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ESXi - Span Datastore across multiple SATA HDD, or Create OpenFiler VM and use iSCSI
Hi gang,
I have noticed that in ESXi 5 it is possible to create a datastore on a SATA drive and then expand it on to more drives. I am wondering what sort of performance this is likely to give vs creating an openfiler VM, adding all the discs into an array and then creating an iSCSI target to use for my other VMs?
I have attached the screenshot of a 6TB datastore created by expanding across 6 x 1TB HDD.
This is for a non critical server, so no need for comments regarding redundancy.
Thanks for the help!
Datastore.png
I have noticed that in ESXi 5 it is possible to create a datastore on a SATA drive and then expand it on to more drives. I am wondering what sort of performance this is likely to give vs creating an openfiler VM, adding all the discs into an array and then creating an iSCSI target to use for my other VMs?
I have attached the screenshot of a 6TB datastore created by expanding across 6 x 1TB HDD.
This is for a non critical server, so no need for comments regarding redundancy.
Thanks for the help!
Datastore.png
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ASKER
So Esxi does not stripe data across the discs in the expanded datastore ? I can't find any info on it.
no, it just expands the vmfs datastore, normally your datstore would already be stripped e.g. Hardware RAID presented to ESXi.
single disk sata support is very slow, not many IOPS per disk.
single disk sata support is very slow, not many IOPS per disk.
ESXi contains no drivers to do RAID, it expects a hardware solution.
Try Oracle ZFS Storage in a Box!
or purchase a supported RAID card.
Try Oracle ZFS Storage in a Box!
or purchase a supported RAID card.
ASKER
the only hit I get to a "storage in a box" search is one of your earlier posts. Do you have a link to the download site by any chance?
Storage in a Box or All in One
This is the fastest solution! (built on Oracle Solaris Express 11)
http://www.napp-it.org/napp-it/all-in-one/index_en.html
This is the fastest solution! (built on Oracle Solaris Express 11)
http://www.napp-it.org/napp-it/all-in-one/index_en.html
ASKER
Would you mind giving me an idea of how long it would take to get OSE11 installed, NAPP installed and configured on top for someone unfamiliar with those products?
With EE help, 2-3 man days depending on your skill level.
ASKER
I have installed Solaris Express 11 but when running wget -O - www.napp-it.org | perl
I get 42.0.17.88:80 connection failed. Any ideas?
I get 42.0.17.88:80 connection failed. Any ideas?
The setup of Solaris Express 11 as a NAS, is off topic. If you are happy with the answer, please assign points, and open a new question, and myself or other Experts will be happy to assist.
Also note, if a drive fails, you will lose the datastore completely.
ZFS, can be configured, so it's redundant and will tolerate disk failure.