VAAI Support for NFS: How?

@kendcollins Is there any official statement when this will happen? It is really annoying to tell the customer that there is something in progress... over weeks!

All,

Working on getting official word for you.....understood on the frustration part, hopefully we get this resolved very quickly.

Ken

Not sure this will help but, it is a start.

If an unsupported operation is attempted, the array returns an error to ESX and the ESX server will use its native method to perform the operation. VNX OE for File v7.0.35.X and Block R31.5.5xx supports VAAI with FC, iSCSI, and NFS protocols.

Please note that the ESX server must also support these features.

One can verify that VAAI functionality is enabled on the ESX server using vSphere. Navigating to the ESX server, Configuration tab, and choosing the Advanced Settings under Software brings up the Advanced Settings window. The HardwareAcceleratedparameters found in the DataMoversection and the HardwareAcceleratedparameter found in the VMFS3 section indicate whether VAAI is enabled on the ESX server. If the parameter is set to "1," the VAAI feature is enabled. If the parameter is set to "0," the VAAI feature is disabled. The features are enabled by default.

The esxcfg-advcfg command can also be used to set and get the HardwareAccelerated parameters.

The –s option is used to set the parameter, and the –g option is used to get the current setting.

Nick

Hi Nick,

Thanks for jumping into the fray. I've also escalated my SR on this and my account representative has gotten me in touch with her vSpecialist as well.

Unfortunately the ESXi servers and the VNX both are at the code level necessary to enable VAAI and the feature parameters are set to 1 but regardless Hardware Acceleration remains at "Not Supported". I've seen a few articles that suggest VMFS5 is at fault and that if you build your stores with VMFS3 and then upgrade to VMFS5 they remain supported but I dont have the environment necessary to test that since my stores are all in production already.

Adding a section from the VMware KB artice for future use.

vStorage APIs for Array Integration FAQ

Are there any caveats that I should be aware of in ESX/ESXi 4.x? 

There are a few reasons why a hardware-accelerated operation may fail.

For any primitive that the array does not implement, the array returns an error, which triggers the ESX data mover to attempt the operation using software data movement. In the case of ATS, it reverts to using SCSI Reservations.

VAAI hardware offload cannot be used when:

• The source and destination VMFS volumes have different block sizes 
• The source file type is RDM and the destination file type is non-RDM (regular file)  
• The source VMDK type is eagerzeroedthick and the destination VMDK type is thin
• The source or destination VMDK is any sort of sparse or hosted format 
• Cloning a Virtual Machine that has snapshots, since this process involves consolidating the snapshots into the virtual disks of the target Virtual Machine.  
• The logical address and/or transfer length in the requested operation are not aligned to the minimum alignment required by the storage device (all datastores created with the vSphere Client are aligned automatically) 
• The VMFS datastore has multiple LUNs/extents spread across different arrays
• Hardware cloning between arrays (even if within the same VMFS datastore) does not work.

Read the full KB Article:

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1021976

Recent update: several issues have been resolved and eLabs is working on completing the round of certificaiton tests. Then the results will be submitted to VMware for their blessings.

I would say this should happen very soon, but we are now on the threshold of the holidays.....

More info as it becomes available.....

Ken

So it looks like Ken is right, the plugin is still in "beta" according to my account vSpecialist with no ETA on release. I probably wouldnt have put all the stuff in the FLARE/DART code release fanfare about NFS VAAI if the entire system isnt ready to go.

All,

Latest word is that the vStorage plug-in for "VAAI for NFS" has passed EMC/eLabs testing and has now been submitted to VMware for verification of test results and final certification action.

Ken

We can't do this in FLARE/DART because it needs changes on VMware's end as well.

The enabler is now posted and available.

Hello,

I will be out of the office from Wednesday December 28, 2011 and Thursday December 29, 2011.

Should you need immediate assistance please contact the help desk at 1-877-362-4832

Thank You

Chris Germain

Delaware North Companies Inc.

Sr. Systems Engineer

Infrastructure Services

716-858-5391

cgermain@dncinc.com

>>> mattcowger 12/27/11 22:56 >>>

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"Re: VAAI Support for NFS: How?"

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