6.7
Table Of Contents
- vSphere Storage
- Contents
- About vSphere Storage
- Introduction to Storage
- Getting Started with a Traditional Storage Model
- 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 Recommendations and Restrictions
- Configuring iSCSI Parameters for Adapters
- Set Up Independent Hardware iSCSI Adapters
- Configure Dependent Hardware iSCSI Adapters
- Configure the Software iSCSI Adapter
- Configure iSER Adapters
- Modify General Properties for iSCSI or iSER Adapters
- Setting Up Network for iSCSI and iSER
- 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 Rescan Operations
- Identifying Device Connectivity Problems
- Enable or Disable the Locator LED on Storage Devices
- Erase Storage Devices
- Working with Flash Devices
- About VMware vSphere Flash Read Cache
- Working with Datastores
- Types of Datastores
- Understanding VMFS Datastores
- Upgrading VMFS Datastores
- Understanding Network File System Datastores
- Creating Datastores
- Managing Duplicate 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
- Failovers with Fibre Channel
- Host-Based Failover with iSCSI
- Array-Based Failover with iSCSI
- Path Failover and Virtual Machines
- Pluggable Storage Architecture and Path Management
- Viewing and Managing Paths
- Using Claim Rules
- Scheduling Queues for Virtual Machine I/Os
- Raw Device Mapping
- Storage Policy Based Management
- Virtual Machine Storage Policies
- Workflow for Virtual Machine Storage Policies
- Populating the VM Storage Policies Interface
- About Rules and Rule Sets
- Creating and Managing VM Storage Policies
- About Storage Policy Components
- Storage Policies and Virtual Machines
- Default Storage Policies
- Using Storage Providers
- Working with Virtual Volumes
- About Virtual Volumes
- Virtual Volumes Concepts
- Virtual Volumes and Storage Protocols
- Virtual Volumes Architecture
- Virtual Volumes and VMware Certificate Authority
- Snapshots and Virtual Volumes
- Before You Enable Virtual Volumes
- Configure Virtual Volumes
- Provision Virtual Machines on Virtual Volumes Datastores
- Virtual Volumes and Replication
- Best Practices for Working with vSphere Virtual Volumes
- Troubleshooting Virtual Volumes
- Filtering Virtual Machine I/O
- 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
- Thin Provisioning and Space Reclamation
- Using vmkfstools
- vmkfstools Command Syntax
- The vmkfstools Command Options
- -v Suboption
- File System Options
- Virtual Disk Options
- Supported Disk Formats
- Creating a Virtual Disk
- Initializing a Virtual Disk
- Inflating a Thin Virtual Disk
- Converting a Zeroedthick Virtual Disk to an Eagerzeroedthick Disk
- Removing Zeroed Blocks
- Deleting a Virtual Disk
- Renaming a Virtual Disk
- Cloning or Converting a Virtual Disk or RDM
- Extending a Virtual Disk
- Upgrading Virtual Disks
- Creating a Virtual Compatibility Mode Raw Device Mapping
- 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
If the device returns from the PDL condition, the host can discover it, but treats it as a new device. Data
consistency for virtual machines on the recovered device is not guaranteed.
Note When a device fails without sending appropriate SCSI sense codes or an iSCSI login rejection, the
host cannot detect PDL conditions. In this case, the host continues to treat the device connectivity
problems as APD even when the device fails permanently.
Permanent Device Loss and SCSI Sense Codes
The following VMkernel log example of a SCSI sense code indicates that the device is in the PDL state.
H:0x0 D:0x2 P:0x0 Valid sense data: 0x5 0x25 0x0 or Logical Unit Not Supported
Permanent Device Loss and iSCSI
On iSCSI arrays with a single LUN per target, PDL is detected through iSCSI login failure. An iSCSI
storage array rejects your host's attempts to start an iSCSI session with a reason Target Unavailable.
As with the sense codes, this response must be received on all paths for the device to be considered
permanently lost.
Permanent Device Loss and Virtual Machines
After registering the PDL state of the device, the host closes all I/O from virtual machines. vSphere HA
can detect PDL and restart failed virtual machines. For more information, see Device Connectivity
Problems and High Availability.
Performing Planned Storage Device Removal
When a storage device is malfunctioning, you can avoid permanent device loss (PDL) conditions or all
paths down (APD) conditions. Perform a planned removal and reconnection of a storage device.
Planned device removal is an intentional disconnection of a storage device. You might also plan to
remove a device for such reasons as upgrading your hardware or reconfiguring your storage devices.
When you perform an orderly removal and reconnection of a storage device, you complete a number of
tasks.
Task Description
Migrate virtual machines from the device you plan to detach. vCenter Server and Host Management
Unmount the datastore deployed on the device. See Unmount Datastores.
Detach the storage device. See Detach Storage Devices.
For an iSCSI device with a single LUN per target, delete the static target entry from
each iSCSI HBA that has a path to the storage device.
See Remove Dynamic or Static iSCSI
Targets.
Perform any necessary reconfiguration of the storage device by using the array
console.
See your vendor documentation.
Reattach the storage device. See Attach Storage Devices.
Mount the datastore and restart the virtual machines. See Mount Datastores.
vSphere Storage
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