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Configuring a DataCore SAN with Windows Clustered H/A VM’s on 2 Physical Servers

Technical Bulletin #18b

May, 2015 This Technical Bulletin describes how to configure highly available VM’s on a clustered pair of servers running Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 or 2012 while simultaneously, on the same servers, providing highly available, block-level disk storage services to SAN hosts using Fibre Channel and/or iSCSI channels. Fundamental Windows Administration skills are assumed, that Fibre Channel HBA or iSCSI drivers are already installed and that the user is familiar with the process of connecting to Target Fibre Channel and/or iSCSI connections.

Cumulative Change Summary Date

Verified information for all versions of SANsymphony-V 9.x and10.x as well as DataCore’s Windows Integration Kit. No new information added

May, 2015

Added support for Windows Server 2012. April, 2013

Initial Publication October, 2012

Technical Bulletin 18: Configuring a DataCore NAS/SAN Unified Storage Solution 2

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 – GENERAL OUTLINE/SCOPE 3

Compact 2 Server Highly Available Solution 3

Redundancy and Failover 4

Performance Acceleration 5

CHAPTER 2 – PREREQUISITES AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 6

DataCore Software minimum requirements 6

Host server minimum Operating system requirements 6

Partition 0 Physical Cluster Solution Requirements Figure 1: 6

CHAPTER 3 – PARTITION 0 (PHYSICAL CLUSTER) - HIGHLY AVAILABLE VMS AND DATACORE SSV BLOCK STORAGE SERVICES 7

Install Windows Server Logon 7

Setup of NICs in Windows Server Operating System 7

Install Features and Roles in Windows Operating System 9

Installing and Configuring SANsymphony-V Software 10

Setup and Configure Local iSCSI Target Ports 11

Change the Size of SANsymphony-V Cache 12

Create, Configure and Serve Continuously Available Virtual Disks 12

Discover and Configure SSV H/A Virtual Disks 15

Validate and Create a Failover Cluster 16

Create a HA Virtual Machines 19


Chapter 1 – General Outline/Scope

This solution provides H/A clustered VM’s utilizing DataCore’s redundant block disk storage services. ISCSI and/or Fibre Channel protocols may be used to access the SAN storage, although only iSCSI will be illustrated in this bulletin. (Figure 1) covered in Chapter 3, depicts 2 physical Windows servers utilizing Windows Cluster and Hyper-V features with continuously available storage services provided by SSV that is installed and running on the same 2 servers.

Compact 2 Server Highly Available Solution

Figure 1- Compact, continuously available SAN with H/A clustered Vms on 2 physical Servers.


Redundancy and Failover

This solution relies on Windows Failover Clustering to transfer control or live migrate VM’s from one physical machine to the other should one of the servers fail or be intentionally taken out of service (Figure 2).

Figure 2- H/A VMFailover using Failover Clustering between the two servers.

In addition, the SANsymphony-V software ensures that the cluster has uninterrupted access to its disks by synchronously mirroring the disk contents across the two servers. Using this technique also ensures external hosts utilizing the Windows Integration Kit MPIO have continuous access to the SAN disks (Figure 3).


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Figure 3- SAN Failover using Synchronous Mirroring on the SAN and Multi-Path I/O driver on host

Note: DataCore’s Windows Integration Kit (MPIO) is not used in the Partition 0 Base O.S. Cluster solution. Note: Microsoft’s MPIO can be used in with this solution which provides high availability for iSCSI Target when 2 iSCSI Target channels are available on each server.

Performance Acceleration

While not apparent from the diagrams, the shared cluster disks and the cluster VM disks benefit from a performance boost thanks to disk caching in the SANsymphony-V software.


Chapter 2 – Prerequisites and System Requirements

DataCore Software minimum requirements

- SANsymphony-V 9.x or 10.x

- Not supported with SANsymphony-V 8.x Note: These DataCore software versions are minimum requirements; users should always refer to the latest release notes for any new fixes or enhancements. Do not assume that all features can be used with these minimum requirements and that you may need to upgrade your existing environment to use them.

Host server minimum Operating system requirements

Windows Server 2008 R2 (x64) Enterprise Edition Windows Server 2012 (x64)

Partition 0 Physical Cluster Solution Requirements Figure 1:

- Two physical servers in a Domain

- Windows 2008 R2 (Enterprise Edition) or 2012 on each physical server

- DAS or External storage

- Cluster Service Feature installed on each physical server

- Hyper-V Role installed on each physical server

- SANsymphony-V services installed on each physical server in Hyper-V parent partition 0

- At least one mirror path (iSCSI or Fibre Channel) between the physical servers – two or more preferred

for Best Practices

- Server memory requirements:

o Base O.S. minimum memory - 4GB +

o Per planned SANsymphony-V vDisk in the configuration - 200MB +

o Per planned VM in the configuration - X amount of GB (The amount depends on the requirements of each individual VM)

= o Total Memory required on each server.

