6.0.1

Virtual Volumes Concepts
With Virtual Volumes, abstract storage containers replace traditional storage volumes based on LUNs or
NFS shares. In vCenter Server, the storage containers are represented by virtual datastores. Virtual
datastores remove articial boundaries of traditional datastores and are used to store virtual volumes,
objects that encapsulate virtual machine les.
Watch the video to learn more about dierent components of the Virtual Volumes functionality.
Virtual Volumes Part 1: Concepts
(hp://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2296383276001?
bctid=ref:video_vvols_part1_concepts)
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Virtual Volumes on page 214
Virtual volumes are encapsulations of virtual machine les, virtual disks, and their derivatives.
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Virtual Volumes and Storage Providers on page 215
A Virtual Volumes storage provider, also called a VASA provider, is a software component that acts as
a storage awareness service for vSphere. The provider mediates out-of-band communication between
vCenter Server and ESXi hosts on one side and a storage system on the other.
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Storage Containers on page 215
Unlike traditional LUN and NFS based vSphere storage, the Virtual Volumes functionality does not
require precongured volumes on a storage side. Instead, Virtual Volumes uses a storage container,
which is a pool of raw storage capacity or an aggregation of storage capabilities that a storage system
can provide to virtual volumes.
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Protocol Endpoints on page 216
Although storage systems manage all aspects of virtual volumes, ESXi hosts have no direct access to
virtual volumes on the storage side. Instead, ESXi hosts use a logical I/O proxy, called the protocol
endpoint, to communicate with virtual volumes and virtual disk les that virtual volumes
encapsulate. ESXi uses protocol endpoints to establish a data path on demand from virtual machines
to their respective virtual volumes.
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Virtual Datastores on page 216
A virtual datastore represents a storage container in vCenter Server and the vSphere Web Client.
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Virtual Volumes and VM Storage Policies on page 217
A virtual machine that runs on a virtual datastore requires a VM storage policy.
Virtual Volumes
Virtual volumes are encapsulations of virtual machine les, virtual disks, and their derivatives.
Virtual volumes are stored natively inside a storage system that is connected through Ethernet or SAN. They
are exported as objects by a compliant storage system and are managed entirely by hardware on the storage
side. Typically, a unique GUID identies a virtual volume. Virtual volumes are not preprovisioned, but
created automatically when you perform virtual machine management operations. These operations include
a VM creation, cloning, and snapshoing. ESXi and vCenter Server associate one or more virtual volumes to
a virtual machine. The system creates the following types of virtual volumes for the core elements that make
up the virtual machine:
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A data virtual volume that corresponds directly to each virtual disk .vmdk le. As virtual disk les on
traditional datastores, virtual volumes are presented to virtual machines as SCSI disks.
vSphere Storage
214 VMware, Inc.