vCenter Server datastores for heartbeats
I recently did some exploring on my home lab around datastore heatbeats and came up with the following notes around how to determine which ones are active, how to change the defaults, and why vCenter Server might now choose a datastore.
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vCenter Server selects a preferred set of datastores for heartbeating. This selection is made to maximize the
number of hosts that have access to a heartbeating datastore and minimize the likelihood that the datastores
are backed by the same storage array or NFS server. To replace a selected datastore, use the Cluster Settings
dialog box of the vSphere Client to specify the heartbeating datastores. The Datastore Heartbeating tab lets
you specify alternative datastores. Only datastores mounted by at least two hosts are available. You can also
see which datastores vSphere HA has selected for use by viewing the Heartbeat Datastores tab of the HA
Cluster Status dialog box.
Only use these settings if you want to override the default vCenter Server Choice
Here is an article around why it might not choose a Datastore…
User-Preferred Datastore is Not Chosen
vCenter Server might not choose a datastore that you specify as a preference for vSphere HA storage heartbeating.
Problem
You can specify the datastores preferred for storage heartbeating, and based on this preference, vCenter Server determines the final set of datastores to use. However, vCenter Server might not choose the datastores that you specify.
Cause
This problem can occur in the following cases:
■ The specified number of datastores is more than is required. vCenter Server chooses the optimal number of required datastores out of the stated user preference and ignores the rest.
■ A specified datastore is not optimal for host accessibility and storage backing redundancy. More specifically, the datastore might not be chosen if it is accessible to only a small set of hosts in the cluster. A datastore also might not be chosen if it is on the same LUN or the same NFS server as datastores that vCenter Server has already chosen.
■ A specified datastore is inaccessible because of storage failures, for example, storage array all paths down or permanent device loss.
■ If the cluster contains a network partition, or if a host is unreachable or isolated, the host continues to use the existing heartbeat datastores even if the user preferences change.
Solution
Verify that all the hosts in the cluster are reachable and have the vSphere HA agent running.
Also, ensure that the specified datastores are accessible to most, if not all, hosts in the cluster and that the datastores are on different LUNs or NFS servers.
Unauthorized vmexplorer Customer / Reference guide for VMworld 2013
I’ve attended every VMworld since 2008 and over the years I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked by attendees how to find their way around or when does something open or close.
This year *BING* it hit me and I took some time to put together a customer guide combining all the good information around – Registration, HOL, Meals, Shuttle, etc…
Of course I would recommend you use the official VMworld websites, apps, etc. but if you want a simple an easy way to find information then this may work for you too.
Click on the PIC below to download the ‘Unauthorized vmexplorer guide’!
VMware Named 1 of the 10 Best Innovative Companies in the World
Great news coming out from Forbes today, VMware was ranked #3 in the world for innovation. It’s something a lot of us cloud engineers have known about for years and now this really helps to solidify VMware globally as an innovation leader!
Geeks.com – Time to Say goodbye for now
I was a bit shell shocked when I went to one of my favorite online stores, geeks.com, only to find out they had closed.
They had been open for 17 years and they were one of the first sites I trusted to buy quality products from new or used.
They had a lot of common items but every now and then they had something different or unique. It was one of the reasons why I kept coming back.
I had recommended geeks.com many times and everyone I sent there always let me know what excellent service and product they had.
Well Geeks.com – I salute you – you had a good run, I’m sorry to see you go, and I hope one day you return!
Just a quick note, if you liked geeks.com then check out http://www.pacificgeek.com/ they were very similar in product and layout.
Meet Trevor –VMware Hands-on Lab
Check out this great video around how VMware Hands-on Labs can enable you to do more with VMware products.
It really goes over the finer points on how customers can logon to HOL, check out our products/technologies, and then deliver them into your environment.
BTW — Great job Doug Baer, oops… I mean Trevor J
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk9716huKG4
What to do with old Event Lanyards?
Over these past years I’ve collected a bunch of lanyards, buttons and stuff. Mainly I collected them as an end user, VMUG leader, and now as a VMware employee. At one point my car had a custom VM license plate. I hung on to all this stuff because I really liked it or wanted to remember good times. However everything was just starting to pile up and collect dust. This past weekend I made a choice to not box them up or toss them away but do something creative which included a power staple gun. Attached to this post is my creation, they went from being a dust pile to a work of art.
