• Manage VMware virtual volume datastores

    PDF

    Manage VMware virtual volume datastores

    VMware virtual volumes

    Virtual Volumes (VVols) are a VMware object type that corresponds to a Virtual Machine (VM) disk, and its snapshots and fast-clones. There are different types of VVol objects, including Config-VVol, Data-VVol (equivalent to VMDK), Memory-VVol, and Swap-VVol.

    On the storage system, VVols reside in VVol datastores, also known as storage containers. VVol datastores are another type of VMware datastore, in addition to VMFS and NFS datastores, which allow VVols to map directly to a storage system. Whereas VMware VMFS and NFS datastores are managed and provisioned at the LUN or file system-level, VVol datastores are more granular: VMs or virtual disks can be managed independently. You can create VVol datastores based on one or more underlying storage pools and then allocate a specific portion of the pool to be used for the VVol datastore and its associated VVols.

    VMware vSphere 6.0 and later uses Storage Policy-Based Management (SPBM) to define application or VM-specific storage requirements. These storage policies dictate which storage containers are compatible with VVols. A capability profile, configured by the storage administrator, is a set of performance characteristics for a VVol datastore/storage container on the storage system. These characteristics are based on the underlying storage pools and include three categories of capabilities:

    • Service level-based provisioning
    • Usage tags
    • Storage properties
    • Host IO limits

    Capability profiles are populated through the VMware vStorage API for Storage Awareness (VASA) protocol from the storage system into vSphere or vCenter. These capability profiles map to VMware VVol storage policy profiles. When a storage policy is selected in vSphere or vCenter, only those VVol datastores compatible with these policies will appear as eligible storage containers for the virtual volume.

    NAS and SCSI Protocol Endpoints (PEs) are access points for ESXi host I/O communication from VMs to their VVol datastores on the storage system.

    VVols workflow

    Creating virtual volumes involves several steps in Unisphere. This prepares the storage system for the deployment of virtual volumes from the ESXi host.

    Figure 1. Block VVols Workflow
    Block VVols Workflow
    Figure 2. File VVols Workflow
    File VVols Workflow

    Create a traditional pool in physical deployments

    Before you begin

    All pools created with All-Flash models running Unity OE version 4.1.x and earlier, and all hybrid and VSA models support traditional pools only. With newer All-Flash models, you can create a traditional pool using the Unisphere CLI and REST API.

    Before you create a traditional pool:

    • If you have a hybrid model, find out whether the storage system is licensed for FAST Cache. To do this, select the Settings icon, and then select Storage Configuration > FAST Cache. If the storage system is licensed for FAST Cache, you can choose whether to use it for the pool.
    • If you have a hybrid model, find out whether the storage system is licensed for FAST VP. To do this, select the Settings icon, and then select Storage Configuration > FAST VP. If the storage system is licensed for FAST VP you can choose which storage tiers to add to the pool.
    • Decide whether to change the suggested RAID type of the tiers.
    • Decide whether to create a capability profile that has capabilities based on the pool configuration. To use the capability profile for VMware VVols, you must assign specific usage tags, which are propagated to the VMware vSphere environment, and can be used in policy profiles. The virtualization administrator and storage administrator should work together to define these tags.
    Procedure
    1. Under Storage, select Pools.
    2. Select the Add icon.
    3. Follow the steps in the wizard, taking into account the following considerations:
      • On the Tiers screen, you can only select multiple storage tiers if the system is a hybrid model that is licensed to use FAST VP. The wizard displays a maximum usable capacity for each selected tier, which it calculates based on the default RAID configuration. You can optionally change the RAID configuration for all selected tiers.
      • The number and types of drives you can choose is based on the RAID configuration.

    Create a pool in virtual deployments

    Before you begin

    All pools created in virtual deployments are traditional pools.

    Before you create a traditional pool:
    • From the storage administrator, obtain information about the underlying characteristics of the drives to use in the pool. You will use this information to assign tiers to the virtual disks that do not already have them assigned. You can create a multi-tier pool if the system has multiple underlying drive types.
    • Decide whether to create a capability profile for VMware VVols that has capabilities based on the pool configuration. To use the capability profile, you must assign specific usage tags, which are propagated to the VMware vSphere environment, and can be used in policy profiles. The virtualization administrator and storage administrator should work together to define these tags.
    You cannot shrink a pool or change its storage characteristics without deleting the storage resources configured in the pool and the pool itself. However, you can add drives to expand the pool.
    Procedure
    1. Under Storage, select Pools.
    2. Select the Add icon.
    3. Select the tiers and virtual disks to use in the pool. Each virtual disk must have an assigned tier. If the virtual disks you want to include in the pool do not have assigned tiers, you must assign one. The tier you select for a virtual disk must be based on the underlying drive characteristics.
    4. Optionally create a VMware capability profile for use by VVols, and specify usage tags for that profile.

