nss virtual appliance user guide

7/22/2019 NSS Virtual Appliance User Guide

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FalconStorNetwork Storage Server

Virtual Appliance (NSSVA)

User Guide

FalconStor Software, Inc.2 Huntington Quadrangle, Suite 2S01Melville, NY 11747

Phone: 631-777-5188Fax: 631-501-7633Web site: www.falconstor.com

Copyright 2001-2010 FalconStor Software. All Rights Reserved.

FalconStor Software, IPStor, TimeView, and TimeMark are either registered trademarks or trademarks of FalconStor Software,

Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

FalconStor Software reserves the right to make changes in the information contained in this publication without prior notice. Thereader should in all cases consult FalconStor Software to determine whether any such changes have been made.

This product is protected by United States Patents Nos. 7,093,127 B2; 6,715,098; 7,058,788 B2; 7,330,960 B2; 7,165,145 B2

;7,155,585 B2; 7.231,502 B2; 7,469,337; 7,467,259; 7,418,416 B2; 7,406,575 B2 , and additional patents pending."

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NSS Virtual Appl iance User Guide

Contents

Introduction

Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Hardware/software requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5NSSVA Specification and requirement summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Virtual machine configuration: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Supported Disk Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

NSSVA Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10ESX server deployment planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

About this document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Knowledge requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Install NSS Virtual Appl iance

Installation for VMware virtual infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Installing NSSVA via the installation script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Installing NSSVA via Virtual Appliance Import from a downloaded zip file . . . . . . .13Installing the Snapshot Director on the ESX console server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Installing SAN client software on virtual host machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Installing Snapshot Agents on virtual host machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

NSS Virtual Appliance configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Basic system environment configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Configuration and Management

Installing and using the FalconStor Management console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Account Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Connect to the virtual appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Add License Keycode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21Register keycodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Add virtual disks for data storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Add the new virtual disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Add the new device to the storage pool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Create a SAN Client for VMware ESX server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Assign the SAN resource to VMware ESX server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27Assign the same SAN resource to two VMware ESX server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Enable VMDirectPath I/O in vSphere v4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Enable the VMDirectPath Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Configure a virtual machine to use a passthrough VMDirectPath PCI device/port .32Modify a FalconStor Virtual Appliance (for ESX 3.5) to load VMware Drivers . . . . .35Modify a FalconStor Virtual Appliance (for ESX 3.5) to load the NIC/HBA driver . .35


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High Availability

FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance High Availability (HA) solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38Configuring the NSS Virtual Appliance Cross-Mirror failover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Power Control for VMware ESX server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Launching the power control utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Check Failover status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

After failover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46Manual recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46Fix a failed server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Recover from a cross-mirror failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47Re-synchronize Cross mirror on a virtual appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48Check resources and swap if possible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48Verify and repair a cross mirror configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Modify failover configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Make changes to the servers in your failover configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Start/stop failover or recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Force a takeover by a secondary server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Manually initiate a recovery to your primary server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Suspend/resume failover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Remove a failover configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Replication

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Replication configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57Create a Continuous Replication Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Check replication status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69Replication tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70Replication object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Replication performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71Set global replication options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71Tune replication parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Assign clients to the replica disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72Switch clients to the replica disk when the primary disk fails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72Recreate your original replication configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73Use TimeMark/TimeView to recover files from your replica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74Change your replication configuration options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74Suspend/resume replication schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75Stop a replication in progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75Manually start the replication process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75Reverse a replication configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76Reverse a replica when the primary is not available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

Forceful role reversal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76Relocate a replica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77


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Remove a replication configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78Expand the size of the primary disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78Replication with other NSS features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

Replication and TimeMark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78Replication and Failover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78Replication and Mirroring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78Replication and Thin Provisioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Troubleshooting

NSS Virtual Appliance settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80Checking the resource reservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80Checking the virtual Network Adapter setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81Optimizing SCSI software initiator performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82Optimizing performance when using a virtual disk on a NSSVA for iSCSI devices .82Resolving slow performance on the Dell PERC6i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

Cross-mirror failover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

Appendix A - Checklist

A. VMware ESX Server system configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84B. NSS Virtual Appliance system information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86C. Network Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88D. Storage Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Index


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NSS Virtual App liance User Guide 1

NSS Virtual Appli ance User Guide

Introduction

FalconStor Network Storage Server Virtual Appliance (NSSVA) for VMwareInfrastructure 3 and 4 is a pre-configured, production-ready virtual machine thatdelivers high speed iSCSI and virtualization storage service through VMwaresvirtual appliance architecture.

It provides enterprise-class data protection features including application-aware,space-efficient snapshot technology that can maintain up to 64 point-in-time copiesof each volume. The FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance can also be used as a cost-effective virtual iSCSI SAN solution by creating a virtual SAN on a VMware ESXserver and turning internal disk resources into a shareable pool of storage.

If the FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance is deployed on a single VMware ESX server,that server can share storage resources with other servers in the environment. Thisis accomplished without the need for external storage arrays, SAN switches, orcostly host bus adapters (HBA). Internal data drives are detected by the softwareand incorporated into the management console through a simple GUI. At that point,storage can be provisioned and securely allocated via the iSCSI protocol, whichoperates over standard Ethernet cabling.

To enable high availability (HA), the FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance can bedeployed on two VMware ESX servers that can share storage with each other aswell as additional VMware ESX servers. In this model, each NSS Virtual Appliancemaintains mirrored data from the other server. If one of the servers is lost, all virtualmachines that were running on the failed server can restart using the storageresources of the remaining server. Downtime is kept to a minimum as applicationsare quickly brought back online.

Thin Provisioning technology and space-efficient snapshots further decrease costsby minimizing consumption of physical storage resources. The Thin Replicationfeature minimizes bandwidth utilization by sending only unique data blocks over thewire. Built-in compression and encryption reduce bandwidth consumption andenhance security, without requiring specialized network devices to connect remotelocations with the data center or DR site. Tape backup for multiple remote officescan be consolidated to a central site, eliminating the need for distributed tapeautoloaders and associated management headaches and overhead.

NSSVA is supported under the VMware Ready program for virtual appliances. It is a

TOTALLY Open solution for VMware Infrastructure that enables a virtual SAN(vSAN) service directly on VMware ESX servers. The local direct attached storagebecomes a shared SAN for all ESX Servers on the iSCSI network. The ability toconvert direct attached storage within an ESX Server opens the door for small tomedium enterprises to initially deploy VMware Infrastructure without the addedexpense of a dedicated SAN appliance and to enjoy the broader benefits ofVMwares business continuity and resource management feature.


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Additionally, most businesses, small and large, seek out VMwares advancedenterprise features VMware VMotion (live migration of a running virtual machinefrom one ESX server to another), HA (High Availability auto restart of virtualmachines), and DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduling moving virtual machineworkloads based on preset metrics or schedules).

Components

NSSVA consists of the following components:

Benefits

High Availability

Using FalconStors NSSVA virtual SAN appliances in an Active/Passiveconfiguration enables VMware users to deploy a highly available shared storageenvironment that takes advantage of VMware Infrastructure enterprise features forbetter manageability and resiliency. FalconStor NSSVA highly available virtualstorage configuration supports iSCSI target failover between NSSVA virtualappliances installed on the initial two ESX Servers which is required to gain VMwareHA and DRS features. VMware VMotion support requires only a single NSSVA onone ESX Server in an ESX Server cluster.

Component Description

NSS Virtual Appliance A virtual machine that runs FalconStor NSS software. This virtual appliancedelivers high speed iSCSI and virtualization storage service throughVMwares virtual appliance architecture: a plug-and-play VMware virtualmachine running on VMware ESX server. NSSVA is a TOTALLY Open

virtual storage array and a VMware Certified Virtual Appliance.

