Connect a network volume to a dedicated server with Linux OS

For more information about network volumes, see the General information about the Network Volumes product guide.

1. Create a SAN network.
2. Connect the network volume to the server.
3. Connect the network volume to the server in the server OS.
4. Configure MPIO.
5. Optional: connect the network volume to another server.
6. Prepare the network volume for operation.

1. Create a SAN network

1. In the Control panel, in the top menu, click Products and select Dedicated Servers.

2. Go to the Network section → SAN Network tab.

3. Click Add SAN network.

4. Select an availability zone.

5. Enter a subnet address from the private address range (10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16) or leave the default subnet. The subnet size must be /20.
   Ensure that the subnet is not being used in your infrastructure.

6. Click Create SAN network.

2. Connect the network volume to the server

1. In the Control panel, on the top menu, click Products and select Dedicated Servers.

2. Go to the Network Volumes and Storage section → Network Volumes tab.

3. Open the volume page → Connect to Server tab.

4. In the Server field, click Select.

5. Select the server to which the network volume will be connected.

6. Click Confirm.

7. If you are connecting a network volume to a server with a private network, configure the network:

   7.1. Select a VLAN.

   7.2. Enter the subnet CIDR from the private address range 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12 or 192.168.0.0/16.
   Ensure that the subnet does not overlap with the SAN network you created in step 1 and that you are not using it elsewhere in your infrastructure.

   7.3. Enter the Next hop 1 and Next hop 2 addresses from the selected private subnet.

   7.4. Click Configure.

3. Connect the network volume to the server in the server OS

You can connect a network volume to a server manually or by using a ready-made script generated in the control panel. The script can only be used on Ubuntu OS.

Connect manually

You can connect a network volume via a SAN network or a private network.

The process of connecting a network volume in a server OS through a private subnet depends on the number of ports:

• if the server has only one local port or MC-LAG is configured, use the single-port instructions;

• if the server has two local ports, use the two-port instructions.

  SAN network

  1. Connect to the server via SSH or via KVM console.

  2. Open the netplan utility configuration file with the vi text editor:

     vi /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

  3. Add IP addresses and routes to the network interfaces connected to the SAN switch to access iSCSI targets:

         <eth_name_1>:
                 addresses:
                 - <ip_address_1>
                 routes:
                 - to: <destination_subnet_1>
                 via: <next_hop_1>
         <eth_name_2>:
                 addresses:
                 - <ip_address_2>
                 routes:
                 - to: <destination_subnet_2>
                 via: <next_hop_2>

     Specify:

     • <eth_name_1> — the name of the first network interface; it is configured on the first port of the network card;
     • <ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first port of the network card. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Port IP address;
     • <destination_subnet_1> — the destination subnet for the first port of the network card. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Destination Subnet;
     • <next_hop_1> — the gateway for the first port of the network card. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Next hop (gateway);
     • <eth_name_2> — the name of the second network interface; it is configured on the second port of the network card;
     • <ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second port of the network card. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Port IP address;
     • <destination_subnet_2> — the destination subnet for the second port of the network card. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Destination Subnet;
     • <next_hop_2> — the gateway for the second port of the network card. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Next hop (gateway).

  4. Exit the vi text editor and save your changes:

     :wq

  5. Apply the configuration:

     netplan apply

  6. Display information about the network interfaces and check that they are configured correctly:

     ip a

  7. Optional: reboot the server.

  8. Check that the speed of each interface is at least 10 Gbit/s:

     ethtool <eth_name_1> | grep -i speed
     ethtool <eth_name_2> | grep -i speed

     Specify <eth_name_1> and <eth_name_2> — the names of the network interfaces you configured in step 3.

  9. If the speed is lower than 10 Gbit/s, create a ticket.

  10. Check that the iSCSI target is available:

      ping -c5 <iscsi_target_ip_address_1>
      ping -c5 <iscsi_target_ip_address_2>

      Specify:

      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 1;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 2.

  11. Enter the iSCSI initiator name:

      vi /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi
      InitiatorName= <initiator_name>

      Specify <initiator_name> — the iSCSI initiator name. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Initiator name.

