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
Storage Providers and Storage Data Representation
vCenter Server and ESXi communicate with the storage provider to obtain information that the storage
provider collects from underlying physical and software-dened storage, or from available I/O lters.
vCenter Server can then display the storage data in the vSphere Web Client.
Information that the storage provider supplies can be divided into the following categories:
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Storage data services and capabilities. This type of information is essential for such functionalities as
Virtual SAN, Virtual Volumes, and I/O lters. The storage provider collects information about data
services that are oered by underlying storage entities or available I/O lters.
You reference these data services when you dene storage requirements for virtual machines and
virtual disks in a storage policy. Depending on your environment, the storage policy ensures
appropriate storage placement for a virtual machine or enables specic data services for virtual disks.
For details, see “Understanding Virtual Machine Storage Policies,” on page 228.
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Storage status. This category includes reporting about status of various storage entities. It also includes
alarms and events for notifying about conguration changes.
This type of information can help you troubleshoot storage connectivity and performance problems. It
can also help you to correlate array-generated events and alarms to corresponding performance and
load changes on the array.
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Storage DRS information. For distributed resource scheduling (DRS) on block devices or le systems.
Storage providers supply additional information about storage system, so that decisions made by
Storage DRS are compatible with resource management decisions internal to the storage systems.
Storage Provider Requirements and Considerations
When you use the storage provider functionality, certain requirements and considerations apply.
Typically, vendors are responsible for supplying storage providers that integrate with vSphere. Storage
providers are implemented through VMware APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA). The VASA architecture
extends the Storage Monitoring Service (SMS), shipped with vSphere, and denes a set of functions that
vCenter Server and ESXi hosts can use to communicate with VASA Providers.
To use storage providers, follow these requirements:
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Make sure that every storage provider you use is certied by VMware and properly deployed. For
information about deploying the storage providers, contact your storage vendor or check the VMware
Compatibility Guide.
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Make sure that the storage provider is compatible with the vSphere version. See VMware Compatibility
Guide
When you use storage providers, the following considerations apply:
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Both block storage and le system storage devices can use storage providers.
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Storage providers can run anywhere, except vCenter Server. Typically, the third-party storage provider
runs on either the storage array service processor or on a standalone host.
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Multiple vCenter Servers can simultaneously connect to a single instance of a storage provider.
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A single vCenter Server can simultaneously connect to multiple dierent storage providers. It is
possible to have a dierent storage provider for each type of physical storage device available to your
host.
vSphere Storage
278 VMware, Inc.