FalconStorManagement Console

The Windows management console that can be installed anywhere there isIP connectivity to the NSS Virtual Appliance.

Snapshot Agents Collaborate with Windows NTFS volumes and applications in order toguarantee that snapshots are taken with full application level integrity forfastest possible recovery. A full suite of Snapshot Agents is available so thateach snapshot can later be used without lengthy chkdskand database/emailconsistency repairs. Snapshot Agents are available for Oracle, MicrosoftExchange, Lotus Notes/Domino, MicrosoftSQL Server, IBMDB2Universal Database, Sybaseand many other applications.

SAN Disk Manager Host-side software that helps you register host machines with the NSSvirtual appliance.


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MicroScanReplication

In the branch or remote office, VMware Infrastructure and FalconStor NSSVA canhelp to reduce operational costs through a server and storage consolidation to acentral data center. FalconStors MicroScan Replication option with built-in WAN

acceleration completes remote office server and storage consolidation IT strategiesby providing highly efficient replication of branch or remote office data to your centraldata center. MicroScan Replication also reduces the amount of informationreplicated by ensuring that data already sent to the central data center is not sentmore than once, thereby reducing traffic on the WAN.

VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) support

FalconStor NSSVA also supports VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) throughintegration with FalconStor MicroScan replication. FalconStor NSSVA, combinedwith VMware Infrastructure, provides a complete highly available virtualization

solution for most small to medium enterprise as well as large enterpriseenvironments that are focused on consolidation and virtualization for remote officebranch offices.

Cross-Mirror failover

FalconStor NSSVA supports Cross-Mirror failover, a non-shared storage failoveroption that provides high availability without the need for shared storage. Used withvirtual appliances containing internal storage. Mirroring is facilitated over adedicated, direct IP connection. This option removes the requirements of sharedstorage between two partner storage server nodes and allows swapping data

functions from a failed virtual disk on the primary server to the mirrored virtual diskon the secondary server. The disks are swapped back once the problem is resolved.

Microsoft VSS compliant

FalconStor NSSVA supports Microsoft Windows Volume Shadow copy Service(VSS), which provides the backup infrastructure and a mechanism for creatingconsistent point-in-time copies of data known as shadow copies.


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Three Versions

NSSVA is available in the following three versions:

For advanced configuration of high availability, refer to the documentation link that isincluded in your registration E-mail.

NSSVA Standard Edition Includes two TB of storage (upgradable to four

TB). Supports up to 10 clients.

Includes the following client application support:

VMware Application Snapshot Director

Storage Replication Adapters for VMwareSRM*

SAN Client

Application Snapshot Agent

*Supported in pilot environments only.

NSSVA Standard Editiontrial

Includes all of the features of the standardedition for a 30 day period.

Can be upgraded to the standard edition

NSSVA lite (free iSCSISAN) Edition

Does not include high availability, mirror, orreplication.

Five client limit.

Two TB storage capacity.

Can be upgraded to the standard edition.

Does not include the following client applicationsupport:

VMware Application Snapshot Director Storage Replication Adapters for VMware

SRM

SAN Client

Application Snapshot Agent


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Hardware/software requirements

Component Requirement

NSS Virtual Appliance NSSVA supports the following VMware ESX Server platform: VMware ESX Server 3.5 Update 5

VMware ESXi 3.5 Update 5

VMwareESX Server 4.0 Update 1

VMware ESXi 4.0 Update 1

All necessary critical patches for VMware ESX server platforms areavailable on the VMware download patches web site: http://support.vmware.com/selfsupport/download/ .

FalconStorManagement Console

A virtual or physical machine running any version of Microsoft Windows thatsupports the Java 2 Runtime Environment (JRE).

VMware ESX Serverhardware Compatibility

FalconStor Virtual Appliances for VMware are supported only on VMwarecertified server hardware.

To ensure system compatibility and stability, refer to the onlinecompatibility guide http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php?action=base&deviceCategory=server.

To download the Systems Compatibility Guides:

For ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server 3i, go to https://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/1032

64-bit processor For maximum virtualization and iSCSI SAN service, NSSVA uses 64-bitsystem architecture. To verify 64-bit virtual machine support, download theVMware utility below and execute it on the ESX server to see if the CPUsupports 64-bit:

http://downloads.vmware.com/d/details/processor_check_5_5_dt/dCpiQGhkYmRAZQ==


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Cross-mirror failover Each server must have identical internal storage.

Each server must have at least two network ports (one for therequired crossover cable). The network ports must be on the same

subnet.

Only one dedicated cross-mirror IP address is allowed for themirror. The IP address must be 192.168.n.n.

Only virtual devices can be mirrored. Service-enabled devices andsystem disks cannot be mirrored.

The number of physical disks on each machine must match and thedisks must have matching ACSLs (adapter, channel, SCSI ID,LUN).

When failover occurs, both servers may have partial storage. Toprevent a possible dual mount situation, we strongly recommendthat you use a hardware power controller, such as IPMI. Refer to

Power Control for VMware ESX server on page 42for moreinformation.

Prior to configuration, virtual resources can exist on the primaryserver as long as the identical ACSL is unassigned or unowned bythe secondary server. After configuration, pre-existing virtualresources will not have a mirror. You will need to use the Verify &Repairoption to create the mirror.

BIOS VT Support The VMware ESX server must be able to support hardware virtualization forthe 64-bit virtual machine. To verify BIOS VT support: Link to VMwareknowledgeBase to run the esx command.

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/

search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1011712

2000 MHz CPUresource reservation

NSSVA reserves NSS resources of 2000MHz for storage virtualization,iSCSI service, Snapshot, and replication processes, ensuring sufficientresources for the VMware ESX server and multiple virtual machines. Thespecifications are:

Two Dual-core 1.5 GHz 64-bit process

One Quad-core 2.0 GHz 64-bit process

2 GB Memoryresource reservation

NSSVA reserves 2 GB of memory resources for storage virtualization,iSCSI service, Snapshot, and replication processes, ensuring sufficientresources for the VMware ESX server and multiple virtual machines. The

specifications are: 500MB for VMware ESX server system

2 GB for FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance

More memory for the other virtual machines running on the same ESXserver



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Storage NSSVA supports up to 2TB of storage for iSCSI storage provisioning andsnapshot data. Additional storage can be added in 1 TB increments.Storage is allocated from the standard VMware virtual disk on the local

storage or the raw device disk on SAN storage.NSSVA also supports Storage Pools,into which you can add different sizedvirtual disks. The system allocates resources for storage provisioning orsnapshots on demand.

Network Adapter NSSVA is pre-configured with two virtual network adapters that manageyour multiple path iSCSI connection or dedicated cross-mirror link. For thebest network performance, the ESX server needs two physical networkadapters for one-to-one mapping to the independent virtual switches andthe virtual network adapters of NSSVA. In addition, the ESX server mayneed extra physical network adapters for Virtual infrastructuremanagement, VMware VMotion, or physical network redundancy.

Two physical network adapters for one-to-one virtual network mapping toFalconStor NSSVA.

Optional physical network adapters links to one virtual switch for physicalnetwork adapters redundancy.

Optional physical network adapters for virtual center management thoughthe independent network.

Optional physical network adapters for VMotion process though theindependent network.



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NSSVA Specification and requirement summary

Virtual machine configuration:

Minimum ESX server hardware requirements

Spec VM Configuration Reservation

CPU Two virtual processors 2000 MHz

Memory* 2 GB 2GB

Disk 28 GB

Network Two virtual network adapters

Spec ESX Server Configuration

CPU Two Dual-core 1.5 GHz 64-bit processorOR

One Quad-core 2.0 GHz 64-bit processor

Using ESX requires specific hardware and system resources. Ifyou are using ESX 4, refer to the VMware Online Library forspecific ESX hardware requirements: http://pubs.vmware.com/vsp40/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm#href=install/

c_esx_hw.html

Memory* 2 GB

Disk Up to 4 TB free storage space

Network Two physical network adapters

Note: *Memory requirements may vary depending upon your usage. Recoveringa volume using more than 300 GB of TimeMark data may require additional RAM.


