WHITE PAPER

Creating the Ideal SMB SAN with StarWind and vSphere

Whether or not to consolidate physical servers with virtualization is no longer in question. In most organizations, server virtualization is the norm for all new servers added. Still, there are many small and medium-sized businesses who are still new to server virtualization and especially new to one of the most essential pieces of the virtual infrastructure - shared storage.

Prepared by David Davis

David Davis (vExpert, VCP4, VCAP-DCA, CCIE 9369) is the author of the best-selling VMware vSphere video training library from Train Signal. He has written hundreds of virtualization articles on the Web, is a vExpert, VCP, VCAP-DCA, and CCIE #9369 with more than 18 years of enterprise IT experience. His personal Website is VMwareVideos.com. TABLE OF CONTENTS

Shared Storage - It’s Required...... 3 StarWind iSCSI Is The Best Solution...... 4 What You Need...... 4 Creating a SAN With StarWind...... 5 Connecting vSphere To The SAN...... 6 Conclusion...... 7

[2] www.starwindsoftware.com SHARED STORAGE - IT’S REQUIRED

Traditionally, business applications were siloed with their associated physical servers and direct- attached storage. The positive side to this is that it is easy to calculate the hardware needs (and associated cost) for that application. If the application requires more resources, then the server and storage can be replaced, for that application, entirely. Server virtualization requires a new way of thinking. This implementation method is still especially prevalent at small and medium-size businesses who have had trouble justifying the large capex cost for a (SAN).

Server virtualization, in general, offers many features that benefits businesses of all sizes:

• Hardware independence - allows virtual machines to be portable and not tied to specific hardware. Once a machine is virtualized, it can be easily moved from one server to another making server swaps and disaster recovery easy.

• Simplified disaster recovery - once machines are virtualized, the one overwhelming disaster recovery planning becomes much easier. Virtual machine backups can be replicated offsite less expensively and be run on just about any server available.

• Lower cost and easier administration - server virtualization is the undoubtedly the best way to lower IT costs and ease the administrative burden on IT admins. Once servers are virtualized, you will be able to administer more server with the same staff and tremendously reduce hardware, power, and datacenter costs.

[3] www.starwindsoftware.com Virtualization, in itself, doesn’t require shared storage but many could if they had just sold you software that you run on your of the most powerful virtualization features do. These powerful own hardware. features include: You run all your company’s applications on Windows or Linux • Move running VMs from one host to another (vMotion) - installed on servers of your choosing, right? So why do you when a host is over loaded or you need perform server have to buy an expensive proprietary solution for your storage? maintenance, with features like VMware’s vMotion you can move a running virtual machine, from one host to another, StarWind’s iSCSI SAN is software, running in your Windows OS, with no downtime to the end users. and installed on your own server. That makes sense and it’s • High availability (VMHA) - when a physical server fails, much more affordable. the virtual machines running on it can be automatically restarted on another host with only minutes of downtime Unlike Fibre Channel (FC) SANs, iSCSI SANs use your existing to end users and no intervention from the admin. Ethernet network. You don’t have to buy special switches • Load balancing (distributed resource scheduler / DRS) - (FC switches), special adaptors in your servers (FC host bus virtual machine resource demand can be automatically adaptors, HBAs), or FC cables. By using an iSCSI SAN, you won’t balanced across all the hosts with no intervention from have to purchase any specialized equipment and that will save the admin. This way, virtual machines always receive the your company a fortune on shared storage. resources that they need to perform well. So why StarWind? Other than StarWind’s iSCSI being a pure • And many more... software solution. Here are 5 reasons that StarWind is the best All of these features require shared storage. iSCSI software solution for vSphere shared storage:

• StarWind has 30,000 users in 100 countries using VMware With all of the advanced features listed above (and many more vSphere and StarWind iSCSI SAN that weren’t), the virtual machines running on all hosts are • StarWind iSCSI SAN offers advances features like stored on the shared storage - it’s required. Without shared high availability, data mirroring, remote replication, storage, most of the features that you really want from server deduplication, caching, and thin provisioning virtualization aren’t possible. • StarWind provides the best value SAN you’ll find for STARWIND iSCSI IS THE BEST SOLUTION vSphere Whether you’re new to server virtualization, building a test/dev lab, or are just looking for a “smarter SAN”, you need to look at WHAT YOU NEED To run StarWind in production you would need a physical server what StarWind has to offer. with the following requirements:

Traditional SAN solutions are proprietary physical hardware • CPU - Intel Xeon E5620 (or higher) or AMD Opteron with software installed that provides the storage services. • Memory - 4GB RAM By creating this proprietary physical hardware and software • Storage - ranges from a local SATA disk to RAID arrays using combination (the SAN) and selling it to you, the vendor has you SATA, SAS, or SSD locked into their proprietary solution. They can charge you a lot more, both up front and on maintenance/support, than they • Operating system - Windows 2008 R2

