- NFS VHD Storage
- Software ISCSI Storage
- Hardware HBA Storage
- StorageLink Storage (XenServer 5.6 FP1)
- StorageLink Storage
- ISO Storage
On pools and standalone servers running XenServer 5.6 Feature Pack 1, you can create StorageLink SRs that use your existing Network Appliance™ (NetApp) or Dell EqualLogic™ storage infrastructure or that use a Citrix StorageLink Gateway (CSLG) to access a range of different storage systems.
This information is valid for pools and standalone servers running XenServer version 5.6 Feature Pack 1 and does not apply to later XenServer versions, where the StorageLink SR configuration process is different; see StorageLink storage for details of how to configure Dell EqualLogic and NetApp storage in newer versions of XenServer.
Installation and configuration of the StorageLink service must be done outside of XenCenter; for more information, please see the StorageLink documentation.
Note that these configuration instructions are valid for pools and standalone servers running XenServer version 5.6 Feature Pack 1 only.
When you connect to a StorageLink Gateway (CSLG), the connection details are stored in XenCenter and can be viewed and changed from the pool's Properties window (for standalone servers, via the server's Properties window).
To connect to a CSLG
Alternatively, do one of the following:
Note that these configuration instructions are valid for pools and standalone servers running XenServer version 5.6 Feature Pack 1 only.
A CSLG SR enables you to access a range of different storage systems via a Citrix StorageLink Gateway (CSLG), providing native access to a range of iSCSI and Fibre Channel arrays and automated fabric/initiator and array configuration features. The exact features available for a given SR depend on the capabilities of the array. CSLG SRs can co-exist with other SR types on the same storage array hardware, and multiple CSLG SRs can be defined within the same resource pool.
Click Next to continue.
If you have already configured a CSLG server connection for the pool:
If you have NOT already configured a StorageLink server connection for the pool:
When this is done, you can select storage systems on the CSLG server from the Storage system list as described above.
Location | Identify the server where the new SR will be located. |
Storage pool | Identify the StorageLink storage pool on which to create the new SR. On some types of storage, for example, NetApp, you can use the Show all check box to list all storage pools here. |
Raid type | Select the level of RAID to use for the SR, as supported by the storage array |
Provisioning type | Set the provisioning type (Default, Thick or Thin) |
Provisioning options | Set the provisioning options (for example, deduplication) |
Protocol | Set the storage protocol used to connect the managed server to the storage (iSCSI, Fibre Channel, or Auto to have the system choose) |
Use CHAP authentication | If the server is configured to used CHAP authentication, select this check box and fill in the username and password to be used. |
Note that these configuration instructions are valid for pools and standalone servers running XenServer version 5.6 Feature Pack 1 only.
A XenServer Dell EqualLogic SR connects to a Dell EqualLogicTM filer, providing a scalable form of high performance network attached storage. Virtual disks are stored on the filer using one LUN per virtual disk, and the SR will be able to take advantage of the thin provisioning, snapshot, and fast clone features of the filer by directly controlling the storage array.
Click Next to continue.
Name | The name of the new storage repository; this will appear in the Resources pane. |
Dell EqualLogic filer address | The IP address or DNS name of the filer |
Username | The login username used to manipulate the LUNs on the array |
Password | The login password used to manipulate the LUNs on the array |
Use CHAP | If the Dell EqualLogic Filer is configured to used CHAP authentication, select the Use CHAP check box and fill in the details:
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On clicking Next, the filer is scanned for existing SRs.
Note that these configuration instructions are valid for pools and standalone servers running XenServer version 5.6 Feature Pack 1 only.
The NetApp storage system must be running a version of Data ONTAP 7G (version 7.0 or greater), enabling the use of fast snapshot and clone features on the filer.
To configure a NetApp SR
Click Next to continue.
NetApp filer address | The IP address or hostname of the NetApp server in which the SR will reside |
Username | The login username used to manipulate the LUNs on the filer |
Password | The login password used to manipulate the LUNs on the filer |
Use CHAP | If the NetApp Filer is configured to used CHAP authentication, select the Use CHAP check box and fill in the details:
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Number of FlexVols (Optional) | The number of FlexVols to allocate to the new SR. You can use between 1 and 32 FlexVols; the default is 8. Using a greater number of FlexVols makes snapshotting VMs more efficient, because there are fewer VMs backed off the same FlexVol. Also there is a maximum possible number of snapshots per FlexVol, typically 256. However, the disadvantage is that the ONTAP deduplication algorithm currently only operates within a FlexVol, so using more FlexVols substantially reduces the benefits of deduplication across VMs. |
Use NetApp thin provisioning (Optional) | Select this check box if you want to use NetApp thin provisioning. The default is to use thick provisioning. If the filer is ONTAP deduplication-capable, you can also select the Enable ONTAP deduplication check box. |