shared storage with Dell MD3200i (iSCSI multipath) for VM and file server use with Live Migration

[domme0506]

Hi everyone,


I’m currently setting up a Proxmox cluster and need some advice on how to properly configure shared storage with iSCSI.

My environment:​

• 4 × Dell PowerEdge R620 servers (Proxmox VE cluster)
• Dell MD3200i SAN connected over dedicated iSCSI network (multipath enabled)
• Each host has access to the SAN via multiple iSCSI paths

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What I want to achieve:​

1. LUN1:
   Should be passed through to a specific VM (for example, a Windows or Linux file server) as raw storage.
   This VM will act as the central file server.
   I still want this VM to be migratable (Live Migration) between cluster nodes if possible.
2. LUN2:
   Should be used as shared storage for all virtual machines in the cluster —
   meaning all nodes can access it at the same time for HA and Live Migration.

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My questions:​

• What is the best / recommended way to configure this setup in Proxmox?
• For LUN1: can I still achieve Live Migration when a VM uses a raw iSCSI LUN (via passthrough or direct LUN mapping)?
• For LUN2: should I format it with a cluster filesystem like OCFS2, or is there a better modern approach (e.g. LVM over iSCSI, Ceph, NFS on top of the SAN, etc.)?
• Any configuration examples or best practices for this SAN setup would be greatly appreciated.

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Thanks a lot in advance for your help and experience!
If anyone has already done something similar with the MD3200i or other Dell iSCSI arrays, I’d love to hear your insights.

 

[bbgeek17]

Hi @domme0506 , welcome to the forum.

• For LUN1: can I still achieve Live Migration when a VM uses a raw iSCSI LUN (via passthrough or direct LUN mapping)?

Instead of doing pass-through, create a dedicated Portal/Target on your SAN and directly connect to the Target/LUN inside the VM.

For LUN2: should I format it with a cluster filesystem like OCFS2, or is there a better modern approach (e.g. LVM over iSCSI, Ceph, NFS on top of the SAN, etc.)?

If you are looking for stable, supported production installation you should use the basic shared storage method and place LVM on top of your iSCSI LUN
This article may be helpful: https://kb.blockbridge.com/technote/proxmox-lvm-shared-storage/

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Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox

 

[domme0506]

Instead of doing pass-through, create a dedicated Portal/Target on your SAN and directly connect to the Target/LUN inside the VM.

well that's actually smart, hadn't thought of this

If you are looking for stable, supported production installation you should use the basic shared storage method and place LVM on top of your iSCSI LUN
This article may be helpful: https://kb.blockbridge.com/technote/proxmox-lvm-shared-storage/

I will take a look at this and try it out

 

[bbgeek17]

well that's actually smart, hadn't thought of this

There are some drawbacks, i.e. instead of using block oriented Virtio architecture you are now relying on network Virtio. However, given that you were planning to pass-through the LUN (bypassing Virtio) - you probably will not see a difference.

Good luck

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Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox