Two Sangfor HCI with FC SAN Storage

How can one work with Fiber Channel SAN storage without a local data store

You may try the steps below:

1. Connect the HBAs on each Sangfor HCI appliance to the FC SAN fabric using Fibre Channel cables physically
2. Use the Sangfor HCI mgnt interface to discover available storage LUNs presented by the FC SAN
3. Map the specific LUNs to the Sangfor HCI cluster. The map between the LUNs and the VMs that will reside on them will be created.
4. Configure your Sangfor HCI virtual machines to boot from the mapped LUNs. The specific steps for this will depend on your chosen virtualization platform like VMware, ESXi, KVM, etc

Working with Fibre Channel SAN storage without a local data store is indeed possible. The Fibre Channel protocols are embedded with small computer system interface (SCSI) commands that provide block-level control, allowing users to transfer data directly from the SAN’s storage to the server without intermediaries.

Here are some key points to consider:

SAN and Server Connection: The SAN eliminates the connection between a server and storage, and the concept that the server effectively owns and manages the storage devices. This means that the restriction on the amount of data that a server can access is limited only by the number of storage devices that can be attached to the individual server.
Fibre Channel Switch: To make a SAN work, you must purchase a Fibre Channel switch to allow your SAN devices to connect to each other. Don’t forget the Fibre Channel controllers for your servers.
Redundancy and Scalability: It’s important to consider redundancy and scalability when setting up your SAN. For example, using a dual-fabric topology can provide redundancy, and considering network shape can aid in scalability.
SAN vs NAS: A SAN takes SCSI commands off the wire and talks directly to the disk. In contrast, a NAS utilizes file level protocols such as CIFS and NFS. This means that with a SAN, filesystem maintenance is offloaded to the client.

Hi,

Working with Fiber Channel (FC) SAN storage without a local data store typically involves setting up your servers or hosts to directly access and utilize storage resources from the SAN.

Hi, i personally don't recommend to rely only on a fiber channel storage without having a virtual datastore. Could you share us more information about your idea?

To work with Fibre Channel (FC) SAN storage without a local data store, you can use a remote NAS (Network-Attached Storage) or a Storage Virtualization Solution. A remote NAS can connect to the FC SAN via Fibre Channel protocol and present the storage to the application as a network share, allowing the application to access the storage without requiring a local data store. Alternatively, a Storage Virtualization Solution can virtualize the FC SAN storage, presenting it as a local storage device to the application, without requiring any local disk space. This allows the application to access the FC SAN storage as if it were a local disk, without the need for a local data store.

Hi,

You can have an host or vm that is connected to the SAN storage, and then share it to another hosts or vms, like NFS ou SAMBA.

Use "Host-Based Replication" or "Data Replication" in your SAN storage array. This feature allows data replication from SAN storage to a remote location (secondary site or cloud) without storing a local copy on the host. The host initiates the replication process, sending data over the network to the remote location, and storing it on a remote device

Sangfor HCI (Hyper-Converged Infrastructure) supports utilizing Fiber Channel SAN storage without requiring a local datastore on the individual nodes.

Here's how it works:

Connection and Discovery:

    FC SAN Connectivity: Your Sangfor HCI nodes will need dedicated Fibre Channel HBAs (Host Bus Adapters) to connect to the SAN fabric.
    Automatic Discovery: Sangfor HCI should automatically discover the connected FC storage during deployment or when adding new storage resources.

Virtual Datastores:

    No Local Storage Needed: Sangfor HCI virtualizes storage, eliminating the need for local datastores on each node.
    Creating Virtual Datastores: You'll define virtual datastores within the Sangfor HCI management console, specifying the discovered FC storage resources.
    Benefits: This approach offers centralized storage management, improved scalability, and high availability for your data.

In your SAN storage array, use "Data Replication" or "Host-Based Replication." Without keeping a local copy on the host, this functionality enables data replication from SAN storage to a distant destination (cloud or secondary site). The replication process is started by the host, which then transfers data to the remote site via the network and stores it on a remote device.