___________________________________________________

o Example calculation: o Base O.S. = 4GB o SANsymphony-v Cache = 6GB (30 vDisks x 200MB) o 1 VM Domain Controller & DHCP = 4GB o 1 VM FileServer = 16GB o 1 VM Exchange = 32GB

-------------------------------------------------------- Total Memory = 62 GB (Round up to 64GB for each server)

Note: The SANsymphony-V ‘Null Port’ loopback channel cannot be used to serve the Virtual Disks for Witness/Quorum and Virtual Machine Volumes to the host physical server. Datacore iSCSI target loopback connections must be used. This is required for disks to pass Cluster Validation tests


Chapter 3 – Partition 0 (Physical Cluster) - Highly Available VMs and DataCore SSV block storage services

Install Windows Server Logon

1. On each server install Windows Server operating system

a Use standard methods to install the operating system.

b Install latest updates.

2. Setup a unique computer name and join a domain.

a Restart the server when prompted.

b Logon using domain administrative credentials.

Setup of NICs in Windows Server Operating System

3. Setup a public LAN NIC with an unused static IP address

a In the Networking and Sharing Center, open the properties of the public LAN NIC.

b Select Internet Protocol Version 4.

c Enter IP address (static), subnet mask, default gateway and preferred DNS server. Consult your network administrator for this information.

Note: At least three unused static IP addresses are required for this procedure:

One for each server node


One for the cluster configuration

4. Install and setup one or more additional NICs to use in the cluster configuration. NICs should be setup with private network addresses using static IP addresses.

a In the Networking and Sharing Center, open the properties of the additional NIC.

b Select Internet Protocol Version 4.

c Enter the IP address (static) and subnet mask. Enter Consult your network administrator for this information.

5. Click the Advanced button.

a Select the DNS tab and clear the Register this connections address in DNS check box.

b Select the WINS tab and select Disable NETBIOS over TCP/IP.

6. Repeat the above steps for each additional private Nic added.

a Nic’s used for cluster communications and live migrations cannot be used as iSCSI target

i The cluster requires (1 public and 1 private Nic in each server).

b If highly available iSCSI target is required then 2 additional Nic’s are required.


Install Features and Roles in Windows Operating System

7. In the Features wizard, select Failover Clustering.

8. In the Roles wizard, under the File Server role, select Hyper-V.

9. Restart the server and log back in when prompted.


Installing and Configuring SANsymphony-V Software

10. On each server, install SANsymphony-V software using standard install procedures outlined in the SANsymphony-V installation guide.

a Choose Custom Mode to install

b Install SANsymphony-V Core Services and PowerShell on each server

c Install the SANsymphony-V Management Console on another computer that has network access to the SANsymphony-V servers.

11. To log into the SANsymphony-V Management Console, use the local administrator account with fully qualified credentials:

Setting up the configuration will now be performed using the SANsymphony-V Management Console.

12. In the console, add both DataCore Servers to the same Server Group. (See Establishing Server Groups in the Help)

13. Create disk pools on both DataCore Servers (See Creating Disk Pools and Adding Physical Disks in the Help for detailed instructions.)

14. Run the MPIO tool from the Control Panel on each server.

15. Select MPIO Devices tab and configure (Click Add) ) then add DataCore Virtual Disk type. See the example below.

Note: Do not remove the DataCore Mirror Disk device.


Setup and Configure Local iSCSI Target Ports

16. For each DataCore Server, use the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator component in the DataCore Servers Panel to add a target port. (See Discovering iSCSI Targets in the Help for detailed instructions.)

a Add an iSCSI target to the same DataCore Server that is being configured. In other words, a DataCore Server iSCSI target to itself. This is referred to as an iSCSI loopback connection.

b Add another iSCSI target channel if you want iSCSI chanel failover capability.

c Configure iSCSI Target loopback channels on both DataCore Servers.

d Configure 2 iSCSI Target loopback channels on both DataCore servers if iSCSI target channel failover is required


Note: iSCSI Target channel failover prevents a cluster node failover from occurring when an iSCSI target channel fails on the server.

Change the Size of SANsymphony-V Cache

17. Use the formula in the pre-requisites section to determine how much memory to use for SANsymphony-V cache. a Allocate 200MB of memory for each Virtual Disk Configured b e.g., For 30 Virtual Disks set cache size to 6GB

Create, Configure and Serve Continuously Available Virtual Disks

18. Create mirrored virtual disks for the failover cluster configuration:

a One cluster witness volume

b One or more volumes to contain VM configurations and VHD’s

Note: We recommend using a meaningful naming convention when creating mirrored virtual disks. (See Creating Virtual Disks in the Help for detailed information.)

19. I/O paths between the two DataCore Servers will be created for the mirrored virtual disks. (Paths will be iSCSI or Fibre Channel, if available.)


20. Serve the virtual disks to each of the DataCore Servers as follows: (See Serving Virtual Disks in the Help for detailed instructions.)

a Use the Serve to Hosts option, by right-clicking on the virtual disk.

b In the Select Hosts dialog box, select the Show DataCore Servers check box. The servers will appear in the list. Choose the first DataCore Server listed.

c In the Select Paths dialog box, configure both paths to use the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator as the initiator port and the previously configured target ports to each selected DataCore Server as shown in the paths SSV-1 to SSV-1 and SSV-1 to SSV-2 in the example below.


