Introduction to vSphere Storage &

VM Management
Day 4

VMware vSphere:
Install, Configure, Manage
Content

• Virtual Storage
• NFS
• iSCSI
• Clone, Template, Snapshot
• vApp
• Content Library
Virtual Storage
Module Lessons
Storage Concepts
iSCSI Storage
NFS Datastores
VMFS Datastores
Virtual SAN Datastores
Virtual Volumes
Storage Concepts
Learner Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to meet the following
objectives:
• Describe VMware vSphere® storage technologies and datastores
• Describe the storage device naming convention
Basic Storage Overview

ESXi
Hosts

Datastor VMFS NFS

e
Types

File
System

Storage Direct Fibre

Technologies Attached Channel
FCoE iSCSI NAS
Storage Protocol Overview

Boot from vSphere vSphere Raw Device

Storage vSphere HA
SAN vMotion DRS Mapping
Protocol Support
Support Support Support Support

Fibre ● ● ● ● ●
Channel
FCoE ● ● ● ● ●

iSCSI ● ● ● ● ●

NFS ● ● ●

DAS ● ●

Virtual ● ● ●
Volumes

Virtual SAN ● ● ●
About Datastores
A datastore is a logical storage unit
that can use disk space on one
physical device or span several
physical devices.
Datastores are used to hold virtual
machine files, templates, and ISO Host Host
images.
Types of datastores:
• VMFS
• NFS
• Virtual SAN
• Virtual Volumes

Datastore
About VMFS6
About VMFS6
About NFS
NFS:
• Is storage shared over the
network at the file system level
• Supports NFS version 3 and
4.1 over TCP/IP
Host Host

NFS Datastore
Virtual SAN Overview
Virtual SAN™ is hypervisor-converged, software-defined storage for
virtual environments.
By clustering host-attached hard disks (HDDs) and/or solid state drives
(SSDs), Virtual SAN creates an aggregated datastore shared by virtual
machines.

Virtual SAN

vSphere

3-64

HDD/Flash/SSD

Virtual SAN Datastore

About Virtual Volumes

Overview
vSphere • Native representation of VMDKs on

Virtual Volumes SAN/NAS: No LUNs or volume management.

• Works with existing SAN/NAS systems.

PE • Standard access to storage with the
vSphere API for Storage Awareness
protocol endpoint Protocol endpoint
provides standard protocol access to
storage.
Replication Snapshots Caching
• Snapshots, replications, and other operations
at the VM level on external storage
Encryption Deduplication
About Raw Device Mapping
Virtual Disk RDM RDM enables you to
store virtual machine
data directly on a LUN.
The mapping file is
stored on a VMFS
datastore that points to
the raw LUN.

.vmdk Raw
.vmdk
-flat.vmdk -rdm.vmdk LUN

VMFS or NFS VMFS NTFS/ext4

FC Storage
iSCSI Storage
Learner Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to meet the following
objectives:
• Describe uses of IP storage with ESXi
• Describe iSCSI components and addressing
• Configure iSCSI initiators
iSCSI Addressing
Setting Up iSCSI Adapters
You set up software or hardware adapters before an ESXi host can work
with a SAN.
Supported iSCSI adapter types (vmhba):
• Software adapter
• Hardware adapter:
• Independent hardware adapter
• Dependent hardware adapter
NFS Datastores
Learner Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to meet the following
objectives:
• Describe NFS components
• Describe the differences between NFS v3 and NFS v4.1
• Configure and manage NFS datastores
NFS Components

NAS Device or a Directory to Share

Server with Storage with the ESXi Host
over the Network

192.168.81.33

192.168.81.72
ESXi Host with
VMkernel Port
NIC Mapped to
Defined on Virtual
Virtual Switch
Switch
Configuring an NFS Datastore
Create a VMkernel port:
• For better performance and security, separate your NFS network from the
iSCSI network.
Provide the following information:
• NFS version: v3 or v4.1
• Datastore name
• NFS server names or IP addresses
• Folder on the NFS server, for example, /templates and /nfs_share
• Select hosts that will mount the datastore
• Whether to mount the NFS file system read-only
• Authentication parameters
NFS v3 and NFS v4.1
NFS v3: NFS v4.1:
• ESXi managed multipathing • Native multipathing and session
• AUTH_SYS (root) authentication trunking
• VMware proprietary file locking • Optional Kerberos authentication

