VMware Virtual Volumes

Roundtable

Hello

Our PanelKeith NorbieSr. Business Development Manager, SolidFire@keithnorbie

Josh AtwellCloud Architect, SolidFire@josh_atwell

Rawlinson RiveraPrincipal Architect, VMware@punchingclouds

Andy BantaStorage Janitor, SolidFire@andybanta

Ken WerneburgSenior Architect, VMware@VmKen

Brought to you by:

Agenda

• SolidFire and VMware

• Topics:

–What are VVOLs? Why care?–Storage Based Policy Management & VVOLs

–Architectural Changes with VVOLs–How are VVOLs Consumed?–SolidFire & VVOLs

• Q & A throughout

Topic #1: What are VVOLs? Why care?

Change in operational model

Enables Greater Control

Change in the Operational Model

vSphereVirtual Volumes

SolidFire

Vendor Provider (VASA)

Control Path

Control PathVVOLs

DataPathProtocol Endpoint PE

Overview

• No File System

• ESX manages array through VASA APIs

• Arrays are logically partitioned into containers, called Storage Containers

• VM disks, called Virtual Volumes, stored natively on the Storage Containers.

• IO from ESX to array is addressed through an access point called Protocol Endpoint (PE)

• Data services are offloaded to the array

• Managed through storage policy-based management framework

Storage Admin

VI Admin

Storage Policies

Virtual DatastoreAccess

Capacity

Published Capabilities

Without Virtual Volumes

vSphere

Enables Greater Control

Policy based Management

Offloaded Data Services

Eliminates LUN Management

Provides Per-VM GranularityvSphere

Array-a Array-b

LUN

LUNLUN

LUN

LUN

AND

External Storage Architectures

With Virtual Volumes

6

Replication Snapshots Caching Encryption De-duplication

Topic #2: Storage Based Policy Management & VVOLs:

Admin Roles & Automation

• Easy Capacity management• Meet VM SLOs• Access Control and Security

VVOLs – Serving different roles

• Ability to express application (VM/VMDK) granular data services• Provide easy on-demand Capacity provisioning• Compliance Monitoring• Ability to get most out of the storage system

VI admin

Storage admin

Virtual Machines

VVOLs – New Operations

Storage capabilities

Storage policies

vSphere Web Client

Storage Management UI

Datastores

Virtual Volumes

Storage Container

What do the admins need to get familiar with?

VVol VVol VVol

9

Storage Capabilities and VM Storage Policies

• Storage Capabilities are array based features and data services specifications that capture storage requirements that can be satisfied by a storage arrays advertised as capabilities.

• Storage capabilities define what an array can offer to storage containers as opposed to what the VM requires.

• Arrays Storage Capabilities are advertises to vSphere through the Vendor Provider and VASA APIs

• In vSphere Storage Capabilities are consumed via VM Storage Policy constructs.

• VM Storage Policies is a component of the vSphere Storage Policy-based management framework (SPBM)

Topic #3: Architectural Changes with VVOLs

VASA Provider Controls All

Storage Containers and PEs

VASA Provider (VP)

- Software component developed by Storage Array Vendors

- ESX and vCenter Server connect to VASA Provider

- Provides Storage awareness services- Single VASA Provider can manager multiple

arrays- Supports VASA APIs exported by ESX- VASA Provider can be implemented within

the array’s management server or firmware- Responsible for control plane

vSphere 6.0 - Protocol Endpoints (PE)Why Protocol Endpoints?

• Separate the access points from the storage itself

• Can have fewer access points

What are Protocol Endpoints?

• Access points that enable communication between ESXi hosts and storage array systems.

• They are part of the physical storage fabric

• Created by storage administrators

•Compatible with all SAN and NAS Protocols:- iSCSI- NFS v3 - FC- FCoE

Virtual Volumes

VASA Provider PE

13

Storage Container (SC)What are Storage Containers?

• Logical storage constructs for grouping of virtual volumes.

• Setup by storage administrators

• Capacity is based on physical storage capacity

• Logically partition or VM isolation with diverse storage needs and requirement

• Minimum one storage container per array

• Maximum depends on the array

• A single SC can be simultaneously accessed via multiple Protocol Endpoints

Virtual Volumes

vCenter

SC SC

Topic #4: How are VVOLs Consumed?

New Deployments (vSphere, vRealize)

Migrating to VVOLs (SPBM, vRealize)

New Deployment Model - vSphere, vRealize

Migrating to VVOLs

Topic #5: SolidFire & VVOLs - The future together

Exposed Capabilities Comparison

vsLegacy SolidFire

VMware Virtual VolumesWhat Does SolidFire Intend to Deliver?

• Protocol Endpoints will exist per node, not as an external VM• Every SolidFire feature recognized by vSphere will be supported natively through

our VASA provider• We will not compromise the “Why?” of SolidFire• We will have the most differentiated, most complete block storage solution for

VMware Virtual Volumes, because that’s what we do

Scale-Out Infrastructure Agility

GuaranteedQuality of Service

Complete System Automation

In-Line Data Reduction

Self HealingHigh Availability

Questions?

Summary and Last Takes

• VVOLs are about Storage Automation – Are you automating?• VVOLs are also about IT Consumption• VVOLs rev 1 is has rev 1 limitations – No replication support• You can benefit and modernize your vSphere 6 storage without VVOLs!• SolidFire will provide a VVOLs implementation that exceeds most rev 1

implementations today!– Performance Management– Scale– Automation Integration

Thank you