Model Selection and Optimization of Storage Adapters
This section describes the performance optimization configuration of HBA cards on the server if external storage devices are selected to provide storage resources for VMs. The selected storage card must have enough bandwidth to support the service storage requirements, and must match the peer storage device. It is advised to equip the server with slots over PCIe 3.0 x8.
Driver and Firmware Optimization (Optimal)
For old HBA cards, it is advised upgrade them to the latest firmware in the official website and upgrade the driver to the latest and stable one. These would bring about better performance. For storage devices, it is advised to use the multipath software provided by storage vendors, instead of the built-in software of the system.
HBA Card Queue Optimization
The queue parameters of the HBA card are related to its type and driver. See the specifications given by HBA vendors. For example, to the Qlogic 8 Gbit/s FC dual-port HBA card, the maximum queue depth of each LUN is limited to 32. It is advised by Huawei not to change the maximum queue depth of the HBA card, but to increase the number of LUNs to enhance the overall I/O queue depth.
For VMware modification, see VMware KB article 1267.