    About VMware host configurations

    A host configuration defines a communication path through which a specific host or range of hosts can access storage resources. It also provides a mechanism by which you can manage access to storage resources by configuring the level of access permitted for particular host configurations.

    Unisphere provides VMware discovery capabilities to collect virtual machine and datastore storage details from vSphere and display them in the context of the storage system. This automates the iSCSI target discovery for ESXi hosts to access the storage. In Unisphere, you can provision storage for a VMware datastore and configure access to the relevant ESXi host. The storage system then automatically connects to the ESXi host and configures the relevant datastore access. When you modify or delete a datastore in Unisphere, the storage system automatically updates the ESXi host to include the change or remove the datastore. If vCenter or ESXi host is created as a manual host, these automation tasks will not work. For VVol datastores, the Unity system must be registered as a VASA provider on the host to support this automation. You can register the Unity system as a VASA provider when adding host access in Unisphere.

    By default, the storage system automatically polls for updated configuration information every 24 hours. You can also choose to poll for updated configuration information at any time by selecting the polling options under More Actions of the appropriate VMware host tab.

    vCenter server and ESXi host connections to VMware datastores

    After you create a VMware datastore and configure access to it for a particular host configuration, you can connect the vCenter server or ESXi host to the storage resource using one of the following methods:

    Table 1. Host access configuration methods
    Datastore type
    Method of connection
    VMFS datastores
    Use vSphere to re-scan for new storage devices. When the VMware datastore appears as an accessible storage device, add each VMFS datastore to the ESXi host.
    NFS datastores
    Use vSphere to add new network file system storage, specifying the following:
    • IP address of the associated NAS server
    • Export path to the datastore
    VVol datastores
    Hosts that have access to the respective NAS protocol endpoints or SCSI protocol endpoints will have access to the VVols File or VVols Block datastores that use these protocol endpoints.
    Automatic registration of the datastore in vCenter or the ESXi host is only available for automatically discovered hosts. For VVols datastores, the Unity system must be registered as a VASA provider on the host for automatic datastore registration in vCenter or vSphere. If you want to set up manual registration of a datastore on the ESXi host, you must manually register the host on the Unity system instead of using autodiscover.

    Add a VMware vCenter server or ESXi host

    Before you begin

    Obtain the following information:

    • Network name or IP address of the vCenter server or the ESXi host. Ensure that the vCenter server is available on the local network.
    • User name and password of a VMware administrator account with access to the vCenter server.
    Procedure
    1. Under Access, select VMware > vCenters.
    2. Select Add.
    3. On the Add vCenter or Add ESXi Host window, enter the relevant details, and click Find.
    4. From the list of discovered entries, select the relevant ESXi hosts, and click Next.
    5. To register the Unity system as a VASA provider with the vCenter, select Register VASA Provider and enter the Unity Unisphere credentials.
    6. On the Summary page, review the ESXi hosts, and click Finish.

    Change ESXi host properties

    Procedure
    1. On the General tab, edit the description of the host.
    2. On the Network Addresses tab, select an IP network address and click the Edit icon. Check the checkbox for any network addresses that should be ignored by the host. For example, you may want to ignore any network addresses used exclusively for system management.
    3. On the Initiators tab:
      1. Select an FC initiator that you want the ESXi host to Ignore.
        Once an initiator is ignored, ESXi hosts will no longer be able to access any storage from it.
      2. Select an iSCSI initiator and select the Edit icon to change the CHAP properties.

    Change vCenter properties

    Procedure
    1. Under Access, select VMware > vCenters.
    2. Select a vCenter server and click the Edit icon.
    3. Edit the description of the vCenter server.
    4. Edit the VMware administrator account credentials that the storage system uses to access the vCenter server.