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Introduction


Supported Disk Configuration

Disk Type Vm Configuration

Local Disks Format using VMFS (or use an existing VMFS volume).

Create .vmdk file to provision to NSSVA. Virtualize the diskand create an NSS SAN resource (do not use SED).

Once the ESX servers detect the NSS disk over iSCSI, youcan use it as a RAW disk RDM (virtual or physical) or as aVMFS volume (recommended).

SAN Disks* Format the SAN disk using VMFS (or use an existing VMFSvolume on the SAN). Create a .vmfs file to provision toNSSVA. Virtualize the disk and create an NSS SANresource (do not use SED).

Once the ESX servers detect the NSS disk over iSCSI, youcan use it as a RAW disk RDM (virtual or physical) or as a

VMFS volume (recommended).

Raw SAN Disks Create Raw Device Mapping (RDM) in virtual mode toprovision the NSSVA. Virtualize the disk and create anNSS SAN resource (do not use SED).

Once the ESX servers detect the NSS disk over iSCSI,you can use it as a RAW disk RDM (virtual or physical) oras a VMFS volume (recommended).

Create Raw Device Mapping (RDM) in virtual mode toprovision the NSSVA. Reserve the disk for Service -enabled use and create an NSS SED resource. Do notpreserve the device Inquiry String so that the disk displaysas a FalconStor disk instead of a VMware virtual disk later.

Once the ESX servers detect the NSS disk, you must useit as a RAW disk RDM (virtual or physical). Do not useVMFS format in this configuration.

Note: *Assigning an iSCSI ARRAYs LUN directly to a NSSVAs iSCSI Initiator isnot supported. The physical iSCSI arrays LUN must be provisioned to the ESXservers iSCSI Initiator and disks then configured per the instructions described inthe guide.


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Introduction


NSSVA Configuration

ESX server deployment planning

The FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance is a pre-configured and ready-to-run solutioninstalled on a dedicated ESX server in order to function as a storage server. NSSVAcan also be installed on a ESX server that runs other virtual machines. To deliverhigh availability storage service, NSSVA can be installed on a second VMware ESXserver that will function as a standby storage server with redundant cross-mirrorstorage.

Dedicated NSSVA

When NSSVA is installed on a dedicated ESX server no other virtual machine runson the system.

Dedicated High Availability NSSVA

When NSSVA is installed on two dedicated ESX servers; they can be configured forActive/Passive high availability.

Shared NSSVA

When NSSVA is installed on an ESX server on which other virtual machines areinstalled or will be installed, NSSVA will share the CPU and memory resources withother virtual machines and still offer storage services for the other virtual machineson the same or the other ESX servers.

Shared HA NSSVA

When NSSVA is installed on two ESX servers on which other virtual machines are

installed or will be installed, NSSVA will share the CPU and memory resources withother virtual machines. The two NSSVAs can be configured for Active/Passive highavailability.

About this document

This document provides step-by-step procedures for installing and using the NSSVAin a VMware ESX 3.5, 4, ESXi 3.5, and 4 environment.

The following topics will be covered in this document:

Installation on the virtual appliance Configuration of the virtual appliance

Host-side software installation

Protection of servers

High availability

Replicating data for disaster recovery purposes


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Introduction


Knowledge requirements

Individuals deploying NSSVA should have administrator level experience withVMware ESX and will need to know how to perform the following tasks:

Create a new virtual machine from an existing disk Add new disks to an existing virtual machine as Virtual Disksor Mapped

Raw Disks

Troubleshoot virtual machine networks and adapters

Although not required, it is also helpful to have knowledge about the technologieslisted below:

Linux

iSCSI

TCP/IP


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Install NSS Virtual Appliance

Installation for VMware virtual infrastructure

The FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance supports generic VMware ESX server 3.5,ESXi 3.5, ESX server 4, and ESXi 4. You can choose one of the easy installationmethods according to your ESX server version.

Installation script for VMware ESX server 3.5, and 4

The generic VMware ESX server provides the local console and SSH remoteconsole connection for management. You can launch the NSSVA installationscript on a local or remote console to install NSSVA.

Virtual Appliance Import for VMware ESX server 3.5, ESXi 3.5, ESX server 4,and ESXi 4

The latest VMware ESX server 4 and hypervisor ESXi supports virtual applianceimport execution from a VMware Infrastructure Client. If the VMware ESXi serverdoes not support local and remote console, you will only be able to use thevirtual appliance import method to install the NSSVA into the system.

Before installation, you must ensure that the CPU supports 64-bit operating systemsand is compatible with the VMware ESX system and the system BIOS can supportVirtualization Technology (VT).

To verify 64-bit virtual machine support: Go to http://downloads.vmware.com/d/

details/processor_check_5_5_dt/dCpiQGhkYmRAZQ==To verify BIOS VT support, go to http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/

search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1011712

Installing NSSVA via the installation script

To launch the NSSVA installation script on the ESX server console, log into theconsole with root privileges and follow the instructions below to complete theinstallation.

1. Upload the FalconStor-NSSVA.zip file to the VMware ESX server/root folderusing the SCP tool.

2. Execute the unzip command to extract the package to the FalconStor-NSSVAfolder.

3. Start the NSS Virtual Appliance installation by executing the following command:. / Fal conSt or - VA/ nssi nst al l from the unzip path.

The installation script performs several system checks and continues installing ifthe following requirements are met:


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Install NSS Virtual Appli ance


System memory on the ESX server must be at least 2 GB.

The ESX server must be a supported 64bit virtual machine.

The ESX server must have the BIOS VT function enabled.

4. Enter the number of the VMFS volume where you will be installing the NSSVirtual Appliance system.

The installation script copies the system image source and extracts it to thespecified volume. The NSS Virtual Appliance is then registered onto the ESXsystem.

Installing NSSVA via Virtual Appliance Import from a downloaded zip file

1. On the client machine, unzip the NSSVA.zip file and extract the package to any

folder. For example, create a folder called FalconStor-NSSVA.

2. If not already active, launch the VMware Infrastructure/vSphere Client andconnect to the ESX server with root privileges.

3. Select File --> Virtual Appliance-->Import (VI client)/ Deploy OVF template(vSphere Client).

4. For the Import Locationof the Import Virtual Appliance Wizard, click the Browsebutton on the Import from file option. Then select the folder to which youextracted the package (i.e. the FalconStor-NSSVA folder), expand the folder,and select the file: Fal conSt or - NSSVA. ovfin the FalconStor-VA folder.

The Virtual Appliance Detailschecks the virtual appliance information for

FalconStor NSSVA.

5. Click Next to continue the import.

The Name and Location displays the default appliance name: FalconStor-NSSVA. You can change the name of the virtual machine. This change will notbe applied into the actual appliance name.

6. On the Datastorelist, click on the datastore containing at least 26 GB of spacefor the NSSVA system Import.

7. For Network Mapping, select the virtual machine network of the ESX server thatthe NSSVA virtual Ethernet adapter will link to.

8. On the Ready to Complete screen, review all settings and click Finishto start thevirtual appliance import task.

The virtual appliance import status window displays the completion percentage.

It usually takes five to 10 minutes to complete this task.

Note: For NSSVA Lite: While extracting the NSS virtual appliance system, youwill be asked to enter your login credentials for the target. (i.e. Please enter logininformation for target vi://127.0.0.1)


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9. Click Closewhen the completion percentage reaches 100% and the importwindow displays Completed Successfully.