21. IF 2 iSCSI target ports have been configured then select the first target port from the first DataCore Server and then map to the same server again using the second target port.

a For the second and subsequent mappings of the same Virtual Volume you will receive a warning message that the virtual disk is already served to a host. This is expected, click Yes.

Note: Microsoft MPIO will detect the same disk on both iSCSI channels but will present just 1 disk object to device manager and Logical Disk Manager (LDM).

22. Now map the same virtual disk to the second DataCore Servers iSCSI target port(s).

a You will receive a warning message the virtual disk is already served to a host. This is expected, click Yes.

23. IF 2 iSCSI target ports have been configured then select the first target port from the 2nd

server and then map to the same server again using the second target port.

a You will receive a warning message the virtual disk is already served to a host. This is expected, click Yes.

Note: Microsoft MPIO will detect the same disk on both channels but will present just 1 disk object to device manager and Logical Disk Manager (LDM).


Example: A Virtual Disk being mapped using 2 iSCSI target Loopback ports on 2 SSV Servers

Discover and Configure SSV H/A Virtual Disks

NTFS format Volumes for Microsoft Cluster Configuration

24. Open Server Manager on each cluster server.

25. In Device Manager and scan for new disk drives.

26. In Disk Management, perform the following:


a Locate the new volumes.

b Set the volumes online and initialize them.

c On one of the servers, create NTFS file systems on all new volumes.

i Cluster witness (Quorum) disk

ii VM disks (one or more)

Note: We recommend using the same naming convention that was used when creating the virtual disks in the SANsymphony-V Management Console.

Validate and Create a Failover Cluster

27. Start Cluster Manager on one of the servers.

a In the Validate a Configuration wizard, enter the network name of each server.

b Run all cluster tests.


c View the cluster report and fix any critical issues highlighted:

i Important Note: Under special circumstances the cluster validation can fail with the following message: ”Failed to prepare Storage on Node XYZ Status 87”. The error results from bit lock creating a partition in the first 100 MB of your primary drive and then not setting a drive letter.

ii Assign a drive letter to the 100MB partition and re-run the validation.

iii Note: An unsigned driver warning will appear. It is ok to proceed at this time.

d Run the Create Cluster Wizard.

i Enter server names.


ii Enter a Cluster Name and a static IP address.

iii Once the cluster is created, the servers and useable storage will appear in the Failover Cluster Manager, as shown in the example below.


Create a HA Virtual Machines

28. Use the cluster manager to create H/A virtual machines that reside on cluster shared volumes

a Add available disk from the summary of storage pane to be converted to cluster shared volumes (CSV,s).

b Multiple VM’s can be created on CSV’s. This is a function of the size of the VM boot disk you use when you create the VM.

c From services and applications use the VM wizard to create an H/A VM and store the VM configuration and VHD on the CSV.

d Repeat this step for additional VM’s

e Create additional CSV’s for more VM’s

Host Server CPU resource definition and usage:

In VM settings/processors you can specify how much of the total CPU shares a VM can have. There is a grayed out value that shows how much CPU shares an individual VM will have, based on number of vCPUs assigned and percentage given. The sum of all greyed out values of all VMs deployed should leave enough shares for the parent partition to run SANsymphony-V and the parent services.

Example1: When the hosting server has 4 cores, then the total of the VM CPU shares (sum of all greyed out values) should not exceed 50. This will dedicate 50% of the CPU shares (2 cores) for the parent services and SANsymphony-V, while having 50% (also 2 cores) for all VMs.

Example2: When the hosting server has 8 cores, then the total of the VM CPU shares (sum of all greyed out values) should not exceed 75. This will dedicate 25% of the CPU shares (2 cores) for the parent services and SANsymphony-V, while having 75% (6 cores) for all VMs. Note: Please reference Microsoft’s sizing guide for additional guidance. One additional core should be available for SANsymphony-V services.


COPYRIGHT Copyright © 2015 by DataCore Software Corporation. All rights reserved. DataCore, the DataCore logo and SANsymphony are trademarks of DataCore Software Corporation. Other DataCore product or service names or logos referenced herein are trademarks of DataCore Software Corporation. All other products, services and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. ALTHOUGH THE MATERIAL PRESENTED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS BELIEVED TO BE ACCURATE, IT IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND USERS MUST TAKE ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE USE OR APPLICATION OF THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT. NEITHER DATACORE NOR ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY OR ENDORSEMENT REGARDING, AND SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR, THE USE OR APPLICATION OF ANY DATACORE OR THIRD PARTY PRODUCTS OR THE OTHER INFORMATION REFERRED TO IN THIS DOCUMENT. ALL SUCH WARRANTIES (INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND AGAINST HIDDEN DEFECTS) AND LIABILITY ARE HEREBY DISCLAIMED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. No part of this document may be copied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form without the prior written consent of DataCore Software Corporation

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DataCore SAN with Windows Clustered HA VMsdatacore.custhelp.com/ci/fattach/get/248293/1430479071/redirect/1/... · Configuring a DataCore SAN with Windows Clustered ... Windows Server