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Storage

— New Updated — Systems Compatibility Guide For ESX Server 3.0.x

by Roger Lund November 13, 2008

written by Roger Lund

Systems Compatibility Guide For ESX Server 3.0.x

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What’s New

Changes since the last edition of this guide include:

* Added support for Lenovo RD120. See “Lenovo Server Support,” on page 29.
* Added support for NEC Express5800 B140a‐T. See “NEC Server Support,” on page 31.
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Storage / SAN Compatibility Guide For ESX Server 3.0.x

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What’s New

Changes since the last edition of this guide include:

* Modified support information for IBM SVC. See “IBM,” on page 38.
* Modified support information for Sun StorageTek 2540, 6140, 6540. See “Sun,” on page 32.
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November 13, 2008 0 comments

Datacenter News Storage

— New Updated — VMware ESX Server and ESX Server 3i Hardware Compatibility Guides

by Roger Lund November 13, 2008

written by Roger Lund

Systems Compatibility Guide For ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server 3i.

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What’s New

Changes since the last edition of this guide include:

* Modified support information for ASUSTeK RS160‐E5, RS162‐E4. See “ASUSTeK Server Support,” on page 5.
* Modified support information for FSC RX600 S4. See “Fujitsu Siemens Server Support,” on page 13.
* Added support for Hitachi HA8000 RS440. See “Hitachi Server Support,” on page 18.
* Added support for Lenovo RD120. See “Lenovo Server Support,” on page 36.
* Added support for NEC R140a‐4, B140a‐T. Modified support information for ECOCENTER. See “NEC Server Support,” on page 38.
* Added support for Sun Netra CP3220 ATCA Blade Server. See “Sun Server Support,” on page 43.
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I/O Compatibility Guide For ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server 3i

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What’s New

Changes since the last edition of this guide include:

* Added support for Intel Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter, Intel 82574L Gigabit Network Connection, Intel 10 Gigabit XF LR Server Adapter, Intel 10 Gigabit CX4 Dual Port Server Adapter, Intel 10 Gigabit AT Server Adapter, Intel 82598EB 10 Gigabit AT CX4 Network Connection. Modified support information for Intel 10 Gigabit XF SR Dual Port Server Adapter, Intel 10 Gigabit XF SR Server Adapter. See “Intel Networking Devices,” on page 33.
* Modified support information for NetXen NXB‐10GCX4. See “NetXen Networking Devices,” on page 35.
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Storage / SAN Compatibility Guide For ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server 3i
“
What’s New

Changes since the last edition of this guide include:

* Modified support information for Fujitsu Siemens FibreCAT SX60, SX80, SX88. See “Fujitsu Siemens,” on page 13.
* Modified support information for Sun 2540, 6140, 6540. See “Sun,” on page 25.
* Modified support information for Xiotech Emprise 7000. See “Xiotech,” on page 27.
* Modified support information for NetApp V6000 Series. See “NetApp,” on page 33.
* Modified support information for NetApp FAS6000 Series. See “NetApp,” on page 39.
* Modified support information for DataCore SMY‐VS5‐2970. See “DataCore,” on page 47.
* Modified support information for EMC Invista‐Cisco. See “SAN Array Model Reference,” on page 70.
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November 13, 2008 0 comments

Datacenter News Storage

Vmware ESXi Adding ISCSI Target

by Roger Lund November 13, 2008

written by Roger Lund

Vmware ESXi Adding ISCSI Target

Steps to Configure ISCSI Target in VMware ESXi

1. Login to Infrastructure Client
2. Click the Configuration Tab
3. Click Storage Adapters
4. Highlight iSCSI Software Adapter
5. Click Properties
6. Click Configure
7. Check Enable and hit ok
8. Click Dynamic Discovery
9. Click Add
10. Type in the IP Address of the Server or Device that has the ISCSI Target.
11. Click OK
12. Click Close
13. If prompted to rescan of the host, click yes. If not, click rescan and hit ok
14. Click Storage
15. Click Add storage
16. Click next
17. Make sure the lun number is correct and click next
18. At the hard disk is blank, hit next
19. Name the datastore, a new name, ISCSI02 for example.
20. Select 2048 GB Block size 8 MB and make sure Max Cap is check, click next.
21. Click Finish.

Now you should have a new Data store, which is really on a different computer!

November 13, 2008 0 comments

Datacenter News Storage

ESXi 3.5 U3 on USB Key

by Roger Lund November 12, 2008

written by Roger Lund

Yellow bricks posted a great blog on making a bootable usb of ESXi.

I took the latest version of ESXi 3.5 U3, and applied it to the post, and it worked great.

Seems to take about 800 MB of space.

I then applied it to a HP DC7800P desktop, and it booted great!

Then I found that the built in network card did not detect, so I tossed in two 3com 3c905b cards, and boom!, network connectivity, ( althrough ESXi see’s them as disconnected), it tests fine.

I then went into configuration and storage adapters, and saw that it detected the ICH9 controller, but no drives.

I found that I had to format the drives to fat32, and then it saw the drive, and I formatted it it to a datastore and it works!

I would recommend this configuration for a cheap none supported test box.

