It has been a while, since I have updated my blog. I will try and be more regular.
Recently, we had a change of storage from EMC Symmetrix DMX to EMC Symmetrix VMAX Migrating. The VM migration was easy with the help of storage vMotion but the hard part was migrating the MSCS based VMs.
We have bunch of MSCS based luns in our environment.
The Storage guy started the copy of RDM Luns from old storage (DMX) to VMAX. Ocne that was completed we powered down all the MSCS based VMs.
Here are the steps that we followed
1) Took the backup of data and VM
2) Took a print screen of all the nic cards settings
3) Remove the existing pointer from the vmfs partiton, which points to the RDM lun on both the VMs
4) Did a storage vmotion of both the VMs to a lun on the new storage – This lun will be exclusively for these VMs.
5) Created a folder under the VMAX Lun, where you will keep all your pointers to the RDM luns
6) use vmkfstools -z example – vmkfstools -r '/vmfs/devices/disks/vmha1:2:100:0' rdmname.vmdk – (The Z option will make Physical compatability mode)
7) Use the above option for all the RDM and Quorum disks.
8)From the Vi Client, used the option to add a existing disk and pointed it the vmdk created in stepo 6
9) Start the VM and there it will ask you a question – select LSIlogic as your controller card and not Buslogic
10) Your Cluster is backonline
I got few points from the following post.
Here the author used -r option in vmkfstools but he should have used vmkfstools -z option to make it in a physical compatability mode.(rdmpassthru)
Mike
/ August 8, 2011I have to move a SQL 2005 MSCS cluster, and I'm thinking about breaking the cluster (or creating a single-node cluster) by doing a Storage vmotion. I just don't know if this will work, because I don't have a test cluster. If I storage vmotion the disks to another LUN, my RDMs will go away, and my cluster will "break," but I'm OK if the node becomes a single-node cluster. Any ideas if this will work?
vcpguy
/ August 11, 2011Mike, why don't u follow the steps that i used to move the MSCS VMs from DMX to VMAX. I did this for atleast 10 MSCS based VMs and they all are working fine.
I don't think application should be a cause of concern.
Thanks
Nandish
/ May 8, 2012What about if my cluster disks are not RDM’s?
I have a folder created on the datastore that has 2 cluster disks , which are used for the mscs VM’s.
Now if I migrate one of the node , that is successfull. Once I migrate the other node , it does not migrate , cuz it has missing disks ( Cluster disks which are already migrated). So if i remove the cluster disks from the 2nd node , I can migrate them. But now when Its migrated and I try to add the same disks , it says the file is locked.
What to do now?
Nandish
/ May 11, 2012What about the clustered disks are not RDM’s?
And is it necessary to use that CLI Command?
vcpguy
/ May 11, 2012I am sorry, I don’t understand your question. Can you please tell me what is the error message that is displayed ?