
Requirements for Using NPIV
If you plan to enable NPIV on your virtual machines, you should be aware of certain requirements and
limitations.
The following requirements and limitations exist:
n
NPIV can only be used for virtual machines with RDM disks. Virtual machines with regular virtual disks
use the WWNs of the host’s physical HBAs.
n
For this implementation of NPIV, the physical HBAs on an ESX/ESXi host, using their own WWNs, must
have access to all LUNs that are to be accessed by virtual machines running on that host.
n
The ESX/ESXi host’s physical HBAs must support NPIV. Currently, the following vendors and types of
HBA provide this support:
n
QLogic – any 4GB HBA.
n
Emulex – 4GB HBAs that have NPIV-compatible firmware.
n
Only four WWN pairs are generated per virtual machine.
n
When a virtual machine or template with a WWN assigned to it is cloned, the clones do not retain the
WWN.
n
The switches used must be NPIV-aware.
n
When configuring an NPIV LUN for access at the storage level, make sure that the NPIV LUN number
and NPIV target ID match the physical LUN and Target ID.
n
Always use the vSphere Client to manipulate virtual machines with WWNs.
CAUTION Disabling and then re-enabling the NPIV capability on an FC switch while virtual machines are
running can cause an FC link to fail and I/O to stop.
Assign WWNs to Virtual Machines
You can assign a WWN to a new virtual machine with an RDM disk when you create this virtual machine, or
to an existing virtual machine you can temporarily power off.
Procedure
1 From the vSphere Client, click Inventory in the navigation bar, and expand the inventory as needed.
2 In the inventory list, select the managed host to which you want to add a new virtual machine.
3 Select File > New > Virtual Machine.
The New Virtual Machine wizard appears.
4 Select Custom, and click Next.
5 Type a virtual machine name, and click Next.
6 Select a folder or the root of a datacenter, and click Next.
7 If the resource pool option is available, expand the tree until you locate the resource pool in which you
want to run the virtual machine, highlight it, and click Next.
8 Select a datastore in which to store the virtual machine files, and click Next.
9 Under Guest operating system, select the operating system family (Microsoft Windows, Linux, Novell
NetWare, Solaris, or Other).
10 Select the version from the pull-down menu, and click Next.
Fibre Channel SAN Configuration Guide
58 VMware, Inc.
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