It’s pretty simple to make…
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You need –
- One Rectangle Cork board (I found my at Wal-Mart)
- Power Staple Gun
- Scissors
- Enough lanyards to create a layout
- Start in the middle, place the first one on an angle, staple them to the back side, and cut off the excess
- Working out from the middle I used two straws as a spacer and placed the next lanyard on an angle. Make sure its square as any deviation will show
- From there repeat, adjust, staple, and cut
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If you have a plate you want to mount, center it, and I just used push pins to hold it up
Enjoy and Good times!
Network port diagram for vSphere 5.x
Check out this great network port diagram for vSphere 5.x. It was recently released on kb.vmware.com
This is a must have for those doing architecture and design around VMware – Enjoy!
Correlating vCenter Server and ESXi/ESX host build numbers to update levels
Some of the common questions I get from my customers are around build to update levels.
When was VMware product X released? Or I have a build number for Product X but what is version number?
These were questions I ask when I was a customer and I’d spend time using Google to search build numbers to find out want the product was.
This one article provides information on determining which build number represents which Update level.
It currently covers the following products…
- Converter
- ESXi/ESX
- Update Manager (VUM)
- vCenter Server
- VirtualCenter
- vSphere Replication Appliance
- vCenter Chargeback
- vCenter Orchestrator
- vCloud Connector
- vCloud Director
- vShield
- Site Recovery Manager (SRM)
- VMware Data Recovery (VDR)
- View
Enjoy!
Home Lab – Adding freeNAS 8.3 iSCSI LUNS to ESXi 5.1
About a half a year ago I setup my freeNAS iSCSI SAN, created 2 x 500GB iSCSI LUNS and attached them to ESXi 5.1. These were ample for quite a while. However I have the need to add additional LUNS…. My first thought was – “Okay, Okay, where are my notes on adding LUNS…” They are non-existent… Eureka! Its time for a new blog post… So here are my new notes around adding iSCSI LUNS with freeNAS to my ESXi 5.1 Home lab – As always read and use at your own risk
J
- Start in the FreeNAS admin webpage for your device. Choose Storage > Expand Volumes > Expand the volume you want to work with > Choose Create ZFS volume and fill out the Create Volume Pop up.
When done click on Add and ensure is show up under the Storage Tab
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On the left-hand pane click on Services > iSCSI > Device Extents > View Device Extents. Type in your Extent Name, Choose the Disk Device that you just created in Step 1 and choose OK
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Click on Associated Targets > Add Extent to Target, Choose your Target and select the new Extent
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To add to ESXi do the following… Log into the Web Client for vCenter Server, Navigate to a host > Manage > Storage > Storage Devices > Rescan Host
If done correctly your new LUN should show up below. TIP – ID the LUN by its location number, in this case its 4
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Ensure your on the Host in the left Pane > Related Objects > Datastores > Add Datastore
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Type in the Name > VMFS Type > Choose the Right LUN (4) > VMFS Version (5) > Partition Lay out (All or Partial), Review > Finish
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Setup Multi-Pathing – Select a Host > Manage > Storage > Storage Devices > Select LUN > Slide down the Devices Details Property Box and Choose Edit Multipathing
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Choose Round Robin and Click On Okay
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Validate all Datastores still have Round Robin enabled. 2 Ways to do this.
- Click on the LUN > Paths. Status should read Active I/O for both paths
- Click on LUN > Properties > Edit Multipathing – Path section Policy should state – Round Robin (See PIC in Step 8)
Summary – These steps worked like a charm for me, then again my environment is already setup, and hopefully these steps might be helpful to you.
Free Instructional Video: vCloud Director Concepts and Architecture
The following URL will take you to 13 recorded sessions. They deliver an overview of VMware vCloud Director concepts and architecture, installation, creating Provider Resources, creating Organizations, creating and populating Catalogs, building a vApp, creating vShield Edge Firewall Rules, creating site-to-site VPNs, and more. Enjoy!
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