November 12, 2008 0 comments

Datacenter News Storage

Xiotech 3D 4000

by Roger Lund November 12, 2008

written by Roger Lund

We have been looking at the Xiotech 3D 4000, and here are some product links we were given by the vendor.

http://www.xiotech.com/Products-and-Services_Magnitude-3D-4000.aspx
http://www.xiotech.com/Products-and-Services_Virtual-View_Video.aspx
http://www.xiotech.com/Products-and-Services_Virtual-View.aspx
http://www.xiotech.com/video/4000new-17.wmv
http://www.xiotech.com/Knowledge-Center_Fiber-Channel-Or-iSCSI.aspx
http://www.xiotech.com/Knowledge-Center_Storage-Clustering.aspx

After some review, I think it lacks in some areas compared to Equallogic, EMC, and Netapp, more to come on them.

November 12, 2008 0 comments

Datacenter Storage Virtualization

VMware View impressions

by Philip Sellers September 25, 2008

written by Philip Sellers

One topic that I have not been able to blog about from VMworld was the VMware View announcements. I didn’t get a lot of detail, but the introduction during the keynotes did peak my interest quite a bit. My company is currently evaluating its options for doing virtualized desktops. We feel like there are some places where we can benefit from virtual desktops and others where maybe thin clients may be better. Our (possibly misguided) goal is to mitigate the amount of licensing fees we are paying to Microsoft. So at the same time, we are looking at Linux on the desktop as well.

September 25, 2008 1 comment

Apple Datacenter Devices Home Tech Storage

T-Mobile intro’s the G1 and its not the iPhone killer expected

by Philip Sellers September 25, 2008

written by Philip Sellers

Saw a lot of media coverage about T-Mobile’s introduction of the G1 handset. I’ve watched several demos and I’m not really sure what I think of the handset yet. Its certainly not got the wow factor that I had after seeing the introduction of the iPhone. Maybe the missing piece was the Steve’s reality distortion field.

The software looks compelling in the demos that I have seen, but lacks the polish of the iPhone. Google has done a good job creating a platform, though I’ve seen some outstanding UI concepts that are not integrated into this particular handset. What seems to be lacking is the cohesiveness that makes the iPhone great. The UI looks a little disjointed with the main menu which scrolls in and then the ability to dock widgets and app icons on the “desktop.” I really don’t know what else to call it – home screen maybe.

Surprisingly, the capacity of the G1 is very minimal – sitting at only 1Gb of storage. That is a major limiting factor, but reflects the fact that the G1 isn’t an all-in-one, convergence device. Its just a smart phone with internet. That is the iPhone’s biggest competative advantage, but then I don’t think we’re seeing Google squaring off the device against Apple. Apple has turned out to be a great partner which showcases many of Google’s online products within the iPhone, so the G1 isn’t going head to head with the iPod capabilities of the iPhone for sure.

AppleInsider has a great piece about the differences and goes much more into depth comparing the devices – worth a read for sure…

September 25, 2008 0 comments

Datacenter Storage Virtualization

Introduction to VMware FT (Fault Tolerence)

by Philip Sellers September 20, 2008

written by Philip Sellers

FT is a new feature which VMware introduced to the world during VMworld 2008. The feature is a continuous availability solution for use with some virtual machines. The following notes were compiled from session BC2621 at VMworld which introduced the forthcoming FT feature from VMware’s Application vServices. The feature should be available sometime in 2009.

FT will enable a VM to be protected with zero downtime and zero data loss due to a hardware failure. FT allows for a VM to have a secondary copy running simultaneously on a second ESX host which is executing every instruction and every input in lockstep with the primary VM. In the event of a failure, the secondary VM becomes the primary within a matter of seconds, while preserving state and without disconnecting any connections to the virtual machine. All traffic is redirected to the secondary. In addition, once the secondary assumes the role as primary, it spawns a new secondary instance on another ESX host and brings full fault tolerance back to the virtual server.

September 20, 2008 12 comments

Datacenter Storage Virtualization

VMware Roadmap for 2009

by Philip Sellers September 16, 2008

written by Philip Sellers

Just got out of the Partner’s session for VMware’s Roadmap for 2009 – the Next Generation Datacenter. The big announcement is that VMware plans to leverage its existing technologies into a new datacenter OS – VDC-OS. The majority of this is just product re-branding and giving a name to the overall strategy they have been pursuing for several years. I’ve compiled a highlight of the session with many of the new introductions for 2009 and how they fit in the virtual datacenter.

September 16, 2008 0 comments

Apple Datacenter Storage

My impressions of MobileMe

by Philip Sellers August 17, 2008

written by Philip Sellers

Its been a little while since MobileMe has been released and the dust has started the settle. There was a lot of attention to the botched launch and even the Steve has weighed in on it with an internal email circulated through Apple. And while the launch had major issues, the service is really impressive.

I should start with a disclaimer – I’m a rather light user at this point. However, that said, the service is working fantastic for me. The web applications rival that of Google, in my opinion. The calendaring application is particularly slick. It mimics the workings of iCal very well within a web browser.

August 17, 2008 0 comments