  12. Restart iSCSI:

      systemctl restart iscsid.service
      systemctl restart multipathd.service

  13. Create iSCSI interfaces:

      iscsiadm -m iface -I <iscsi_eth_name_1> --op new
      iscsiadm -m iface -I <iscsi_eth_name_2> --op new

      Specify:

      • <iscsi_eth_name_1> — the name of the first iSCSI interface;
      • <iscsi_eth_name_2> — the name of the second iSCSI interface.

      The names of iSCSI interfaces must not match the names of existing network interfaces. You can view the list of existing network interfaces by using the command ip a.

  14. Bind the iSCSI interfaces to the network interfaces:

      iscsiadm -m iface --interface <iscsi_eth_name_1> --op update -n iface.net_ifacename -v <eth_name_1>
      iscsiadm -m iface --interface <iscsi_eth_name_2> --op update -n iface.net_ifacename -v <eth_name_2>

      Specify:

      • <iscsi_eth_name_1> — the name of the first iSCSI interface, which you created in step 13;
      • <eth_name_1> — the name of the first network interface, which you configured in step 3;
      • <iscsi_eth_name_2> — the name of the second iSCSI interface, which you created in step 13;
      • <eth_name_2> — the name of the second network interface, which you configured in step 3.

  15. Check the availability of the iSCSI target through the iSCSI interfaces:

      iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --interface <iscsi_eth_name_1>
      iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --interface <iscsi_eth_name_2>

      Specify:

      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 1;
      • <iscsi_eth_name_1> — the name of the first iSCSI interface, which you created in step 13;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 2;
      • <iscsi_eth_name_2> — the name of the second iSCSI interface, which you created in step 13.

      The response will show a list of iSCSI targets. For example:

      10.100.1.2:3260,1 iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target
      10.100.1.6:3260,2 iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target

      Where:

      • 10.100.1.2:3260 — the IP address of the first iSCSI target;
      • iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target — the IQN of the first iSCSI target; IQN (iSCSI Qualified Name) is the full, unique identifier for an iSCSI device;
      • 10.100.1.6:3260 — the IP address of the second iSCSI target;
      • iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target — the IQN of the second iSCSI target.

  16. Configure CHAP authentication on the iSCSI Initiator:

      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --op update -n node.session.auth.authmethod --value CHAP
      
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --op update -n node.session.auth.authmethod --value CHAP
      
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> --op update -n node.session.auth.username --value <username>
      
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --op update -n node.session.auth.password --value <password>
      
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --op update -n node.session.auth.password --value <password>

      Specify:

      • <iqn> — the IQN of the first and second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Target name;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 1;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 2;
      • <username> — the username for iSCSI initiator authorization. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Username;
      • <password> — the password for iSCSI initiator authorization. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Password.

  17. Authorize on the iSCSI target through the iSCSI interfaces:

      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --login --interface <iscsi_eth_name_1>
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --login --interface <iscsi_eth_name_2>

      Specify:

      • <iqn> — the IQN of the first and second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Target name;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 2;
      • <iscsi_eth_name_1> — the name of the first iSCSI interface, which you created in step 13;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 2;
      • <iscsi_eth_name_2> — the name of the second iSCSI interface, which you created in step 13.

  18. Check that the iSCSI session for each iSCSI target has started:

      iscsiadm -m session

      The response will show two active iSCSI sessions. For example:

      tcp: [1] 10.100.1.2:3260,1 iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target (non-flash)
      tcp: [3] 10.100.1.6:3260,2 iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target (non-flash)

      Where [1] and [3] are the iSCSI session numbers.

  19. Enable automatic connection of volumes when the server reboots; to do this, set the node.startup parameter to automatic:

      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --op update -n node.startup -v automatic
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --op update -n node.startup -v automatic
      systemctl enable iscsid.service
      systemctl restart iscsid.service

      Specify:

      • <iqn> — the IQN of the first and second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Target name;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 1;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 1.