• Client-side error tracking • Built-in file locking

• Server-side error tracking
Multipathing and NFS 4.1 Storage
One recommended configuration
for NFS version 4.1 multipathing:
• Configure one VMkernel port.
• Use adapters attached to the same NIC NIC
physical switch to configure NIC
teaming.
• Configure the NFS server with
multiple IP addresses: Physical
– IP addresses can be on the same Switch
subnet.
• To better utilize multiple links,
configure NIC teams with the IP hash
load-balancing policy. vmnic0 vmnic1

ESXi Host
VMFS Datastores
Learner Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to meet the following
objectives:
• Create a VMFS datastore
• Increase the size of a VMFS datastore
• Delete a VMFS datastore
Using VMFS Datastores with ESXi Hosts
Use VMFS datastores whenever possible:
• VMFS is optimized for storing and accessing large files.
• A VMFS datastore can have a maximum volume size of 64 TB.

Use RDMs if the following conditions are true of your virtual machine:
• It is taking storage array-level snapshots.
• It is clustered to a physical machine.
• It has large amounts of data that you do not want to convert into a virtual disk.
Increasing the Size of a VMFS Datastore
In general, before making any
changes to your storage
allocation:
• Perform a rescan to ensure that
all hosts see the most current
storage.
• Record the unique identifier.

Increase a VMFS datastore’s

size to give it more space or
possibly to improve
performance.
Ways to dynamically increase
the size of a VMFS datastore:
• Add an extent (LUN).
• Expand the datastore within its
extent.
Deleting or Unmounting a VMFS Datastore
An unmounted datastore
remains intact, but can no
longer be seen from the
hosts that you specify. The
datastore continues to
appear on other hosts,
where it remains mounted.
A deleted datastore is
destroyed and disappears
from all hosts that have
access to it. All virtual
machine files on the
datastore are permanently
removed.
Multipathing Algorithms
Arrays provide various
features. Some offer active- Storage
active storage processors. Array
Others offer active-passive Storage
SP A SP B
storage processors. Processors
0 1 0 1
vSphere offers native path
selection, load-balancing, and
failover mechanisms.
Third-party vendors can Switches
create their own software to
be installed on ESXi hosts.
The third-party software
enables hosts to properly
interact with the storage
arrays. ESXi
Hosts
Review of Learner Objectives
You should be able to meet the following objectives:
• Create a VMFS datastore
• Increase the size of a VMFS datastore
• Delete a VMFS datastore
Virtual SAN Datastores
Learner Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to meet the following
objectives:
• Explain the purpose of a VMware Virtual SAN™ datastore
• Describe the architecture and requirements of Virtual SAN configuration
• Describe the steps for configuring Virtual SAN
• Explain how to create and use Virtual SAN storage policies
 About Virtual SAN

Virtual SAN

vSphere

3-64

SSD HD/SSD SSD HD/SSD SSD HD/SSD

Virtual SAN Aggregated Datastore

A single Virtual SAN datastore is created, using storage from multiple

hosts and multiple disks in the cluster.
Review of Learner Objectives
You should be able to meet the following objectives:
• Explain the purpose of a Virtual SAN datastore
• Describe the architecture and requirements of Virtual SAN configuration
• Describe the steps for configuring Virtual SAN
• Explain how to create and use Virtual SAN storage policies
Virtual Machine
Management
Module Lessons
Creating Templates and Clones
Modifying Virtual Machines
Creating Virtual Machine Snapshots
Creating vApps
Creating Templates
and Clones
Learner Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to meet the following
objectives:
• Create a template
• Deploy a virtual machine from a template
• Clone a virtual machine
• Enable guest operating system customization by VMware vCenter Server™
Using a Template
A template is a master copy of a virtual machine. It is used to create and
provision new virtual machines.
Creating a Template
Clone the virtual machine to a template:
• The virtual machine can be powered on or powered off.
Convert the virtual machine to a template:
• The virtual machine must be powered off.
Clone a template:
• Used to create a new template based on one that existed previously.
Deploying a Virtual Machine from a Template
To deploy a virtual machine, you must provide such information as the
virtual machine name, inventory location, host, datastore, and guest
operating system customization data.
Updating a Template
Update a template to include new
patches, make system changes,
and install new applications:
1. Convert the template to a virtual
machine.
2. Place the virtual machine on an
isolated network to prevent user
access.
3. Make appropriate changes to the
virtual machine.
4. Convert the virtual machine to a
template.
Cloning a Virtual Machine
Cloning a virtual machine
creates a virtual machine that
is an exact copy of the original:
• Cloning is an alternative to
deploying a virtual machine.
• The virtual machine being
cloned can be powered on or
powered off.
Customizing the Guest Operating System
Use the Guest Operating System Customization wizard to make virtual
machines created from the same template or clone unique.
Customizing a guest operating system enables you to change:
• Computer name
• Network settings
• License settings
• Windows Security Identifier

