I'm trying to find a better way to manage the number of iSCSI connections in my server lab. I would like advice on what I can do with what I have and allow for growth in the near future.
-I have 20 server blades in a HA cluster, 10 iSCSI datastores (spanning two EqualLogic arrays in a group), 8 teams of users.
-Each team has one datastore each, the other two are for host logging and shared VM templates.
-Currently, all 10 datastores are attached to all 20 servers. Two are also shared with a second cluster of 16 hosts.
-iSCS connections are around 900 and we will probably add more hosts or storage arrays soon. I'm worried about iSCSI connection limit.
I like the simplicity of a single cluster, it's easy for my users to understand and deploy new VMs. We also get more efficiency out of the hardware we have. But what are my options?
Should I split the current cluster into two and assign teams to a specific cluster?
Can I modify the current clustered hosts to limit what datastores each host can connect to? Can, for example, hosts 1-10 connect to datastore A,B,C while 11-20 connect to D,E,F? Does HA and/or DRS support this?
Is there another option that I should consider?
I appreciate any opinions or advice that anyone can offer.