VSA iSCSI Configuration - Revision history

Qadmin at 19:27, 22 December 2023

2023-12-22T19:27:58Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:27, 22 December 2023
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	[[Category:user_guide]]		[[Category:user_guide]]

	This section outlines how to setup QuantaStor as a virtual machine a.k.a. ~~Virtual Storage System~~ (VSS) so that you can deliver dedicated virtual systems to your internal customers. VSS's can get their storage from DAS in the server where the VM is running or via NAS or SAN storage. In this section we'll go over how to configure a VSS to get storage over iSCSI which it can then utilize to create a pool of storage for sharing out over SAN/NAS protocols.		This section outlines how to setup QuantaStor as a virtual machine a.k.a. '''V'''irtual '''S'''torage '''S'''ystem (VSS) so that you can deliver dedicated virtual systems to your internal customers. VSS's can get their storage from DAS in the server where the VM is running or via NAS or SAN storage. In this section we'll go over how to configure a VSS to get storage over iSCSI which it can then utilize to create a pool of storage for sharing out over SAN/NAS protocols.

	=== Configuring Your SAN for the VSS ===		=== Configuring Your SAN for the VSS ===

Qadmin at 17:11, 3 May 2019

2019-05-03T17:11:10Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:11, 3 May 2019
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[[Category:user_guide]]		[[Category:user_guide]]

	This section outlines how to setup QuantaStor as a virtual machine a.k.a. Virtual Storage ~~Appliance~~ (~~VSA~~) so that you can deliver dedicated virtual ~~appliances~~ to your internal customers. ~~VSAs~~ can get their storage from DAS in the server where the VM is running or via NAS or SAN storage. In this section we'll go over how to configure a ~~VSA~~ to get storage over iSCSI which it can then utilize to create a pool of storage for sharing out over SAN/NAS protocols.		This section outlines how to setup QuantaStor as a virtual machine a.k.a. Virtual Storage System (VSS) so that you can deliver dedicated virtual systems to your internal customers. VSS's can get their storage from DAS in the server where the VM is running or via NAS or SAN storage. In this section we'll go over how to configure a VSS to get storage over iSCSI which it can then utilize to create a pool of storage for sharing out over SAN/NAS protocols.

	=== Configuring Your SAN for the ~~VSA~~ ===		=== Configuring Your SAN for the VSS ===
	You can use SAN storage from any physical storage system (QuantaStor, EqualLogic, etc) with your ~~VSA~~ and the configuration steps will vary according to the vendor. Also, for the purposes of this article we'll call the physical storage ~~appliance~~ (PSA) that's delivering storage to the ~~VSA~~ a physical storage ~~appliance~~ or PSA for short.		You can use SAN storage from any physical storage system (QuantaStor, EqualLogic, etc) with your VSS and the configuration steps will vary according to the vendor. Also, for the purposes of this article we'll call the physical storage system (PSA) that's delivering storage to the VSS a physical storage system or PSA for short.

	=== Configuration Summary ===		=== Configuration Summary ===
	Assuming you're using QuantaStor for your PSA you'll need to create a Storage Volume, add a Host entry for the ~~VSA~~ and then assign the storage to the IQN of the ~~VSA~~. Within the ~~VSA~~ we'll also need to setup the iSCSI initiator software, configure it, then set it up to automatically login to your QuantaStor PSA at boot time.		Assuming you're using QuantaStor for your PSA you'll need to create a Storage Volume, add a Host entry for the VSS and then assign the storage to the IQN of the VSS. Within the VSS we'll also need to setup the iSCSI initiator software, configure it, then set it up to automatically login to your QuantaStor PSA at boot time.

