Hyper-v Server Virtual Fiber Channel

Hyper-v Server Virtual Fiber Channel
The new virtual Fiber Channel (VFC) in Windows Server 2012/R2 enables Hyper-vclient to access the physical storage host bus adapter (HBA) installed on the Hyper-V Server ). Generally, Hyper-VPC is equipped with storage adapters. However, with the help of this new feature, all Hyper-V 3.0/4.0 clients with the corresponding O/S level can access the HBA and directly connect to the optical fiber path storage device.

The realization of the virtual fiber channel function relies on NPIV or N_Port ID virtualization technology. This is an fibre Channel standard that allows a single HBA to act as a complex node in a SAN Environment. Generally, after a single HBA is connected to a SAN, a unique physical ID is provided, that is, the global product name or WWPN for short. This involves the physical connectivity of optical fibers. At the same time, the connection server or storage device will provide a unique node name ID or WWNN (global node name ). Each adapter has a unique WWNN, which is similar to the HBA hosted by most hosts and can also serve as an independent representative node for an overall device such as a storage array.

NPIV allows a separate physical adapter to provide multiple node names for the optical fiber and efficiently "Virtualize" The physical device in this way ". Each new node must also have a virtual WWPN, because only in this way can it meet the requirements of the Fiber Channel standard.

The virtual Fiber Channel allows virtual machines to directly connect to fiber-channel-based storage, and displays the virtual Fiber Channel host bus adapter (HBA) port on the guest operating system of the virtual machine. Key features of the virtual Fiber Channel include:

1. Direct non-intermediary access to SAN:

Hyper-V's virtual Fiber Channel provides direct and non-intermediary access to the SAN for the guest operating system by using the standard global common name (WWN) associated with the virtual machine ). Hyper-V supports the use of fiber channel SAN to virtualize workloads that require direct access to the SAN logical unit number (LUN. Fiber Channel SAN also supports operations in new solutions, such as running the Windows failover cluster function in the guest operating system connected to a virtual machine connected to the shared Fiber Channel storage.

2. hardware-based I/O path for Windows software virtual hard disk Stack:

The advanced storage feature in the mid-to-high-end storage array helps detach a specific management task from the host to the SAN. The virtual Fiber Channel provides another path to the Windows software virtual hard drive, a hardware-based I/O path. This path allows you to directly use the advanced features of SAN in the Hyper-V virtual machine. For example, Hyper-V users can unmount storage functions (such as creating LUN snapshots) to SAN hardware, you only need to use the hardware volume Copy Service (VSS) provider in the Hyper-V virtual machine.

3. Real-time migration

To support real-time migration of virtual machines across Hyper-V hosts and maintain Fiber Channel connections, configure two WWN -- Set A and Set B for each virtual Fiber Channel Adapter. During real-time migration, Hyper-V automatically switches between the WWN addresses of Set A and Set B. This helps ensure that all Luns can be used by the target host before migration, so there will be no downtime during migration. Displays the environment for real-time migration when the virtual machine is connected to the fiber channel:

A Hyper-V host machine can use multiple Fiber Channel ports to connect different SAN:

Hyper-V Supports defining virtual SAN on the host. Therefore, a Hyper-V host can be connected to different SAN through multiple Fiber Channel ports. A virtual SAN connects to the physical Fiber Channel port of the same physical SAN as a naming group. For example, assume that a Hyper-V host is connected to two SAN: one production SAN and one test SAN. The host connects to each SAN using two physical Fiber Channel ports.

Each virtual machine can have up to four virtual fiber channel adapters:

You can configure up to four virtual fiber channels on a virtual machine and associate each fiber channel with a virtual SAN. Each virtual fiber channel adapter is associated with a WWN address or two WWN addresses to support real-time migration. Each WWN address can be set automatically or manually.

Multi-path I/O (MPIO) helps ensure high availability connections to storage:

Hyper-V of Windows Server 2012/R2 uses the Microsoft multi-path I/O (MPIO) feature to help ensure optimal connections from virtual machines to fiber channel storage. You can use the MPIO function on the fiber channel in the following ways:

1. virtualize the workload using MPIO. Install Multiple Fiber Channel ports in the Virtual Machine and use the high-availability connection provided to the LUN by MPIO (accessible to the host ).

2. Configure multiple virtual fiber channel adapters in the Virtual Machine and use an independent copy of MPIO to connect to the LUN (accessible to the Virtual Machine) in the guest operating system of the virtual machine ). This configuration can coexist with the MPIO settings of the host.

3. Use a module (DSM) specific to different devices to process hosts or each virtual machine. This approach allows migration of Virtual Machine configurations, including the connection between the DSM configuration and the host, as well as compatibility with the existing server configuration and the DSM.

Hyper-V virtual Fiber Channel requires the following prerequisites:

1. One or more Windows Server 2012/R2 with the Hyper-V Role installed. Hyper-V requires that the computer's processor support hardware virtualization.

2. The computer has one or more fiber channel hbas, and each HBA has an updated HBA driver that supports Virtual Fiber Channel. Contact the HBA vendor to check whether the HBA supports Virtual Fiber Channel.

3. The virtual machine is configured with a virtual Fiber Channel Adapter. You must use Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012/R2 as the guest operating system.

4. Only connect to the data LUN. The storage that is connected to the LUN and accessed through the Virtual fiber channel cannot be used as the restart media.

With the virtual fiber channel, you can directly access and use the data of the Fiber Channel SAN from inside the virtual machine. Instead, only the Hyper-V host can access and use this storage. The Hyper-V guest system also supports many related features such as NPIV, virtual SAN, real-time migration, and MPIO. This function protects investment in Fiber Channel, virtualizes workloads that directly access the fiber channel storage, and groups guest operating systems into clusters on the fiber channel, it provides an important new storage option for servers running on the virtualization infrastructure.

To use this function, you also need to correctly install the driver and firmware on the host. After NPIV is enabled, You need to define a virtual Fiber Channel SAN on the host.

VFC configuration is completed in Hyper-V Manager. The R2 virtual SAN Manager of Windows Server 2012 is used. For details, see:

Because my current environment is an experimental environment and there is no optical fiber storage, there is no way to demonstrate the experiment in the future. After a while, I will update my blog to share it with you as soon as I have an environment. Of course, if you are interested and have the necessary conditions, you can experiment on your own! Today we are here. We will see you tomorrow.