How to map vmware ESXi 4.1datastores with Symmetrix luns...?

Hi all,

please find below procedure for configuring additional luns to existed Vmware ESXi datastore .

1)Sign in to VMware Vsphere Client. Select the ESXi host and then click the "Configuration" tab.

2)Select "Storage Adapters" from under Hardware . Click "Rescan."

3)Confirm "Scan for New Storage Devices" is selected and then click "OK" to assign the LUN to the host.

4)Return to the Configuration tab and then click "Storage" to open the Add Storage Wizard.

5)Select "Disk/LUN" from the options and then click "Next." Select the LUN from the list of devices and then click "Next." Click "Next" again.

6)Create a name for the new volume. Click "Next." Choose a block size -- 1, 2, 4 or 8MB(4 mb upto 1024GB) -- from the drop-down menu or use the default setting.

7)Deselect "Maximum Capacity" and then enter the desired storage size of the volume(data store name which we want to increase size), if preferred. Click "Next."

8)Click "Finish" to add the new volume to VMware ESXi.

let me know if am missing anything.

Thanks in advance.

Refer to the Symmetrix/VMware techbook for provisioning new storage

http://www.emc.com/collateral/hardware/solution-overview/h2529-vmware-esx-svr-w-symmetrix-wp-ldv.pdf

That process is right for creating a new VMFS with 4.1--under the assumption that new storage has been provisioned on the VMAX itself and presented to the host(s)

Hi CodyHosterman,

And i want to know how to add new luns into Existing datastore.

One of our existed datastore(datastore1) size was getting full and we have to increase its size.

We have to allocate 340gb space (68gb *5) luns to ESXi server, and want to add these 340gb space  into "datastore1" to expand datastore size.

pls let me know how to add 340gb space into "datastore1" .As "datastore1 " size was getting full.

Thanks in Advance.

You can follow the steps you mentioned above and that is perfectly fine. However, if you have dozens and dozens of LUNs doing it the way you mentioned will take a very long time.

Download RVTools (RVTools - Home) and run it against your vCenter server. Export the config to Excel/csv. You will see all datastores, all LUNs as well as a ton of other information. Each LUN has a UID and you can use excel or write a quick script to look up the UID's found in RVTools again the LUNs on the storage array. Just export all of the UID's for all LUNs from the storage array and just look for the common UID's.

Hello,

On page 69 of the techbook referenced above by Cody, you can see a process detailing how to grow the VMFS datastore. While this process details expanding the underlying storage volume which you are not doing, the same mechanics of how to grow a VMFS with net-new volumes (as is your case) will still hold true except you will be selecting the new volumes to add as physical extents to your existing datastore. Here is an example of growing a 500GB datastore by adding a 240GB volume as a spanned extent to that existing datastore:

Keep in mind, with spanned extents, if you suffer the failure of one storage volume/extent in the make-up of the datastore, the entire datastore will be impacted.

HTH,

-Keith