	=== Installing the iSCSI Initiator service on the ~~VSA~~ ===		=== Installing the iSCSI Initiator service on the VSS===
	We're assuming that you have a ~~VSA~~ setup and booted at this point but have not yet created any storage pools because there's no storage yet delivered from the PSA to the ~~VSA~~. So the first step is to install the open-iscsi initiator tools like so:		We're assuming that you have a VSS setup and booted at this point but have not yet created any storage pools because there's no storage yet delivered from the PSA to the VSS. So the first step is to install the open-iscsi initiator tools like so:

	<code>		<code>
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	</code>		</code>

	Next you'll need to check to see what the IQN is for your ~~VSA~~ by running this command:		Next you'll need to check to see what the IQN is for your VSS by running this command:

	<code>		<code>
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	</pre>		</pre>

	You can use that IQN as-is or modify this to make an IQN that better identifies your ~~VSA~~ system if you like but this is optional. For this example we'll use this as the ~~VSA~~'s initiator IQN:		You can use that IQN as-is or modify this to make an IQN that better identifies your VSS system if you like but this is optional. For this example we'll use this as the VSS's initiator IQN:

	<pre>		<pre>
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	</pre>		</pre>

	=== Adding a Host entry for the ~~VSA~~ into the PSA ===		=== Adding a Host entry for the VSS into the PSA ===

	The IQN we set for the ~~VSA~~ is 'iqn.2012-01.com.quantastor:qstorvsa001' in this example and we'll need to add this to a new host entry in the PSA so that we can assign storage to the ~~VSA~~ from the PSA. In your QuantaStor system just select the Hosts section then right-click, choose 'Add Host' and add host with its IQN.		The IQN we set for the VSS is 'iqn.2012-01.com.quantastor:qstorvsa001' in this example and we'll need to add this to a new host entry in the PSA so that we can assign storage to the VSS from the PSA. In your QuantaStor system just select the Hosts section then right-click, choose 'Add Host' and add host with its IQN.
	Once the Host entry has been added for the ~~VSA~~ you'll need to assign a storage volume to it. We'll next use the iSCSI initiator on the ~~VSA~~ to login to the PSA so that the ~~VSA~~ can consume that storage volume.		Once the Host entry has been added for the VSS you'll need to assign a storage volume to it. We'll next use the iSCSI initiator on the VSS to login to the PSA so that the VSS can consume that storage volume.

	If you're having trouble getting the PSA configured remember that within the QuantaStor web management screen there's a 'System Checklist' button in the toolbar that will walk you through all of these configuration steps.		If you're having trouble getting the PSA configured remember that within the QuantaStor web management screen there's a 'System Checklist' button in the toolbar that will walk you through all of these configuration steps.

	=== Logging into the PSA target storage volume from the ~~VSA~~ ===		=== Logging into the PSA target storage volume from the VSS ===

	Now that the tools are installed, you've created a Storage Volume in the PSA, and assigned it to the ~~VSA~~ host entry in the PSA you can now login to access that storage. The easy way to do this is to run this command but substitute the IP address with the IP address of the PSA:		Now that the tools are installed, you've created a Storage Volume in the PSA, and assigned it to the VSS host entry in the PSA you can now login to access that storage. The easy way to do this is to run this command but substitute the IP address with the IP address of the PSA:

	<code>		<code>
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	</pre>		</pre>

	To login to all the volumes you've assigned to the ~~VSA~~ you can run this simple command:		To login to all the volumes you've assigned to the VSS you can run this simple command:

	<code>		<code>
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	</pre>		</pre>

	You have now logged into the storage volume on the PSA and your ~~VSA~~ now has additional storage it can access to create storage pools from which it can in turn deliver iSCSI storage volumes, network shares and more.		You have now logged into the storage volume on the PSA and your VSS now has additional storage it can access to create storage pools from which it can in turn deliver iSCSI storage volumes, network shares and more.

	=== Verifying that the Storage is Available ===		=== Verifying that the Storage is Available ===

	To verify that the storage is available you can run this command which will show you that your ~~VSA~~ now has a QuantaStor device attached:		To verify that the storage is available you can run this command which will show you that your VSS now has a QuantaStor device attached:

	<code>		<code>
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	=== Importing the Storage into QuantaStor ===		=== Importing the Storage into QuantaStor ===

	Now that the storage has arrived to the ~~appliance~~ you'll need to use the 'Scan for Disks...' dialog within your QuantaStor ~~VSA~~ to make the storage appear. Once it appears you can create a storage pool out of it and start using it.		Now that the storage has arrived to the system you'll need to use the 'Scan for Disks...' dialog within your QuantaStor VSS to make the storage appear. Once it appears you can create a storage pool out of it and start using it.

