Tag Archives: Virtual Storage

VMware’s Virtual SAN (vSAN) 6.6 Went GA Today!

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VMware’s Virtual SAN (vSAN) 6.6 Went GA Today!

 

Today, April 18th, 2017, VMware announced that Virtual SAN (vSAN) 6.6 is now Generally Available (GA)! VMware vSAN (formerly Virtual SAN), is the industry-leading software powering Hyper-Converged Infrastructure solutions. vSAN is a core building block for the Software-Defined Data Center.

What vSAN Does?

Enables You To Evolve Without Risk – As the only native-vSphere storage, vSAN enables you to seamlessly extend virtualization to storage, creating a hyper-converged solution that simply works with your existing tools, skill sets, software solutions and hardware platforms. vSAN now further reduces risk with the first native HCI security solution, protecting data-at-rest while offering simple management and a hardware-agnostic solution. vSAN continues to offer the broadest set of deployment choices supported by the large, proven vSAN ReadyNode ecosystem of leading server vendors.

Reduces TCO – Faced with tight IT budgets, customers are turning to HCI powered by vSAN to lower total cost of ownership up to 50%. vSAN can dramatically reduce costs due to hardware choice, server-side economics, and affordable flash. Your operations become easier with fewer tasks and intelligent automation that can be managed through one tool and a unified team. The simplicity allows you to respond to business demands faster and more intelligently. New enhanced stretch clusters deliver site and local protection at half the cost of leading traditional solutions.

Scales To Tomorrow – As your businesses continue to evolve, the agility of vSAN helps you prepare for tomorrow’s IT demands—whether that requires expanding into the public cloud or rapidly deploying the latest flash and server technologies to gain a competitive advantage. vSAN also supports a wide range of applications, from current business critical applications to next-gen applications and containers. When combined with NSX, a vSAN powered SDDC stack can extend on-premises storage and management services across different public clouds ensuring a consistent experience.

 

To get more information, check out the below links…

Virtual SAN (vSAN) 6.6 Release Notes:   http://pubs.vmware.com/Release_Notes/en/vsan/66/vmware-virtual-san-66-release-notes.html

Virtual SAN (vSAN) 6.6 Documentation:   https://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/virtual-san-pubs.html

 

vSAN Got a 2.5x Performance Increase: Thank You…

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vSAN Got a 2.5x Performance Increase: Thank You Intel Optane! [blogs.vmware.com/virtualblocks]

vSAN Got a 2.5x Performance Increase: Thank You…

Today, March 19th Intel announced the Intel® Optane™ SSD DC P4800X—the first flash device built on the much-anticipated 3D XPoint technology. This is exciting news for vSAN customers, since—as a result of Intel and VMware’s active collaboration—we are pleased to offer day 1 support of vSAN 6.5 and ESXi 6.5 with the Intel® Optane™ SSD DC P4800X. This is the first Intel Optane NVMe drive (375GB) to be made available with more coming soon (750GB and 1.5TB).

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Designing vSAN Networks – Why Should I Use the Distributed Switch?

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Designing vSAN Networks – Why Should I Use the Distributed Switch? – via Virtual Blocks

Designing vSAN Networks – Why Should I Use the…

The vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) is a powerful, but often misunderstood technology that is included with VMware vSAN. This post will review some of my favorite settings on the VDS, and how you can use them to get better control, performance, and visibility into your virtual SAN cluster. While it is most known for the ability to create port groups that exist on all hosts with a simple click, it also has a lot of lesser known but incredibly powerful functions that will aid the vSAN administrator.

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Top 5 Q&A: Getting More out of vSAN – Session 1

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Top 5 Q&A: Getting More out of vSAN – Session 1 – via Virtual Blocks

Top 5 Q&A: Getting More out of vSAN – Session 1

In 2017, we kicked off Getting More Out of vSAN, an ongoing technical webcast series led by vSAN experts and designed to support you, our customers, with deployment and operation of vSAN. This webcast series is unique because of the interactive, live Q&A session at the end, where you can voice your concerns, provide feedback, and get your questions answered live by the vSAN product team!

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vSAN Availability Part 11 – Stretched Cluster Stretched Cluster Failure Scenarios

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vSAN Availability Part 11 – Stretched Cluster Failure Scenarios – via JeffHunter.info

vSAN Availability Part 11 – Stretched Cluster…

Previous articles have covered how vSAN responds to and recovers from various environmental failures in a standard (non-stretched) cluster. This article provides concise coverage of similar environmental failures in a stretched cluster environment.

