VMware Virtual SAN (vSAN) 8: The Ultimate Guide for Administrators
- What are the benefits of vSAN for administrators? - What are the main features of vSAN 8 with Express Storage Architecture? H2: System requirements and design considerations for vSAN - Hardware and software requirements - Network configuration and topology - Storage device types and performance - Cluster size and scalability - Licensing and editions H2: Creating and managing a vSAN cluster - Enabling vSAN on a cluster - Configuring vSAN disk groups and storage policies - Using vSphere Client and vSphere Web Client for vSAN management - Monitoring vSAN health and performance - Troubleshooting common vSAN issues H2: Using vSAN File Service for file sharing - What is vSAN File Service and how does it work? - How to enable and configure vSAN File Service on a cluster - How to create and manage file shares on the vSAN datastore - How to access file shares from host clients using NFS H2: Conclusion - Summary of the main points of the article - Call to action for readers to try vSAN or learn more Table 2: Article with HTML formatting Introduction
Welcome to the essential guide for VMware Virtual SAN (vSAN) administrators. In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about vSAN, the software-defined, enterprise storage solution that supports hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) systems. You will also discover how to use the latest features of vSAN 8 with Express Storage Architecture, which delivers the highest levels of performance and efficiency from your next-generation storage devices.
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But first, what is VMware vSAN and why use it? VMware vSAN is a distributed layer of software that runs natively as a part of the ESXi hypervisor. It aggregates local or direct-attached capacity devices of a host cluster and creates a single storage pool shared across all hosts in the vSAN cluster. A hybrid vSAN cluster uses flash devices for cache and magnetic drives for capacity. All-flash vSAN clusters use flash devices for both the cache and capacity. vSAN Express Storage Architecture uses NVMe-based TLC flash devices and high performance network interfaces.
vSAN eliminates the need for external shared storage, and simplifies storage configuration through Storage Policy-Based Management (SPBM). Using virtual machine (VM) storage policies, you can define storage requirements and capabilities. You can also leverage policy-based management to define file sharing and storage requirements for your VMs and containers using vSAN File Service.
What are the benefits of vSAN for administrators? Here are some of the advantages of using vSAN:
You can reduce storage cost and complexity with VMware vSAN, which provides the simplest path to HCI and multi-cloud.
You can get better price per performance using the latest storage technology on industry-standard servers.
You can enable multi-cloud management with centralized visibility and alerts for your vSAN infrastructure from a single cloud console, and manage VM and container-based applications seamlessly with VMware Tanzu integration.
You can maximize resource utilization by sharing storage across any topology, including stretched clusters and vCenter servers, with HCI Mesh.
You can easily provision a file share with a single workflow, and use vSAN as a unified storage control plane for both block and file storage.
What are the main features of vSAN 8 with Express Storage Architecture? Here are some of the highlights of this new release:
Optimized Performance: Boost performance on next-generation devices by up to 4x, without compromising space efficiency.
Supreme Efficiency: Lower storage TCO by up to 40% with enhanced data compression and adaptive storage efficiencies.
Heightened Resilience: Boost availability and meet higher SLA requirements through a new storage pool construct.
Agile Operations: Enjoy a consistent, intuitive management experience across all vSAN deployments and architectures.
Now that you have a general overview of vSAN, let's dive deeper into the details. In the next sections, you will learn how to design, deploy, and manage a vSAN cluster, and how to use vSAN File Service for file sharing.
System requirements and design considerations for vSAN
Before you deploy vSAN in a vSphere environment, you need to make sure that your system meets the hardware and software requirements, and that you have a suitable network configuration and topology. You also need to consider the storage device types and performance, the cluster size and scalability, and the licensing and editions of vSAN.
Hardware and software requirements
To use vSAN, you need the following hardware and software components:
A minimum of three ESXi hosts in a cluster. Each host must have at least one cache device and one capacity device. For hybrid clusters, the cache device must be a flash device. For all-flash clusters, both the cache and capacity devices must be flash devices. For vSAN Express Storage Architecture clusters, both the cache and capacity devices must be NVMe-based TLC flash devices.
A compatible network interface card (NIC) for each host. The NIC must support 1 Gbps or higher bandwidth. For hybrid clusters, 10 Gbps or higher is recommended. For all-flash clusters, 25 Gbps or higher is recommended. For vSAN Express Storage Architecture clusters, 100 Gbps or higher is required.
A compatible storage controller for each host. The controller must support pass-through or RAID 0 mode. For hybrid clusters, the controller must have a flash cache protection mechanism. For all-flash clusters, the controller must support TRIM/UNMAP commands.
A compatible server platform for each host. The server must be certified for ESXi and listed in the VMware Compatibility Guide.
A compatible version of VMware vSphere for each host. The minimum supported version is vSphere 6.5.
A compatible version of VMware vCenter Server for managing the cluster. The minimum supported version is vCenter Server 6.5.
You can check the compatibility of your hardware and software components by using the VMware Compatibility Guide for vSAN.
