6.0.1
Table Of Contents
- vSphere Storage
- Contents
- About vSphere Storage
- Updated Information
- Introduction to Storage
- Overview of Using ESXi with a SAN
- Using ESXi with Fibre Channel SAN
- Configuring Fibre Channel Storage
- Configuring Fibre Channel over Ethernet
- Booting ESXi from Fibre Channel SAN
- Booting ESXi with Software FCoE
- Best Practices for Fibre Channel Storage
- Using ESXi with iSCSI SAN
- Configuring iSCSI Adapters and Storage
- ESXi iSCSI SAN Requirements
- ESXi iSCSI SAN Restrictions
- Setting LUN Allocations for iSCSI
- Network Configuration and Authentication
- Set Up Independent Hardware iSCSI Adapters
- About Dependent Hardware iSCSI Adapters
- Dependent Hardware iSCSI Considerations
- Configure Dependent Hardware iSCSI Adapters
- About the Software iSCSI Adapter
- Modify General Properties for iSCSI Adapters
- Setting Up iSCSI Network
- Using Jumbo Frames with iSCSI
- Configuring Discovery Addresses for iSCSI Adapters
- Configuring CHAP Parameters for iSCSI Adapters
- Configuring Advanced Parameters for iSCSI
- iSCSI Session Management
- Booting from iSCSI SAN
- Best Practices for iSCSI Storage
- Managing Storage Devices
- Storage Device Characteristics
- Understanding Storage Device Naming
- Storage Refresh and Rescan Operations
- Identifying Device Connectivity Problems
- Edit Configuration File Parameters
- Enable or Disable the Locator LED on Storage Devices
- Working with Flash Devices
- About VMware vSphere Flash Read Cache
- Working with Datastores
- Understanding VMFS Datastores
- Understanding Network File System Datastores
- Creating Datastores
- Managing Duplicate VMFS Datastores
- Upgrading VMFS Datastores
- Increasing VMFS Datastore Capacity
- Administrative Operations for Datastores
- Set Up Dynamic Disk Mirroring
- Collecting Diagnostic Information for ESXi Hosts on a Storage Device
- Checking Metadata Consistency with VOMA
- Configuring VMFS Pointer Block Cache
- Understanding Multipathing and Failover
- Raw Device Mapping
- Working with Virtual Volumes
- Virtual Machine Storage Policies
- Upgrading Legacy Storage Profiles
- Understanding Virtual Machine Storage Policies
- Working with Virtual Machine Storage Policies
- Creating and Managing VM Storage Policies
- Storage Policies and Virtual Machines
- Default Storage Policies
- Assign Storage Policies to Virtual Machines
- Change Storage Policy Assignment for Virtual Machine Files and Disks
- Monitor Storage Compliance for Virtual Machines
- Check Compliance for a VM Storage Policy
- Find Compatible Storage Resource for Noncompliant Virtual Machine
- Reapply Virtual Machine Storage Policy
- Filtering Virtual Machine I/O
- VMkernel and Storage
- Storage Hardware Acceleration
- Hardware Acceleration Benefits
- Hardware Acceleration Requirements
- Hardware Acceleration Support Status
- Hardware Acceleration for Block Storage Devices
- Hardware Acceleration on NAS Devices
- Hardware Acceleration Considerations
- Storage Thick and Thin Provisioning
- Using Storage Providers
- Using vmkfstools
- vmkfstools Command Syntax
- vmkfstools Options
- -v Suboption
- File System Options
- Virtual Disk Options
- Supported Disk Formats
- Creating a Virtual Disk
- Example for Creating a Virtual Disk
- Initializing a Virtual Disk
- Inflating a Thin Virtual Disk
- Removing Zeroed Blocks
- Converting a Zeroedthick Virtual Disk to an Eagerzeroedthick Disk
- Deleting a Virtual Disk
- Renaming a Virtual Disk
- Cloning or Converting a Virtual Disk or RDM
- Example for Cloning or Converting a Virtual Disk
- Migrate Virtual Machines Between DifferentVMware Products
- Extending a Virtual Disk
- Upgrading Virtual Disks
- Creating a Virtual Compatibility Mode Raw Device Mapping
- Example for Creating a Virtual Compatibility Mode RDM
- Creating a Physical Compatibility Mode Raw Device Mapping
- Listing Attributes of an RDM
- Displaying Virtual Disk Geometry
- Checking and Repairing Virtual Disks
- Checking Disk Chain for Consistency
- Storage Device Options
- Index
6 Reboot guest OS for the change to take eect.
Managing Multiple Paths
To manage storage multipathing, ESXi uses a collection of Storage APIs, also called the Pluggable Storage
Architecture (PSA). The PSA is an open, modular framework that coordinates the simultaneous operation of
multiple multipathing plug-ins (MPPs). The PSA allows 3rd party software developers to design their own
load balancing techniques and failover mechanisms for particular storage array, and insert their code
directly into the ESXi storage I/O path.
Topics discussing path management use the following acronyms.
Table 17‑1. Multipathing Acronyms
Acronym Definition
PSA Pluggable Storage Architecture
NMP Native Multipathing Plug-In. Generic VMware
multipathing module.
PSP Path Selection Plug-In, also called Path Selection Policy.
Handles path selection for a given device.
SATP Storage Array Type Plug-In, also called Storage Array Type
Policy. Handles path failover for a given storage array.
The VMkernel multipathing plug-in that ESXi provides by default is the VMware Native Multipathing Plug-
In (NMP). The NMP is an extensible module that manages sub plug-ins. There are two types of NMP sub
plug-ins, Storage Array Type Plug-Ins (SATPs), and Path Selection Plug-Ins (PSPs). SATPs and PSPs can be
built-in and provided by VMware, or can be provided by a third party.
If more multipathing functionality is required, a third party can also provide an MPP to run in addition to,
or as a replacement for, the default NMP.
When coordinating the VMware NMP and any installed third-party MPPs, the PSA performs the following
tasks:
n
Loads and unloads multipathing plug-ins.
n
Hides virtual machine specics from a particular plug-in.
n
Routes I/O requests for a specic logical device to the MPP managing that device.
n
Handles I/O queueing to the logical devices.
n
Implements logical device bandwidth sharing between virtual machines.
n
Handles I/O queueing to the physical storage HBAs.
n
Handles physical path discovery and removal.
n
Provides logical device and physical path I/O statistics.
As the Pluggable Storage Architecture illustration shows, multiple third-party MPPs can run in parallel with
the VMware NMP. When installed, the third-party MPPs replace the behavior of the NMP and take
complete control of the path failover and the load-balancing operations for specied storage devices.
vSphere Storage
188 VMware, Inc.