Attaching a VMware ESXi 6.5 Host to a ME4 Array with SAS HBA

This video will demonstrate how to attach a VMware ESXi 6.5 Host to a ME4 Array with SAS HBA.

This demonstration is attaching a VMWARE XI server to an ME four SAS array. Before we begin, it is important to understand the layout. The M four has four SAS ports on each controller. There are three servers connected to the array, each with a single SA SHP A connected to one port on each controller.

Attaching an ESX I host is pretty straightforward. The first step after installing the supported A SHB A is directly attaching the server to the storage array. You will want to cable the server to the same port number on each controller. As a best practice using a switches is not supported.

If you are only attaching one server at time, this first step is not necessary. But if you're attaching multiple servers at once, you will need to identify the correct worldwide name of the SAS HB A in the server to identify the SAS worldwide name, log into the VM Ware Vsphere web client and click on the configure tab for the ESX I host on the storage adapters page, locate the 12 gig SHB A and click on the V MH B A device in the properties tab, locate and document the worldwide known name.

The A SHB A will have two ports which the worldwide port name for port zero will end in zero and port ones worldwide port name will end in one. You can't see the worldwide port names here, but you will need them in the me storage manager. If you click on the device tab and no volumes are attached, you will see two storage controllers represented as line zero.

If there is a volume map to the server as LEN zero, these enclosure devices will disappear, which is OK. If all volumes are mapped to the server with anything but LEN zero, the enclosures will continue to show up as LEN zero. Next is running the host setup wizard log in to the me storage manager on the home page.

Click on action, then host setup, confirm you've met all the prerequisites and click next. The MP IO is native to ESX I and does not have to be installed. Type a name for the host name, select the correct initiators that we've just identified in the Vsphere client for that host.

It is optional but recommended to update the nickname to something meaningful. Click next to continue. If this host is going to be part of a cluster, you can either create a new host group or add to existing one. This will be a standalone server. So I'm selecting do not group this host. Click next to continue by default 2 100 gig volumes will be created one in each pull.

I recommend renaming the volumes to include the server's name. You can edit the size change, pool, ownership, add and remove the number of volumes to create when you have the volumes. How you want them? Click next, notice the name didn't change. You actually have to click outside of the box for the changes to take effect. Click, previous click in another box and then you can click next.

You can see the volume name change this time. Click configure host, click yes or no. Depending if you have another host ready to configure open the VM Ware Vsphere web client and go to storage adapters and click on the rescan icon. Then click on OK.

The new DELL E MC serial attached scuzzy device should be present, click back on storage devices, then click on the DELL E MC serial attached Kei disc disc on the pats tab.

You can see one path to both controllers, click on properties and scroll down to edit multi passing and click on it. You can see the policy is set to most recently used but with only one connection to each controller, there is no need to change the policy.

If you have two A SHPAS in the server providing 22 pads to each controller, you would want to change the policy to round robin VM Ware, click cancel since we aren't changing anything for this deployment.

Click on data stores click on the plus icon, choose VMFS. Then next provide a name for the data store, select the disk and click next, select a VMFS version and click next, make any adjustments to the data store details and click next click, finish.

This concludes the demo.