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So I've searched to see if anyone's tried this and it doesn't seem like they have (if they have they haven't documented it)

Setup

2 X HP ProLiant DL380 Gen 9 that share a HP MSA2040 SAS Dual controller. Running ESXi 6.0 U2.

What I want to do is add another array, a HP D2600 SAS. Now it has all the right connectors to plug in to the MSA2040. So no issue on the physical side. It also has 2 controllers too.

The issue is that the D2600 isn't listed as compatible by VM Ware.

Will the ESXi host see the D2600 and will it allow me to control it and setup a datastore on it?

Normally I would plug it in and see what happens, however the D2600 is being used in production so it will take a bit of messing about to get the data I want off it to try it. I would rather know it will work before putting the effort in.

ewwhite
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JaminSince83
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2 Answers2

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Here is the MSA 2040 Cabling Guide.

The specific VMware compatibility of the D2600 is irrelevant since it is being used as an extension of your MSA 2040 SAN, which IS supported.

Normally, people expand the MSA 2040 with the D2700 enclosure (25-SFF bays). The D2600 should probably work, as it is a SES-capable expansion shelf. The cabling layout is the same, but of course, you will have to test. There's a special 12-bay (LFF) enclosure that is meant for the MSA 2040 expansion, though.

enter image description here

The other consideration is the type of drives you'll be using in the expansion shelf. They need to be dual-port SAS disks. NO SATA. We need to ensure multipath works.

enter image description here

ewwhite
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0

Will the ESXi host see the D2600 and will it allow me to control it and setup a datastore on it?

Yes, in this case the D2600 is just an additional shelf to the very-much-supported 2040 so yes you'll be good, you'll have to carve up the disks on the MSA rather than via vCenter but you'll be fine yes.

Chopper3
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