Western Digital (WD) Data24 Configuration

WD Data24 NVMe-oF Setup with QuantaStor

This guide describes how to configure a WD Data24 NVMe-oF JBOF with QuantaStor using RDMA (RoCE) transport in a highly-available scale-up configuration.

Prerequisites

• Latest QuantaStor installed on two QuantaStor servers for HA (WD Data24 42xx), one QuantaStor server for non-HA (WD Data24 41xx)
• WD Data24 41xx or 42xx installed and configured with all devices visible from all ports
• Dedicated 100GbE links between each QuantaStor node and the Data24 (see diagram)
• Lossless Ethernet configuration supported by the network adapters and switches

Driver Installation

Before configuring networking or NVMe-oF connectivity, install the Mellanox OFED drivers using the QuantaStor-supplied script:

/opt/osnexus/quantastor/bin/mellanox-ofed-install.sh

After driver installation a system reboot is required. After the reboot the NIC port names will change to the OFED naming scheme.

Network Configuration

After the reboot the OFED drivers that support Lossless Ethernet networking will be active. We can now configure static IPs on the 100GbE ports directly connected to the Data24(s).

Open Modify Interface / Port in the QuantaStor GUI. Configure static IP addresses on the 100GbE ports connected to the WD Data24. In the same dialog, enable Lossless Networking on those ports.

Repeat this configuration on both QuantaStor nodes in the HA configuration.

- These ports are dedicated exclusively for NVMe-oF connectivity to the WD Data24. They should not be used for client data access (NFS/SMB/iSCSI).

NVMe-oF Software Adapter Creation

Navigate to Enclosures & Controllers. Create a new Software Adapter. Select:

1. • Mode: NVMe-oF
   • Transport: RDMA (not TCP)

Once the adapter logs into the WD Data24, new devices should appear under Physical Disks.

If the devices do not appear:

Click Rescan Disks. Verify connectivity and retry.

HA Node Configuration

Repeat all steps above on the second HA node:

OFED installation

Network configuration

Software Adapter creation

Once both nodes see the same NVMe devices, continue configuring the system as a standard QuantaStor scale-up HA deployment.

Port Naming and HA Considerations

With OFED drivers installed, NIC ports use long device names which may be inconvenient for HA Virtual Interface (VIF) attachment.

It is recommended to:

Rename the interfaces to shorter logical names, or

Bond the interfaces and use the bond device for HA VIF assignment

This simplifies management and avoids HA configuration limitations related to long interface names.

Important Design Notes

Ports connected to the WD Data24 are strictly for NVMe-oF JBOF access.

Separate 100GbE ports should be used for:

• • NFS
  • SMB
  • iSCSI

Do not mix storage front-end traffic with NVMe-oF back-end traffic.

Summary

This configuration enables QuantaStor to access the WD Data24 as a high-performance NVMe-oF backend using RDMA, providing a fully redundant, scale-up HA architecture suitable for high-bandwidth and low-latency workloads.