    Capability profiles

    A VVol datastore is associated with one or more capability profiles. A capability profile is a set of storage capabilities for a VVol datastore. These capabilities are derived based on the underlying pools for the VVol datastore. The VVol datastore will show as compatible storage in vCenter or the vSphere Web Client if the associated capability profiles meet VMware storage policy requirements. Capability profiles must be created before you can create a VVol datastore. Capability profiles can be created at the time of pool creation (recommended), or can be added to an existing pool later.

    You can define a capability profile in the following ways:

    Table 2. Storage capabilities
    Service level-based provisioning (physical deployments)
    Expected service level for the pool:
    • Platinum
      • Single-tiered Flash pool
    • Gold
      • Multitiered pool with a mix of Flash and SAS drives
      • Single-tiered pools with SAS RAID 10
    • Silver
      • Single-tiered pools with SAS RAID 5 or RAID 6
      • Multitiered pools with a mix of SAS and NL-SAS
    • Bronze
      • Single-tiered pools with NL-SAS
      • Multitiered pools with a mix of Flash and NL-SAS
    Service level-based provisioning (virtual deployments)
    Expected service level for a virtual pool:
    • Gold
      • Multitiered pool with a mix of Extreme Performance and Performance tiers
      • Single-tiered Extreme Performance pool
    • Silver
      • Multitiered pool with a mix of Extreme Performance, Performance, and Capacity tiers
      • Multitiered pool with a mix of Performance and Capacity tiers
      • Single-tiered Performance pool
    • Bronze
      • Multitiered pool with a mix of Extreme Performance and Capacity tiers
      • Single-tiered Capacity pool
    Usage tags
    Usage tags can be applied to capability profiles to designate them and their associated VVol datastores for a particular use. For example, a VVol datastore may be tagged for VVols and VMs that support a particular application. The virtualization administrator and storage administrator should collaborate to define these usage tags.
    Storage properties
    Supported storage properties include:
    • Drive type:
      • Extreme Performance [Flash]
      • Performance [SAS]
      • Capacity [NL-SAS]
      • Multitier [mixed]
      • Extreme Multitier [mixed with Flash]
    • RAID type (physical deployments only):
      • RAID5
      • RAID6
      • RAID10
      • Mixed
    • FAST Cache (physical deployments only):
      • Enabled
      • Disabled
    • FAST VP tiering policy:
      • Highest Available Tier
      • Start High then Auto-Tier
      • Auto-Tier
      • Lowest Available Tier
    • Space Efficiency

    Create a capability profile

    Before you begin

    Before creating a capability profile, you must create the pools that will be used by the VVol datastore.

    It is recommended that you create capability profiles during pool creation. You can also add them to existing pools using the following method.

    You must create a capability profile before you can create a VVol datastore.
    Procedure
    1. Under Storage, select VMware > Capability Profiles.
    2. Click the Add icon.
    3. Enter a Name for the capability profile, and optionally add a Description.
    4. Select the underlying Pool for the capability profile.
    5. Optionally, enter any Usage Tags that will be used to identify how the associated VVol datastore should be used. For example, enter a particular application name or business unit that this datastore should be used for. The virtualization admin and the storage admin should work together to define usage tags.

    Change a capability profile

    Change an existing capability profile.
    Procedure
    1. Under Storage, select VMware > Capability Profiles.
    2. Click the Edit icon.
    3. On the Details tab, edit the Name and Description.
    4. On the Constraints tab, edit the Usage Tags.
    5. Click Apply.

    Overview of configuring NAS servers

    Before you can provision a VMware NFS datastore or file system storage, a NAS server that is appropriate for managing the storage type must be running on the system. A NAS Server is a file server that uses the SMB protocol, NFS protocol, or both to share data with network hosts. It also catalogs, organizes, and optimizes read and write operations to the associated file systems.

    Configuring a NAS server requires specifying the following information:

    • SP that the NAS server will run on.
    • Pool used to store the NAS server's configuration data, such as anti-virus configurations, NDMP settings, network Interfaces and IP addresses.
    • IP addresses that will be assigned to the NAS server to allow network hosts to access the shared data.
    Performance balancing with NAS servers (physical deployments only)

    You can balance the performance load on the storage system's SPs by choosing which NAS servers run on each SP, and which file systems are associated with which NAS server. For example, if you plan to provide file systems for two high-load database applications, you can choose to run a separate NAS server on each SP, and provision the storage for each application from a separate NAS server. This balances system performance by ensuring that the applications draw their processing resources from separate SPs.

