6.7

After vCenter Server discovers storage containers exported by storage systems, you must mount them as
Virtual Volumes datastores. The Virtual Volumes datastores are not formatted in a traditional way like, for
example, VMFS datastores. You must still create them because all vSphere functionalities, including FT,
HA, DRS, and so on, require the datastore construct to function properly.
You use the datastore creation wizard in the vSphere Client to map a storage container to a Virtual
Volumes datastore. The Virtual Volumes datastore that you create corresponds directly to the specific
storage container.
From a vSphere administrator prospective, the Virtual Volumes datastore is similar to any other datastore
and is used to hold virtual machines. Like other datastores, the Virtual Volumes datastore can be browsed
and lists virtual volumes by virtual machine name. Like traditional datastores, the Virtual Volumes
datastore supports unmounting and mounting. However, such operations as upgrade and resize are not
applicable to the Virtual Volumes datastore. The Virtual Volumes datastore capacity is configurable by the
storage administrator outside of vSphere.
You can use the Virtual Volumes datastores with traditional VMFS and NFS datastores and with vSAN.
Note The size of a virtual volume must be a multiple of 1 MB, with a minimum size of 1 MB. As a result,
all virtual disks that you provision on a Virtual Volumes datastore must be an even multiple of 1 MB. If the
virtual disk you migrate to the Virtual Volumes datastore is not an even multiple of 1 MB, extend the disk
to the nearest even multiple of 1 MB.
Virtual Volumes and VM Storage Policies
A virtual machine that runs on a Virtual Volumes datastore requires a VM storage policy.
A VM storage policy is a set of rules that contains placement and quality-of-service requirements for a
virtual machine. The policy enforces appropriate placement of the virtual machine within Virtual Volumes
storage and guarantees that storage can satisfy virtual machine requirements.
You use the VM Storage Policies interface to create a Virtual Volumes storage policy. When you assign
the new policy to the virtual machine, the policy enforces that the Virtual Volumes storage meets the
requirements.
Virtual Volumes Default Storage Policy
For Virtual Volumes, VMware provides a default storage policy that contains no rules or storage
requirements, called VVol No Requirements Policy. This policy is applied to the VM objects when you do
not specify another policy for the virtual machine on the Virtual Volumes datastore. With the No
Requirements policy, storage arrays can determine the optimum placement for the VM objects.
The default No Requirements policy that VMware provides has the following characteristics:
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You cannot delete, edit, or clone this policy.
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The policy is compatible only with the Virtual Volumes datastores.
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You can create a VM storage policy for Virtual Volumes and designate it as the default.
vSphere Storage
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