Nutanix SQL Shared Storage - Help setting up IPs/Targets | Nutanix Community
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I’m working on building a SQL Cluster on Nutanix using shared storage. Having issues on some of the steps in the ‘Creating a Windows Guest VM Failover Cluster’ walkthrough. (https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details/?targetId=Advanced-Admin-AOS-v510:vmm-failover-cluster-create-t.html)

 

Have (not real values, used for example):

SQL01A - 10.100.1.20

SQL01B - 10.100.1.21

Cluster Virtual IP - 10.100.1.10

iSCSI Data Services IP - Not set (blank)

SQL01VGroup - Target IQN Prefix here

 

Status/Completed:

  • I’ve already created a volume group with a few disks for testing. I have NOT attached it to the VMs yet.
  • I’ve enabled MPIO on each of the 2 servers
  • I’ve enabled iSCSI Devices in the Multipaths tab

 

Where I’m stuck is the next portion on the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator/Target Portal IP portion. The guide is not very clear on what I should be doing. 

 

From the Guide:

From the Server Manager, add and enable the Multipath I/O feature in Tools > MPIO.

  1. Add support for iSCSI devices by checking the box in the Discovered Multipaths tab.
  2. Enable multipath for the targets by checking the box in the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator and selecting the IP addresses for the Target Portal IP.

In step 2, what IP is this referring to?

This Data Services IP address that you configured in Prism should be used. You can find more details on how to provide access the Nutanix storage from your clustered guest VMs here:

https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details/?targetId=Web-Console-Guide-Prism-v55:wc-cluster-details-modify-wc-t.html

https://next.nutanix.com/installation-configuration-23/data-services-ip-iscsi-33804

 

This Data Services IP address that you configured in Prism should be used. You can find more details on how to provide access the Nutanix storage from your clustered guest VMs here:

https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details/?targetId=Web-Console-Guide-Prism-v55:wc-cluster-details-modify-wc-t.html

https://next.nutanix.com/installation-configuration-23/data-services-ip-iscsi-33804

 

As I stated above, the Data Services IP field is blank. It has never been set. I began setting it and it threw the warning “could potentially make the cluster unavailable” which I would of course like to not do.

It may be a standard message when modifying a field on the Cluster Information screen, but I want to make sure I can change THAT field whenever I want and it wont harm anything (unless it’s being used, of course).

This is kind of a huge warning. Almost terrifying. I want to make sure by setting the Data Services IP I’m not going to drop this cluster. 

 

 

 

Setting Data Services IP impacts only the services that depend on the it (like File Server or Nutanix Volumes). Since you don’t have this setup currently there should be no issue unless you don’t change anything else also, like the Cluster IP.

I didn’t plan on changing anything else, just that field. Once I set it, that is what I set for the “Target IP” within the iSCSI initiator IP field?

Yes.

I appreciate it, Izy. Just don’t want to mess this up. I am the new guy with this company, still in my 90 days. 

 

From the documentation: (This IP address is also used as a cluster-wide address by clients configured as part of Nutanix Files and other products. This IP address:

  • Should be in the same subnet as the cluster Controller VM IP eth0 network interface addresses),

Although none of ours seems to say Eth0, I assume it just means the actual IP on whatever interface I’m wanting to connect to. I should set it in the same subnet as my VM’s, correct?

e.g.:

Cluster - 10.10.10.100

VM1 - 10.10.110.100

VM2 - 10.10.110.101

In this case, I’d want the Virtual IP to be on the 110 subnet , correct?

 

Completed:

  • Set Data Services IP
  • Allowed iSCSI Services in the firewall on both servers (Strictly the existing iSCSI Inbound/Outbound rules, no new rules created or modified)
  • Whitelisted the IQNs from both servers in the vGroup in Nutanix for Client Access
  • Flushed DNS
  • Rebooted each server that will be a member of the cluster
  • Cleared and re-added the Data Services IP to verify it was saved down
  • Attempted to connect the Windows VM to the Data Services IP via iSCSI Initiator Discover Portal using both the iSCSI Initiator and Default local adapter types

 

Results:

  • Connection Failed, no matter what variation of the above
  • No ping the Data Services IP from any device
  • No contact within iSCSI Initiator to the Data Services IP within the Discover Portal

Per documentation the Data Services IP should be in the same subnet as the cluster Controller VM IP eth0 network interface addresses:

 

Some way I can buy you a beer?

Hopefully this all helped @AnthonyLombardi if not you can call Nutanix support for some assistance with your environment.

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