	=== Persistent Logins / Automatic iSCSI Login after Reboot ===		=== Persistent Logins / Automatic iSCSI Login after Reboot ===

	Last but not least you'll need to setup your ~~VSA~~ so that it connects to the PSA automatically at system startup. The easist way to do this is to edit the /etc/iscsi/iscsid.conf file to enable automatic logins. The default is 'manual' so you'll need to change that to 'automatic' so that it looks like this:		Last but not least you'll need to setup your VSS so that it connects to the PSA automatically at system startup. The easist way to do this is to edit the /etc/iscsi/iscsid.conf file to enable automatic logins. The default is 'manual' so you'll need to change that to 'automatic' so that it looks like this:

	<pre>		<pre>
Line 107:		Line 107:


	Alternatively you could script a line in your /etc/rc.local file to login just as you did above to initially setup the ~~VSA~~:		Alternatively you could script a line in your /etc/rc.local file to login just as you did above to initially setup the VSS:

	<code>		<code>
Line 119:		Line 119:
	=== Troubleshooting ===		=== Troubleshooting ===

	If you had problems with the above you might try restarting the iSCSI initiator service with 'service iscsi-network-interface restart'. Do not restart the 'iscsi-target' service as that's the service that's serving targets from your ~~VSA~~ out to the hosts consuming the ~~VSA~~ storage. Note also that if you restart the 'iscsi-target' service by mistake you'll need to restart the 'quantastor' service to re-expose the iSCSI targets for that system.		If you had problems with the above you might try restarting the iSCSI initiator service with 'service iscsi-network-interface restart'. Do not restart the 'iscsi-target' service as that's the service that's serving targets from your VSS out to the hosts consuming the VSS storage. Note also that if you restart the 'iscsi-target' service by mistake you'll need to restart the 'quantastor' service to re-expose the iSCSI targets for that system.

Qadmin: Created page with "Category:user_guide This section outlines how to setup QuantaStor as a virtual machine a.k.a. Virtual Storage Appliance (VSA) so that you can deliver dedicated virtual ap..."

2019-03-22T01:36:06Z

Created page with "Category:user_guide This section outlines how to setup QuantaStor as a virtual machine a.k.a. Virtual Storage Appliance (VSA) so that you can deliver dedicated virtual ap..."

New page

[[Category:user_guide]]

This section outlines how to setup QuantaStor as a virtual machine a.k.a. Virtual Storage Appliance (VSA) so that you can deliver dedicated virtual appliances to your internal customers. VSAs can get their storage from DAS in the server where the VM is running or via NAS or SAN storage. In this section we'll go over how to configure a VSA to get storage over iSCSI which it can then utilize to create a pool of storage for sharing out over SAN/NAS protocols.

=== Configuring Your SAN for the VSA ===
You can use SAN storage from any physical storage system (QuantaStor, EqualLogic, etc) with your VSA and the configuration steps will vary according to the vendor. Also, for the purposes of this article we'll call the physical storage appliance (PSA) that's delivering storage to the VSA a physical storage appliance or PSA for short.

=== Configuration Summary ===
Assuming you're using QuantaStor for your PSA you'll need to create a Storage Volume, add a Host entry for the VSA and then assign the storage to the IQN of the VSA. Within the VSA we'll also need to setup the iSCSI initiator software, configure it, then set it up to automatically login to your QuantaStor PSA at boot time.

=== Installing the iSCSI Initiator service on the VSA ===
We're assuming that you have a VSA setup and booted at this point but have not yet created any storage pools because there's no storage yet delivered from the PSA to the VSA. So the first step is to install the open-iscsi initiator tools like so:

<code>
sudo apt-get install open-iscsi
</code>

Next you'll need to check to see what the IQN is for your VSA by running this command:

<code>
more /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi
</code>

The IQN will look something like this:

<pre>
InitiatorName=iqn.1993-08.org.debian:01:5463d5881ec2
</pre>

You can use that IQN as-is or modify this to make an IQN that better identifies your VSA system if you like but this is optional. For this example we'll use this as the VSA's initiator IQN:

<pre>
InitiatorName=iqn.2012-01.com.quantastor:qstorvsa001
</pre>

=== Adding a Host entry for the VSA into the PSA ===

The IQN we set for the VSA is 'iqn.2012-01.com.quantastor:qstorvsa001' in this example and we'll need to add this to a new host entry in the PSA so that we can assign storage to the VSA from the PSA. In your QuantaStor system just select the Hosts section then right-click, choose 'Add Host' and add host with its IQN.
Once the Host entry has been added for the VSA you'll need to assign a storage volume to it. We'll next use the iSCSI initiator on the VSA to login to the PSA so that the VSA can consume that storage volume.