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Thin Provision and Thick Provision disk – My Virtual Journey

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Thin Provision and Thick Provision disk – via My Virtual Journey

Thin Provision and Thick Provision disk – My…

In previous post of this series, we’ve discussed virtual hardware and virtual version of a VM. And in this post, we’ll discuss about virtual disk and its types for a VM. if you missed previous posts of this series, you can follow them here.

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Designing vSAN Networks – Why should I Use the Distributed Switch?

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Designing vSAN networks – Why should I use the Distributed Switch? – via Virtual Blocks

Designing vSAN networks – Why should I use the…

The vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) is a powerful, but often misunderstood technology that is included with VMware vSAN. This post will review some of my favorite settings on the VDS, and how you can use them to get better control, performance, and visibility into your virtual SAN cluster.

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Designing vSAN Networks – Using Multiple…

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Designing vSAN Networks – Using Multiple Interfaces? – via Virtual Blocks

Designing vSAN Networks – Using Multiple…

vSAN can leverage a number of core ESXi networking features to increase performance and availability. vSAN VMkernel ports should always be configured to use more than one interface to preserve availability in the event of a link failure. There are a number of ways to configure this fail over.

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Step by Step Configuration Guide for Using Openfiler as Shared Storage in ESXi and vSphere Environment

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Step by Step Configuration Guide for Using Openfiler as Shared Storage in ESXi and vSphere Environment – via VMware Insight

Step by Step Configuration Guide for Using…

As part of setting up Home Lab for virtual environment, we read about installation of Openfiler appliance in the previous article “Installation Guide – Openfiler as Shared Storage for Virtual Environment Lab”. Let’s move on to the configuration part and see how we can manage this appliance for accessing shared storage ESXi Hosts.

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New vSAN Management Pack for vRealize Operations

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New vSAN Management Pack for vRealize Operations – via CormacHogan.com

New vSAN Management Pack for vRealize Operations

Last month we announced the release of a new vROps Management Pack specifically for vSAN. Previously the vSAN Management Pack was bundled with the MPSD – Management Pack for Storage Devices. I wrote about this when it entered beta, way back in 2015. Well, for those customers who are only interested in monitoring vSAN, and didn’t want all the other parts of the MPSD, the new vSAN Management Pack is now a stand-alone offering, so no MPSD required.

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vSAN Stretched Cluster – Partition behavior changes – via CormacHogan.com

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vSAN Stretched Cluster – Partition behavior changes – via CormacHogan.com

vSAN Stretched Cluster – Partition behavior…

My good pal Paudie and I are back in full customer[0] mode these past few weeks, testing out lots of new and upcoming features in future release of vSAN. Our testing led us to building a new vSAN stretched cluster, with 5 nodes on the preferred site, 5 nodes on the secondary site, and of course the obligatory witness node.

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Can you run all-flash with vSAN 6.2 Standard…

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Can you run all-flash with vSAN 6.2 Standard license? – via Yellow Bricks

Can you run all-flash with vSAN 6.2 Standard…

As I get the following question a lot I figured I would share the answer here as well: Can you run all-flash with vSAN 6.2 Standard license? Many of you have seen the change in licensing when 6.5 was introduced. No longer is vSAN licenses based on storage hardware used, spindles or all-flash, you can use the lowest license SKU.

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Configure vSAN with iSCSI based disks – vMBaggum

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Configure vSAN with iSCSI based disks – via vMBaggum

Configure vSAN with iSCSI based disks – vMBaggum

This post describes how to configure vSAN with iSCSI based disks and allow vSAN to claim iSCSI disks and contribute to the vSAN Disk Group.

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vSAN 6.5: A Real-World Review — Virtualization Review

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vSAN 6.5: A Real-World Review — Virtualization Review

vSAN 6.5: A Real-World Review — Virtualization…

VMware’s updated software-defined storage product mostly finds its mark.

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The Promise of Software‐Defined Storage (SDS) — VMware Education & Certification Blog

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The Promise of Software‐Defined Storage (SDS) — VMware Education & Certification Blog

The Promise of Software‐Defined Storage (SDS)…

Together with Intel, VMware has released a new ebook covering virtualized storage, Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI), and vSAN. Hyper‐Converged Infrastructure for Dummies by Michael Haag shows you the ways HCI evolves how compute, storage, and management are delivered and provisioned to help you cut operational and capital costs, increase IT and business agility, and improve application […] The post The Promise of Software‐Defined Storage (SDS) appeared first on VMware Education and…Read More

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[Webcast] Hyper-Converged Infrastructure for Dummies on 12/6

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[Webcast] Hyper-Converged Infrastructure for Dummies on 12/6

[Webcast] Hyper-Converged Infrastructure for…

Join us on 12/6 to see how HCI can help you keep up with next-gen data center demands.