Installing the Snapshot Director on the ESX console server

The Snapshot Director for VMware must be installed on the ESX console server.You must be root (or root equivalent) in order to install the Snapshot Director.

1. Copy the installation files to the local drive of the ESX console server.

client software (i.e. ipstorclient-x.xx-x.xxx.xxxx.rpm) gets installed first.

Snapshot Director (i.e. asd_vmware-x.xx-xxxx.xxxx.rpm) gets installedsecond.

2. Type the following command to install the client software:

The client will be installed to the following location: /usr/local/ipstorclient

It is important that you install the client to this location. Installing the client to adifferent location will prevent the client driver from loading.

3. Install the Snapshot Director software.

Note that during installation, several firewall ports will be opened to allow for

snapshot notification and command line communications.

Installing SAN client software on virtual host machines

FalconStor SAN Client software must be installed on each virtual host machine. Itruns silently in the background, requires no configuration, and is used to initiatesnapshots.

1. Navigate to the NSS Agents zip file that you copied earlier to a Windowsmachine.

2. Extract the file from the uploaded zip file.

3. Select Install Products --> Install SAN Client

If the installation does not launch automatically, navigate to the \Client\Windowsdirectory and run ISinstall.exe to launch the client install program.

Note: When using OVF import for installing the NSSVA Lite version, you willneed to manually add a 100 GB data disk in order to launch the Basicenvironment configuration.

rpm -ivh --nodeps /mnt/cdrom/Client/Linux/ipstorclient-x.xx-x.xxx.i386.rpm

# rpm -ivh asd_vmware-x.xx-xxxx.i386.rpm

Note: The ASD is not available in the NSSVA Lite or Trial version.


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During the installation, the Microsoft Digital Signature Warning window mayappear to indicate that the software has not been certified by Microsoft. ClickYesto continue the installation process.

4. Accept the license agreement.

5. When done, click Finish.

Installing Snapshot Agents on virtual host machines

Installation of the Snapshot Agents has the following requirements:

You must be an administrator or have administrator privileges in order toinstall.

SAN Client software must already be installed on the virtual machine.

If you install a snapshot agent for an application (such as MicrosoftExchange, Microsoft SQL, or Oracle), you must install the Windowsfilesystem snapshot agent.

(Snapshot Agent for Microsoft Exchange) The Snapshot Agent has to beinstalled on the same virtual machine where the Exchange Server isrunning. Your Exchange Server must be started before installing the agent.

(Snapshot Agent for Microsoft SQL) The Snapshot Agent has to be installed

on the same machine where the SQL Server database is running. Your SQLServer must be started before installing the agent.

(Snapshot Agent for Oracle) Your Oracle database must be started beforeinstalling the agent. Oracle archive logging must be turned on.

(Oracle 8i only) Make sure the required library %ORA_HOME%/precompile/lib/orasql8.LIBis present in the system. If the file is not present, reinstall theOracle client software and select Programmeras the installation type.

To install a FalconStor Snapshot Agent on a Windows system:

1. Navigate to the NSS Agents zip file that you copied earlier to a Windowsmachine.

2. Extract all of the files to a temporary installation directory.

3. Launch the selected Snapshot Agent setup program.

4. When prompted, review the License Agreement and agree to it to continue.

After accepting the license agreement, the installation program will install the Snapshot

Agent into the same directory where the SAN Client is installed.

5. When done, click Finish.

Notes:

If you are running Windows Server 2003 SP2 on the virtual machine and thefirewall is enabled, you need to open TCP ports 11576, 11582, and 11762 forthe SAN Client.

The SAN Client is not available in the NSSVA Lite or Trial version.


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The SAN client automatically starts the Snapshot Agent for you. In addition, it will be

automatically started each time the client is restarted.

NSS Virtual Appliance conf iguration

Basic system environment configuration

Before starting NSSVA, it is recommended that you first add a virtual disk to NSSVAfor data storage. Refer to Add virtual disks for data storage on page 22for detailedinstructions. Then return to this section to continue configuration.

The first time you log into the NSSVA console, the FalconStor Virtual ApplianceSetuputility pops up automatically and displays the basic environment configurationas shown in the picture below. If you want to configure the system after the initial

setting, you can run the utility by executing the vaconf i g command on the NSSVAvirtual appliance console. Once you run the vaconf i g utility, the system checks ifVMware Tool should be updated.

1. Launch the VMware Infrastructure Client and connect to the ESX server by theaccount with root privilege.

2. Right-click the installed FalconStor-NSSVA then click Open Console. If theNSSVA has not been powered on, click VMon the top menu then click the PowerOn.

3. On the NSSVA console, login as a root user. The default password is IPStor101(case sensitive).

The FalconStor Virtual Appliance Setuputility launches.4. Move the cursor to and scroll to select the item you want to change.

5. Highlight Host Nameand click Enterto configure the host name of the virtualappliance.

Note: The Snapshot Agent is not available in the NSSVA Lite or Trial version.


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6. Highlight Time Zoneand click Enterto configure the time zone. Select whetheryou want to set the system clock to UTC (the default is No). Scroll up and downto search for the correct time zone of your location.

7. Highlight Root Passwordand click Enter to change the new root password of thevirtual appliance. You will need to enter the new password again on the confirm

window.

8. Highlight Network Configurationand click Enterto modify your networkconfigurations. Select et h0or eth1to change the IP address setting. AnswerNoto using DHCP and then set the IP address of the selected virtual networkadapter. If you want to set the IP subnet mask, press down to move the cursoron the netmask setting.

The default IP addresses are listed below:

eth0: 169.254.254.1/255.255.255.0

eth1: 169.254.254.2/255.255.255.0

9. Repeat the network configuration to set the IP address of another virtual network

adapter.

10. Highlight Default Gatewayand click Enter to change the new default gateway ofthe virtual appliance.

11. Highlight Name Serverand click Enterto modify the server name. You can addfour DNS server records into the virtual appliance setting.

12. Highlight NTP Server configuration and click Enterto add four DNS serverrecords into the virtual appliance setting.

13. After making all configuration changes, tab over to Finishand click Enter.

The utility will list the configuration changes you made.

14. Click Yesto accept and apply the setting on the virtual appliance.

15. Close the utility.


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The update VMware tool script is launched and you are prompted to updateVMware tools.

16. Enter the ESX inventory host name of this NSSVA (Indicated by the displayname of NSSVA on ESX server)

17. Enter ESX/vCenter server IP18. Enter ESX/vCenter server login user name

19. Enter ESX/vCenter server login password

If the VMware tool is old, it will be updated; Otherwise, it will not be replaced.

If an error is encountered during the update, such as an inability to reach theESX/vCenter, you will be prompted to Force (press F) the update or Cancel(press C). If you cancel the update, the NSSVA VMware tool will not be changedand you will need to update the VMware tool via the vSphere client. Alternatively,you can enter "chk_vm.sh" in the NSSVA serial console to re-run the updatescript.

Once the installation is complete, you can begin configuration of the NSSVA viathe FalconStor Management Console. Refer to the Configuration andManagementchapter for details. Once configuration is complete, refer to thechecklist at the end of this guide.


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NSS Virtual Appliance User Guide


Installing and using the FalconStor Management console

The FalconStor Management Console is the central management tool to manageand configure the FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance system. You will use theconsole for SAN Client and SAN Resource creation, replication and high availabilityconfiguration.

The FalconStor Management Console can be installed on any Windows 2000,

Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 system. It isrecommended that you install the FalconStor Management Consoleand VMwareInfrastructure Client on the same computer.

1. Unzip the FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance package and then run the setupprogram.

2. Click Nexton the console setup to start the installation.

3. Read the License Agreement and click Yesif you agree to the terms.

4. Enter the User Nameand Company Nameon the Customer Information screen.

5. On the Choose Destination Location, change the installation folder or click Nextto accept the default destination: "C:\Program Files\FalconStor\IPStor".