    File sharing with NAS servers

    You can create NAS servers that support different types of file sharing. The table below describes the available NAS server configurations.

    Table 3. NAS server configurations by operating environment
    Operating Environment
    NAS server function
    Recommended configuration options
    Unix-only environment
    Provide only NFS access to file system data.
    On the Sharing Protocols tab of the Create a NAS Server wizard, select Linux/Unix shares (NFS).
    Windows-only environment
    Provide only SMB access to file system data.
    On the Sharing Protocols tab of the Create a NAS Server wizard, select Windows shares (SMB, CIFS).
    Balanced Unix and Windows environment
    Provide both SMB and NFS access to the same file systems data.
    1. Make sure an NTP server is configured for the system.
    2. Do the following in the Create a NAS Server wizard:
      • On the Sharing Protocols tab, select Multiprotocol.
      • Join the NAS server to a Windows Active Directory domain.
      • Configure local files, a Unix Directory Service (UDS), or both. If you configure local files with a UDS , the system queries the local files first. The UDS can be LDAP or NIS.
      • Configure DNS.
    3. Optionally customize the mappings between Windows user accounts and Unix user accounts by modifying and uploading a user mapping file with advanced naming rules (ntxmap). You only need to do this when the names of the same users follow different naming rules in Windows and Unix.
    Unix environment with the ability to access file system data through SMB
    Provide NFS access to file system data and optionally provide SMB access to the same file system data for some user accounts.
    1. Follow the steps in the Balanced Unix and Windows environment row for creating a NAS server and optionally customizing the mappings between Windows user accounts and Unix user accounts.
    2. On the NAS server properties page for the new NAS server, select Sharing Protocols > Multiprotocol, and then configure a default Unix user account. All unmapped Windows accounts will be mapped to this user account.
    3. When you create file systems for the NAS server, It is recommended that you specify a file system access policy of Unix.
    Windows environment with the ability to access file system data through NFS
    Provide SMB access to file system data and optionally provide NFS access to the same file system data for some user accounts.
    1. Follow the steps in the Balanced Unix and Windows environment row for creating a NAS server and optionally customizing the mappings between Windows user accounts and Unix user accounts.
    2. On the NAS server properties page for the new NAS server, select Sharing Protocols > Multiprotocol, and then optionally do either of the following:
      • Select Enable automatic mapping for unmapped Windows accounts. When you select this option, the system generates a Unix UID for each Windows users that is not already mapped to a Unix account through a directory service (LDAP or NIS) or local files. This functionality allows for the retention of file system quotas for each unmapped Windows user. (File system quotas are based on the Unix UID.)
      • Select Enable default account for unmapped users and configure a default Unix user account. All unmapped Windows accounts will be mapped to this Unix user account and will share the same file system quotas.
    3. When you create file systems for the NAS server, It is recommended that you specify a file system access policy of Windows.

    Create a NAS server for UNIX-only file sharing (NFS)

    Before you begin

    Obtain the following information:

    • (Optional) Name of the tenant to associate with the NAS server.
    • Name of the pool to store the NAS server's metadata.
    • Storage Processor (SP) on which the NAS server will run.
    • IP address information for the NAS server.
    • VLAN ID, if the switch port supports VLAN tagging. If you associate a tenant with the NAS server, you must choose a VLAN ID.
    • (Optional) UNIX Directory Service (UDS) information for NIS or LDAP, or local files. This can be used to resolve hosts defined on NFS share access lists.
    • (Optional) DNS server information. This can also be used to resolve hosts defined on NFS share access lists.
    • (Optional) Replication information.
    It is recommended that you balance the number of NAS servers on both SPs.
    Procedure
    1. Under Storage, select File > NAS Servers.
    2. Select the Add icon.
    3. On the General and Interface pages, specify the relevant settings. Note the following:
      • On the General page, the Server name identifies the NAS server. It is not a network name.
      • Optionally select a tenant to associate with the NAS server.
        Once you create a NAS server that has an associated tenant, you cannot change this association.
      • On the Interface page, optionally select a VLAN. If you selected a tenant on the General page, you must select a VLAN. The list of VLANs represent the VLANs associated with the selected tenant.
    4. On the Sharing Protocols page:
      • Select Linux/Unix shares (NFS).
      • Select whether to enable NFSv3, NVSv4, or both.
      • Optionally enable support for Virtual Volumes (VVols).
      • Optionally click Configure secure NFS to enable secure NFS with Kerberos. When you enable secure NFS for a NAS server that supports Unix-only file sharing, you must configure a custom Kerberos realm.
    5. On the Unix Directory Service page, configure one of the following directory services (optional unless you are configuring secure NFS):
      • Local files
      • NIS
      • LDAP
      • Local files and NIS
      • Local files and LDAP
      If you configure local files with NIS or LDAP, the system queries the local files first. You can configure LDAP to use anonymous, simple, and Kerberos authentication. You can also configure LDAP with SSL (LDAP Secure) and can enforce the use of a Certificate Authority certificate for authentication.
    6. On the DNS page, optionally configure DNS for the NAS server.
    7. On the Replication page, optionally select a replication mode and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) for the NAS server.

