asked on Running vSAN Without A vSAN Switch
I have purchased the equipment for an ESX environment using vSAN (two nodes+witness). The issue is the vSAN switch is back ordered. I would like to somehow get this set up for testing (not production obviously) without the VSAN switch.
So I have two scenarios and I would like opinions please:
1. Try and configure vSAN to work through the SFP/fibre connections on the data switches (Cisco 2960) for now and then add the Cisco 3850 vSAN switch when it arrives and move the vSAN network over to that. I don't know if vSAN would even allow this, does it check the port speeds and refuse to work if they are only 1GB?
2. Configure the environment and put the VMs on the local storage on each individual server for now. Obviously this doesn't give us HA. The question is when it comes time to set up the vSAN, will it have to wipe the existing VMs off the local storage?
Maybe there is something else I could do that would be better than these ideas?
Thanks!
So I have two scenarios and I would like opinions please:
1. Try and configure vSAN to work through the SFP/fibre connections on the data switches (Cisco 2960) for now and then add the Cisco 3850 vSAN switch when it arrives and move the vSAN network over to that. I don't know if vSAN would even allow this, does it check the port speeds and refuse to work if they are only 1GB?
2. Configure the environment and put the VMs on the local storage on each individual server for now. Obviously this doesn't give us HA. The question is when it comes time to set up the vSAN, will it have to wipe the existing VMs off the local storage?
Maybe there is something else I could do that would be better than these ideas?
Thanks!
StorageCiscoNetworkingVMware
Last Comment
Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)
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I was told sticking to two nodes plus witness keeps licensing costs down and works for this particular situation.
It certainly does that, but not recommended, production - four nodes.
vExperts build labs with 2 nodes, because it's easy to connect end to end using 10GBe, no switch required, you could have saved money on a 10Gbe switch!
Do note that the Catalyst 3850 is built as an access switch. It doesn't have large buffers to handle microbursts that are common with storage and other east-west traffic flows common in a datacenter. It may drop Ethernet frames at an unacceptably high rate.
ASKER
If the two vSAN hosts are conected directly together, where does the witness go? Doesn't it have to connect to the vSAN network as well, or can it connect to the vcenter/hosts through the data network?
see here, and the pictures will explain... basically direct connect vSAN, witness can go over 1Gbe...
https://blogs.vmware.com/virtualblocks/2016/10/18/2nodedirectconnect/
https://www.vladan.fr/vmware-vsan-for-robo-with-10gbe-cross-connect-cables-support/
https://blogs.vmware.com/virtualblocks/2016/10/18/2nodedirectconnect/
https://www.vladan.fr/vmware-vsan-for-robo-with-10gbe-cross-connect-cables-support/
ASKER
Great information, thanks!
np, have a good day
This solution will be running 8 VMs, only two of which require any amount of processing power. I was told sticking to two nodes plus witness keeps licensing costs down and works for this particular situation. Definitely wouldn't do it all the time, though!