6. On the Select Program Folder,click Nextto accept the default program folder:FalconStor\IPStor.

7. Review the settings on the Start Copying Fileand click Nextto start the programfiles installation.

8. Click Finishto close the FalconStor Management Console Setup program.

On the FalconStor Management Console, you can manage several FalconStor NSSVirtual Appliances simultaneously. You can configure replication and failover, butyou will need to register and connect to both NSSVA to complete the settingsbetween the NSS Virtual Appliances.

Note: Replication and High Availability features are not available in the NSSVALite or Trial versions of NSSVA.


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Account Management

There are three types of accounts for the virtual appliance, each with differentpermission levels. The three accounts have the same default password.

fsadmin - can perform any VA operation other than managing accounts. Theyare also authorized for VA client authentication.

fsuser - can manage virtual devices assigned to them and can allocate spacefrom the storage pool(s) assigned to them. In addition, they can create newSAN/NAS resources, clients, and groups as well as assign resources to clients,and join resources to groups, as long as they are authorized. VA Users are alsoauthorized for VA client authentication. Any time an VA User creates a new SAN/NAS resource, client, or group, access rights will automatically be granted for theuser to that object.

root user - has full privileges for all the system operations. Only root can managethe user account and system configuration (maintenance).

Connect to the virtual appliance

1. Click Start--> All Programs --> FalconStor --> IPStor, and then click the IPStorConsole.

2. Right-click the Servers and clickAdd.

3. Enter the IP address of NSSVA eth0. Use the default administrator account"root" and enter the default administrator password "IPStor101".


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The connected NSS Virtual Appliance is listed on the FalconStor ManagementConsole as shown below. The default host name is "FalconStor-NSSVA".

Add License Keycode

You have to enter a license keycode to enable server functionality. You can find yourlicense keycode on the server license agreement or you can use the trial keycodeyou obtained when you registered on the web site.

To enter the keycode:

1. In the console, right-click on the NSSVA server and select License.

2. ClickAdd.

3. Enter the keycode then click OK.

You can click theLicense Summarytab to check the details of the license.

Register keycodes

If your computer has Internet access, the console will register a keycodeautomatically after you enter it; otherwise the registration will fail.

You can have a 60 day grace period to use the product without a registered keycode(or 30 day grace period for a trial). If this machine cannot connect to the Internet,you can perform offline registration.

To register a keycode:

1. Highlight an unregistered keycode and click the Registerbutton.


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2. Click Next to start the activation.

3. On the Select the method to register this licensepage, indicate if you want toperform Onlineregistration via the Internet or Offlineregistration.

4. For offline registration, enter a file name to export the license information to localdisk and E-mail it from a computer with Internet access to:

act i vat e. keycode@f al const or . com

It is not necessary to write anything in the subject or body of the e-mail.

If your E-mail is working correctly, you should receive a reply within a fewminutes.

5. When you receive a reply, save the attached signature file to the same local disk.

6. Enter the path to the saved file in step 5 and click Sendto import the registration

signature file.

7. Afterwards, you will see a message stating that the license was registeredsuccessfully.

Add virtual disks for data storage

The FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance supports up to four TB of space for storagevirtualization. Before you create the virtual disks for the virtualization storage, youshould know the block size of the datastore volume, and the maximum size of onevirtual disk size controlled by the volume block size.

If you create a virtual disk that exceeds the maximum size supported by its locatedvolume, an "Insufficient disk space on datastore" error will display. You can resolvethe error by changing to the disk size supported by the volume block.

You can check the block size of your volume via the VMware Infrastructure Client:

1. Launch the VMware Infrastructure Client, connect to the ESX server and log intothe account with root privileges.

2. Click the ESX server in the inventory and then click the Configurationsetting.

Volume Block Size Maximum size of one v ir tual disk

1MB 256GB

2MB 512GB

4MB 1024GB

8MB 2048GB


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3. On the Configuration tab, click Storageunder the Hardware list. Then right-clickone of the datastores and click Properties.

On the Volume Properties, you can see the Block Size and the Maximum FileSize in the Format information.

The screen below displays VMware Volume propertieswith the block size andmaximum file size information.

Add the new virtual disk

In the FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance, you do not need to power-off the virtualappliance to add the new virtual disk for storage virtualization usage.

1. On the Virtual Infrastructure Client, right-click the NSS Virtual Appliance:FalconStor-NSSVA and then click Edit Settings.

2. On the Hardwaretab, click theAddbutton.

3. For Select Device Type, click Hard Diskand then click Next.

4. For Select a Disk, click Create a new virtual diskand then click Next.

5. When prompted to Specify Disk Capacity, Provisioning, and Location, enter theDisk Size of the new virtual disk. Make sure the value does not exceed themaximum file size supported by the volume.


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6. Check the Support clustering features such as Fault Toleranceoption to forcecreation of an eagerzeroedthick disk.

7. If the volume of the NSS Virtual Appliance system does not have enough spaceto store the new virtual disk, click Specify a datastorethen click the Browsebutton. Then Select a datastoreby clicking a datastore with available free space.

8. Click Next to keep the default values on Specify Advanced Options.

9. Review your choices and click Finishto complete the virtual disk creation

setting.

In the FalconStor-NSSVA Virtual Machine properties, you will see New HardDisk (adding) in the hardware list,

10. Click OKto save the setting and the new virtual disk will be created on thedatastore.

11. Repeat the steps above to add another virtual disk for virtualization storage.

Add the new device to the storage pool

Once you have added the virtual disk for the NSS Virtual Appliance in the virtualmachine setting, the NSSVA system must identify those disks and add the newdevice into the storage pool. For High Availability, refer to theHigh Availabilitychapter. To add a new device to the storage pool, follow the steps below:

1. On the FalconStor Management Console, click and expand the FalconStor-NSSVA configuration.

2. Right-click the Physical Resources, and then click Rescan.

3. Click Discover New Devices, and then click OK.

The New Device Detected (FalconStor-NSSVA) window displays listing thenewly discovered physical devices. Each device's Category displaysUnassigned.

4. On the new device detected window, select one of the discovered device andthen click the Prepare Disk button.

Notes:

Do not set EagerZeroThick to both the system/data vmdks and guest VM's

vmdks.

Creating an EagerZeroThick disk is a time-consuming process. You mayexperience a significant waiting period,


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5. On the Disk Preparationscreen, click the drop-down list of Device Category andselect Reserve for Virtual Deviceand then click OK. Then enter YESto confirmthe change.

When the task has completed, a message stating "Physical device category hasbeen changed successfully" will display.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to change the device category of all new detected devicesto "Reserved for Virtual Device".

7. Highlight Physical Resourcesand click to expand the Storage Pools. Then rightclick the StoragePool-Default and click the Properties.

8. On the Storage Pool Properties screen, click the Select All button and then clickOK to add all new detected devices into the storage pool.

9. Click and expand the StoragePool-Default to see all configured new devices that

have been added into the pool for central space management.All devices must be added into the storage pool for central resource management.

Create a SAN Client for VMware ESX server

Create a SAN client for each VMware ESX server for storage resource assignment.

On the VMware ESX server, you can login the console and use the vmkpi ngcommand to test the IP network connection from the ESX server iSCSI softwareadapter to the NSSVA. In addition, you can add the NSSVA IP into the iSCSI serverlist of the iSCSI software adapter and check whether the iSCSI initiator nameregistered on the NSSVA.


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Adding theiSCSI server on

ESX SoftwareiSCSI Adapter

1. Launch VMware Infrastructure Client and connect to the ESX server by theaccount with root privilege.

2. Once you are connected to the server inventory, highlight the ESX server andclick the Configurationtab.

3. On the ESX server Configuration screen, click the Storage Adapters and right-click the device under iSCSI Software Adapter, for example: vmhba32.

