Configuring NPIV for Direct Fibre Channel Storage Access to OpenShift Worker VMs on VMware ESXi

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

In environments where virtual machines require direct access to Fibre Channel (FC) storage, N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) can be used to assign unique virtual World Wide Port Names (WWPNs) to individual virtual machines, enabling direct SAN connectivity.

For OpenShift worker virtual machines hosting Persistent Volume Claims (PVCs), storage LUNs must be properly presented through the SAN fabric and mapped to the virtual machine initiators. If the required zoning, LUN masking, or NPIV configuration is incomplete, the virtual machines will be unable to discover or access the presented storage.

This article describes the prerequisites, validation steps, and configuration process for implementing NPIV on VMware ESXi hosts using QLogic FastLinQ FCoE adapters. It also outlines the SAN and storage array requirements necessary to present Fibre Channel storage directly to virtual machines.

Environment

 

• VMware ESXi
• OpenShift Bare Metal
• Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
• QLogic FastLinQ QL45xxx Series 10/25 GbE Controllers
• SAN Storage Array
• Fibre Channel/FCoE Fabric

Configured adapters on the ESXi host:

• vmhba64 – QLogic FastLinQ QL45xxx Series 10/25 GbE Controller (FCoE)
• vmhba65 – QLogic FastLinQ QL45xxx Series 10/25 GbE Controller (FCoE)

 

Cause

Direct Fibre Channel storage access was not available to the worker virtual machines because the end-to-end NPIV configuration had not yet been completed.

The following prerequisites required verification:

• NPIV support on the QLogic FastLinQ adapters.
• NPIV enabled on upstream Fibre Channel/FCoE switches.
• Storage array support for NPIV-based zoning and LUN masking.
• Proper SAN zoning and storage presentation using virtual WWPNs.
• Required LUNs mapped to the virtual machine initiators.

Without these configurations, the worker VMs would not be able to discover or access the required storage devices.

Resolution

1. Verify NPIV Support

Confirm NPIV support across all infrastructure components.

Adapter Verification

Verify NPIV capability for the installed adapters through vendor documentation or the vSphere Client:

Host > Configure > Storage Adapters

Select the appropriate HBA and verify whether NPIV capability is supported.

ESXi Verification

Run the following command on the ESXi host:

esxcli storage san fc list

This command displays:

• Fibre Channel adapters
• WWPN information
• Driver details
• Firmware versions

SAN Switch Verification

Confirm with the SAN or Network team that:

• NPIV is enabled on the Fibre Channel/FCoE switches.
• Required zoning can be configured using virtual WWPNs.

Storage Array Verification

Confirm that the storage array:

• Supports NPIV.
• Allows zoning and masking using virtual WWPNs.
• Supports presentation of LUNs to NPIV-enabled virtual machines.

2. Configure NPIV

During the troubleshooting session:

• NPIV was enabled on the required worker virtual machines.
• Virtual WWPNs were generated and collected.
• The virtual WWPN information was provided to the customer.

3. SAN Configuration

The customer must perform the following actions:

1. Configure SAN zoning using the provided virtual WWPNs.
2. Present the required LUNs to the configured virtual WWPNs.
3. Verify storage visibility from the worker virtual machines.
4. Confirm that the operating system can discover the newly presented storage devices.

Additional Information

NPIV support is dependent on end-to-end compatibility across the entire storage stack, including:

• Host Bus Adapter (HBA)
• VMware ESXi version
• Fibre Channel/FCoE switches
• Storage array

If any component in the path does not support NPIV, direct Fibre Channel presentation to virtual machines may not function correctly.

Once NPIV support is validated and SAN zoning/LUN masking is completed, virtual WWNs can be assigned to virtual machines, allowing them to access Fibre Channel storage directly without requiring RDM-based presentation.

Follow up with the storage team after zoning and LUN presentation are completed to validate storage discovery from the worker virtual machines.