StarWind Software

Hi!

I am looking for some experience with the new Linux VSA on VMWare.

How is the performance compared to the Windows-System?


Thank you and best wishes,
KPS

The performance results of StarWind VSAN for vSphere should be approximately the same as the ones shown by the Windows version, at least at the current stage.

Hi!

That sounds great. So just to be safe - I want to do a comparison:

2x Windows-Server with Starwind
vs
2x VMWare ESXi with Starwind Linux VSA


Pro Windows-Setup:
- Possiblility to use LSFS
- Possibility to use Storage-Spaces and/or HW-Raid

Pro Linux VSA:
- No need to use Windows Server licenses and CALs
- Possibility to use snapshots with "non-LSFS"-volume on hypervisor level (or do you prefer to bring the storage "raw" to the VM)?
- Possibility to use Software-Raid inside VSA or use Hardware-Raid on ESXi-Level

Is there any other key-feature to think about?

Regards
KPS

I believe these are the main ones. But again, everything will depend on your environment. With Windows, it is still technically possible to use Hyper-V Server as a free alternative to the paid Windows Server.

Hi Boris!

That confuses me. Is the "free" Hyper-V-Server able to host Starwind? I thought, this is only possible with a "standard, licensed Windows-Server(VM or hardware)" or the Linux-VSA.

https://www.starwindsoftware.com/resour ... erver-2016
The above guide reflects the process of configuring StarWind on Hyper-V Server.

Hi!

Ahh - thats something new to me. I thought, there is NO possibility to install software on the hypervisor itself - only inside a VM.

What would you prefer?
Installation on Hyper-V or inside a VM on ESXi?

Technically, nothing prevents you from installing Hyper-V Server as a VM in ESXi, but this may (or may not) encounter some licensing restrictions. As technical things are completely different from legal ones, you'd better talk to some Microsoft licensing professionals (or Microsoft Support) whether it is legal to install Hyper-V Server as a VM for any use other than just out of curiosity.

I think, my post was unclear.

What would you prefer to serve iSCSI without the need of a Windows-license

1. Install 2x Hyper-V 2016 on hardware and Starwind VSAN as described in your link.
2. Install 2x ESXi and run Starwind Linux VSA on every node to mirror

I do not want to run Hyper-V "stacked" on VMWare

If you are after VMware, I would choose the Linux version then. That scenario does not require any additional servers to run StarWind.