Quoting from anbecom.com
Jason Mattox from vizioncore has provided the following information for people looking to use some of the low-cost storage alternatives available in VI3. This particular setup uses a Windows machine and Windows Services for UNIX to create an NFS share that can be mounted to an ESX host for Virtual Machine, Template or ISO storage. The following URL also has a detailed description of NFS Authentication when using WSFU and was utilized to create this quick-start guide:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/interopmigration/unix/sfu/nfsauth.mspx
The main steps in this process are:
1. Installing Windows Services for UNIX (WSFU)
2. Copying the ESX Server password and group files to Windows
3. Configuring WSFU for accepting ESX Server connections
4. Sharing the Windows folder for NFS compatibility
5. Configuring the ESX Server to mount the Window NFS Share as Datastore.
1. Installing Windows Services for UNIX (WSFU)
- Download windows services for UNIX at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/sfu/downloads/default.mspx
- Install WSFU on the desired machine
- Add in the following options
- NFS + Server for NFS
- Authentication tools for NFS + user name mapping
- After installation, open services control panel applet and change the service ‘User Name Mapping’ to startup automatically and then start the service
2. Copy the ESX Server password and group files to Windows
- Use a program like WinSCP or similar process to copy the following files to your local system where WSFU is installed
- Transfer the file /ect/password and the file /ect/group to C:\SFU or to the location where you installed WSFU
3. Configure WSFU to accepting ESX Server connections
- Click Start, Programs, Windows Services for UNIX, Services for UNIX Administration
- Go to user name mappings then configuration
- Click password and group files
- Then browse for the password and group files that you copied, from the browse dialog box for both the password and group fields
- Click apply
- Then go to maps
- Click show maps
- List windows users and list Unix users
- Then select a local administrator user on the left that will be mapped to the root account and the root user on the right.
- Then click apply (upper right)
- My path is \\myserver.mydomain.int\NFS-VMFS01 for the windows share and NFS share on the windows host with WSU installed.
4. Sharing the Windows folder for NFS compatibility
- Right click the local folder you wish to share via NFS
- Share the folder by clicking NFS sharing
- Type in the name for the share i.e. NFS-VMFS01
- Remove allow anonymous access
- Click permissions
- Now Change type of access to “Read+Write” then check allow root access.
5. Configure the ESX Server to mount the Window NFS Share as VMFS
- Open the VC client and highlight the Vi3 host
- In the Configure tab choose Networking
- Add networking, VMKernel then pick a vSwitch, then give the VMkernel an IP that is accessible via the NFS host.
- Now open the storage option for this host
- Click add storage, > Network File System
- In the Server Field enter in myserver.mydomain.int
- In the Folder field enter /NFS-VMFS01
- For the Datastore I also used NFS-VMFS01
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