How to create vmfs datastore in ESX 3.0 and config NFS

Create VMFS datastore
First, create a Lun on SAN then present it to both ESX server (our setup has 2 ESX Server HA and DRS). After that, go back to VI client and follows steps below

Before creating a new datastore on a Fibre Channel device, rescan a Fibre Channel
adapter to discover any newly added LUNs. For more information, see “Performing a
Rescan” on page 131.
When you create a datastore on a Fibre Channel storage device, the Add Storage
wizard guides you through the configuration.

To create a datastore on a Fibre Channel device
1 Log into the VMware VI Client, and select a server from the inventory panel.
2 Click the Configuration tab, and click Storage (SCSI, SAN, and NFS) under
hardware.
3 Click the Add Storage link.
The Select Storage Type page appears.
4 Select the Disk/LUN storage type, and click Next.
The Select Disk/LUN page appears.
5 Select the Fibre Channel device you want to use for your datastore, and click Next.
The Current Disk Layout page appears.
6 Look over the current disk layout, and click Next.
The Disk/LUN–Properties page appears.
7 Enter a datastore name.
The datastore name appears in the VI Client and must be unique within the current
Virtual Infrastructure instance.
8 Click Next.
The Disk/LUN–Formatting page appears.
9 If needed, adjust the file system values and capacity you use for the datastore.
By default, the entire free space available on the storage device is offered to you.
10 Click Next.
The Ready to Complete page appears.
11 Review the datastore information, and click Finish.
This process creates the datastore on a Fibre Channel disk for the ESX Server host.
12 Perform a rescan.
See “Performing a Rescan” on page 131.
For advanced configuration, such as using multipathing, masking, and zoning, refer to
the SAN Configuration Guide.

*** if lun is equal to or smaller than 256 GB, leave block size at 1MB!!! ***

Before present luns to Virtual Center Server (my VCS is also the backup server), make sure your VCB is setup correctly in the past with the following steps.

If you do not perform this configuration step, data corruption for virtualmachines using RDM can occur.

Disabling Automatic Drive-Letter Assignment
All versions of Windows, except Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition and Windows 2003 Datacenter Edition, automatically assign drive letters to each visible new technology file system (NTFS) and file allocation table (FAT) volume. For Consolidated Backup, change this default behavior so that volumes are not automatically mounted on the proxy. To prevent Windows from automatically assigning drive letters to RDM

1 Shut down the Windows proxy.

2 Disconnect the Windows proxy from the SAN or mask all the LUNs containing VMFS volumes or RDM for virtual machines.

3 Boot the proxy and log into an account with administrator privileges.

4 Open a command‐line interface.

5 Run the diskpart utility by typing:

diskpart

The diskpart utility starts up and prints its own command prompt.

6 Disable automatic drive‐letter assignment to newly seen volumes by typing at the diskpart command prompt:

automount disable

7 Clean out entries of previously mounted volumes in the registry by typing at thediskpart command prompt:

automount scrub

(CAUTION If you do not perform this configuration step, data corruption for virtual machines using RDM can occur. VMware, Inc. 35Chapter 2 VMware Consolidated Backup)

8 Exit the diskpart utility by typing:

exit

9 Shut down Windows.

10 Reconnect the Windows proxy to the SAN, or unmask all previously masked LUNs containing either VMFS volumes or RDM.

11 Boot the proxy.

*** PPL always get confuse about umask lun and zoning. Unmask a lun is to present a lun to the host. Zoning is to control which servers can connect to the controller of a SAN or Tape driver. ***