Network configuration and topology
To use vSAN, you need to configure your network settings and topology according to the following guidelines:
You must enable vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) on your cluster. VDS provides centralized management and monitoring of your network configuration.
You must create a dedicated VMkernel port group for vSAN traffic on each host. The port group must have an IP address assigned either statically or dynamically.
You must enable jumbo frames on your network devices. Jumbo frames allow larger packets of data to be transmitted, which improves network performance and efficiency.
You must use a multicast-enabled network layer for your vSAN cluster. Multicast is used for cluster membership and metadata communication.
You must use a supported network topology for your vSAN cluster. The topology must provide redundant paths between hosts and switches, and avoid single points of failure. You can use either a standard switch topology or a leaf-spine topology.
You can check the network configuration and topology of your vSAN cluster by using the vSAN Health Service.
Storage device types and performance
To use vSAN, you need to choose the right storage device types and performance for your cluster. You can use either hybrid or all-flash devices, depending on your workload requirements and budget constraints. You can also use vSAN Express Storage Architecture devices for optimal performance and efficiency on next-generation storage devices.
Hybrid devices: A hybrid device consists of a flash device for cache and a magnetic drive for capacity. A hybrid device provides a balance between performance and cost, but it has lower endurance and space efficiency than an all-flash device. A hybrid device is suitable for workloads that have moderate performance requirements and high capacity demands.
All-flash devices: An all-flash device consists of a flash device for both cache and capacity. An all-flash device provides higher performance and endurance than a hybrid device, but it has higher cost per GB than a hybrid device. An all-flash device is suitable for workloads that have high performance requirements and low capacity demands.
Cluster size and scalability
To use vSAN, you need to determine the optimal cluster size and scalability for your environment. You can scale out or scale up your cluster depending on your storage and compute needs. You can also expand storage independently from compute by using HCI Mesh.
Scale out: Scaling out means adding more hosts to your cluster. This increases both the storage and compute capacity of your cluster. Scaling out is recommended for workloads that have high availability and performance requirements, and that can benefit from distributed storage and compute resources.
Scale up: Scaling up means adding more devices or larger devices to your existing hosts. This increases only the storage capacity of your cluster, not the compute capacity. Scaling up is recommended for workloads that have low availability and performance requirements, and that can benefit from consolidated storage and compute resources.
HCI Mesh: HCI Mesh means sharing storage across different vSAN clusters or vCenter servers. This allows you to expand storage independently from compute, and to optimize resource utilization across your environment. HCI Mesh is recommended for workloads that have varying storage and compute demands, and that can benefit from flexible storage and compute allocation.
The minimum cluster size for vSAN is three hosts. The maximum cluster size depends on the vSphere version you are using. For vSphere 6.5 and later, the maximum cluster size is 64 hosts. For vSphere 6.0 and earlier, the maximum cluster size is 32 hosts.
You can check the cluster size and scalability of your vSAN cluster by using the vSAN Capacity Overview dashboard.
Licensing and editions
To use vSAN, you need to purchase a license for each host in your cluster. The license determines the features and functionality that are available for your cluster. You can choose from different editions of vSAN depending on your needs and budget.
vSAN Standard: This edition provides basic features such as distributed RAID, checksum, deduplication, compression, erasure coding, encryption, stretched cluster, HCI Mesh, and SPBM.
vSAN Advanced: This edition provides all the features of vSAN Standard, plus additional features such as all-flash support, local failure protection (RAID-5/6), remote-office/branch-office (ROBO) support, and native file services.
vSAN Enterprise: This edition provides all the features of vSAN Advanced, plus additional features such as site recovery manager (SRM) support, vRealize Operations integration, vRealize Log Insight integration, and support assistance.
vSAN Enterprise Plus: This edition provides all the features of vSAN Enterprise, plus additional features such as Express Storage Architecture support.
You can check the licensing and editions of your vSAN cluster by using the vSphere Client or the vSphere Web Client.
Creating and managing a vSAN cluster
After you have designed your vSAN cluster according to the system requirements and design considerations, you can proceed to create and manage your vSAN cluster. In this section, you will learn how to enable vSAN on a cluster, how to configure vSAN disk groups and storage policies, how to use vSphere Client and vSphere Web Client for vSAN management, how to monitor vSAN health and performance, and how to troubleshoot common vSAN issues.
Enabling vSAN on a cluster
To enable vSAN on a cluster, you need to perform the following steps:
Create a new cluster or select an existing cluster in the vSphere Client or the vSphere Web Client.
Enable vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) on the cluster if it is not already enabled.
Add at least three ESXi hosts to the cluster. Each host must have a compatible network interface card (NIC), a compatible storage controller, a compatible server platform, a compatible version of VMware vSphere, and at least one cache device and one capacity device.
Create a dedicated VMkernel port group for vSAN traffic on each host. The port group must have an IP address assigned either statically or dynamically.
Enable jumbo frames on your network devices if they are not already enabled.
Enable multicast on your network layer if it is not already enabled.
Select the cluster in the inventory pane of the vSphere Client or the vSphere Web Client.