4. Select the iSCSI software adapter device and then clickProperties.

5. On the iSCSI initiator (device name) Properties, check the iSCSI properties andrecord the iSCSI name, for example:iqn.1998-01.com.vmware:esx03.

6. Click the Dynamic Recoverytab, and then click theAddbutton.

7. On Send Targets,enter the IP address of the NSS Virtual Appliance.

8. It will take several minutes to complete the configuration.

9. Once the IP address has been added into the iSCSI server list, click Closetocomplete the setting.

Creating theSAN Client for

the ESX server

1. Launch the FalconStor Management Console and connect to the NSS VirtualAppliance with IPStor administrator privileges.

2. Click and expand the NSSVA, then right click the SAN Clients and then clickAdd.

3. The Add Client Wizard launches.

4. Click Next to start the administration task.

5. When prompted to Select Client Protocols, click to enable the iSCSI protocoland click Next.

6. Select Target IPby enabling one or both networks providing the iSCSI service.

7. On the Set Client's initiator,the iSCSI initiator name of the ESX server displays ifthe iSCSI server was added successfully. Click to enable it and then click Next.

8. On Set iSCSI User Access, change it toAllow unauthenticated accessor enterthe CHAP secret (12 to 16 characters).

9. On Set iSCSI Options, keep the default setting of QoS.

10. On Enter the Generic Client Name, enter the Client IP address using the ESXserver's IP address.

11. On Select Persistent Reservation Option, keep the default setting and click Next.


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12. OnAdd the client, review all configuration settings and then click Finishto addthe san client into the system.

13. Expand the SAN Clients.

You will see the newly created SAN client for ESX server and the iSCSI Target.

The screen below displays the SAN client and iSCSI target created for the ESXserver connection.

Assign the SAN resource to VMware ESX server

FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance provides simple and intuitive san resourcemanagement via the FalconStor management tool. As an administrator, you caneasily create the SAN resource and assign it to ESX server.

1. On the FalconStor Management Console, click to expand the NSSVA.

2. Navigate to Logical Resources --> SAN Resourcesand click New.

3. The Create SAN Resource Wizardlaunches.

4. Click Nextto start the administration task.

5. Select the SAN Resource Typeby selecting the Virtual Device, and then clickingNext.

6. Select thePhysical Resource for the Virtual Device(s) by selecting theStoragePool-Default under Storage Pools and then clicking Next.


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7. Select Expressas theCreation Methodand enter the allocated size of the newsan resource you are creating.

8. When prompted to Enter the SAN Resource Name, you can keep the defaultname created by system or manually change the name.

9. Confirm the allocate size on the Create the SAN resourcescreen and then clickFinish to create the SAN resource.

10. Once the SAN Resource has been created, the Create SAN Resource Wizardprompts you to assign a SAN client to it. If you have already created the SANclient for the ESX server, click Yes.

TheAssign a SAN Resource Wizardwill launch automatically.

11. Click Nextto start the administration task.

12. Select the iSCSI target to be assigned to the SAN resource.

13. When prompted to Select LUN Numbersfor the resources, click Nextto keep thedefault setting.

14. Click Finishto Assign iSCSI Target(s) to the SAN Resource.

If you answered NOon theAssign SAN Clientprocess, you can perform thistask later by right clicking on the specific SAN resource name under the SANResources tree, and then clickingAssign.

The screen below displays the SAN client and iSCSI target created for the ESXserver connection.


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Assign the same SAN resource to two VMware ESX server

The SAN Resource plays the role of shared storage that is assigned to two ESXservers to create the VMware VMotion, VMware DRS and VMware HA solution. Thiskind of SAN resource must have read/write permission to both servers and be

allowed to be accessed simultaneously.

1. On the FalconStor Management Console, click and expand the NSSVA and theSAN Clients; and then click and expand the ESX server and iSCSI.

2. Under the iSCSI, right click the iSCSI target created for ESX server and thenclick Properties.

3. On the iSCSI Target Propertiesscreen, click theAccess Modedrop-down listand change it to Read/Write Non-Exclusiveto open the access with the otherESX servers that are assigned to the same resource.

4. Repeat the same Access Mode change on all iSCSI target of ESX servers thatwill share the same resource with others as shown in the screen below.

Note: For advanced configuration of high availability, refer to the documentationlink that was included in your registration e-mail.


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Enable VMDirectPath I/O in vSphere v4

Enabling VMDirectPath I/O in vSphere v4 for FalconStor Virtual Appliances (NSS-VA) requires the following steps as described below:

Part I - Enable the VMDirectPath Option

Part II - Configure a virtual machine to use a passthrough VMDirectPath PCIdevice/port

Part III - Modify a FalconStor Virtual Appliance (for ESX 3.5) to load VMwareDrivers

Part IV - Modifying a FalconStor Virtual Appliance (made for ESX 3.5) to properlyload the NIC/HBA driver - For VA's that are pre-RHEL5.3 - Page XX

Enable the VMDirectPath Option

1. From the Inventory section, go to the Configuration tab.

2. Click on the HardwareAdvanced Settingsand Enable the VMDirectPathConfiguration option.

3. Reboot.

4. Return to the Configurationtab, and navigate back to the HardwareAdvancedSettings.


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5. Click the Editlink to add the PCI device ports to the Passthrough List.

6. Reboot again.

7. Return to the Hardware Configuration Advanced Settingssection to confirm thepassthrough ports have been enabled:

Once complete, you can follow the steps from the next few sections to add one or

several ports to a given virtual machine.

The following restrictions apply:

If you are using a dual-port NIC/HBA, the ENTIRE NIC is set to passthroughmode. This means both ports will disappear from the VMKernel.

If you are using a dual-port NIC/HBA, the ENTIRE NIC is given to one specificvirtual machine. Therefore, whether you assign one port or two ports to the VM,both ports are "reserved" and none can be given to another virtual machine. Thepass through is at the PCI port level, so it's an all-or-nothing rule.

Once a virtual machine (VM) has a pass through port assigned to it (followingthe procedures below), the VM can no longer be vmotion'ed (nor DRS'ed, norHA'ed, nor FT'ed) to another ESX host. It becomes a permanent resident of thecurrent ESX host.

Once a VM has a pass through port assigned to it, it can no longer takeadvantage of "Memory over-allocation" (aka overcommitment); instead, theentire "allocated virtual RAM" must be "RESERVED" (done automatically). Thus,enough RAM on the host must be available for the VM to power on.


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Configure a virtual machine to use a passthrough VMDirectPath PCI device/port

The steps necessary to configure a virtual machine (VM) to use a passthroughVMDirectPath PCI device/port are described below:

1. Navigate to File Deploy OVF Template.

2. Select the appropriate ovffile.

3. Right-click and select Upgrade Virtual Hardware.

4. Select Edit Settings.

5. Click the Hardwaretab and select the appropriate network adapter.


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6. Click theAddbutton to add hardware.

TheAdd Hardware screen displays.

7. Select the type of device you wish to add.

In this example, PCI device was chosen.


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8. Specify the device to which you want to connect.

9. ClickFinishto complete the operation.


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Modify a FalconStor Virtual Appliance (for ESX 3.5) to load VMware Drivers

The procedures below illustrate how to modify a FalconStor Virtual Appliance (madefor ESX 3.5) to properly load the updated VMware Drivers from VMware Tools forthe updated Virtual Machine Hardware v7 (under vSphere v4).

1. Power ON the NSS-VA virtual machine.

During the boot up process, you may see several FAILED error messages,which you can disregard for now.

2. Login to the system from the console with the user name: root and password:IPStor101.

3. Perform a VMware Tools upgrade.

4. Click Abort at the installation screen, then hit Ctrl+C on the following screen to

exit back to the prompt.

