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VMware ESXi requires SPC-2 compliant SCSI devices. The SPC-2 bit on the appropriate Fibre Channel ports must be set when connecting VMware ESXi to a Dell PowerMax storage array. The SPC-2 is set by default on all PowerMax arrays. For PowerMax arrays, the default factory settings should be used.
Note: Consult the Dell Support Matrix for an up-to-date listing of port settings.
Note: The bit settings described previously, and in the Dell Support Matrix, are critical for proper operation of VMware virtualization platforms and Dell software. The bit settings can be either set at the port or per HBA.
In the PowerMaxOS iSCSI implementation, port flags which previously had to be set on the physical port are now set on the iSCSI target. The iSCSI target port flags are:
The SCSI_3, SPC2_PROTOCOL_VERSION, and SCSI_SUPPORT1 flags are enabled by default when a target is created on PowerMax.
The PowerMax supports SCSI-3 Persistent Reservations on all devices, except for vVols and those devices presented through NVMeoF (as noted above). The support includes all the following types of SCSI-3 PR:
SCSI-3 Persistent Reservations and WEAR support enables clustered VMDK support in vSphere 7 and 8.
Each ESXi server in the VMware vSphere environment should have at least two physical HBAs when using FC or FC-NVMe. Each HBA should be connected to at least two different front-end ports on different directors of the PowerMax.
Similarly, when using iSCSI or NVMe/TCP, each ESXi server in the VMware vSphere environment should have at least two physical NICs. Do not use teaming. There should be at least two front-end ports on different directors of the PowerMax.
In the examples below for FC, SAN switches are not included. The diagrams depict the recommended zoning, rather than the physical connectivity; however, it is possible some customers may use direct connectivity which would mirror the examples.
Note: iSCSI connectivity proceeds differently than FC zoning. For setup details, see iSCSI Implementation for Dell EMC Storage Arrays Running PowerMaxOS.