During cloning or deploying virtual machines from a template:

• You can create a specification to prepare the guest operating systems of virtual
machines.
• Specifications can be stored in the database.
• You can edit specifications in the Customization Specifications Manager.
• Windows and Linux operating systems are supported.
Review of Learner Objectives
You should be able to meet the following objectives:
• Create a template
• Deploy a virtual machine from a template
• Clone a virtual machine
• Enable guest operating system customization by VMware vCenter Server™
Modifying Virtual
Machines
Learner Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to meet the following
objectives:
• Describe virtual machine settings and options
• Add a hot-pluggable device
• Dynamically increase the size of a virtual disk
• Add a raw device mapping (RDM) to a virtual machine
Modifying Virtual Machine Settings
You can modify a virtual
machine’s configuration in its
Edit Settings dialog box:
• Add virtual hardware:
– Some hardware can be added
while the virtual machine is
powered on.
• Remove virtual hardware:
– Some hardware can be
removed only when the virtual
machine is powered off
• Set virtual machine options.
• Control a virtual machine’s
CPU and memory resources.
Hot-Pluggable Devices
The CPU hot-plug option
enables you to add CPU
resources to a running virtual
machine:
• Examples of hot-pluggable
devices: USB controllers,
Ethernet adapters, and hard
disk devices.
With supported guest
operating systems, you can
also add CPU and memory
while the virtual machine is
powered on.
Creating an RDM
An RDM (a -rdm.vmdk file) enables a virtual machine to gain direct
access to a physical LUN.
Encapsulating disk information in the RDM enables the VMkernel to lock
the LUN so that only one virtual machine can write to the LUN.
You must define the following items when creating an RDM:
• Target LUN: LUN that the RDM will map to
• Mapped datastore:
Stores the RDM file
with the virtual
machine or on a
different datastore
• Compatibility mode
• Virtual device node
Dynamically Increasing a Virtual Disk’s Size
You can increase the size of a virtual disk that belongs to a powered-on
virtual machine: Increases the size
of the existing
• The virtual disk must be virtual disk file.
in persistent mode.
• It must not contain
snapshots.

Dynamically increase a
virtual disk from, for
example, 2 GB to 20 GB.
Inflating a Thin-Provisioned Disk
Thin-provisioned virtual disks can be converted to a thick, eager-zeroed
format.
To inflate a thin-provisioned disk:
• The virtual machine must be powered off.
• Right-click the virtual machine’s .vmdk file and select Inflate.

Or you can use VMware vSphere® Storage vMotion® and select a thick-
provisioned disk as the destination.
Virtual Machine Options
On the VM Options tab, you can set or change virtual machine options
to run VMware Tools™ scripts, control user access to the remote
console, configure startup behavior, and more.

VM Display Name

.vmx File Location

VM Directory

Guest Operating
System Type
VMware Tools Options

Customize power
button actions.

Schedule VMware
Tools scripts.

Update checks
Boot Options

Delay power on.

Boot into BIOS.