5. Connect to the host device.

The Install/Upgrade Toolsscreen displays.

6. Select Interactive Tools Upgradethen click OK.

When you first try to install/upgrade the VMware Tools, you will get an error, andyou will be prompted to remove the existing soft links.

Once the symbolic links are removed, re-run the installation script (vmware-install.pl), and click [ENTER] through the next few screens.

7. Reboot the machine ("sync;sync;reboot" from the command prompt), and thenconfigure the Virtual Appliance per the standard installation guide.

The "vaconfig" script will automatically be executed, and you can then configureyour network settings, hostname, NTP, DNS, etc.

The virtual appliance will reboot automatically.

Modify a FalconStor Virtual Appliance (for ESX 3.5) to load the NIC/HBA driver

This step is necessary for virtual appliances that are pre-RHEL5.3. If you are using

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3 (RHEL5.3), then the Intel drivers for the 10Gbe NIC (orQLogic 8Gbps FC) will already be installed. If not, you will need to download,compile, and install the Intel drivers from Intel's web site.

1. Copy the file (i.e. ixgbe-2.0.38.2.tar.gz) to /root.

The easiest way (since your network is down at this point), is to create an ISOfile, and mount the ISO to the CD-ROM drive of the virtual machine, using thesame commands as earlier to mount the CD (mount /dev/cdrom /media).


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2. Run:

# t ar xvf z i xgbe- 2. 0. 38. 2. t ar . gz# cd i xgbe- 2. 0. 38. 2# vi README

3. Follow the instructions to compile and load the driver.# cd / r oot / i xgbe- 2. 0. 38. 2/ sr c/# make i nst al l# modpr obe / l i b/ modul es/ 2. 6. 18- 53. 1. 19. el 5/ ker nel / dr i ver s/ net /i xgbe/ i xgbe. ko

(or simply modprobe ixgbe).

4. Configure your network cards using the "vaconfig" command (if they are eth0and eth1).

If you are creating new files (for eth2, eth3, in case you did NOT remove theoriginal eth0 and eth1 virtual NIC's from the VMware VM's Settings), use the

following commands:# cd / et c/ sysconf i g/ net wor k- scri pt s/# vi i f cfg- et h2

DEVI CE=et h2BOOTPROTO=noneI PADDR=192. 168. 88. 112NETMASK=255. 255. 255. 0ONBOOT=yes

TYPE=Et hernetMTU=9000DHCP_ HOSTNAME=

5. Repeat if you need to configure eth3.

Make sure to modify all parameters from the content of the file above to matchthe proper settings (IPADDR, DEVICE, etc).

6. Update the "/etc/modprobe.conf" file to make sure the ixgbe driver is loadedduring startup:

# vi / etc/ modpr obe. conf

al i as et h0 i xgbe

al i as et h1 i xgbeal i as scsi _host adapt er mpt baseal i as scsi _host adapt er 1 mpt spial i as scsi _host adapt er 2 at a_pi i xi nst al l pci ehp / sbi n/ modpr obe - q - - i gnor e- i nst al l acpi php; / bi n/truei nst al l pcnet 32 / sbi n/ modpr obe - q - - i gnor e- i nst al l vmxnet ; / sbi n/modpr obe - q - - i gnore- i nst al l pcnet 32 $CMDLI NE_OPTS; / bi n/ t r ueal i as char - maj or - 14 sbopt i ons sb i o=0x220 i r q=5 dma=1 dma16=5 mpu_i o=0x330

Note: Make sure to set the MTU to 9000 if you want to use Jumbo Frames.


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7. Create a new boot image, and reboot to confirm the changes:

# cd / boot /# mki ni t r d - f i ni t r d- 2. 6. 18- 53. 1. 19. el 5- 8J un09- 230047. i mg 2. 6. 18-53. 1. 19. el 5

8. After reboot, run "ifconfig", and confirm your changes.

Note: Replace the name of the.img file from the command above, with the .imgfilename indicated in your menu.lst file, in the VERY LAST LINE, for example:

# cat / boot / gr ub/ menu. l st

# grub. conf gener at ed by anaconda

You do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file.


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High Availabil ity

FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance High Availabili ty (HA) solution

FalconStor NSS Virtual Appliance supports High Availability storage service via twoNSS Virtual Appliances in a Cross-Mirror and iSCSI service failover design. TheHigh Availability (HA) option is not available for the Single Node Edition, the Liteversion or the trial version of NSSVA.

For best results using the high availability architecture, make sure all of theconfigurations follow the best practice instructions and guidelines in this chapter.


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High Availability


Configuring the NSS Virtual Appliance Cross-Mirrorfailover

Refer to the checklist tables in Appendix A to verify your NSS Virtual Appliance

environment and configuration before setting up Cross-Mirror high availability.

1. Launch the FalconStor Management Console, adding and connecting to boththe primary and secondary NSS Virtual Appliance.

2. Expand the SCSI Devices of both NSS Virtual Appliances and make sure youhave the same number devices with same size and SCSI ID on both NSS Virtual

Appliances.

3. Right-click the primary NSSVA. Then point to the failover appliance and launchthe Failover Setup Wizard.

The Failover Setup Wizardchecks to make sure the iSCSI option is enabled onthe primary NSSVA. Make sure the iSCSI option is also enabled on thesecondary NSSVA. iSCSI is the default service running on the NSSVA.

4. Click Nexton the welcome page of Failover Setup Wizardto start the cross-mirror configuration.

5. Click Yes to re-scan the physical devices to guarantee the device number andsize on both server are equal.

You will see the power control enabling suggestions information after the wizardcompletes. You can ignore this message.

6. At the Configure Cross Mirror Optionscreen, click Next to start the diskpreparation and mirror realization ship creation.


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High Availability


To save the system configuration for failover purposes, a configurationrepository is required for failover primary server.

7. Click OKto close the information.

8. When prompted to Select the Secondary Serverand the Cross Mirror RemoteServer IP address, enter the IP Address on the Primary Server using the eth1IPaddress of the primary NSSVA. Then enter the IP Address on the SecondaryServer using the eth1 IP address of secondary NSSVA.

Alternatively, you can enter the primary server IP address and then click the Findbutton to have the wizard retrieve the IP address in the same IP subnet from thesecondary NSSVA.

The wizard completes the task of Checking the secondary server settings.

9. When prompted to Configure Remote Storage, make sure all devices have beenchecked and enabled.

10. Click OKto close the dialog screen.

The Enable Configuration Repository Wizardlaunches.

11. Click Nextto start the configuration task.

12. When prompted to Select the Physical Resources for the Virtual Device(s),select a physical device with at least 10 GB of available space to save theconfiguration repository.

If all physical devices are 10 GB or larger, you can click Nextto continue theconfiguration.

13. When prompted to Select the Physical Device, select a physical device that is atleast 10 GB and click Next.

14. Click Finishto confirm the selected physical device on the Create theConfiguration Repositoryscreen and complete the creation of configurationrepository.

15. The IPStor User List displays, prompting you for the user name and password.Make sure they match on both the primary and secondary NSSVA and click OK.

The Select the Failover Subnetsdialog displays as the wizard retrieves the IPaddresses of both the primary and secondary NSSVA and the IP subnet (exceptthe interface used by Cross-Mirror).

16. Confirm all information is correct and click Next.


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High Availability


17. Enter the IP address of the server: using theclient access IP address. The ESX server iSCSI Software Adapter uses this IPaddress to log into the iSCSI target and connect the SAN resource. This IPaddress will failover to the secondary NSSVA if the primary NSSVA encountersthe problem.

18. Enter the Health monitoring IP address for the Server by the new eth0 IP address of the primary NSSVA.

19. Confirm the Failover Configuration by reviewing the settings and clicking Finishto complete the failover configuration creation.

