6.0.1

You can congure the minimum and maximum sizes of the pointer block cache on each ESXi host. When the
size of the pointer block cache approaches the congured maximum size, an eviction mechanism removes
some pointer block entries from the cache.
Base the maximum size of the pointer block cache on the working size of all open virtual disk les that
reside on VMFS datastores. All VMFS datastores on the host use a single pointer block cache.
The minimum value is based on the minimum guaranteed memory that the system can allocate to the cache.
1 TB of open le space requires approximately 4 MB of memory.
To congure the minimum and maximum values for the pointer block cache, use the Advanced System
Seings dialog box of the vSphere Web Client
Table 16‑6. Advanced Parameters to Regulate Pointer Block Cache
Parameter Values Description
VMFS3.MaxAddressableSpaceTB
Default value is 32 (in TB). Maximum size of all open les that
VMFS cache supports before eviction
starts.
VMFS3.MinAddressableSpaceTB
Default value is 10 (in TB). Minimum size of all open les that
VMFS cache guarantees to support.
You can use the esxcli storage vmfs pbcache command to obtain information about the size of the pointer
block cache and other statistics. This information assists you in adjusting minimum and maximum sizes of
the pointer block cache, so that you can get maximum performance.
Set Advanced Host Attributes
You can set advanced aributes for a host.
C Changing advanced options is considered unsupported unless VMware technical support or a KB
article instruct you to do so. In all other cases, changing these options is considered unsupported. In most
cases, the default seings produce the optimum result.
Procedure
1 Browse to the host in the vSphere Web Client navigator.
2 Click the Manage tab and click .
3 Under System, click Advanced System .
4 In Advanced Seings, select the appropriate item.
5 Click the Edit buon to edit the value.
6 Click OK.
Obtain Information for VMFS Pointer Block Cache
You can get information about VMFS pointer block cache usage. This information helps you understand
how much space the pointer block cache consumes. You can also determine whether you must adjust the
minimum and maximum sizes of the pointer block cache.
In the procedure, --server=server_name species the target server. The specied target server prompts you
for a user name and password. Other connection options, such as a conguration le or session le, are
supported. For a list of connection options, see Geing Started with vSphere Command-Line Interfaces.
Prerequisites
Install vCLI or deploy the vSphere Management Assistant (vMA) virtual machine. See Geing Started with
vSphere Command-Line Interfaces. For troubleshooting, run esxcli commands in the ESXi Shell.
vSphere Storage
180 VMware, Inc.