If you're having trouble getting the PSA configured remember that within the QuantaStor web management screen there's a 'System Checklist' button in the toolbar that will walk you through all of these configuration steps.

=== Logging into the PSA target storage volume from the VSA ===

Now that the tools are installed, you've created a Storage Volume in the PSA, and assigned it to the VSA host entry in the PSA you can now login to access that storage. The easy way to do this is to run this command but substitute the IP address with the IP address of the PSA:

<code>
iscsiadm -m discovery -t st -p 192.168.0.137
</code>

This will have output that looks something like this:

<pre>
192.168.0.137:3260,1 iqn.2009-10.com.osnexus:cd4c0fb9-bddfb4774939e62a:volume0
</pre>

To login to all the volumes you've assigned to the VSA you can run this simple command:

<code>
iscsiadm -m discovery -t st -p 192.168.0.137 --login
</code>

The output from that command looks like this:

<pre>
192.168.0.137:3260,1 iqn.2009-10.com.osnexus:cd4c0fb9-bddfb4774939e62a:volume0
Logging in to [iface: default, target: iqn.2009-10.com.osnexus:cd4c0fb9-bddfb4774939e62a:volume0, portal: 192.168.0.137,3260]
Login to [iface: default, target: iqn.2009-10.com.osnexus:cd4c0fb9-bddfb4774939e62a:volume0, portal: 192.168.0.137,3260]: successful
</pre>

You have now logged into the storage volume on the PSA and your VSA now has additional storage it can access to create storage pools from which it can in turn deliver iSCSI storage volumes, network shares and more.

=== Verifying that the Storage is Available ===

To verify that the storage is available you can run this command which will show you that your VSA now has a QuantaStor device attached:

<code>
more /proc/scsi/scsi
</code>

<pre>
Attached devices:
Host: scsi1 Channel: 00 Id: 00 Lun: 00
Vendor: VBOX Model: CD-ROM Rev: 1.0
Type: CD-ROM ANSI SCSI revision: 05
Host: scsi4 Channel: 00 Id: 00 Lun: 00
Vendor: OSNEXUS Model: QUANTASTOR Rev: 300
Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 06
</pre>

=== Importing the Storage into QuantaStor ===

Now that the storage has arrived to the appliance you'll need to use the 'Scan for Disks...' dialog within your QuantaStor VSA to make the storage appear. Once it appears you can create a storage pool out of it and start using it.

=== Persistent Logins / Automatic iSCSI Login after Reboot ===

Last but not least you'll need to setup your VSA so that it connects to the PSA automatically at system startup. The easist way to do this is to edit the /etc/iscsi/iscsid.conf file to enable automatic logins. The default is 'manual' so you'll need to change that to 'automatic' so that it looks like this:

<pre>
#*****************
# Startup settings
#*****************

# To request that the iscsi initd scripts startup a session set to "automatic".
node.startup = automatic
</pre>

Alternatively you could script a line in your /etc/rc.local file to login just as you did above to initially setup the VSA:

<code>
iscsiadm -m discovery -t st -p 192.168.0.137 --login
</code>

=== XenServer NIC Optimization ===

For those using XenServer you may see a nice boost in performance by replacing the default Realtek driver with the E1000 driver which has 1GbE support. Have a look at [http://www.netservers.co.uk/articles/open-source-howtos/citrix_e1000_gigabit this article] over at www.netservers.co.uk which outlines the hack.

=== Troubleshooting ===

If you had problems with the above you might try restarting the iSCSI initiator service with 'service iscsi-network-interface restart'. Do not restart the 'iscsi-target' service as that's the service that's serving targets from your VSA out to the hosts consuming the VSA storage. Note also that if you restart the 'iscsi-target' service by mistake you'll need to restart the 'quantastor' service to re-expose the iSCSI targets for that system.