Deploy virtual servers in a SAN Environment

More and more IT organizations tend to use server virtualization to transform the data center into a "service-centric" Resource Sharing pool, A smart network is used to dynamically merge, layer, configure, and access these resources. Standard Server resource virtualization can dynamically increase the performance level and reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO). At the same time, through virtualization, IT organizations can quickly deploy and expand resources as needed, to meet business and application requirements.

SAN) is the most common shared storage architecture. If IT organizations deploy virtualized server environments such as VMware V13, they need this shared storage architecture to execute most of the required functions, including VMotion and distributed resource scheduling solution DRS) high Availability (HA), combined backup, and remote startup of ESX Server. Merging virtual servers into one or more) interconnected storage arrays can bring more cost advantages and simpler disaster recovery and business continuity solutions to IT organizations.

Virtual server connectivity

The mobility and recoverability of server virtualization implementation depend on external shared storage, and these functions are most effective in SAN connection environments. Generally, virtual servers are deployed in the primary data center and the enterprise's storage resources are obtained through the fiber channel protocol. The high performance brought by fiber channel can meet the high I/O requirements of multiple virtual machines running on one server. SAN connections can help with server virtualization, while server virtualization is increasingly pushing IT organizations to meet SAN connection requirements.

The main problem for the storage administrator of the virtual server is how to use the physical global port name WWPN on the Fiber Channel host bus adapter HBA) to define the fiber architecture partition and store the LUN logical unit number) and virtual machine settings. In addition, the virtual server administrator usually defines a specific partition so that all disks in the partition are open to all virtualized servers, so as to support migration of virtual machines to new servers. This design makes it possible to worry about the Secure Isolation of disks mapped to RDM on bare devices. If more than two partitions are defined, You need to reset the network. To solve this problem, the virtual HBA port (VPort) is displayed. The VPort uses the N port ID (NPIV) Protocol to enable the virtual server administrator to bind the virtual machine to the storage resources, the VPort parameter is used to define multiple partitions, so that the virtualized server environment is easier to manage and safer.

NPIV Overview

NPIV is an industry standard that extends virtualization to HBA, which provides a way to allocate multiple WWPN to the same physical connection. NPIV technology virtualizes physical HBA ports and sets these ports into an end-to-end SAN topology. The virtual HBA technology allows a single physical Fiber Channel HBA port to run as multiple logical ports. Each logical port has its own name.

Each virtual machine can be connected to its own VPort, which contains a unique global node name WWNN) and four or less WWPN. Storage administrators deploy virtual machines through the most popular Server virtualization environments such as VMware ESX Server 3.5 and RDM. They can use NPIV to create virtual machines that are easier to manage and maintain. The virtual server uses NPIV to create a unique VPort. Each virtual machine can continuously connect to this VPort, And the HBA also transparently registers these vports on the fibre channel SAN network.

Use NPIV standard VPort connection

By using the defined VPort, the administrator can seamlessly start a specific virtual machine. When migrating a VM to a new physical server, the storage administrator no longer needs to reset their network, such as partitioning, shielding, and bundling ), because these settings can be performed through logical port settings.

NPIV Use Cases

The IT administrator deploys NPIV in a virtual server environment to improve the storage management capability. NPIV is most useful when managing storage access to key tasks or SLA Service Quality protocols)-driven virtualized environments. However, it is useful when merging non-critical files and printing servers, or in the testing and development environment, it seems that the role is not so great. The following are some application scenarios for deploying NPIV virtualization servers.

-- With WWPN, the IT administrator can track the I/O throughput, storage transmission, and utilization of virtual machines, so that the IT administrator can charge resources based on applications or users. Each NPIV entity is unique in the SAN, so the SAN can track the usage of a single virtual server. Before NPIV, SAN and virtual servers can only observe the overall usage of all virtual machines running on the physical Fiber Channel port on the server, unless some specific vendor-based tool is used.

-- Virtual machines can be associated with devices mapped to RDM, so that IT administrators can track the logical unit numbers and customize the information they need based on application needs. SAN tools that track WWPN can report performance or diagnostic data for a single virtual machine. Since each NPIV entity is unique in the SAN, the report tool based on switches and arrays can also report diagnostic data and performance data for each virtual machine.

-- The two-way connection between storage and virtual machines enables SAN administrators to better track the situation from one virtual machine to one RDM device at the same time and greatly improve NPIV support when an RDM device to one Virtual Machine)

-- The storage configuration of virtual machines can use the same methods, tools, and ideas as physical servers. Since the relationship between virtual machines and WWPN is unique, the traditional partition method and the logic unit number shielding method can continue to be used, thus improving the unified management level of virtual servers and non-virtual servers. The fiber architecture partition can restrict the visibility of the target end to specific applications on each virtual machine. In the past, a unique physical adapter was required for an application program. Now, it can be re-mapped to a unique NPIV instance on the virtual server.

-- The storage administrator can set an Intel virtual SAN route (IVR) for a single virtual machine in the virtual server environment, so that users can reset their fiber architecture and merge storage islands, divide a large SAN into several smaller and easier-to-manage SAN and allocate resources based on the logical relationship.

-- When a virtual machine is migrated to a new virtual server, the virtual machine Migration supports saving the VPort ID. This improves the ability of administrators to track RDM devices to virtual machines. When a VM is migrated to a new virtual server cluster or is ready to run on a new virtual server cluster, the storage access permission can be reset to this group of Virtual Machine clusters ). When a virtual machine is migrated to a new virtual server, SAN settings can be adjusted without modification, so that different physical Fiber Channel ports can be used.

-- The upgrade, expansion, and replacement of HBA can now be done seamlessly. Because the SAN partition and logical unit number shielding are no longer based on the physical hba wwpn, the replacement or upgrade of the physical adapter does not affect the SAN settings.

Benefits of NPIV

With the virtual HBA technology, the virtual server environment can provide NPIV support for enterprise data centers. If a virtual server environment with NPIV is deployed in the data center, the following benefits can be obtained:

-- Lower total cost of ownership: Through server virtualization, servers can be merged to reduce total cost of ownership, increase asset utilization, and simplify management. If used together with Fiber Channel and HBA with NPIV, a smart HBA port can transmit data to multiple virtual machines to reduce network processing workload, this allows managers to deploy more economical servers.

-Service Quality Assurance (QoS): When NPIV is used together with the QoS of the optical fiber architecture, each virtual machine can allocate its own logical HBA port, the port creates multiple I/O Paths Based on the transmission priority.

-- Higher reliability: multiple logical ports can create redundant paths for virtual machines and their data. With these logical ports, administrators can use standard storage more conveniently, and use optical fiber architecture diagnostic tools to isolate and solve system problems.

-- Role-Based Management and Security Protection: under the control of the administrator responsible for protecting the company's data, each virtual machine and its connected storage are completely isolated from other virtual machines.

-- Simplified management: During the VMotion migration process, the Administrator no longer needs to reset the fiber-optic architecture partition and LUN shielding parameters.