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VMware vSphere 6.5 Storage – VMFS 6 with Automatic UNMAP to Reclaim Dead Blocks

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VMware vSphere 6.5 Storage – VMFS 6 with Automatic UNMAP to Reclaim Dead blocks – vladan.fr

VMware vSphere 6.5 Storage – VMFS 6 with…

VMware vSphere 6.5 has also new updated file system VMFS-6. We haven’t talked about it just yet, as there is so much to cover. We have covered so far the vCenter upgrades, ESXi upgrades (via ISO/CD-ROM, but also via VMware Online Depot or Via “Offline Bundle”.

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Looking for a iSCSI Target Usage Guide for the New Virtual SAN (vSAN) 6.5?

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Looking for a iSCSI Target Usage Guide for the New Virtual SAN (vSAN) 6.5?

 

2016-11-21_11-49-55

 

Looking to learn how to use the new iSCSI Target feature when using Virtual SAN (vSAN) 6.5? Then click on the link below and download the iSCSI Target Usage Guide in a PDF format!

Link:  https://storagehub.vmware.com/#!/vmware-vsan/iscsi-target-usage-guide

 

 

vSAN Troubleshooting Tools (Part 1)

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vSAN Troubleshooting Tools (Part 1)

vSAN Troubleshooting Tools (Part 1)

In Part 1 of the vSAN Troubleshooting Tools series, Francis Daly covers VMware’s most useful troubleshooting tools for vSAN- vSphere web client, esxcli and more.

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Subscribe for vSAN Announcements and Updates

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Subscribe for vSAN Announcements and Updates – Virtual Blocks

Subscribe for vSAN announcements and updates -…

From time to time, the vSAN team would like to send updates on important vSAN patch releases or spread awareness on issues that we feel may be relevant to customers and partners.

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vSAN Software Components

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vSAN Software Components

vSAN Software Components

In this video, Francis Daly talks about the importance of the vSAN software components and what happens under the covers in a vSAN cluster.

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VMware vSAN 6.5 Licensing PDF

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VMware vSAN 6.5 Licensing PDF – vladan.fr

VMware vSAN 6.5 Licensing PDF

There has been new VMware vSAN 6.5 Licensing paper released. As the offer evolved and the 6.5 of vSAN (now with small “v” have you noticed ?) product release is imminent, VMware is taking care of pushing the necessary information out.

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Get More out of HCI with Simple, Scalable vSAN – (3) Part Webinar Series

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Get More out of HCI with Simple, Scalable vSAN – (3) Part Webinar Series

 

2016-11-10_10-30-22

In this 3-part webinar series, we will show you how VMware vSAN accommodates non-virtualized workloads with iSCSI support, eliminates the need for routers and switches in 2-node ROBO deployments, and how to save on storage costs through server side economics and greater space efficiency. We’ll also describe how a single SPBM framework delivers consistent performance and protection in mixed vSAN and VVOL environments.

  • Episode 1: What’s New in vSAN 6.5
  • Episode 2: Deploying SPBM for Mixed Storage
  • Episode 3: Storage Cost Savings with All Flash

[Webcast] Hyper-Converged Infrastructure for Dummies on 12/6

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[Webcast] Hyper-Converged Infrastructure for Dummies on 12/6

[Webcast] Hyper-Converged Infrastructure for…

Want to understand what hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) is and how it can transform your data center? Join our “HCI for Dummies” webcast on 12/6 for more.

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Video – Virtual SAN 6.5 iSCSI support

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Video – Virtual SAN 6.5 iSCSI support – ntpro.nl

Video – Virtual SAN 6.5 iSCSI support

Virtual SAN 6.5 adds support for native iSCSI support within VSAN. The main use cases are supporting physical servers and also Microsoft Clustering Technologies that require shared disks. One can create iSCSI Targets and LUNs on VSAN and use iSCSI initiator to access the storage.