[4] www.starwindsoftware.com However, what if you just want to evaluate StarWind iSCSI in a server, I executed the StarWind.exe installer and had it installed lab environment to test, learn, or create a proof of concept? You in a few minutes. could use a low-end physical server or, even better, you could run StarWind on a virtual machine inside VMware Workstation, You will need to ensure that the Microsoft iSCSI initiator is ESXi free edition, or on your existing vSphere environment (in installed as it is required to use StarWind. You can do this by fact, in the steps below, this is exactly how I ran StarWind). going to your services MMC and starting the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator Service. You should also reconfigure this server for CREATING A SAN WITH STARWIND automatic instead of manual. To get started with StarWind, download the 30-day free evaluation version on the StarWind download page. All you’ll Connect StarWind Management Console to StarWind iSCSI Server need to do is: Once installed, you’ll find the StarWind management console in the taskbar. • Register to get a username & password (free)

• Download the StarWind.exe universal installer You’ll use the management console to connect to your new Starwind iSCSI server. To do this on the console, you’ll click Install StarWind Add StarWind Server to the local StarWind host. You’ll use the Once I had the StarWind installer and license key, I began the default of 127.0.0.1 (the local StarWind server) and click Scan install of StarWind on a Windows 2008 R2 virtual machine StarWind Servers. You’ll enter the username / password for the running on an ESXi server in my lab. On my Windows 2008 R2 Starwind server (which you see below).

[5] www.starwindsoftware.com Create a device Next, create a StarWind storage device for servers to access. To do this, click the Add Target icon and select that you want to add a Hard Drive as a basic virtual disk. You’ll create an Image File Device instead of a RAM Disk and opt to create a new virtual disk.

Congrats! Your new StarWind iSCSI SAN is ready to be used by vSphere!

CONNECTING vSPHERE TO THE SAN Connect ESX/ESXi to the iSCSI SAN Go to the ESX/ESXi host Configuration in the vSphere client and Connecting vSphere to an iSCSI SAN involves the following under Storage Adaptors, select the iSCSI software adaptor. Click steps: on Properties. Ensure that the iSCSI adaptor is enabled. Go to

• Enable iSCSI (if not already enabled) on the server Dynamic tab and add the IP address of the StarWind SAN server, then click OK. Rescan the host bus adaptors and you should see • Point the ESX/ESXi server to the IP address of the new iSCSI the new StarWind iSCSI LUN in the storage device list. SAN server Now, go to the Storage configuration for the host and click Add • Scan for new storage devices and VMFS volumes Storage. Use the Add Storage Wizard to add the new Disk/LUN • Add the new disk/LUN to the server (format if necessary) and format it with the VMFS file system. • Place virtual machines on the LUN At this point, your new LUN has been formatted with a VMware VMFS datastore and it is ready to use!

[6] www.starwindsoftware.com For your final step, migrate your virtual machines to the new StarWind SAN datastore and it will be in production.

CONCLUSION No matter your scenario, if you’re using virtualization you need shared storage. Opting for a software- based solution that runs on your existing x86 servers is a smart (and low cost) option as compared to proprietary SAN solutions. StarWind’s iSCSI SAN offers a free 30 day evaluation and allows you to test how a software SAN can serve your vSphere virtual infrastructure. Now that you have the knowledge of what a software iSCSI SAN can do for you, how to obtain the best one available in eval form, install it, and test it with your vSphere infrastructure, you have no excuse but to get started with StarWind iSCSI SAN today!

ABOUT THE SPONSOR

StarWind Software (www.StarWindSoftware.com) is a global leader in storage management and SAN software for small and midsize companies. StarWind’s flagship product is iSCSI SAN software that turns any industry-standard Windows Server into a fault-tolerant, fail-safe iSCSI SAN. It is designed for use as networked storage and has been qualified to support VMware, Microsoft and Hyper-V environments, Linux & Unix. StarWind Software is focused on providing affordable, high availability, technology which was previously only available in high-end storage products. Advanced, enterprise- class features include Automated Failover and Failback, Remote Replication across a WAN, Continuous Data Protection (CDP) , Snapshots, Thin Provisioning and management.

ABOUT STARWIND Since 2003, StarWind has been the storage solution of choice for thousands of global customers in over 50 countries, from SMBs, to governments, and to Fortune 1000 clients. StarWind has pioneered the iSCSI / IP SAN industry with its software that converts any Windows Server into a reliable and scalable shared storage.

Turn Any Server Into a SAN. ©2011, StarWind Software Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the Enterprise Features. express written permission of StarWind Software, Inc. is strictly forbidden. For more information, contact SMB Price.TM StarWind. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. StarWind Enterprise Server is a registered trademark of StarWind Software.

THIS WHITE PAPER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND MAY CONTAIN TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND TECHNICAL INACCURACIES. THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF www.starwindsoftware.com ANY KIND.