6.0.1

n
You can provision more space to the datastore if possible, or you can add disks to the datastore or use
shared datastores.
Solutions for Disk Performance Problems
Use the disk charts to monitor average disk loads and to determine trends in disk usage. For example, you
might notice a performance degradation with applications that frequently read from and write to the hard
disk. If you see a spike in the number of disk read/write requests, check if any such applications were
running at that time.
Problem
n
The value for the kernelLatency data counter is greater than 4ms.
n
The value for the deviceLatency data counter is greater than 15ms indicates there are probably
problems with the storage array.
n
The queueLatency data counter measures above zero.
n
Spikes in latency.
n
Unusual increases in read/write requests.
Cause
n
The virtual machines on the host are trying to send more throughput to the storage system than the
configuration supports.
n
The storage array probably is experiencing internal problems.
n
The workload is too high and the array cannot process the data fast enough.
Solution
n
The virtual machines on the host are trying to send more throughput to the storage system than the
configuration supports. Check the CPU usage, and increase the queue depth.
n
Move the active VMDK to a volume with more spindles or add disks to the LUN.
n
Increase the virtual machine memory. This should allow for more operating system caching, which can
reduce I/O activity. Note that this may require you to also increase the host memory. Increasing
memory might reduce the need to store data because databases can utilize system memory to cache
data and avoid disk access.
n
Check swap statistics in the guest operating system to verify that virtual machines have adequate
memory. Increase the guest memory, but not to an extent that leads to excessive host memory
swapping. Install VMware Tools so that memory ballooning can occur.
n
Defragment the file systems on all guests.
n
Disable antivirus on-demand scans on the VMDK and VMEM files.
n
Use the vendor's array tools to determine the array performance statistics. When too many servers
simultaneously access common elements on an array, the disks might have trouble keeping up.
Consider array-side improvements to increase throughput.
n
Use Storage vMotion to migrate I/O-intensive virtual machines across multiple hosts.
n
Balance the disk load across all physical resources available. Spread heavily used storage across LUNs
that are accessed by different adapters. Use separate queues for each adapter to improve disk efficiency.
n
Configure the HBAs and RAID controllers for optimal use. Verify that the queue depths and cache
settings on the RAID controllers are adequate. If not, increase the number of outstanding disk requests
for the virtual machine by adjusting the Disk.SchedNumReqOutstanding parameter.
Chapter 1 Monitoring Inventory Objects with Performance Charts
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