Dell Compellent start stop backup traffic

[Lasse]

Hi,

We have added a new VMware 6.5 ESX cluster with new servers, iSCSI switches (10Gbit) and SAN (Compellent SC4020).

Our 9.5 veeam backup server that works great with our current/old WMware 5.5 cluster with 1Gb iSCSI switches and EQL SAN are having issues performing backups on the new cluster.

the backup server has been connected with a DP 10Gb card to the new 10Gb iSCSI switches and the VMFS Volumes have been mapped as read only.

During backups from the new SAN we get start/stop traffic of backup data and a VM of similar size takes a lot longer to backup on the new cluster compare with the old. By Start/stop I mean burst of 10s of 5gb/sec data and 30s of nothing... and it keeps repeating...

I have found very little information on the net for the combo of VMware 6.5, Compellent and Veeam

Anyone had a similar problem and found a fix?

[Mike Resseler]

Lasse,

I am not aware of any issues with this combination at this point in time. Can you log a support case (and then post the case ID and follow-up afterwards here?)

I think it is best that our engineers have a look at it to see where the issue is

Thanks

[Lasse]

Thanks, Mike.

We will do that and I will report back.

In the meantime, if anyone from the community has any findings, please post

[Lasse]

Problem solved.

Updating the firmware on the 10GB SPF+ card and possible the minor updates to other firmware on the Dell server fixed it. We are now getting over 300MB/sec instead of 23...

[Mike Resseler]

Lasse,

Good to hear it is solved! And thanks for reporting back. Can you also let us know which firmware you had and now have for the rest of the community? Would be appreciated!

[emachabert]

By Start/stop I mean burst of 10s of 5gb/sec data and 30s of nothing... and it keeps repeating...

Typical Flow Control problem. The "nothing" equals to the sending of pause frames, either by the server or the storage array.