  20. Optional: reboot the server.

  Private network: one port

  1. Connect to the server via SSH or via KVM console.

  2. Open the netplan utility configuration file with the vi text editor:

     vi /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

  3. Add the IP address and routes to the local port network interface to access iSCSI targets:

         <eth_name>:
             addresses:
             - <ip_address>
             routes:
             - to: <destination_subnet_1>
             via: <next_hop_1>
             - to: <destination_subnet_2>
             via: <next_hop_2>

     Specify:

     • <eth_name> — the name of the private network interface; it is configured on the local port of the network card;
     • <ip_address> — a free IP address for the local port of the network card from the private subnet that you configured when connecting the network volume to the server in step 7;
     • <destination_subnet_1> — the first destination subnet on the local port of the network card. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Destination Subnet;
     • <next_hop_1> — the first gateway on the local port of the network card, which you configured when connecting the network volume to the server in step 6. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Next hop (gateway);
     • <destination_subnet_2> — the second destination subnet on the local port of the network card. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Destination Subnet;
     • <next_hop_2> — the second gateway on the local port of the network card, which you configured when connecting the network volume to the server in step 6. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Next hop (gateway).

  4. Exit the vi text editor and save your changes:

     :wq

  5. Apply the configuration:

     netplan apply

  6. Display information about the network interfaces and check that they are configured correctly:

     ip a

  7. Optional: reboot the server.

  8. Check that the iSCSI targets are available:

     ping -c5 <iscsi_target_ip_address_1>
     ping -c5 <iscsi_target_ip_address_2>

     Specify:

     • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 1;
     • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 2.

  9. Enter the iSCSI initiator name:

     vi /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi
     InitiatorName= <initiator_name>

     Specify <initiator_name> — the iSCSI initiator name. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Initiator name.

  10. Restart iSCSI:

      systemctl restart iscsid.service
      systemctl restart multipathd.service

  11. Create iSCSI interface:

      iscsiadm -m iface -I <iscsi_eth_name> --op new

      Specify <iscsi_eth_name> as the name of the iSCSI interface. The name of the iSCSI interface must not match the name of an existing network interface. You can view the list of existing network interfaces by using the command ip a.

  12. Bind the iSCSI interface to the network interface you configured in step 3:

      iscsiadm -m iface --interface <iscsi_eth_name> --op update -n iface.net_ifacename -v <eth_name>

      Specify:

      • <iscsi_eth_name> — the name of the iSCSI interface, which you created in step 11;
      • <eth_name> — the name of the private network interface, which you configured in step 3.

  13. Check the availability of the iSCSI targets through the iSCSI interface:

      iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --interface <iscsi_eth_name>
      iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --interface <iscsi_eth_name>

      Specify:

      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 1;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 2;
      • <iscsi_eth_name> — the name of the iSCSI interface, which you created in step 11.

      The response will show a list of iSCSI targets. For example:

      10.100.1.2:3260,1 iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target
      10.100.1.6:3260,2 iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target

      Where:

      • 10.100.1.2:3260 — the IP address of the first iSCSI target;
      • iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target — the IQN of the first iSCSI target; IQN (iSCSI Qualified Name) is the full, unique identifier for an iSCSI device;
      • 10.100.1.6:3260 — the IP address of the second iSCSI target;
      • iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target — the IQN of the second iSCSI target.

  14. Configure CHAP authentication on the iSCSI Initiator:

      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --op update -n node.session.auth.authmethod --value CHAP
      
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --op update -n node.session.auth.authmethod --value CHAP
      
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> --op update -n node.session.auth.username --value <username>
      
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --op update -n node.session.auth.password --value <password>
      
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --op update -n node.session.auth.password --value <password>

      Specify:

      • <iqn> — the IQN of the first and second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Target name;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 1;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 2;
      • <username> — the username for iSCSI initiator authorization. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Username;
      • <password> — the password for iSCSI initiator authorization. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Password.

  15. Authorize on the iSCSI target through the iSCSI interface:

      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --login --interface <iscsi_eth_name>
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --login --interface <iscsi_eth_name>

      Specify:

      • <iqn> — the IQN of the first and second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Target name;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 1;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 2;
      • <iscsi_eth_name> — the name of the iSCSI interface, which you created in step 11.

  16. Check that the iSCSI session for each iSCSI target has started:

      iscsiadm -m session

      The response will show two active iSCSI sessions. For example:

      tcp: [1] 10.100.1.2:3260,1 iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target (non-flash)
      tcp: [3] 10.100.1.6:3260,2 iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target (non-flash)

      Where [1] and [3] are the iSCSI session numbers.

  17. Enable automatic connection of volumes when the server reboots; to do this, set the node.startup parameter to automatic:

      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --op update -n node.startup -v automatic
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --op update -n node.startup -v automatic
      systemctl enable iscsid.service
      systemctl restart iscsid.service

      Specify:

      • <iqn> — the IQN of the first and second iSCSI target;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target.

