Hey everyone! I'm currently in the process of setting up a two-node Starwind VSAN system that employs CVM-based architecture and utilizes Windows clustering to ensure high availability for my file servers. Everything's running on Hyper-V, but I'm hitting a snag with getting SRV-IO to function properly. Whenever I try using a VF interface within the CVM, I lose connection between the nodes and the hosts. I'm working with Intel x540 10gb network cards for both my replication and iSCSI networks. Here are my two main questions: 1. Is the performance boost noticeable with SRV-IO versus the conventional virtual interface and virtual switch in my particular setup? 2. If yes, do you have any pointers for troubleshooting or initial steps to get this working? Thanks in advance!
2 Answers
Hi there! Thanks for your inquiry about StarWind Virtual SAN! Regarding your performance question: if you’re using fast NVMe SSDs, you might notice a significant performance boost with SR-IOV for your replication and iSCSI traffic. However, if you're working with regular SSDs or HDDs, the performance gains tend to be minimal, as those drives are typically the bottleneck. Regarding your SR-IOV issues with CVM on Windows Server 2022, we know of problems tied to device initialization in Hyper-V during VM startup. A fix is in the pipeline and should roll out in the next week or two. If you need the hotfix sooner, feel free to submit a ticket on our support form, and our engineers will assist you! Hope this helps!
SRV-IO actually worked for me until I rebooted once. It made a huge difference—like, I went from using a max of 3Gbps on the replication interface to saturating the 10Gbps connection! I’m using 8 8TB SAS drives with ZFS, and have the HBA passed to the CVM.
Have you thought about switching to a software-based VSAN instead of using CVM? I ran into a lot of issues trying to get SRV-IO to work reliably with Hyper-V on Server 2022 and 2025. I also use Intel cards, but mine are X710 instead.
Yeah, those X710s can be tricky with SR-IOV on Hyper-V. I ended up switching to their vSVSAN, and it’s been rock solid since.
Totally agree! Intel’s X710 NICs seem to be the worst when it comes to reliability. It’s better to switch to something like Mellanox—trust me, you’ll save yourself a ton of headaches.
Sweet! I've been having a different problem where my network adapter order changes every time I reboot. Is setting static MAC addresses the fix for that?