Month: November 2015

Steps to Implement the Correct I/O Controller Driver for the Cisco 12G SAS Modular Raid Controller for Virtual SAN

by pgkeilty, posted in Cisco, I/O Controller, SDS, Software Defined Storage, Uncategorized, Virtual SAN, Virtual SAN 6, VMware, VSAN, vSphere 6

This is my third post this week, possibly a record for me. All three are centered around ensuring the correct firmware and drivers are installed and running. The content of this post was created by my colleague, David Boone, who works with VMware customers to ensure successful Virtual SAN deployments. When it comes to VSAN, its important to use qualified hardware but equally important to make sure the correct firmware and drivers are installed.

Download the Correct I/O Controller Driver

Navigate to the VMware Compatibility Guide for Virtual SAN, scroll down and select “Build Your Own based on Certified Components”, then find the controller in the database. Here’s the link for the Cisco 12G SAS Modular Raid Controller and the link to download the correct driver for it (as of Nov. 20, 2015): https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/details?downloadGroup=DT-ESX55-LSI-SCSI-MEGARAID-SAS-660606001VMW&productId=353

Install the Correct Driver

Use your favorite way to install the driver. This might include creating a custom vSphere install image to deploy on multiple hosts, rolling out via vSphere Update Manager (VUM), or manually installing on each host.

Continue reading “Steps to Implement the Correct I/O Controller Driver for the Cisco 12G SAS Modular Raid Controller for Virtual SAN” →

What if the SSD and HDD Firmware Versions are Newer Than What is Listed on the VMware Compatibility Guide (VCG) for Virtual SAN?

by pgkeilty, posted in HDD, I/O Controller, Software Defined Storage, SSD, Uncategorized, Virtual SAN, Virtual SAN 6, VMware, VSAN

No problem, this is OK.

If you want to know more detail, keep reading…

Last week I was working with a customer to implement a VSAN ReadyNode. Before enabling VSAN on a cluster it’s a best practice to validate that the firmware of the host I/O Controller, SSD’s (SAS, SATA, PCIe, NVMe, or UltraDIMM), and HDD’s (SAS, NL-SAS, or SATA) are up to the required versions. Each hardware vendor has a different way of doing this.

In reviewing this particular customers hardware, we found that the SSD and HDD Firmware Versions were newer than what is listed on the VCG.

Note that for SSD’s and HDD’s, the hardware vendors provides the VMware Virtual SAN team with the firmware version they tested and qualified for VSAN. VMware then lists that firmware version for that model of disk on the VMware Compatibility Guide (VCG) for Virtual SAN. If the hardware vendor comes out with “new firmware” then it does not require VSAN re-certification of the SSD or HDD. VMware supports disks with “newer firmware” for Virtual SAN but VMware leaves the VCG alone and continues listing the “old firmware”. However, if the hardware vendor wants VMware to remove the “old firmware” from the VCG listing and replace it with the “new firmware” VMware would do that upon their request. This would typically happen if the hardware vendor discovers an issue/bug with the “old firmware”.

I hope this helps clarify how VMware treats SSD and HDD Firmware Version listings on the VMware Compatibility Guide for Virtual SAN.

Verifying the Correct Version of the Cisco UCS C240 Server I/O Controller Firmware – Cisco 12G SAS Modular Raid Controller

by pgkeilty, posted in I/O Controller, Virtual SAN

Today I was working with Cisco to setup UCS C240 servers for Virtual SAN. As part of the process we needed to verify the Cisco 12G SAS Modular Raid Controller had the correct Firmware Version.

First we went to the VMware Compatibility Guide for Virtual SAN, navigated to the bottom of the page to the link for Build Your Own based on Certified Components. Under “Search For:” we selected “I/O Controller” and under “Brand Name:” we selected “Cisco” and found the listing for the Cisco 12G SAS Modular Raid Controller. It requires Firmware Version 4.270.00-4238.

vcg-Cisco 12G

Next we went into the Cisco UCS Manager and navigated to the Host Firmware Packages and found that the Storage Controller Firmware Package was 24.7.0-0047.

CiscoUCS1

Through UCS Manager there is no way to get the I/O Controller Firmware Version. So, we had to reboot the host and hit “CTRL-R” to get into the Cisco 12G SAS Modular Raid Controller Bios Configuration Utility.

CiscoUCS2

From here we hit CTRL-N to get into Properties.

CiscoUCS3

On this screen you can see:

Package: 24.7.0-0047

FW Version: 4.270.00-4238

Thus, we were able to confirm that we had the correct Firmware on the I/O Controller. If the FW Version was different than what VMware Virtual SAN supports, you would need to download the correct Firmware Package from Cisco and upgrade.

I hope this helps others save time trying to verify Firmware Versions. Thanks to my VMware Virtual SAN colleague, David Boone, who did most of the work that led to this post and our friends at Cisco for being a great partner and helping navigate UCS Manager and grabbing screenshots.