Click the Configure tab and select vSAN from the list of services.
Click General and click Configure.
Select the vSAN cluster type. You can choose from Standard, Two host, or Stretched cluster.
Select the vSAN services that you want to enable. You can choose from Deduplication and compression, Encryption, and File service.
Click Next and review the validation results. If there are any errors or warnings, resolve them before proceeding.
Click Next and select the disk claiming method. You can choose from Automatic or Manual.
If you choose Automatic, select the storage device type for your cluster. You can choose from Hybrid or All-flash.
If you choose Manual, select the cache tier and capacity tier devices for each host.
Click Next and review the disk group configuration. If you want to change any settings, click Back and modify them.
Click Next and review the summary of your vSAN configuration. If you are satisfied with the settings, click Finish to enable vSAN on your cluster.
You can check the status of your vSAN cluster by using the vSphere Client or the vSphere Web Client.
Configuring vSAN disk groups and storage policies
To configure vSAN disk groups and storage policies, you need to perform the following steps:
Select the cluster in the inventory pane of the vSphere Client or the vSphere Web Client.
Click the Configure tab and select vSAN from the list of services.
Click Disk Management and view the disk groups for each host. A disk group consists of one cache device and one or more capacity devices. You can add, remove, or edit disk groups as needed.
Click Storage Policies and view the default storage policy for your cluster. A storage policy defines the storage requirements and capabilities for your virtual machines (VMs) and containers. You can create, edit, or delete storage policies as needed.
To create a new storage policy, click Create VM Storage Policy and follow the wizard. You can specify the name and description of your policy, the rule-set for your policy, and the tag-based placement for your policy.
To edit an existing storage policy, select the policy and click Edit VM Storage Policy. You can modify the name, description, rule-set, and tag-based placement of your policy.
To delete an existing storage policy, select the policy and click Delete VM Storage Policy. You can choose to keep or remove the existing associations of your policy with VMs and containers.
Using vSphere Client and vSphere Web Client for vSAN management
To use vSphere Client and vSphere Web Client for vSAN management, you need to perform the following steps:
Log in to the vSphere Client or the vSphere Web Client with a user account that has the appropriate privileges for vSAN management.
Select the cluster in the inventory pane of the vSphere Client or the vSphere Web Client.
Click the Monitor tab and select vSAN from the list of services.
Use the subtabs to view and manage different aspects of your vSAN cluster. You can use the following subtabs:
Health: View the health status and alerts for your cluster, hosts, disk groups, disks, network, limits, performance service, encryption, file service, and stretched cluster. You can also run health checks and tests, and view historical health data.
Performance: View the performance metrics and charts for your cluster, hosts, disk groups, disks, VMs, and file shares. You can also customize the time range and granularity of the performance data.
Capacity: View the capacity overview and breakdown for your cluster, disk groups, disks, VMs, containers, and file shares. You can also view the deduplication and compression ratio, the space efficiency savings, and the capacity alerts.
Skyline Health: View the proactive findings and recommendations for your cluster, hosts, disk groups, disks, network, limits, performance service, encryption, file service, and stretched cluster. You can also run Skyline Health checks and tests, and view historical Skyline Health data.
Proactive Tests: Run proactive tests to verify the availability and performance of your cluster. You can run tests such as network performance test, multicast performance test, storage performance test, VM creation test, and HCI Mesh test.
Support: View the support information and resources for your cluster. You can generate a support bundle, view online documentation, access VMware Knowledge Base articles, contact VMware Support, and join VMware Communities.
You can check the status of your vSAN cluster by using the vSphere Client or the vSphere Web Client.
Monitoring vSAN health and performance
To monitor vSAN health and performance, you need to use the vSAN Health Service and the vSAN Performance Service. These services provide comprehensive and proactive monitoring of your vSAN cluster.
vSAN Health Service: The vSAN Health Service monitors the health status and alerts for your cluster, hosts, disk groups, disks, network, limits, performance service, encryption, file service, and stretched cluster. It also runs health checks and tests to verify the functionality and configuration of your cluster. You can view the vSAN Health Service data by using the Health subtab under the Monitor tab in the vSphere Client or the vSphere Web Client.
, and file shares. It also provides historical performance data and trends for your cluster. You can view the vSAN Performance Service data by using the Performance subtab under the Monitor tab in the vSphere Client or the vSphere Web Client.
To monitor vSAN health and performance, you need to enable and configure the vSAN Health Service and the vSAN Performance Service on your cluster. You can do this by performing the following steps:
Select the cluster in the inventory pane of the vSphere Client or the vSphere Web Client.
Click the Configure tab and select vSAN from the list of services.
Click Services and view the status of the vSAN Health Service and the vSAN Performance Service. If they are not enabled, click Edit and enable them.
Click Health Service and configure the settings for the vSAN Health Service. You can specify the health check interval, the health check level, the health check telemetry, and the online health check.
Click Performance Service and configure the settings for the vSAN Performance Service. You can specify the performance statistics level, the performance data collection mode, and the perf
