 Testing and Validation

 Perform initial testing to measure the performance impact of the cache settings.
 Monitor performance metrics and adjust settings as needed to achieve optimal
performance.

5.3 Monitoring and Fine-Tuning

 Monitoring Tools: Utilize Huawei's monitoring tools and VMware vCenter to


continuously monitor the performance and health of the storage systems and the
replication process.
 Regular Reviews: Conduct regular performance reviews and adjust QoS and cache
settings based on observed performance and changing workload demands.

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