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The difference Between VM Encryption in vSphere 6.5 and vSAN Encryption (Yellow-Bricks)

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The difference Between VM Encryption in vSphere 6.5

and vSAN 6.5 Encryption (Yellow-Bricks)

 

More and more people are starting to ask me what the difference is between VMCrypt aka VM Encryption and the beta feature we announced not to long ago called vSAN Encryption. (Note, we announced a beta, no promises were made around dates or actual releases or releasing of the feature.) Both sounds very much the same and essential both end up encrypting the VM but there is a big difference in terms of how it is implemented. There are advantages and disadvantages to both solutions. Lets look at VM Encryption first.

VM Encryption is implemented through VAIO (vSphere APIs for IO Filters). The VAIO framework allows a filter driver to do “things” to/with the IO that a VM sends down to a device. One of these things is encryption. Now before I continue, take a look at this picture of where the filter driver sits.

As you can see the filter driver is implemented in the User World and the action against the IO is taken at the top level. If this for instance is encryption then any data send across the wire is already encrypted. Great in terms of security of course. And all of this can be enabled through policy. Simply create the policy, select the VM or VMDK you want to encrypt and there you go. So if it is that awesome, why vSAN Encryption?

 

Continue Reading Blog… Click Here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s New with Virtual SAN 6.5? – New Features…

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What’s New with Virtual SAN 6.5? – New Features Overview -vmwarearena.com

What’s New with Virtual SAN 6.5? – New Features…

With the release of vSphere 6.5, fith generation of VMware Virtual SAN which is Virtual SAN 6.5, Industry leading software powering hyper-converged infrastructure solution released. In March 2016, Virtual SAN 6.2 is released with vSphere 6 Update 2. Which includes the enhancements like Deduplication and Compression, RAID-5/RAID-6 – Erasure Coding, Software Checksum, IPV6 and Performance […] The post What’s New with Virtual SAN 6.5? – New Features Overview appeared first on VMware Arena.

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What’s New with VMware Virtual SAN 6.5

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What’s New with VMware Virtual SAN 6.5 -Virtual Blocks

What’s New with VMware Virtual SAN 6.5

VMware Virtual SAN 6.5 is the latest release of the market-leading, enterprise-class storage solution for hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI). Virtual SAN 6.5 builds on the existing features introduced in 6.2 by enhancing automation, further reducing total cost of ownership (TCO), and setting the stage for next-generation cloud native applications.

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VMware’s Yanbing Li on Virtual SAN 6.5

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VMware’s Yanbing Li on Virtual SAN 6.5

VMware’s Yanbing Li on Virtual SAN 6.5

VMware’s SVP & GM of Storage and Availability at VMware discusses the updates in Virtual SAN 6.5 following the news announced at VMworld 2016 Europe in Barcelona.

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VMware Storage Technology Names & Acronyms

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VMware Storage Technology Names & Acronyms -Live Virtually

VMware Storage Technology Names & Acronyms

VSAN = Virtual SAN (… the V is Capitalized, i.e. its not vSAN) SPBM = Storage Policy Based Management VASA = vSphere API&#rsquo;s for Storage Awareness VVol = Virtual Volume PE = Protocol Endpoint VAAI = vSphere API&#rsquo;s for Array Integration VAIO Filtering = vSphere API&#rsquo;s for IO Filtering VR = vSphere Replication SRM = […]

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VMware Storage Technology Names & Acronyms

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VMware Storage Technology Names & Acronyms -Live Virtually

VMware Storage Technology Names & Acronyms

VSAN = Virtual SAN (… the V is Capitalized, i.e. its not vSAN) SPBM = Storage Policy Based Management VASA = vSphere API&#rsquo;s for Storage Awareness VVol = Virtual Volume PE = Protocol Endpoint VAAI = vSphere API&#rsquo;s for Array Integration VAIO Filtering = vSphere API&#rsquo;s for IO Filtering VR = vSphere Replication SRM = […]

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Running your VSAN witness for a 2 node cluster…

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“Running your VSAN witness for a 2 node cluster on a 2 node cluster” via Yellow Bricks

Running your VSAN witness for a 2 node cluster…

A week ago we had a discussion on twitter about a scenario which was talked about at VMworld. The scenario is one where you have two 2-node clusters and for each 2-node cluster the required Witness VM is running on the other. Let me show you what I mean to make it clear: The Witness […] ” Running your VSAN witness for a 2 node cluster on a 2 node cluster ” originally appeared on Yellow-Bricks.com . Follow me on twitter – @DuncanYB.

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