  18. Optional: reboot the server.

  Private network: two ports

  1. Connect to the server via SSH or via KVM console.

  2. Open the netplan utility configuration file with the vi text editor:

     vi /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

  3. Add IP addresses and routes to the local port network interfaces to access iSCSI targets:

         <eth_name_1>:
                 addresses:
                 - <ip_address_1>
                 routes:
                 - to: <destination_subnet_1>
                 via: <next_hop_1>
         <eth_name_2>:
                 addresses:
                 - <ip_address_2>
                 routes:
                 - to: <destination_subnet_2>
                 via: <next_hop_2>

     Specify:

     • <eth_name_1> — the name of the first network interface; it is configured on the first local port of the network card;
     • <ip_address_1> — a free IP address for the first port of the network card from the private subnet that you configured when connecting the network volume to the server in step 7;
     • <destination_subnet_1> — the destination subnet for the first port of the network card. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Destination Subnet;
     • <next_hop_1> — the gateway for the first port of the network card. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Next hop (gateway);
     • <eth_name_2> — the name of the second network interface; it is configured on the second local port of the network card;
     • <ip_address_2> — a free IP address for the second port of the network card from the private subnet that you configured when connecting the network volume to the server in step 7;
     • <destination_subnet_2> — the destination subnet for the second port of the network card. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Destination Subnet;
     • <next_hop_2> — the gateway for the second port of the network card. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring network interfaces → column Next hop (gateway).

  4. Exit the vi text editor and save your changes:

     :wq

  5. Apply the configuration:

     netplan apply

  6. Display information about the network interfaces and check that they are configured correctly:

     ip a

  7. Optional: reboot the server.

  8. Check that the iSCSI target is available:

     ping -c5 <iscsi_target_ip_address_1>
     ping -c5 <iscsi_target_ip_address_2>

     Specify:

     • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 1;
     • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 2.

  9. Enter the iSCSI initiator name:

     vi /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi
     InitiatorName= <initiator_name>

     Specify <initiator_name> — the iSCSI initiator name. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Initiator name.

  10. Restart iSCSI:

      systemctl restart iscsid.service
      systemctl restart multipathd.service

  11. Create iSCSI interfaces:

      iscsiadm -m iface -I <iscsi_eth_name_1> --op new
      iscsiadm -m iface -I <iscsi_eth_name_2> --op new

      Specify:

      • <iscsi_eth_name_1> — the name of the first iSCSI interface;
      • <iscsi_eth_name_2> — the name of the second iSCSI interface.

      The names of iSCSI interfaces must not match the names of existing network interfaces. You can view the list of existing network interfaces by using the command ip a.

  12. Bind the iSCSI interfaces to the network interfaces:

      iscsiadm -m iface --interface <iscsi_eth_name_1> --op update -n iface.net_ifacename -v <eth_name_1>
      iscsiadm -m iface --interface <iscsi_eth_name_2> --op update -n iface.net_ifacename -v <eth_name_2>

      Specify:

      • <iscsi_eth_name_1> — the name of the first iSCSI interface, which you created in step 11;
      • <eth_name_1> — the name of the first network interface, which you configured in step 3;
      • <iscsi_eth_name_2> — the name of the second iSCSI interface, which you created in step 11;
      • <eth_name_2> — the name of the second network interface, which you configured in step 3.

  13. Check the availability of the iSCSI target through the iSCSI interfaces:

      iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --interface <iscsi_eth_name_1>
      iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --interface <iscsi_eth_name_2>

      Specify:

      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 1;
      • <iscsi_eth_name_1> — the name of the first iSCSI interface, which you created in step 11;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 2;
      • <iscsi_eth_name_2> — the name of the second iSCSI interface, which you created in step 11.

      The response will show a list of iSCSI targets. For example:

      10.100.1.2:3260,1 iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target
      10.100.1.6:3260,2 iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target

      Where:

      • 10.100.1.2:3260 — the IP address of the first iSCSI target;
      • iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target — the IQN of the first iSCSI target; IQN (iSCSI Qualified Name) is the full, unique identifier for an iSCSI device;
      • 10.100.1.6:3260 — the IP address of the second iSCSI target;
      • iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target — the IQN of the second iSCSI target.

