Comware

Any special considerations/config for the use of iSCSI on this device?

Thanks

Seb

I done my best "guesswork" for this configuration, but the iSCSI access seems to be slower than my previous Dell N4024 stack

Output from one iSCSI dedicated port:

[HPE5900-SR1]dis interface Ten-GigabitEthernet 4/0/33
Ten-GigabitEthernet4/0/33
Current state: UP
Line protocol state: UP
IP packet frame type: Ethernet II, hardware address: 2c23-3abd-4648
Description: Ten-GigabitEthernet4/0/33 Interface
Bandwidth: 10000000 kbps
Loopback is not set
Media type is twisted pair
port hardware type is 10G_BASE_T
10Gbps-speed mode, full-duplex mode
Link speed type is autonegotiation, link duplex type is autonegotiation
Flow-control receive enabled
Maximum frame length: 10000
Allow jumbo frames to pass
Broadcast max-ratio: 100%
Multicast max-ratio: 100%
Unicast max-ratio: 100%
PVID: 77
MDI type: Automdix
Port link-type: Access
 Tagged VLANs:   None
 Untagged VLANs: 77
Port priority: 0
Last clearing of counters: Never
 Peak input rate: 67929207 bytes/sec, at 2016-10-24 19:05:23
 Peak output rate: 20791021 bytes/sec, at 2016-10-21 20:11:38
 Last 300 second input: 530 packets/sec 3342134 bytes/sec 0%
 Last 300 second output: 418 packets/sec 681748 bytes/sec 0%
 Input (total):  508503915 packets, 3395785841360 bytes
         508467805 unicasts, 0 broadcasts, 0 multicasts, 36110 pauses
 Input (normal):  508467805 packets, - bytes
         508467805 unicasts, 0 broadcasts, 0 multicasts, 36110 pauses
 Input:  0 input errors, 0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
         0 CRC, 0 frame, - overruns, 0 aborts
         - ignored, - parity errors
 Output (total): 363930564 packets, 619066646134 bytes
         362466851 unicasts, 674021 broadcasts, 789692 multicasts, 0 pauses
 Output (normal): 363930564 packets, - bytes
         362466851 unicasts, 674021 broadcasts, 789692 multicasts, 0 pauses
 Output: 0 output errors, - underruns, - buffer failures
         0 aborts, 0 deferred, 0 collisions, 0 late collisions
         0 lost carrier, - no carrier

Anybody has any constructive input?

Thanks

Seb

Hello,

I am left guessing, given a view of just one idle iSCSI port, about a simple read or write performance comparison.  Are the initiator and target ports configured the same, using an access port VLAN 77 with receive  pause enabled ?  Perhaps ports should have flow-control (both transmit and receive) configured. Also check to ensure target jumbo frames are supported, assuming the initiators are also jumbo frame enabled.

Jumbo frames are configured (as always per iSCSI)

As to flow-control - probably this is the best I could find and should work with Intel X540 cards

And this is also worth reading

I am the author of the second paper you reference.  However you are not configuring DCB (lossless) iSCSI.  Just Ethernet pause, end to end.  I see that you reference Intel NICs as initiators.  Is 3PAR 8200 the iSCSI target or is it a 7200 iSCSI target? The 7200 does not support DCB iSCSI. 

No, my storage is plain Dell MD3600i dual controller 10Gb array

2 servers are fitted with two dual X540 Intel cards (round robin with subnet) via 2 untagged Vlans on 5900 IRF stack

At the moment my iSCSI ports on the 5900 are configured in rather simplistic way (same as I had on Dell N4032 stack):

interface Ten-GigabitEthernet3/0/33
port link-mode bridge
port access vlan 77
flow-control receive enable
stp edge-port

I have not run any actual speed test, but I can see that the access to storage from VMs machines that previously were perfectly fine just feels sluggish to me (and so does to my various users)

Seb

Had to revert to using Dell N4024 for iSCSI data network, as with 5900AF it was simply unusable

Probably some settings (or maybe a bug), but I have NO idea what.

On Dell I did not need to do anything very specific to get way better performance

Seb