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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
VMware
®
ESX Server is virtual infrastructure software for consolidating and managing systems. ESX Server accelerates
service deployments and adds management flexibility by partitioning x86 servers into a pool of secure, portable and
hardware-independent virtual machines. VMware Virtual Infrastructure and ESX Server have gained tremendous
attraction and acceptance in the industry and are considered critical IT components for enterprises and small
businesses alike.
Iomega
®
StorCenter™ Pro ix4-200r NAS Server is an integrated storage device that offers both NAS and iSCSI
functionality to allow customers flexible deployment options. The product targets small- to medium-sized businesses
with a rich set of features and simplicity of management. The StorCenter ix4-200r is powered by EMC
®
LifeLine
TM
software to allow businesses to protect and share data with EMC’s world class storage and security technologies.
This white paper examines how StorCenter ix4-200r can be used to present storage to VMware ESX Server in a virtual
environment. The paper also provides detailed procedures that illustrate how to create storage on a StorCenter ix4-
200r in different forms and then utilize the storage on a VMware ESX Server.
INTRODUCTION
VMware Infrastructure 3 supports NAS storage devices using the NFS and iSCSI protocols. StorCenter NAS devices
can present NFS-exported shares and iSCSI LUNs to VMware ESX Server to create Datastores for virtual machines
and virtual disks. An Iomega StorCenter NAS offers greater reliability, ease of use, and ease of management
characteristics that are designed specifically for the needs of small businesses.
VMware ESX Server can connect to iSCSI targets using either software or hardware iSCSI initiators. The LUNs
presented by a target can then be formatted in the proprietary VMFS format. VMware ESX can also use iSCSI LUNs in
the form of RDM to provide direct raw disk access to virtual machines. VMFS is the native storage option on VMware
ESX Server, It’s also how SAN storage and local disks are utilized to create datastores.
NFS is another compelling option for VMware ESX for many reasons. With NFS, VMWare ESX Server supports
advanced features including VMotion, Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), high availability (VMHA), and VMware
Consolidated Backup (VCB). NFS offers a highly simplified management model that reduces cost and management
complexity. VMware encapsulates virtual machines into a small number of .vmdk files. NFS is an optimized file-serving
protocol with operational granularity at the file level as opposed to the LUN level.
Iomega StorCenter NAS satisfies requirements for both storage options on VMware ESX Server and is certified in the
VMware Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) with certifications in both NAS and Software iSCSI categories. A
StorCenter NAS device is a proven storage platform for small businesses that want to deploy VMware ESX Server.
White Paper
2
STORCENTER IX4-200r NAS WITH VMWARE ESX SERVER 3.5