VMware

Unlocking High Performance with VMware VAAI and HP P2000 G3/MSA 2040 Storage This title emphasizes the performance benefits of using VMware VAAI with HP P2000 G3 and MSA 2040 storage, and positions the blog post as a resource for readers looking to optimize their virtualization and storage infrastructure.

HP MSA VAAI Plug-in No Longer Supported in ESX Environment with T10 Compliance

Beginning with the TS251R004 firmware release, the HP MSA VAAI plug-in is no longer supported as the HP MSA controller firmware now uses T10 compliance in an ESX environment. This change affects the HP P2000 G3 and the HP MSA 2040, two widely used entry-level storage arrays. While the P2000 G3 is VAAI capable since firmware version T230, the MSA 2040 natively supports VAAI without an additional plugin.

Recently, I encountered a problem while visiting a new customer who uses several HP ProLiant DL380 G7 with a P2000 G3 and VMware vSphere 5.5. The vSphere client reported that “Hardware Acceleration” was unknown, which led me to investigate the issue further. After checking the options under Configuration > Advanced Settings > Software, I found that all options were set to 1, indicating that they were enabled. However, a quick check with esxcli confirmed that the VAAI plug-in was not installed.

The solution turned out to be simple: The customer used the VMware vanilla 5.5 image, not the HP customized image. The HP image includes the P2000 G3 VAAI plugin, while the vanilla image does not. Therefore, we had to install the VAAI plug-in to enable VAAI support.

Installing the VAAI Plug-in

The installation of the VAAI plug-in is a straightforward process that can be completed in a few steps:

1. Download the plug-in from the VMware website.

2. Upload the ZIP file to the host machine using SSH.

3. Run the following command:

# esxcli software vib install -d /tmp/hp_vaaip_p2000_offline-bundle-210.zip

Please note that you must extract the ZIP file after downloading it! There’s a ZIP file inside the ZIP file.

After rebooting the host, VAAI support should be active.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the HP MSA VAAI plug-in is no longer supported in ESX environments with T10 compliance. The P2000 G3 and the MSA 2040 are two storage arrays that are affected by this change. While the P2000 G3 requires the installation of the VAAI plug-in, the MSA 2040 natively supports VAAI without an additional plugin. Installing the VAAI plug-in is a straightforward process that can be completed in a few steps.