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
VMFS5 Datastores
You cannot upgrade a VMFS5 datastore to VMFS6. If you have a VMFS5 datastore in your environment,
create a VMFS6 datastore and migrate virtual machines from the VMFS5 datastore to VMFS6.
VMFS3 Datastores
ESXi no longer supports VMFS3 datastores. The ESXi host automatically upgrades VMFS3 to VMFS5
when mounting existing datastores. The host performs the upgrade operation in the following
circumstances:
n
At the first boot after an upgrade to ESXi 6.7, when the host mounts all discovered VMFS3
datastores.
n
When you manually mount the VMFS3 datastores that are discovered after the boot, or mount
persistently unmounted datastores.
When you have VMFS3 datastores in your environment, the following considerations apply:
n
If you use an ESXi .iso image to upgrade your legacy host through vSphere Update Manager, and
the upgrade is not successful, the VMFS3 datastore is upgraded to VMFS5 if the installation process
passes the mount phase.
n
In the mixed environment of the 6.5 and 6.7 ESXi hosts, the VMFS3 datastore upgrades when the 6.7
host attempts to mount it. The 6.5 host can continue to access the datastore even when the upgrade
is unsuccessful.
n
When you mount the VMFS3 datastore after its resignaturing, it does not upgrade to VMFS5. You
must perform the upgrade manually.
Resolve VMFS3 Upgrade Failures
If the VMFS3 datastore fails to upgrade, it remains unmounted, and its status changes to Failed to
Upgrade. Use the following steps to resolve the failure.
Note If the upgrade fails in the mixed environment of the 6.5 and 6.7 ESXi hosts, the VMFS3 datastore
remains unmounted in the Failed to Upgrade status on the 6.7 host. However, the datastore is accessible
from the 6.5 host.
Procedure
1 Manually mount the VMFS3 datastore.
See Mount Datastores.
Because the datastore is in the Failed to Upgrade state, the ESXi host does not attempt an upgrade.
After a successful mount, the Failed to Upgrade status is cleared.
2 Take any necessary corrective actions on the datastore.
For example, if the previous upgrade failed due to lack of space, delete the files from the datastore to
make space.
vSphere Storage
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