    Create a NAS server for multiprotocol file sharing (SMB and NFS)

    Before you begin

    When you create a NAS server that supports multiprotocol file sharing, it must be joined to an Active Directory (AD). This requires that an NTP server is configured on the storage system.

    Obtain the following information:

    • (Optional) Name of the tenant to associate with the NAS server.
    • Name of the pool to store the NAS server's metadata.
    • Storage Processor (SP) on which the NAS server will run.
    • IP address information for the NAS server.
    • VLAN ID, if the switch port supports VLAN tagging. If you associate a tenant with the NAS server, you must choose a VLAN ID.
    • AD information, including the SMB computer name (used to access SMB shares), and either the domain administrator's credentials or the credentials of a user of the domain who has privileges for joining the AD. You can optionally specify the NetBIOS name and organizational unit. The NetBIOS name defaults to the first 15 characters of the SMB server name. The organizational unit defaults to OU=Computers,OU=EMC NAS servers.
    • UNIX Directory Service (UDS) information for NIS, LDAP, or local files. The UDS provides the UNIX UID and GUID for AD users.
      You can configure mappings for some users in the UDS and let the others be mapped through the default account.
    • DNS server and domain information.
    • Replication information (optional).

    It is recommended that you balance the number of NAS servers on both SPs.

    You cannot disable multiprotocol file sharing for a NAS server once a file system is created on that NAS server.
    Procedure
    1. Under Storage, select File > NAS Servers.
    2. Select the Add icon.
    3. On the General and Interface pages, specify the relevant settings while noting the following:
      • On the General page, the Server name identifies the NAS server. It is not a network name.
      • Optionally select a tenant to associate with the NAS server.
        Once you create a NAS server that has an associated tenant, you cannot change this association.
      • On the Interface page, optionally select a VLAN. If you selected a tenant on the General page, you must select a VLAN. The list of VLANs represent the VLANs associated with the selected tenant.
    4. On the Sharing Protocols page:
      • Select Multiprotocol, and join the NAS server to the AD.
      • Optionally click Advanced to change the default NetBios name and organizational unit.
      • Select whether to enable NFSv3, NFSv4, or both.
      • Optionally enable support for Virtual Volumes (VVols).
      • Optionally click Configure secure NFS to enable secure NFS with Kerberos. When you enable secure NFS, you can choose to authenticate using the Windows Kerberos realm (that is, the Windows domain) configured on the NAS server, or you can configure and use a custom realm.
        It is recommended that you use LDAPS with secure NFS.
    5. On the Unix Directory Service page, configure one of the following directory services:
      • Local files
      • NIS
      • LDAP
      • Local files and NIS or LDAP
      If you configure local files with NIS or LDAP, the system queries the local files first. You can configure LDAP to use anonymous, simple, and Kerberos authentication. You can also configure LDAP with SSL (LDAP Secure) and can enforce the use of a Certificate Authority certificate for authentication.
    6. On the DNS page, configure DNS for the NAS server.
    7. On the Replication page, optionally select a replication mode and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) for the NAS server.