Retry after
failed boot.
Creating Virtual
Machine Snapshots
Learner Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to meet the following
objectives:
• Take a snapshot of a virtual machine and manage multiple snapshots
• Delete virtual machine snapshots
• Consolidate snapshots
Virtual Machine Snapshots
Snapshots enable you to preserve the state of the virtual machine so
that you can repeatedly return to the same state.
Virtual Machine Snapshot Files
A snapshot consists of a set of files: the memory state file (.vmsn), the
description file (-00000#.vmdk), and the delta file (-00000#-
delta.vmdk).
The snapshot list file (.vmsd) keeps track of the virtual machine’s
snapshots.
Taking a Snapshot
You can take a snapshot while a virtual machine is powered on, powered
off, or suspended.
A snapshot captures the state of the virtual machine: memory state,
settings state, and disk state.
Virtual machine snapshots are not recommended as a virtual machine
backup strategy.

committed to
transactions
Pending
disk
.vmdk
Managing Snapshots
The Snapshot Manager enables you
to review all snapshots for the active
virtual machine and act on them
directly.
Actions you can perform:
• Revert to a snapshot.
• Delete one or all snapshots.
Deleting a Virtual Machine Snapshot (1)
If you delete a snapshot one or more levels above You Are Here, the
snapshot state is deleted. The snap01 data is committed into the
previous state (base disk) and the foundation for snap02 is retained.

base disk (5GB) +

base disk (5GB)
snap01 data

snap01 delta (1GB)

snap02 delta (2GB)

You are here.

Deleting a Virtual Machine Snapshot (2)
If you delete the current snapshot, the changes are committed to its
parent. The snap02 data is committed into snap01 data, and the snap02
-delta.vmdk file is deleted.

base disk (5GB)

snap01 delta (1GB) +

snap01 delta (1GB)
snap02 delta (2GB)

snap02 delta (2GB)

You are here.

Deleting a Virtual Machine Snapshot (3)
If you delete a snapshot one or more levels below You Are Here,
subsequent snapshots are deleted and you can no longer return to those
states. The snap02 data is deleted.

base disk (5GB)

snap01 delta (1GB)

You are here.

snap02 delta (2GB)

Deleting All Virtual Machine Snapshots
The delete-all-snapshots mechanism uses storage space efficiently. The
size of the base disk does not increase. Just like a single snapshot
deletion, changed blocks in the snapshot overwrite their counterparts in
the base disk.
base disk (5GB) +
base disk (5GB)
snap01/02 data

snap01You are
delta here.
(1GB)

snap02 delta (2GB)

You are here.

About Snapshot Consolidation
Snapshot consolidation is a method to commit a chain of snapshots to
the base disks, when the Snapshot Manager shows that no snapshots
exist, but the delta files still remain on the datastore.
Snapshot consolidation is intended to resolve problems that might occur
with snapshots:
• The snapshot descriptor file is committed correctly, but the Snapshot Manager
incorrectly shows that all the snapshots are deleted.
• The snapshot files (-delta.vmdk)are still part of the virtual machine.
• Snapshot files continue to expand until the virtual machine runs out of
datastore space.
Discovering When to Consolidate
The Snapshot Manager displays no snapshots. However, a warning on
the Monitor > Issues tab of the virtual machine notifies the user that a
consolidation is required.
Performing Snapshot Consolidation
After the snapshot consolidation warning appears, the user can use the
vSphere Web Client to consolidate the snapshots:
• Select Snapshots > Consolidate to reconcile snapshots.
• All snapshot delta disks are committed to the base disks.
Creating vApps
Learner Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to meet the following
objectives:
• Describe a vApp
• Build a vApp
• Use a vApp to manage virtual machines
• Deploy and export a vApp
Managing Virtual Machines with a vApp
A vApp is an object in the vCenter Server inventory:
• A vApp is a container for one or more virtual machines.
• A vApp can be used to package and manage multitiered applications.
vApp Characteristics
You can configure several
vApp settings by right-clicking
the vApp:
• CPU and memory allocation
• IP allocation policy

You can also configure the

virtual machine startup and
shutdown order.
Exporting and Deploying vApps
Exporting the vApp as an OVF Deploying the OVF template:
template:
• Deploy multitier vApps.
• Share with others.
• Deploy OVF from VMware Virtual
• Use for archive purposes. Appliance Marketplace.
Review of Learner Objectives
You should be able to meet the following objectives:
• Describe a vApp
• Build a vApp
• Use a vApp to manage virtual machines
• Deploy and export a vApp