Ping VMKernel port?

[J1mbo]

Afternoon all

Having problems getting ESXi 4 hosts to talk to OpenFiler; it just won't connect. Should I be able to ping the vmkernel port address? I can ping OpenFiler but not the vmkernel addresses.

Thanks for any help!

[vmroyale]

Hello.

Can you provide more detail about how you have both Openfiler and the ESXi host networking set up?

[J1mbo]

Hi, thanks for the replies.

OpenFiler has 2 NICs

- Lab network, 192.168.10.0/24 (management)

- SCSI LAN, 192.168.20.0/24

I've created the volume group, volume, formatted iSCSI, assigned the LUN, and created network ACL for 192.168.20.0/24 allow.

On ESXi 4 I've added a vmkernel port "SCSI LAN" 192.168.20.31 on vSwitch1, NIC is on the iSCSI LAN. Then enabled the iSCSI initiator and added openfiler to the dynamic disovery list.

Test Windows machine is multihomed on both networks, there is a gateway as well. Can ping OpenFiler on 192.168.10.10 and 192.168.20.10, but not the ESX host on 20.31.

But ESX detection just won't find the targets :smileysad:

[dtracey]

OK...

A few suck-eggs type suggestions:

You've definitely enabled iSCSI target server as a Service in Openfiler?

Have you configured the VMkernel Default Gateway?

You;ve added the iSCSI target then mapped the LUN?

In Host COnfiguration | Storage Adapters | highlight iSCSI initiator - Properties - advanced - General tab - Configure... the status is definitely 'enabled' with a tick?

Cheers,

Dan

[J1mbo]

Hi, thanks for posting back. The OpenFiler config looks good - I can connect to it from the Windows machine using MS iSCSI initiator. But still the two ESX hosts refuse.

On ESX, it is enabled, iSCSI name is iqn.1998-01.com.vmware:esxi1-47eafe06 (alias is blank), CHAP is disabled. Default GW is not set (server has another adapter with dg on Lab network) but the OpenFiler and the ESX server are both on the same network (supposedly).

Grrr!!!

[dtracey]

OK mate,

Well if the windows machnes can see it, we'll assume that the OF end is ok.

Have you tried setting the DG on the VMkernel port? It shouldn't need one as openfiler is on the same subnet, but still....

So when you are on the Dynamic Discovery tab ot the iSCSI initiator properties, you click Add - enter iSCSI IP address and 3260 for the port and click OK... what happens next?

You can see the adapter in the Configuration | Storage Adapters section? It shows vmhbaxx - Type iSCSI and the WWN that you've already specified?

We'll get to the bottom of it - i had similar issues when i first started using Openfiler!

Cheers,

Dan

[J1mbo]

Hi Dan, thanks for your help with this!

I added the dg, no difference :smileysad:

Next tried pinging the OF and ESX from the Win machine. ESX didn't reply BUT in the Windows machine's arp cache was now the MAC address listed under the NIC address for the vmkernel port, so I guess it responds to ARP but not ICMP echo.

Anyway the point is that everything seems to be able to talk.

I took out and re-added the host into the discovery tab (vmhba33). Then it prompted to rescan when I closed the box. Once complete vmhba33 shows as "iSCSI Software Adapter". WNN as above, but alas no targets discovered!

[dtracey]

OK - one more thing - have you checked the firewall of the ESXi host? If you look at Configuration | Security Profile - can you see 'Software iSCSI Client 3260 TCP' under 'Ougoing'?

Also - what size LUN are you trying to map to? It's not >2TB is it? :smileywink:

[J1mbo]

The volume is 80GB.

Hmm might be missing something, as under security profile I only see:

Services

- VMware vCentre Agent

- NTP Daemon

Lockdown Mode

- Lockdown Mode - Disabled

I should add that the ESXi host is running within ESXi, as is the OpenFiler and the Windows machine.

[dtracey]

Thats cool - my ESXi machine is just building so I don't have to try and remember any more stuff! I run my test env. under wks 6.5 - so a similar setup.

I'd hazard a guess we need to manually add that port in. in full-fat ESX it automatically opens the port when you create the software initiator.

Give it ago and let me know!

[dtracey]

OK - the firewall thing may be a red herring - it appears that there is no firewall configuration for esxi.

Can you confirm that your vswitch allows MAC address changes? This is required for iSCSI / ESXi communication...

Thanks,

[J1mbo]

Hi Dan

Really glad you posted that; I was hunting around for how to configure the ESXi firewall!

The vSwitch was created with the vmkernal port with the defaults. It's configured to accept the MAC address changes and I also checked the underlying "real" ESXi install for the same.

Thanks again for your help with this; I really appreciate it. Perhaps it's just not going to work :smileysad:

[dtracey]

Not sure what else to suggest. My config looks like the attached.

I'd check and double check all your settings at the openfiler again, the VM vNIC settings, and the ESXi guest settings...

You could always look at bringing another ESXi host up from scratch...

[J1mbo]

Thanks for posting again.

Out of desparation I created a new ESX host connected only to the iSCSI network. Added the vmkernel port to vSwitch0 and it finds the targets. Seperate the management and kernel ports and it won't connect.

Weird.

[J1mbo]

Hi

A quick update. If the vmkernel port is on the switch connected to vmnic0, it works.

Otherwise, it fails. On OpenFiler it shows an active session from "iqn.1998-01.com.vmware:localhost-108b0542" for IP address 192.168.20.31, yet the ESXi host (with that address) is configured as "iqn.1998-01.com.vmware:esx1-40f64785".

I'm guessing this is the issue; any ideas?

[J1mbo]

Right - got this solved. In the HOST ESX running on an actual server, the vSwitch with the iSCSI traffic on it needs to be set to enable Promiscuous mode (connected to that switch are the ESX VM's iSCSI vSwitches and of course the OpenFiler).

Thanks for all the help on this one though :smileygrin:

[J1mbo]

Update for the search - running ESXi 4 as a guest within ESXi 4 (host), the vSwitches in the host must be set to allow promiscuous mode. Otherwise any running VM within the ESXi guest cannot communicate outside of that guest (although they can receive IP addresses through DHCP).

[dtracey]

Hi J1mbo,

You won't be able to ping the VMkernel port from the ESX host - you need to use vmkping Perhaps you could be more specific with your Openfiler issue.

Briefly, you need to bring openfiler up - give it an IP address, create a partition, volume group and volume (iSCSI). They you need to assing your iSCSI target to this volume.

On the ESX host you will need to create your VMkernel port with the correct IP and gateway and have ESX autodiscover the target...

Dan