Setting up a HP Left-Hand ISCSI environment...need some advice

[theblackknight]

I know that it's best practice to isolate iSCSI traffic by using dedicated switches just for iSCSI traffic.

I've been asked to connect my iSCSI switches to our core network and I have suggested against this. Am I on the right track and has anyone else ever been tasked with this same dilema?

[mittim12]

You could VLAN them off in order to keep them isolated from other traffic.

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[athlon_crazy]

Physically isolate the network is better specially for envi with iscsi, though dedicated switch for iscsi network is depend on situation. We had experienced worse iscsi performance before when sharing iscsi network on the same as production switch even when we used VLAN. Bought another switch solely for iscsi solved the issue.

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[sabya1232003]

We haev the similar setup .. HP lefthand iSCSI with ESX 4.0.The only thing we have done is the isolation of network using VLAN .Till now we dont see any performance issue related to storage.But this it true that physically dedicating the network for iSCSI gives better performance.

[Phokay · Accepted solution]

iSCSI VLAN on the physical switch will give you the same as using a dedicated switch. Ensure that those switches are layer 2 or if it is layer 3, do not route the vlans between iSCSI vlan and all the rest.