The wizard will recommend that you make sure the clocks are in-sync betweenthe failover servers,

20. Click OKto close the wizard.

You are now ready to setup the power control patch to complete the failoversettings. Refer to Power Control for VMware ESX server.

Note: It is recommended that you use the original eth0 IP address here so youwill not need to re-configure the FalconStor Management Console connection.

Note: It is recommended that you create a new eth0 IP address here so you willnot need to re-configure the FalconStor Management Console connection.

Notes:

Once the configuration of cross-mirror failover is complete via failover setupwizard, the Power Control option in the FalconStor Management Consolemust not be changed.

If you do not use the original eth0 IP address as the client access IP, you must

delete the primary NSSVA record from the FalconStor Management Consoleand re-add the primary NSSVA using the new client access IP address.


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High Availability


Power Control for VMware ESX server

You must configure the power control options for your failover servers by using theNSSVA Power Control Utility. You can configure the NSSVA Power control utility topower off the primary NSSVA if all communication between the two NSSVA serversfail.

The power control options include the following options:

Primary ESX server connection

Secondary ESX server connection

Primary ESX server root password

Force takeover setting

Primary NSSVA network test

Power control test

The power control options for the VMware ESX server are used to avoid an

unplanned take over by an ESX server physical network problem. The NSSVAPower control utility does the following:

The NSSVA uses the cross-mirror (via iSCSI connection) so that it does notuse the same storage.

Sets the connection to the primary ESX server that can send the power offcommand from the secondary NSSVA to the primary ESX server ifnecessary. For example, you would use this if the primary NSSVA hangsand cannot answer any failover commands. If the secondary NSSVA cannotsend the power off command to the primary ESX server, it will not take overin a default configuration setting.

Sets the IP address of the secondary ESX server so that it can ping the IP

addresses from the primary NSSVAs to check the network connection. If the force take over option is enabled, the primary NSSVA checks the

network connection periodically. Once the network disconnects and a forcetake over is enabled, it shuts down the primary NSSVA after 30 seconds.The Takeover option is disabled by default. You will need to enable thisoption using the NSSVA power control (vapwc-config) utility to force thesecondary NSSVA to take over. Enable this option if you want thesecondary NSSVA to always take over when there is no communication withthe primary ESX server.


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High Availability


Launching the power control utility

To launch the power control utility:

1. Launch the VMware Infrastructure Client and connect to the ESX server account

with root privileges.

2. Right-click the installed FalconStor-NSSVA and select Open Console.

If the NSSVA has not been powered on, clickVMon the top menu and clickPower On.

3. On the NSSVA console, login as a root user.

The default password is IPStor101 (case sensitive).

4. Launch the power control utility by typing vapwc-config

The failover configuration is detected.

5. Select Yesif the detected failover configuration on your NSSVA system iscorrect. (if you select No, the configuration steps will be skipped.)

The FalconStor NSS Power Control Configurationmain menu displays, allowingyou to run the following options:

Primary ESX server connection

Secondary ESX server connection

Primary ESX server root password

Force takeover setting

Primary NSSVA network test

Power Control test

6. Select Primary ESX server connectionand enter or verify the primary ESX IPaddress.

For optimum reliability, you must enter at least two ESX service console IPaddresses for the primary server. The power control utility will ping the IPaddress to verify the configuration.

7. Select Secondary ESX server connection and enter or verify the secondary ESXIP address.

At least two ESX service console IP addresses must be entered for thesecondary ESX server. The IP addresses are used to test network availability on

the primary NSSVA appliance. The power control utility will ping the IP addressto verify the configuration.

8. Select Primary ESX server root passwordand enter or verify the primary rootpassword.

The root password field cannot be left blank.

9. Select Force takeover settingto enable or disable Force takeover.


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High Availability


This setting is disabled by default. If you choose Yes, this option enables thenetwork monitor function on the primary NSSVA. The primary NSSVA will shutitself down if a physical connection failure is detected. Use this option withcaution as data inconsistency may occur between the primary and thesecondary NSSVA in a force takeover situation.

10. Select Primary NSSVA network testto test the network connection of the ESXserver.

The primary NSSVA network test connects to the primary NSSVA and pings thereference IP addresses on the primary NSSVA, the secondary NSSVA IPaddress, the secondary NSSVA cross-mirror IP address, the primary NSSVAdefault gateway IP address, and the secondary ESX server IP address.

11. Select Power control test to test the sending power control command.

Power control from the secondary NSSVA to the primary ESX server is verified.Once all communication tests to the primary ESX server are successful, you can

click OKto continue the configuration.Failover setup is now complete.


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High Availability


Check Failover status

You can see the current status of your failover configuration, including all settings,by checking the Failover Informationtab for the server.

In addition, you will see a colored dot next to a server to indicate the followingconditions:

Red dot - The server is currently in failover mode and has been taken overby the secondary server.

Green dot - The server has taken over the primary server's resources.

Yellow dot - The user has suspended failover on this server. The currentserver will NOT take over the primary server's resources even it detectsabnormal condition from the primary server.

Failover events are also written to the primary server's Event Log, so you can checkthere for status and operational information, as well as any errors. You should beaware that when a failover occurs, the console will show the failover partners EventLog for the server that failed.

Failover

settings,

including which

IP addresses

are being

monitored forfailover.

Current status of

failover

configuration.


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High Availability


After failover

When a failed server is restarted, it communicates with the acting primary serverand must receive the okay from the acting primary server in order to recover its roleas the primary server. If there is a communication problem, such as a network error,and no notification is received, the failed server remains in a 'ready' state but doesnot recover its role as the primary server. After the communication problem hasbeen resolved, the storage server will be able to recover normally.

If failover is suspended on the secondary server, or if the failover module is stopped,the primary will not automatically recover until the ipstorsm.shrecovery command isentered. If both failover servers go offline and then only one is brought up, type theipstorsm.shrecovery command to bring the storage server back online.

Manual recovery

Manual recovery is the process by which the secondary server releases the identityof the primary to allow the primary to restore its operation. Manual recovery can betriggered by selecting the Stop Takeoveroption from the FalconStor ManagementConsole.

If the primary server is not ready to recover, and you can still communicate with theserver, a detailed failover screen displays. If the primary server is not ready torecover, and you cannot communicate with the server, a warning message displays.

Auto recovery

You can enable auto recovery by changing theAuto Recoveryoption after failover,when control is returned to the primary server once the primary server hasrecovered. Once control has returned to the primary server, the secondary serverreturns to its normal monitoring mode.

Fix a failed server

If the primary server fails over to the secondary and hardware changes are made tothe failed server, the secondary server will not be aware of these changes. Whenfailback occurs, the original configuration parameters will be returned to the primaryserver.

To ensure that both servers become synchronized with the new hardwareinformation, you will need to issue a physical device rescan for the machine whosehardware has changed as soon as the failback occurs.


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High Availability


Recover from a cross-mirror failure

Whether your cross-mirror disk was brought down for maintenance or because of afailure requires that you follow the procedure listed below to properly bring up thecross-mirror appliance.

When powering down both servers in a cross-mirror configuration for maintenance,the server must be properly brought up as follows in order to successfully recoverfrom failover.

If the cross-mirror environment is in a healthy state, all resources are in sync, and allstorage is local to the server (none have swapped), the procedure would be asfollows.

1. Stop NSS on the secondary and wait for the primary to take over.

2. Power down the server.

3. After the primary has successfully taken over, stop NSS on the primary serverand power it down as well.

4. Power up the primary server.

5. Power up the secondary server.

NSS will automatically start.

6. Verify in the / proc/ scs i / scs i that both servers can see their remote storage(usually identified by having 50 as the adapter number, for example the first lunwould be 50:0:0:0.) If this is not the case restart

nss virtual appliance user guide

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