ncmd

The following is my ncmd.bat script. This file is called from other batch files or on it's own to send commands to the NetApp filer:

@echo off
REM ---------------------------------------------------------------
REM Usage
REM ncmd [filer] "[command]"
REM
REM Remember to enclose the command in "'s
REM
REM This batch file assumes that the private key pairing has been
REM configured on the [filer]
REM
REM This batch file will send the [command] to the [filer] using a
REM private key for authentication. This allows a script to access
REM the filer in order to automate tasks
REM
REM This batch file is called from other batch files. Do not edit
REM unless you know the implications of that
REM----------------------------------------------------------------
plink -l root %1 -i "x:\path\to\yourkey.ppk" %2


As you can see the usage is ncmd.bat [filer] [command]
You will need to change the path to the private key you created from my previous post. Also, if you're sending multiple caommands to the filer you need to enclose them in "'s (ie: ncmd filername "vol status").

NetApp / ESXi root keypair files

The following sites helped me create the files needed to perform password free logins from my management system to my NetApp filers and ESXi VMHost servers:

First download Putty and required utilities:
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

Read this article on creating the keypair files for your ESXi server:
http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-8890

It's a little vague on modifying the oem.tgz so this size helps with that:
http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3i/customize_oem_tgz.php

Read this NetApp Now (login required) article to to setup on your filer:
https://now.netapp.com/Knowledgebase/solutionarea.asp?id=kb34920

Read this doc on Pageant:
http://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/0.60/htmldoc/Chapter9.html#pageant

Let me know if you have any questions.

Client NetApp / VMware Config

My client has a clustered FAS2050. One head is controlling the internal SAS drives and the other head is controlling the 2 SATA shelfs. The head that controls the internal SAS drives I will be calling the "Fast Drives" and the head that controlls the external SATA shelfs I will be calling the "Slow Drives".

The VMHost Servers have dual port qlogic QLA2432 HBA's. I have an initiator group setup for each port. I use the first port as the "Slow Speed" connector and the second port as my "High Speed" connector. The slow speed connector maps to lun's on the slow drives and the high speed connector maps to lun's on the high speed connector.

Shared Space:
250GB NetApp Volume [VM Working Directories and Pagefile drives]
250GB NetApp LUN
*I have a swap volume on each NetApp (slow and fast drives)

Typical Server Storage:
12GB NetApp Volume
10GB NetApp LUN (Thin provisioned [no space reserve on LUN])

ESXi Config:
1:1:1 Server:NetApp Volume:Datastore

So a typical Windows Virtual Server has a root C volume of 6GB, a data D volume of 4GB, and a Swap K volume that varies depending on how much ram is assigned to the VM. The K drive is an independent persistent disk. All of the NetApp volumes have had their snapshot schedules removed and I have deleted the default snapshots. I have written a script that runs each night to pause and take a NetApp snapshot of the server. I will post the script in a later post.

On the NetApp's and VMHost machines I setup a public/private key handshake to allow for scripted commands without the need for a password. I will post some links and my process in a later post.

Because they are using ESXi and not the Enterprise version I don't have the ability to do vmotion. However, I am able to do some pretty quick re-allocations via scripting which keeps the server downtime to a minimum. I will be posting my script in a later post. The scripts do require SnapMirror.

This should give you a pretty good understanding of where I'm coming from. I'm definitely no expert but I hope I can help people through my learning process and find some people willing to help me as well.

If you have any questions or comments about this configuration, I would love to hear them. There are always many different ways to accomplish the same task and I'm always looking to find a better way to do things.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I will be using this as an avenue to discuss some of the projects I am currently working on. Most of my current work involves ESXi virtualization on NetApp FAS2050 SAN equipment. The client I am currently working for has invested in SAN storage first and is now starting to increase it's investment in Virtualization technology. This has turned out to be a great strategy for the company as it has helped create a good foundation for growth. In the coming weeks I hope to share some of the useful sites and information that has helped me learn what I know, and I am hoping to connect with others who can help me expand my knowledge further.