  14. Configure CHAP authentication on the iSCSI Initiator:

      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --op update -n node.session.auth.authmethod --value CHAP
      
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --op update -n node.session.auth.authmethod --value CHAP
      
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> --op update -n node.session.auth.username --value <username>
      
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --op update -n node.session.auth.password --value <password>
      
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --op update -n node.session.auth.password --value <password>

      Specify:

      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 1;
      • <iqn> — the IQN of the first and second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Target name;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 2;
      • <username> — the username for iSCSI initiator authorization. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Username;
      • <password> — the password for iSCSI initiator authorization. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Password.

  15. Authorize on the iSCSI target through the iSCSI interfaces:

      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --login --interface <iscsi_eth_name_1>
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --login --interface <iscsi_eth_name_2>

      Specify:

      • <iqn> — the IQN of the first and second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field Target name;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 1;
      • <iscsi_eth_name_1> — the name of the first iSCSI interface, which you created in step 11;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target. You can view it in the control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → section Network Volumes and Storage → tab Network Volumes → disk page → block Configuring an iSCSI connection → field IP address of the iSCSI target 2;
      • <iscsi_eth_name_2> — the name of the second iSCSI interface, which you created in step 11.

  16. Check that the iSCSI session for each iSCSI target has started:

      iscsiadm -m session

      The response will show two active iSCSI sessions. For example:

      tcp: [1] 10.100.1.2:3260,1 iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target (non-flash)
      tcp: [3] 10.100.1.6:3260,2 iqn.2003-01.com.redhat.iscsi-gw:workshop-target (non-flash)

      Here [1] and [3] are the iSCSI session numbers.

  17. Enable automatic connection of disks during server reboot; to do this, set the node.startup parameter to automatic:

      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> --op update -n node.startup -v automatic
      iscsiadm --mode node -T <iqn> -p <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> --op update -n node.startup -v automatic
      systemctl enable iscsid.service
      systemctl restart iscsid.service

      Specify:

      • <iqn> — the IQN of the first and second iSCSI targets;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_1> — the IP address of the first iSCSI target;
      • <iscsi_target_ip_address_2> — the IP address of the second iSCSI target.

  18. Optional: reboot the server.

Connect using a script

SAN network

1. In the Control panel, on the top menu, click Products and select Dedicated Servers.

2. Go to the Network Volumes and Storage section → Network Volumes tab.

3. Open the network volume page.

4. In the Network interface configuration block, open the Ready-made configuration file tab.

5. Copy the parameters for the netplan utility configuration file.

6. In the iSCSI connection configuration block, open the Ready-made script tab.

7. Copy the iSCSI connection configuration script.

8. Connect to the server via SSH or via the KVM console.

9. Open the netplan utility configuration file with the vi text editor:

   vi /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

10. Paste the parameters you copied in step 5. Specify:

    • <eth_name_1> — the name of the first network interface; it is configured on the first network card port;
    • <eth_name_2> — the name of the second network interface; it is configured on the second network card port.

11. Exit the vi text editor with your changes saved:

    :wq

12. Apply the configuration:

    netplan apply

13. Create a script file with the vi text editor:

    vi <file_name>

    Specify <file_name> — file name in .sh format.

14. Enter insert mode by pressing i.

15. Paste the script text you copied in step 7 into the file.

16. Press Esc.

17. Exit the vi text editor with your changes saved:

    :wq

18. Make the script executable:

    chmod +x <file_name>

    Specify <file_name> — the name of the script file you specified in step 13.

19. Run the script with arguments:

    ./<script_name> <eth_name_1> <eth_name_2>

    • <file_name> — the name of the script file you specified in step 13;
    • <eth_name_1> — the name of the first network interface on the first port of the network card that you specified in step 10;
    • <eth_name_2> — the name of the second network interface on the second port of the network card that you specified in step 10.

Private network: one port

1. In the Control panel, on the top menu, click Products and select Dedicated Servers.

2. Go to the Network Volumes and Storage section → Network Volumes tab.

3. Open the network volume page.

4. In the Network interface configuration block, open the Ready-made configuration file tab.

5. Copy the parameters for the netplan utility configuration file.

6. In the iSCSI connection configuration block, open the Ready-made script tab.

7. Copy the iSCSI connection configuration script.

8. Connect to the server via SSH or via the KVM console.

9. Open the netplan utility configuration file with the vi text editor:

   vi /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

10. Paste the parameters you copied in step 5. Specify:

    • <eth_name> — the name of the private network interface; it is configured on the local network card port;
    • <ip_address> — a free IP address for the local network card port from the private subnet that you configured when connecting the network volume to the server in step 7.

