Configure SAS controller in Hyperflex

[viby]

We are looking to repurpose a couple of Hyperflex machines(HXAF 220C M5SX) as standalone ESXi hosts. Since we are having a  Cisco 12G Modular SAS HBA (MRAID) controller, we are planning to configure the pass-through option for the disks. I am not finding an option where we can configure the disks for either JBOD or Pass-through.

Any leads on how to handle the SAS configurations? We don't see the option to create the LUNs to either use them as JBOD or Pass-through mode.

[Kirk J]

SAS HBA is only Jbod.

Did you purchase an additional SAS raid controller and add it (UCSC-RAID-M5 PID)?

The LSI/AVAGO/Broadcom terminology will sometimes list MRAID in menus, but you have to have a real raid controller in order to do raid/virtual drives.

Pass through is an ESXi/Hypervisor concept whereby the hypervisor ignores specific hardware, and allows it to be 'passed' up to a guestVM directly without being 'virtualized'.

Individual servers with pass through storage objects from Hyperflex or  Vsan type configs, do not make good standalone servers as they will not have any local HA/redundant storage, and were meant to work in tandem with other servers, with a software solution providing the data distribution/HA storage.

Kirk...

[viby]

Thanks for your response. we dont have a RAID controller, only SAS HBA controller.

[root@hx-localhost:~] vmkfstools -z /vmfs/devices/disks/t10.ATA_____Micron_5300_MTFDDAV240TDS________________________MSA24480A49:1 "/vmfs/volumes/SpringpathDS-WMP250600NY/MSA24480A49_1.vmdk"
Failed to create virtual disk: Operation not permitted (65545).

[root@hx-localhost:~] ls /vmfs/devices/disks
t10.ATA_____Micron_5300_MTFDDAV240TDS________________________MSA24480A49 t10.ATA_____Micron_5300_MTFDDAV240TDS________________________MSA24480A49:7 vml.01000000002020202020202020204d534132343438304134394d6963726f6e:3
t10.ATA_____Micron_5300_MTFDDAV240TDS________________________MSA24480A49:1 t10.ATA_____Micron_5300_MTFDDAV240TDS________________________MSA24480A49:8 vml.01000000002020202020202020204d534132343438304134394d6963726f6e:5
t10.ATA_____Micron_5300_MTFDDAV240TDS________________________MSA24480A49:2 t10.ATA_____Micron_5300_MTFDDAV240TDS________________________MSA24480A49:9 vml.01000000002020202020202020204d534132343438304134394d6963726f6e:6
t10.ATA_____Micron_5300_MTFDDAV240TDS________________________MSA24480A49:3 vml.01000000002020202020202020204d534132343438304134394d6963726f6e vml.01000000002020202020202020204d534132343438304134394d6963726f6e:7
t10.ATA_____Micron_5300_MTFDDAV240TDS________________________MSA24480A49:5 vml.01000000002020202020202020204d534132343438304134394d6963726f6e:1 vml.01000000002020202020202020204d534132343438304134394d6963726f6e:8
t10.ATA_____Micron_5300_MTFDDAV240TDS________________________MSA24480A49:6 vml.01000000002020202020202020204d534132343438304134394d6963726f6e:2 vml.01000000002020202020202020204d534132343438304134394d6963726f6e:9

I have three 3.8TB disks but unable to create virtual disks from the devices listed here.

[Kirk J]

After you purchase a raid controller (UCSC-RAID-M5) and replace the sas HBA with it, you will be able to create a virtual disk.