iSCSI boot

[HillBij]

Good day!

There was a problem - it is impossible to use iSCSI boot at iStorageServer.

The equipment is supported iSCSI boot without indirect products, intel 82574 NIC/Supermicro X8DTU-F motherboard with last firmwares.
The operating system is Windows 2008 R2/Hyper-V Server R2.

Hardware receives iSCSI target. At OS installation sees a disk. We start installation. The first stage - Copying files passes, the Second - Expanding files, is stopped on 0 % and can hang so infinitely long.
Thus in the console of handle I see numerous connections to the purpose. Process iStorageServer eats away a lot of memory - as much as possible to what I досидел 11Gb, all on a server 12.
For matching used StarWind Free, there such problem is not present. All to be put from the first. The equipment was used too.

[Olivia (staff)]

Chould you tell me which version and which type of device are you using? We will test it out.
We have tested iStorage Server diskless boot with gpxe, and it worked without problem.
>Thus in the console of handle I see numerous connections to the purpose
Clients may encounte some problems so they continues re-connect.

[HillBij]

Diskless servers 2x
Supermicro 6016t-ntf, Intel xeon 5520, 24Gb ram, onboard network card is iSCSIboot ready.
iSCSI server
Supermicro 6016t-ntf, Intel xeon 5520, 12Gb ram + Adaptec 5805z
Windwos 2008 R2 enterprise. iStorage- 1.6
Switch.
I am using Cisco 3550 or Dlink 3100-24 for this test, it is not important. As a result all the same does not work.

This hardware tested with iStorage and Starwind products, and on Starwind all works.

PS
Now i found temporary solution.
Server OS installed using Starwind Free. Starwind target file is *.img, and after install I'am create new iStorage target with Starwind disk.
Starwind target created without using any cache functions. I am not tested solution with cache enabled targets.
It really work. But this path no good.

Probably iStorage the functional for customisation cache on the purposes is necessary?

[KOOLER]

Досидел до 11Gb, говоришь? Понятно... Непонятно другое: если StarWind Free работает, то зачем вообще нужен другой таргет? Если тип лицензии не устраивает - можно ж NFR попросить. Русским точно дадут.

Good day!

There was a problem - it is impossible to use iSCSI boot at iStorageServer.

The equipment is supported iSCSI boot without indirect products, intel 82574 NIC/Supermicro X8DTU-F motherboard with last firmwares.
The operating system is Windows 2008 R2/Hyper-V Server R2.

Hardware receives iSCSI target. At OS installation sees a disk. We start installation. The first stage - Copying files passes, the Second - Expanding files, is stopped on 0 % and can hang so infinitely long.
Thus in the console of handle I see numerous connections to the purpose. Process iStorageServer eats away a lot of memory - as much as possible to what I досидел 11Gb, all on a server 12.
For matching used StarWind Free, there such problem is not present. All to be put from the first. The equipment was used too.

[HillBij]

StarWind Free маленький объем.
За NFR спасибо спрошу.

Досидел до 11Gb, говоришь? Понятно... Непонятно другое: если StarWind Free работает, то зачем вообще нужен другой таргет? Если тип лицензии не устраивает - можно ж NFR попросить. Русским точно дадут.

[KOOLER]

Понятно. Просто сошлитесь на этот форум и этот пост для получения NFR. Желаю удачи!

[Aldrich]

The new version of iStorage Server 2.0 preview version will be ready on 12, May. I recommend you to try this version.
It brings some valuable features for disk less boot:
1, Memory disk to image disk synchronization, so you can use a memory disk to boot OS, the other device types used for data disk.
2, COW Protection (Virtual Write), target will save data temporary for initiators which have virtual write permission.

[WebGuy]

Have any improvements been made in copying large files from 2008 server and using 2008 server as the istorage server? That was a problem that stopped us from looking at 1.5x iStorage. Might be willing to try 2.0 but would like to know if this was even addressed in the new version.

Thanks!

[Aldrich]

We have improved the cache mechanism, it will appear in the formal released version of iStorage Server, the release date was set on June 10th.

[MoWoM]

I am having trouble booting existing img files that were created by Starwind...

I am still in testing but I have purchsed iStorage Server Standard.

It is running on an Intel S2520 chassis, Intel s5000vsa board, with Server 2008 x64.

This system is my SAN and previously had Starwind's software runing on it with other Windows, Xen and ESXi servers connected and running several VPCs. No problems.

It is using the Intel NICs on the board as a trunk with my HP Procurve switch. Jumbo frames is enabled.

I am testing now to see if newly created drives will perform the same. If I have to re-create every system again, I can, but I prefer no to have to.

I have removed Starwind completely from the system and installed iStorage and then created the target.

I re-connect with Xen and re-create the guest system... it begins to boot (the windows 2008 startup slider) but never goes anywhwere.

The VPCs that I have tried are Windows Server 2003, Win7, and Windows Server 2008 systems... Same issue...

Am I missing something? Is there settings or possibly an img file utilty for repair or integrity checking?

MoWoM