Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Interconnect Express (PCIe) buses, expansion slots, and the types of expansion cards supported
in the server. Finally, be sure to consider the server form factor; blade servers have advantages
and disadvantages when compared to rack-mount servers.
Determining a Storage Architecture
Selecting the right storage solution is the second major decision that you must make before you
proceed with your vSphere deployment. The lion's share of advanced features within vSphere—
features like vSphere DRS, vSphere HA, and vSphere FT—depend on the presence of a shared
storage architecture. While we won't talk in depth on a particular brand of storage hardware,
VMware itself has released a feature called virtual SAN (VSAN) with vSphere 5.5, which we'll
discuss more in Chapter 6, “Creating and Coni guring Storage Devices.” As stated, because of
the dependency on shared storage, deciding on the correct storage architecture for your vSphere
deployment is equally as critical as the choice of the server hardware on which to run ESXi.
The HCG Isn't Just for Servers
VMware's HCG isn't just for servers. h e searchable HCG also provides compatibility information
on storage arrays and other storage components. Be sure to use the searchable HCG to verify the
compatibility of your host bus adapters (HBAs) and storage arrays to ensure the appropriate level
of support from VMware.
VMware also has a Product Interoperability Matri x to assist w ith software compatibility informa-
tion; it can be found at the following location:
Fortunately, vSphere supports a number of storage architectures out of the box and has
implemented a modular, plug-in architecture that will make supporting future storage technolo-
gies easier. vSphere supports storage based on Fibre Channel and Fibre Channel over Ethernet
(FCoE), iSCSI-based storage, and storage accessed via Network File System (NFS). In addition,
vSphere supports the use of multiple storage protocols within a single solution so that one por-
tion of the vSphere implementation might run over Fibre Channel while another portion runs
over NFS. This provides a great deal of l exibility in choosing your storage solution. Finally,
vSphere provides support for software-based initiators as well as hardware initiators (also
referred to as host bus adapters or converged network adapters), so this is another option you
must consider when selecting your storage solution.
What Is Required for Fibre Channel over Ethernet Support?
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) is a relatively new storage protocol. However, because FCoE
was designed to be compatible with Fibre Channel, it looks, acts, and behaves like Fibre Channel to
ESXi. As long as drivers for the FCoE Converged Network Adapter (CNA) are available—and this
is where you would go back to the VMware HCG again—support for FCoE should not be an issue.
