From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: "roland" Subject: Disable SCSI-Reservation at the driver level ? Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2006 17:31:26 +0100 Message-ID: <0ca701c71178$528eb3a0$eeeea8c0@aldipc> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: QUOTED-PRINTABLE Return-path: Received: from fmmailgate03.web.de ([217.72.192.234]:52168 "EHLO fmmailgate03.web.de") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S935437AbWKZQbg (ORCPT ); Sun, 26 Nov 2006 11:31:36 -0500 Received: from smtp08.web.de (fmsmtp08.dlan.cinetic.de [172.20.5.216]) by fmmailgate03.web.de (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7F4CD3DCE354 for ; Sun, 26 Nov 2006 17:29:58 +0100 (CET) Received: from [82.141.46.150] (helo=aldipc) by smtp08.web.de with smtp (WEB.DE 4.107 #114) id 1GoMtC-0000kx-00 for linux-scsi@vger.kernel.org; Sun, 26 Nov 2006 17:29:58 +0100 Sender: linux-scsi-owner@vger.kernel.org List-Id: linux-scsi@vger.kernel.org To: linux-scsi@vger.kernel.org Hello ! i have a "problem" with VMWare ESX (not big one, but interesting one - = at=20 least for me). If you don`t know VMware ESX - ESX is sort of it`s own operating system= with=20 Linux as a management console OS on top of a hypervisor (vmkernel), jus= t=20 similar to XEN hypervisor with and attached dom0. Besides the drivers i= n the=20 console OS, the vmkernel loads it=B4s own drivers, which are derived fr= om=20 Linux drivers. VMWare ESX refuses to create VMFS Filesystem on SATA disk, attached to = a=20 onBoard SAS controller (lsi1068). When i raid1 two SATA disks, it works, if i use a single SATA disk, the= =20 controller seems to "expose" the disk differently to the operating syst= em=20 and creation of a VMFS fails due to missing ability to issue SCSI=20 reservation command. Ok there is no official SATA support for now, but some controllers work= with=20 SATA, because you can either attach SAS and SATA disks to that (LSI106= 8).=20 =46urthermore there are SATA-controllers which can be used with the dri= ver of=20 some SCSI-model (LSI Megaraid 150-4) Afaik, SCSI reservations being used/needed in shared storage environmen= t=20 (SAN, Shared local attached storage), so i wonder, why it's also being = used=20 on local attached disk. Only vmware may give an answer here. Maybe i can can "workaround" this somehow ? I couldn`t find a way to stop the vmkfstools (which is used to format=20 blockdevice with VMFS) issueing a SCSI reservation command, but i assum= e=20 this can probably be done via filtering some syscall (ioctl?) via LD_PR= ELOAD=20 library - i.e. wrapping vmkfstools - or maybe i can hack this at the dr= iver=20 level, since source of the ESX storage drivers is available for downloa= d and=20 can be recompiled. :) if somebody like to help hacking this - there is a thread at: http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=3D518182񾠦 thread begins with some related iSCSI issues and discusses SATA issues = later=20 on. regards Roland ps: yes, i know this is somhow "evil" and i shouldn`t do that, because some= thing=20 could badly fail - but it`s for private purpose, for proof of concept = and=20 for personal satisfaction. :) i=B4m not going to use such hack on any=20 production system.=20 - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-scsi" i= n the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html