NetApp OnTap NVME/TCP integration with VMWare

Configuring NetApp ONTAP with NVMe/TCP for VMware datastore using commands involves several steps. 

Here is an overview of the process:

Install and configure the NVMe/TCP host-side driver on each ESXi host that will be used to access the NetApp storage system. You can download the driver from the NetApp Support Site.

Configure the NVMe/TCP initiator group on the NetApp ONTAP storage system. The initiator group defines which ESXi hosts are allowed to access the storage system over NVMe/TCP. You can configure this by using the following command:

cluster::> igroup create -iotype nvme -protocol nvme -ostype vmware <igroup_name>

Create a new SVM (Storage Virtual Machine) or modify an existing SVM to enable NVMe/TCP connectivity. You will need to configure the SVM's data LIF (Logical Interface) to use the NVMe/TCP protocol. You can configure this by using the following command:

cluster::> vserver lif create -vserver <SVM_name> -lif <lif_name> -role data -protocol nvme-tcp -address <IP_address> -home-node <node_name> -home-port <port_name>

Create a new LUN (Logical Unit Number) or modify an existing LUN to use the NVMe/TCP protocol. You can do this by selecting the "NVMe/TCP" option in the LUN creation or modification wizard. You can also use the following command:

cluster::> lun create -vserver <SVM_name> -path /vol/<volume_name>/<lun_name> -size <lun_size> -ostype vmware -space-reserve disabled -prefix-size 8 -state online -lun-id <lun_id> -protocol nvme-tcp -igroup <igroup_name>

Map the NVMe/TCP LUN to the ESXi hosts. You can do this by using the following command:

cluster::> lun map -vserver <SVM_name> -path /vol/<volume_name>/<lun_name> -igroup <igroup_name> -lun-id <lun_id>

Finally, you will need to configure the ESXi hosts to use the NVMe/TCP protocol for storage access. This can be done by configuring the ESXi host's software iSCSI adapter to use the NVMe/TCP protocol, and then configuring the adapter to connect to the NVMe/TCP LUNs on the NetApp storage system. You can use the following command to add an iSCSI adapter:

esxcli iscsi adapter add -A vmhbaX

Replace "X" with the adapter number.

Then use the following command to configure the adapter:

esxcli iscsi adapter set -A vmhbaX -d "<NetApp_IP_address>:<port>" -P nvme

Replace "<NetApp_IP_address>" with the IP address of the NetApp storage system and "<port>" with the port number.

It is important to note that configuring NVMe/TCP for VMware on NetApp ONTAP requires a good understanding of both NetApp ONTAP and VMware. It is recommended to consult the NetApp documentation and VMware documentation for detailed instructions and best practices.

Additionally, before implementing NVMe/TCP for VMware, it is recommended to perform a thorough performance evaluation to ensure that it meets the performance and latency requirements of your application workloads.