MEM 1.4 on ESXi 6.5

Question

I configured then installed MEM 1.4 on ESXi 6.5 fine (using hardware offload on nics). After using the setup.pl script I noticed iSCSI was not enabled on ESXi and MTU, delayed ack, login timeout were still at default values. I've adjusted this all manually however am wondering if there is anything else I should be aware of post-install on ESXi 6.5? Are there available instructions for ESXi 6.5? I understand it's officially supported but the MEM 1.4 documentation makes no reference to it.

Thanks!

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Reference (commands I issued and their output):

setup.pl --configure --bestpractices --server SERVERIP --username=root --nics=vmnic9,vmnic10 --ips=192.168.10.120,192.168.10.121 --mtu=9000 --groupip=192.168.10.30 --chapuser=CHAPUSER --chapsecret=CHAPSECRET

Assigning IP address 192.168.10.120 to iSCSI0.

Creating portgroup iSCSI1 on vSwitch vSwitchISCSI.

Assigning IP address 192.168.10.121 to iSCSI1.

Creating new bridge.

Adding uplink vmnic9 to vSwitchISCSI.

Adding uplink vmnic10 to vSwitchISCSI.

Setting new uplinks for vSwitchISCSI.

Setting uplink for iSCSI0 to vmnic9.

Setting uplink for iSCSI1 to vmnic10.

Bound vmk1 to vmhba35.

vmk2 is not usable for port binding with vmhba35, skipping.

vmk2 is not usable for port binding with vmhba34, skipping.

vmk2 is not usable for port binding with vmhba33, skipping.

Bound vmk2 to vmhba32.

Set SATP Host System Best Practices.

Checking global HBA settings for adapter vmhba32.

Updating DelayedAck from true to false

Updating LoginTimeout from 5 to 60

Checking global HBA settings for adapter vmhba35.

Updating DelayedAck from true to false

Updating LoginTimeout from 5 to 60

Refreshing host storage system.

Adding discovery address 192.168.10.30 with CHAP user CHAPUSER to storage adapter vmhba32.

Adding discovery address 192.168.10.30 with CHAP user CHAPUSER to storage adapter vmhba35.

Rescanning all HBAs.

Network configuration finished successfully.

No Dell EqualLogic Multipathing Extension Module found.

Continue your setup by installing the module with the --install option or through vCenter Update

Then I installed MEM:

setup.pl --install --server SERVERIP --username=root --bundle=dell-eql-mem-esx6-1.4.0.426823.zip

Clean install of Dell EqualLogic Multipathing Extension Module.

Bundle being installed dell-eql-mem-esx6-1.4.0.426823.zip

Copying dell-eql-mem-esx6-1.4.0.426823.zip to [dc01-vhost01-localdatastore]/dell-eql-mem-esx6-1.4.0.426823.zip

The install operation may take several minutes. Please do not interrupt it.

Check to see if the install succeeded

Found Dell EqualLogic Multipathing Extension bundle installed: 1.4.0-426823

Install succeeded

Clean install was successful.

NorthCan · Answer

Hi Don,

Thanks as always for your input. That's very helpful.

On another ESXi 6.5 host I went through the same procedure but enabled swiscsi and disabled hwiscsi. It configured everything perfectly but unfortunately the results (within a Windows 2012 R2 VM on the SAN) are a little worse with swiscsi.

I duplicated a 30GB file within the VM (therefore reading and writing to SAN). Results of the copy job:

With hwiscsi:

Disk I/O rate (Aggregated): 631MB/s

Total read rate: 316MB/s

Total write rate: 315MB/s

Maximum latency: 16ms

With swiscsi:

Disk I/O rate (Aggregated): 578MB/s

Total read rate: 287MB/s

Total write rate: 291MB/s

Maximum latency: 22ms

I'm running the Dell Customized ESXi 6.5 ISO on Dell PowerEdge R630 hosts which were factory built with Broadcom 10Gbps nic's.

I've run this test about 5 times so far and each time hwiscsi seems to come a bit ahead.

Thanks

Patrick

NorthCan · Answer

Hi Don,

Even with diskspd.exe benchmark util I am noticing similar results (diskspd -b8K -d60 -h -L -o2 -t4 -r -w30 -c50M c:\iotest.dat). hwiscsi is reporting ~12% more IOPS & MB/s.

I realize that these are extreme cases and our environment will not be hammering the disks much. If hwiscsi is going to cause grief and Dell recommends we steer clear of it we wont use it. But just trying to understand the reasoning for not using it, especially since Dell's own setup.pl script will use hwiscsi if detected by default.

I appreciate your help, somewhat of a newbie when it comes to this stuff :-)

Thanks

Patrick

NorthCan · Answer

I think based on what you said 'in support we find that customers using the H/W offload often have issues' we'll use swiscsi instead.  The last thing I want is for the system to be in production and discover oddities related to hwiscsi. Thanks again Don, your input was helpful. Patrick

NorthCan · Answer

When exactly will MEM 1.5 be available, is there a way to obtain the GM now?

NorthCan · Answer

That's terrible news.  I went ahead and built a 6.5 cluster with MEM 1.4 which is now in production.

NorthCan · Answer

Hi Don, Just wondering if MEM 1.5 is still on track for release this week or next? Thanks.

NOCTeam · Answer

Hi DonI notice 1.5 doesn't show on the Downloads yet.  Do you have a releases date?ThanksAndy

NorthCan · Answer

Can we still use setup.pl in MEM 1.4 to create the vSwitch, vmks, --bestpractices  etc in vSphere 6.5 *without* installing MEM?  Then when MEM 1.5 is released just install the MEM itself (having already done the initial setup using setup.pl MEM 1.4)?

Vindicta · Answer

Since the month is nearing it's end, can you tell us more about the release?

NorthCan · Answer

Hi Don. Will we be seeing MEM 1.5 this week?  We're now at the end of June... Thanks.

NOCTeam · Answer

Thanks for keeping us posted Don.I checked the site but unfortunately its not been released yet.ThanksAndy

NOCTeam · Answer

Great thanks Don :emotion-1:

Vindicta · Answer

The documentation does not mention (how) to update an existing MEM to 1.5.

However, there is one line under Installing MEM with VMware Update Manager, stating:

10. Once the task has been completed, the MEM will have been installed or updated on all the hosts selected.

Can we safely use Update Manager to update our existing MEM installations or do we first need to manually remove the old MEM installation? (which then makes the purpose of Update Manager useless)

EqualLogic

MEM 1.4 on ESXi 6.5

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