    Change NAS server properties

    Procedure
    1. Under Storage, select File > NAS Servers.
    2. Select the relevant NAS server, and then select the Edit icon.
    3. On the General tab:
      • Change the NAS server name.
      • Select SP Owner to transition from one SP to the other SP for this NAS server. For example, you may want to do this if you have an overloaded SP, and want to reduce the load by moving the server to the other SP.
    4. On the Network tab:
      • Select the Interfaces & Routes sub-tab to add, change, delete, or verify NAS server interfaces, enable or disable IP packet reflect for the NAS server, or change the NAS server's preferred interfaces. Select an interface, and then select Show external routes for interfaces to access the per-interface routing table, where you can add, change, or delete the selected interface's routes for responding to client requests.
      • Select the Routes to External Services sub-tab to add, change, or verify NAS server routes for external service requests, or to configure default gateways.
    5. On the Naming Services tab, configure DNS and either configure the UNIX Directory Service (UDS) for the NAS server (LDAP or NIS) or use local files. Alternatively, you can use local files with a UDS. In this case, the system checks the local files first.
    6. On the Sharing Protocols tab:
      • Select the FTP sub-tab to enable or disable FTP or SFTP, or to change FTP or SFTP properties.
    7. On the Protection & Events tab:
      • Select the NDMP Backup sub-tab to enable or disable NDMP, and to change the NDMP password.
      • Select the DHSM sub-tab to enable or disable Distributed Hierarchical Storage Management (DHSM) and to change the DHSM password.
      • Select the Events Publishing sub-tab to enable or disable Events Publishing, create or modify an event pool, and create or modify events policy settings.
    8. On the Replication tab, optionally select a replication mode and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) for the NAS server.

    Protocol endpoints

    Protocol Endpoints (PEs) are access points for ESXi host communication to the storage system. These endpoints establish a datapath on-demand for virtual machines and their respective VVol datastores. I/O from VMs is communicated through the PE to the VVol datastore on the storage system. A single protocol endpoint can multiplex I/O requests from a large number of VM clients to their virtual volumes. Protocol endpoints are automatically created when a host is granted access to a VVol datastore.

    NAS protocol endpoints are created and managed on the storage system and correspond to a specific NFS-based NAS server. A File VVol will be bound to the associated NAS PE every time that VM is powered on. When the VM is powered off, the VVol is unbound from the PE.

    SCSI protocol endpoints can utilize any iSCSI interface or Fibre Channel connection for IO. Two iSCSI PEs are created for every ESXi host-to-VVol datastore (storage container) pair; this ensures high-availability. The Block VVol will be bound to the associated SCSI PE every time that the VM is powered on. When the VM is powered off, the PE is unbound. SCSI protocol endpoints are like LUN mount points that allow I/O access to VVols from the ESXi host to the storage system.

    NAS protocol endpoint servers

    VMware protocol endpoint servers are NFS-based NAS servers enabled to provide an I/O path from the VMware host to it's respective File VVol datastore on the storage system.

    You can enable a NAS server for VVols in the Create a NAS server wizard. The IP address assigned to the NAS server at creation time becomes the Advertised IP address for the NAS protocol endpoint. When enabling VVols on an existing NAS server, you can select which IP address should be the Advertised IP address from the list of IP interfaces already created for the NAS server. It is recommended that you enable at least two NAS servers for VVols, one on each SP, for high availability. The system will select one of these NAS PEs automatically based on which will maximize throughput.

    Change VMware protocol endpoint information

    Procedure
    1. Under Storage, select VMware > Protocol Endpoints.
    2. Click the Edit icon.
    3. On the General tab, edit the description of the protocol endpoint.
    4. On the Host Access tab, change your selections of which hosts have access to use the protocol endpoint.

    VVol datastores

    VVols reside in VVol datastores, also known as storage containers, which are comprised of storage allocations from one or more capability profiles. Capability profiles are built on top of one or more underlying pools. You can create VVol datastores based on one or more capability profiles and then allocate a specific amount of space from the capability profile to the VVol datastore.

    Each VVol datastore has one or more capability profiles that describe its performance and capacity characteristics, such as drive type, FAST VP tiering policy, and space efficiency policy. These characteristics are derived based on the underlying pool. When a virtual volume is created in vSphere, it is assigned a storage policy profile. vSphere filters the compatible and incompatible available VVol datastores (from one or more storage systems) when the VVol is being created based on these profiles. Only VVol datastores that support the storage policy profile are considered compatible storage containers for deploying the VVol.

    Create a VMware VVol datastore

    Before you begin

    You must create capability profiles before creating a VVol datastore.

