vsphere-esxi-vcenter-server-55-storage-guide

vSphere StorageBoot from Fibre Channel SAN Requirements and ConsiderationsYour ESXi boot configuration must meet specific requirements.Table 7‐1. Boot from SAN RequirementsRequirementESXi systemrequirementsAdapterrequirementsDescriptionFollow vendor recommendation for the server booting from a SAN.Enable and correctly configure the adapter, so it can access the boot LUN. See your vendordocumentation.Access control • Each host must have access to its own boot LUN only, not the boot LUNs of other hosts. Usestorage system software to make sure that the host accesses only the designated LUNs.• Multiple servers can share a diagnostic partition. You can use array specific LUN masking toachieve this.MultipathingsupportSAN considerationsHardware- specificconsiderationsMultipathing to a boot LUN on active-passive arrays is not supported because the BIOS does notsupport multipathing and is unable to activate a standby path.SAN connections must be through a switched topology if the array is not certified for directconnect topology. If the array is certified for direct connect topology, the SAN connections can bemade directly to the array. Boot from SAN is supported for both switched topology and directconnect topology if these topologies for the specific array are certified.If you are running an IBM eServer BladeCenter and use boot from SAN, you must disable IDEdrives on the blades.Getting Ready for Boot from SANWhen you set up your boot from SAN environment, you perform a number of tasks.This section describes the generic boot-from-SAN enablement process on the rack mounted servers. Forinformation on enabling boot from SAN on Cisco Unified Computing System FCoE blade servers, refer toCisco documentation.1 Configure SAN Components and Storage System on page 56Before you set up your ESXi host to boot from a SAN LUN, configure SAN components and a storagesystem.2 Configure Storage Adapter to Boot from SAN on page 57When you set up your host to boot from SAN, you enable the boot adapter in the host BIOS. You thenconfigure the boot adapter to initiate a primitive connection to the target boot LUN.3 Set Up Your System to Boot from Installation Media on page 57When setting up your host to boot from SAN, you first boot the host from the VMware installationmedia. To achieve this, you need to change the system boot sequence in the BIOS setup.Configure SAN Components and Storage SystemBefore you set up your ESXi host to boot from a SAN LUN, configure SAN components and a storagesystem.Because configuring the SAN components is vendor specific, refer to the product documentation for eachitem.Procedure1 Connect network cable, referring to any cabling guide that applies to your setup.Check the switch wiring, if there is any.56 VMware, Inc.