6.7

Virtual PMem Disks (vPMemDisk)
In this mode, the virtual machine does not have direct access to the PMem resources of the host.
You must add a virtual PMem hard disk to the virtual machine. A virtual PMem hard disk is a traditional
SCSI disk to which the PMem Storage Policy is applied. The policy automatically places the hard disk on
the host-local PMem datastore.
In this mode of usage, there are no requirements for the hardware version of the virtual machine and the
guest OS.
Note If the guest OS is not PMem-aware, virtual machines can use PMem only through vPMemDisks.
The following graphic illustrates how the persistent memory components interact.
Direct-access
mode
Virtual disk
mode
NVDMM
device
PMem Storage
Policy
Virtual disk
PMem Datastore
Persistent Memory
PMem-aware VM Traditional VM
For information about how to configure and manage VMs with NVDIMMs or virtual persistent memory
disks, see the vSphere Resource Management documentation.
Add an NVDIMM Device to a Virtual Machine
Add a virtual NVDIMM device to a virtual machine to enable it to use non-volatile, or persistent, computer
memory. Non-volatile memory (NVM), or persistent memory (PMem), combines the high data transfer
rates of the volatile memory with the persistence and resiliency of traditional storage. The virtual NVDIMM
device is a virtual NVM device that can retain stored data through reboots or power source failures.
Virtual machines consume the PMem resource of the host in two ways, through a virtual non-volatile dual
in-line memory module (NVDIMM) or through a virtual persistent memory disk. When you add an
NVDIMM module to a virtual machine, the virtual machine gains direct access to a PMem region of
computer memory.
For more information, see the vSphere Resource Management guide.
Prerequisites
n
Verify that the guest OS of the virtual machine supports PMem.
vSphere Virtual Machine Administration
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