Deploying a Metro Storage Cluster across two sites using HUAWEI OceanStor V3 HyperMetro and VMware vSphere
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Deploying a Metro Storage Cluster across two sites using HUAWEI OceanStor V3 HyperMetro and VMware vSphere

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Article ID: 312790

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction


This article provides information about deploying a Metro Storage Cluster across two sites using HUAWEI HyperMetro and VMware vSphere.


Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.7
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.0
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5

Resolution


HUAWEI OceanStor V3 and HyperMetro:
 
The OceanStor V3 converged storage platform is newly developed by Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd (Huawei), include mid-range and high-end storage systems. It meets medium and large-sized enterprises' storage requirements for mass data storage, speed data access, high availability, high utilization, energy saving, and ease-of-use.
 
HyperMetro delivers the active-active service capabilities based on two storage arrays. Data on the active-active LUNs/File Systems at both ends is synchronized in real time, and both ends process read and write I/Os from application servers to provide the servers with non-differentiated parallel active-active access.
 
Huawe OceanStor V3 HyperMetro supports both SAN and NAS.
 
Minimum Requirements:
 
These are the minimum system requirements for a vMSC solution with HyperMetro:
  • Huawei OceanStor V300R003C00 storage system or newer when using UltraPath.
  • Huawei OceanStor V300R003C20 storage system or newer when using VMware NMP.
  • Huawei OceanStor V300R006C00 storage system or newer when using HyperMetro for File.
  • HyperMetro is a value-added feature that requires a software license for use on both OceanStor V3 arrays.
  • Huawei OceanStor V3 should be connected with ESXi via FC, iSCSI or NFS protocol.
  • ESXi 5.1 and later.
  • Huawei UltraPath (V100R008 or newer) or VMware NMP.

 

Solution Overview:
 
Figure 1 HyperMetro Configurations
 
In HyperMetro configurations:
  • LUN_1 and LUN_2 on OceanStor V3 arrays are Read/Write accessible to hosts.
  • Hosts could read/write to both devices in a HyperMetro Pair.
  • LUN_2 devices assume the same external device identity (geometry, device WWN) as their LUN_1.
  • This shared identity causes the LUN_1 and LUN_2 devices to appear to hosts(s) as a single virtual device across the two arrays.
  • FS_01 and FS_02 form a NAS HyperMetro pair.
  • FS_01 and FS_02 share all the same file system attributes, including logical port address, access control list and etc.
  • If FS_01 malfunctions, FS_02 automatically takes over services without data loss or service interruption, and vice versa.
 
Arbitration server:
 
HyperMetro supports arbitration by pair or by consistency group. In the event of link or other failures, HyperMetro provides two arbitration modes (Only one Arbitration server required for both Block and File in a HyperMetro Domain):
 
  • Static priority mode: This mode is mainly used in scenarios where no third-party arbitration servers are deployed. In this mode, you can set either end as the preferred site based on active-active pairs or consistency groups and the other end the non-preferred site.

    If the link between the storage arrays or the non-preferred site encounters a fault, LUNs at the preferred site are accessible, and those at the non-preferred site are inaccessible.

    If the preferred site encounters a fault, the non-preferred site does not accessible to hosts.
  • Arbitration server mode: In this mode, an independent physical or virtual machine is used as the arbitration device, which determines the type of failure, and uses the information to choose one side of the device pair to remain R/W accessible to the host. The Arbitration server mode is the default option.
Note: Either of the following can be used as a Arbitration Server:
    • The operation system that must be x86_64 can be Redhat Linux 6.x , Suse Linux 11.x, Asianux Server 4 SP4, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS or CentOS 6.5.
    • Arbitration server can be built on a physical or virtual machine.
 
Recommendations and Limitations:
 

It’s recommended that the Host LUN ID from both storage systems should be the same for same LUN.

When using VMware NMP, it is recommended to upgrade to ESXi 6.0 U2 for ESXi 6.0 version. Please refer to this VMware KB article: Storage PDL responses may not trigger path failover in vSphere 6.0 (2144657).

 

It’s also recommended that the user mapping the LUN_2 device to ESXi host only after the Pair is success configured. User can use the rescan command to detect the new path, paths are detected automatically by UltraPath or VMware NMP. There might be some delay in automatic detection. Please refer to this VMware KB article for instructions on updating this tunable: Changing the polling time for datastore paths (1004378).
 
For more information on configuration guidelines, see the latest OceanStor V3 Product Guide.
 
For more in depth information of HyperMetro, see the technical notes with part numbers:
 
Note: The preceding links were correct as of August 24, 2017. If you find a link is broken, provide feedback and a VMware employee will update the link.
 
A certified configuration of OceanStor V3 is available, and is listed in the VMware Compatibility Guide.
 
 
Tested Scenarios:
 
This table outlines the tested and supported failure scenarios when using a Huawei OceanStor V3 Storage Cluster for VMware vSphere:

 

ScenarioOperationObserved VMware behavior
Cross-data-center virtual machine migrationMigrate a virtual machine from site A to site BNo impact
Physical server breakdownUnplug the power supply for a host in site A.VMware High Availability failover virtual machines to other available hosts
Single-link failure of physical serverUnplug the physical link that connects a host in site A to an FC or IP switch.No impact
Storage failure in site AUnplug the power supply for the storage system in site ANo impact
All-link failure of storage in site AUnplug all service links that connect site A's storage array to an FC or IP switchNo impact
All-link failure of all hosts in site AUnplug all physical links that connect all hosts in site A to an FC or IP switchVMware High Availability failover virtual machines to available site B hosts
Failure of storage replication linksUnplug replication links between sitesNo impact
Failure of storage management networkUnplug network cable from network port of host in site ANo impact
All-link failure between sitesDisconnect the DWDM links between sitesVirtual machines in site B hosts are automatically Powered off in site B hosts and Powered on in available site A hosts (The perfect site is site A)
Failure of site APower off all devices in site AVMware High Availability failover virtual machines to available site B hosts
Failure of site BPower off all devices in site BVMware High Availability failover virtual machines to available site A hosts


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