Attaching an iSCI LUN to Windows Server 2016 - Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations On-Premise at Home - 03

Regardless of the NAS device you may be using, the following steps can attach iSCI storage to your server for VM storage.  These are the steps I took:

Attach an iSCI LUN to Windows Server 2016

1. Log into the Hyper-V server
2. Open the iSCI Initiator program
3. Type in the static IP address of your NAS

4. Click "Quick Connect"

5. Click "Done."  The virtual disk name should appear "Connected."
6. Click the "Volumes and Devices" tab
7. Click "Auto Configure" button.  This should add your volume to the list

8. Start > Run  compmgmt.msc
9. Click on Storage > Disk Management.  The new disk (LUN) should appear offline.
10. Right click and choose "Online"

11. Right click and choose "Initialize Disk"

12. Choose to create a GPT (GUID Partition Table) for the disk.

13. Right click the unallocated area and choose "New Simple Volume..."

14. Format the volume as NTFS, 64K, give it a label, and quick format.

Change Default Hyper-V VM Folders

15. Open Hyper-V Manager
16. Click on your server
17. Click "Hyper-V Settings"
18. Change the "Virtual Hard Disks" setting to a subfolder of your new drive.

19. Change the "Virtual Machines" folder to your new drive.

We are now ready to create virtual machines!!

(Optional) Download AIDA64 or IOmeter and run a disk test.

Reference: How to use iSCSI Targets on a Windows Server

Windows and Hyper-V Installation - Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations On-Premise at Home - 01

Previous Post: Setting up Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations- on-premise...at home!

Setting up the Server

The server arrived, it is time to get rolling!  I first jumped into the BIOS.  It is easier and better to configure things before the operating system is installed.  First, I set up four SAS 300GB 10k drives in a RAID 5.  RAID 6 has better redundancy yet I do not have the hard drives to support it.  I enabled virtualization technology and execution prevention in the BIOS.  HP servers come with Integrated Lights Out (ILO) so I configured the IP address and admin user.

Installing Windows Server 2016-  I first downloaded Datacenter edition using my MSDN subscription- Automatic Virtual Machine Activation” (AVMA) should automatically activate the virtual machines it hosts.  I created a bootable USB drive using the free Rufus tool.  The installation was straightforward.  Once Windows Server 2016 was installed, I went straight to windows updates, which had to run several times until all of the cumulative updates installed correctly.  Then I renamed the computer and I made note of the MAC address so I could set up a static DHCP entry in my router.

Installing Hyper-V

1. Open Server Manager
2. Click Local Server
3. Click Manage > Add Roles and Features
4. Next
5. Role-Based
6. Select the current server
7. Check mark "Hyper-V," click ok when it asks to add the management tools
8. Next
9. Next
10. Finish
11. Reboot

Stay tuned for iSCSI setup then Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Enterprise Edition on-premise installation....