我的學習手記 A technical geek blog: Some stuff about VMware and storage API integration

Friday, August 21, 2015

VMware vSphere Storage API

1. VMware vSphere Storage API - Storage Awareness (VASA)

2. vSphere Storage APIs ¡V Array Integration (VAAI)

3. vStorage APIs for Data Protection (VADP)

VAAI

Scalable Locking (ATS Status)

Full Copy (Clone Status)

Zero Offload (Zero Status)

Thin Provisioning Stun (Delete Status)

Space Reclamation (Delete Status)

How to check a storage support VAAI from ESXi host?

# esxcli storage core device vaai status get

Example:

naa.600

VAAI Plugin Name:

ATS Status: supported

Clone Status: supported

Zero Status: supported

Delete Status: supported

ATS Status, Clone Status (XCOPY)

Zero Status (WRITE_SAME)

Delete Status (UNMAP)

vStorage APIs for Array Integration FAQ:

Atomic Test & Set (ATS), which is used during creation and locking of files on the VMFS volume

Clone Blocks/Full Copy/XCOPY, which is used to copy or migrate data within the same physical array

Zero Blocks/Write Same, which is used to zero-out disk regions

Thin Provisioning in ESXi 5.x and later hosts, which allows the ESXi host to tell the array when the space previously occupied by a virtual machine (whether it be deleted or migrated to another datastore) can be reclaimed on thin provisioned LUNs.

Block Delete in ESXi 5.x and later hosts, which allows for space to be reclaimed using the SCSI UNMAP feature. For more information on Block Delete/SCSI UNMAP, see Using vmkfstools to reclaim VMFS deleted blocks on thin-provisioned LUNs (2014849)

vSphere Virtual Volumes Interoperability: VAAI APIs vs VVOLs

http://www.punchingclouds.com/2015/02/19/vsphere-virtual-volumes-interoperability-vaai-apis-vs-vvols/

Benefits of VMware Virtual Volumes (VVOLs)

1. VMware snapshots are now array based snapshots, enabling them to be kept indefinitely and restored from within seconds.

2. Virtual machine deployment tasks can be completed in seconds, a task which previously took several minutes.

3. Array metrics can now be mapped to individual virtual machines and individual virtual disks, enabling both vSphere administrators and Storage administrators to use their preferred tools for granular performance diagnostics.

4. Storage administrators gain visibility to the individual virtual machines and storage capacity they are they consuming.

Remark:

VMware Virtual Volumes (VVOLs) interoperability with other vSphere products and features

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2112039

VMware Virtual Volumes (VVOLs) limitation

1. Storage DRS (SDRS) is not supported with VVOLs.

2. SCSI-2 reservations are not supported. (VMFS3 or VMFS5 upgrade from VMFS3) - Need new formatted VMFS5

Reference:

https://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-responds-to-vsphere-5.pdf

http://vinfrastructure.it/2011/08/news-in-vsphere-5-storage-api/

http://www.vcloudnine.de/vstorage-api-for-array-integration-vsphere-essentials-plus/

http://xtremio.com/xtremio-in-vmware-environments-the-hidden-gems