Configuring The Switches - Iscsi, Vmware; Configuring Networking - Iscsi Vmware; Perform Iscsi-Specific Tasks - Lenovo ThinkSystem DE Series Hardware Installation And Maintenance Manual

Mapping host
Mapping host name
Host OS type

Perform iSCSI-specific tasks

For the iSCSI protocol, you configure the switches and configure networking on the array side and the host
side. Then you verify the IP network connections.

Configuring the switches - iSCSI, VMware

You configure the switches according to the vendor's recommendations for iSCSI. These recommendations
might include both configuration directives as well as code updates.
You must ensure the following:
• You have two separate networks for high availability. Make sure that you isolate your iSCSI traffic to
separate network segments.
• You have enabled send and receive hardware flow control end to end.
• You have disabled priority flow control.
• If appropriate, you have enabled jumbo frames.
Notes:
• Port channels/LACP is not supported on the controller's switch ports. Host-side LACP is not
recommended; multipathing provides the same, and in some cases better, benefits.
• Forward Error Correction (FEC) must be turned off for 25G iSCSI network.

Configuring networking - iSCSI VMware

You can set up your iSCSI network in many ways, depending on your data storage requirements.
Consult your network administrator for tips on selecting the best configuration for your environment.
While planning your iSCSI networking, remember that the VMware Configuration Maximums guides state
that the maximum supported iSCSI storage paths is 8. You must consider this requirement to avoid
configuring too many paths.
By default, the VMware iSCSI software initiator creates a single session per iSCSI target when you are not
using iSCSI port binding.
Note: VMware iSCSI port binding is a feature that forces all bound VMkernel ports to log into all target ports
that are accessible on the configured network segments. It is meant to be used with arrays that present a
single network address for the iSCSI target. Lenovo recommends that iSCSI port binding not be used. For
additional information, see the
software iSCSI port binding in ESX/ESXi. If the ESXi host is attached to another vendor's storage, Lenovo
recommends that you use separate iSCSI vmkernel ports to avoid any conflict with port binding.
To ensure a good multipathing configuration, use multiple network segments for the iSCSI network. Place at
least one host-side port and at least one port from each array controller on one network segment, and an
identical group of host-side and array-side ports on another network segment. Where possible, use multiple
Ethernet switches to provide additional redundancy.
You must enable send and receive hardware flow control end to end. You must disable priority flow control.
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ThinkSystem DE Series Hardware Installation and Maintenance Guide for 2U Enclosures
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for the article regarding considerations for using