Adding D-Link DNS-321 NAS as Datastore in ESXi 4.1

In the process of building my ESXi 4.1 server, I realized that I needed a place to house all my Cisco UC ISOs.  Not wanting to consume precious disk space on my IBM x3550 M3 server, I opted to use my old DNS-321 NAS as a data store.

What follows are the steps to configure a DNS-321 as a NFS datastore:

DNS-321 NAS Configuration

1. Update the D-Link DNS-321 NAS to at least firmware 1.03. If you are using an older version of firmware, you will not have the option to create an NFS.
2. Create a folder on the D-Link DNS-321. I created a basic folder on the volume called ‘STORAGE-VM’ (short for Virtual Machines).
3. Create a user on the DNS-321 and give them full permissions to the folder you have just created.
4. Click on the Advanced Tab at the top of the DNS-321 Web Page; then click on the Network Access Tab on the left had side of the page.
5. Click the button to enable the NFS Server and then click Apply button.
6. Under the ‘Network Access Settings’ Section; change the type to NFS.
7. The host should be 192.168.50.0/24  (or whatever your internal address is; be sure to add the subnet).
8. For folder; click the browse button and browse to the folder you have just created on the NAS.  Note: You cannot use the root folder (e.g. Volume_1).  It must be a folder within the root folder.
9. Permissions: Change to R/W (Read/Write)
10. Root Squash: Yes
11. Click Apply button
12. You will then see the NFS added under the NFS Access List. Take note of the Real Path: /mnt/HD_a2/Folder (it may be different from this)

ESXi 4.1 Server Configuration

1. Create a new user with the same user name as the user created in the D-Link DNS-321. Make both passwords the same. Be sure to give the appropriate permissions to the new user so they can login into the ESXi server and added a datastore (ESXi  vSphere -> Permissions Tab)
2. Login into vSphere with new user.
3. Go to the Configuration Tab -> Click on Storage on the right hand side.
4. Click the Add Storage link in the top right hand side. A new window will open.
5. Select Network File Storage as the storage type and select next.
6. Under properties enter the following for server: ’192.168.50.XX’ (Use the internal address of your D-Link DNS-321 NAS).
7. Under properties enter the following for folder: ‘/mnt/HD_a2/Folder’ (This will be the root path of the folder you setup in the NAS).
8. Under Datastore Name add an appropriate name to identify the new datastore in ESXi

Cisco Announces ESXi 4.1 Support

Just released this week, Cisco now officially supports ESXi 4.1 for most of the UC applications.

Link: Unified Communications VMWare Requirements

UC on UCS Update – Feb 2011

This was a great update on UC on UCS from Cisco’s Dan Keller.  Very good introduction for virtualization “n00bs” like me.

Contents include:

• Fundamentals of UC on UCS Architecture
• UC on UCS Tested Reference Configurations (TRC)
• Virtual Machine Sizing and Placement
• UCS Server Selection
• VMware/vCenter Design Best Practices
• LAN/SAN Design Best Practices
• Migration Strategies