11. Exit the vi text editor with your changes saved:

    :wq

12. Apply the configuration:

    netplan apply

13. Create a script file with the vi text editor:

    vi <file_name>

    Specify <file_name> — file name in .sh format.

14. Enter insert mode by pressing i.

15. Paste the script text you copied in step 7 into the file.

16. Press Esc.

17. Exit the vi text editor with your changes saved:

    :wq

18. Make the script executable:

    chmod +x <file_name>

    Specify <file_name> — the name of the script file you specified in step 13.

19. Run the script with arguments:

    ./<script_name> <eth_name>

    • <file_name> — the name of the script file you specified in step 13;
    • <eth_name> — the name of the network interface on the local network card port that you specified in step 10.

4. Configure MPIO

MultiPath-IO (MPIO) - Multi-path I/O to improve the fault tolerance of data transfer to a network volume.

In Ubuntu, MPIO is configured by default; check the settings.

1. Open the Device Mapper Multipath utility configuration file with the vi text editor:

   vi /etc/multipath.conf

2. Make sure the /etc/multipath.conf file contains only the following lines:

   defaults {
       user_friendly_names yes
   }

3. Make sure that the bindings file contains the WWID information for the block device:

   cat /etc/multipath/bindings

   The response will display information about the block device's WWID. For example:

   # Format:
   # alias wwid
   #
   mpatha 3600140530fab7e779fa41038a0a08f8e

4. Make sure that the wwids file contains the WWID information for the block device:

   cat /etc/multipath/wwids

   The response will display information about the block device's WWID. For example:

   # Valid WWIDs:
   /3600140530fab7e779fa41038a0a08f8e/

5. Check the network volume connection and make sure that the policy parameter is set to service-time 0:

   multipath -ll

   The response will display information about devices, paths, and the current policy. For example:

   mpatha (3600140530fab7e779fa41038a0a08f8e) dm-0 LIO-ORG,TCMU device
   size=20G features='0' hwhandler='1 alua' wp=rw
   |-+- policy='service-time 0' prio=10 status=active
   | `- 8:0:0:0 sdc 8:32 active ready running
   `-+- policy='service-time 0' prio=10 status=enabled
   `- 9:0:0:0 sdd 8:48 active ready running

5. Optional: connect a network volume to another server

1. Connect the network volume to the server in the control panel.
2. Connect the network volume to the server in the server OS.
3. Configure MPIO.

6. Prepare the network volume for use

For shared access between multiple servers, we recommend using cluster file systems.

The network volume you connected to the server can be formatted to the required file system:

• a cluster file system (Cluster File System, CFS) is a file system that allows multiple servers (nodes) to access the same data on shared storage simultaneously. Examples of cluster file systems:

  • GFS2 (Global File System 2); see GFS2 Overview in the official Red Hat documentation for more details;
  • OCFS2 (Oracle Cluster File System 2); see the official Oracle Linux documentation for more details.

• Logical Volume Manager (LVM) is storage virtualization software designed for flexible management of physical storage devices. Learn more in the Configuring and managing logical volumes documentation in the official Red Hat documentation;

• a standard file system, such as ext4 or XFS. Note that in read-write mode, a standard file system can only be used on one server at a time to avoid data corruption. To speed up formatting when creating a file system, use the -K option, which disables zero initialization (discard) of disk blocks.

  Example of a command for formatting a file system:

  mkfs -t <filesystem> -K /dev/mapper/<block_storage_name>

  Specify:

  • <filesystem> — the type of file system, for example, ext4 or xfs;
  • <block_storage_name> — the name of the network volume, which can be viewed using the multipath -ll command.

• VMFS (VMware File System) is a cluster file system used by VMware ESXi to store virtual machine files. It supports shared access to storage by multiple ESXi hosts. VMFS automatically manages locks, preventing simultaneous modification of virtual machine files, which ensures data integrity. Learn more in the VMware vSphere VMFS article in the official VMware Storage documentation.