    Procedure
    1. Under Storage, select VMware > Datastores.
    2. Click the Add icon.
    3. On the Type page, select VVOL (File) or VVOL (Block).
    4. Enter a Name and optionally a Description for the VVol datastore.
    5. Select one or more capability profiles that will be used by the VVols datastore.
      1. Optionally, click on the current size or Edit in the Datastore Size (GB) column to adjust the space allocated from the pool to each selected capability profile.
      2. Adjust the size and/or unit of measure (TBs or GBs) of the capability profile.
      3. Click OK.
    6. Select the hosts that will have Access to the datastore.

    Change a VVol datastore

    Procedure
    1. Under Storage, select VMware > Datastores.
    2. Select the datastore and click the Edit icon.
    3. On the General tab, edit the Name and Description. Click Apply.
    4. On the Capability Profiles tab, edit the selected capability profiles used for the VVol datastore.
      To change the size of an existing capability profile:
      1. Click on the current size in the Datastore Size (GB) column for the capability profile.
      2. Adjust the size and/or unit of the capability profile.
      3. Click OK.
      To add a new capability profile:
      1. Click Add to add a new capability profile to the VVol datastore.
        This will open a new window with the list of available capability profiles on the system.
      2. Select a new capability profile for the VVol datastore and click OK.
      To delete an existing capability profile not currently in use:
      1. Select the capability profile.
      2. Click the Delete icon.
    5. On the Host Access tab, edit the hosts that have access to the datastore.

    Types of VVol objects

    Virtual volumes are encapsulations of virtual machine files, virtual disks, and their derivatives. There are several types of VVol objects that correspond to an individual virtual volume, including a VMDK VVol (data VVol), Config VVol, Memory VVol, and Swap VVol.

    Table 4. Types of VVols
    VMDK (Data) VVol
    The VMDK VVol, displayed as Data VVol in Unisphere, contains the vDisk file, or the hard disk drive, for the VM.
    Config VVol
    The Config VVol contains settings, configuration, and state information for the VM. This includes .vmx, nvram, and log files.
    Memory VVol
    The Memory VVol contains a complete copy of the VM memory as part of a with-memory VM snapshot.
    Swap VVol
    The Swap VVol is created when VMs are powered on and contain copies of the VM memory pages that are not retained in memory.

    About VASA support

    The VMware vSphere APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA) is a set of APIs that provides storage awareness to VMware vSphere clients. It enables vSphere clients to request and display basic information on the storage system and the storage resources it exposes to the virtual environment. Using the VASA protocol, you can configure the vSphere client to view information on physical storage system objects that are associated with the storage system datastores. This information includes storage policies and properties, such as tiering and RAID level. You can also view the health status of these components in vSphere. Changes in the health status or information about storage resources reaching space capacity thresholds are reported as VASA alarms in the vSphere client.

    VASA has introduced new APIs to support virtual volumes (VVols) starting with vSphere 6.0. These updated VASA APIs enhance storage system awareness of individual VM disks. This enables the storage system to perform operations on individual VM disks such as snapshots and clones.

    The Unity system can be registered as a VASA provider automatically in vSphere when corresponding vCenter and ESXi hosts are created, and the option to add Unity as a VASA provider is enabled. Unity can only be registered as a VASA provider for one vCenter server at a time. Refer to the Unity Configuring VVols guide for additional options.

    Add the system as a VASA provider

    The Unity system is registered as a VASA provider automatically in vSphere when corresponding vCenter and ESXi hosts are granted access to the system.

    For the vCenter server to communicate with the system, add the system as a storage provider in the vSphere client. Use the following information:

    • Name - Name of the storage provider that will appear in the vSphere client. You can choose to use any name you want.
    • URL - The VASA Provider service URL. The URL must be in the following format: https://<management IP address>: 8443/vasa/version.xml
    • Login - Unisphere user name with the Administrator or VM Administrator role. It is recommended that you specify a user account with the VM Administrator role. Note the following syntax:
      • For local users: local/<user name>
      • For LDAP users: <domain>/<user name>
    • Password - The password associated with the user account.

    For more information on adding a storage provider, refer to the VMware documentation.

    If you create VM Storage Policies in vSphere during the same vSphere login session where you added the storage system as a VASA provider, rule set labels may appear as ID strings instead of the correct rule set names. Logging out of vSphere and logging back in may resolve this issue.