vSAN Storage with VMware Cloud Foundation
vSAN is the preferred principal storage type for
VMware
Cloud Foundation
. It is an enterprise-class storage integrated with vSphere and managed by a single platform. vSAN is optimized for flash storage and can non-disruptively expand capacity and performance by adding hosts to a cluster (scale-out) or by adding disks to a host (scale-up).vSAN is typically used as principal storage, however it can be used as supplemental storage in a cluster when HCI Mesh is implemented.
Storage Type | Consolidated Workload Domain | Management Domain | VI Workload Domain |
|---|---|---|---|
Principal | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Supplemental | No | No | Yes |
Prerequisites for vSAN Storage
In order to create a VI workload domain that uses vSAN as principal storage you must ensure the following:
- A minimum of three ESXi hosts that meet the vSAN hardware, cluster, software, networking and license requirements. For information, see the vSAN Planning and Deployment Guide.
- Perform a VxRail first run specifying the vSAN configuration settings. For information on the VxRail first run, contact Dell EMC Support.
- A valid vSAN license. See License Management.
In some instances SDDC Manager may be unable to automatically mark the host disks as capacity. Follow the Mark Flash Devices as Capacity Using ESXCLI procedure in the vSAN Planning and Deployment Guide.
Procedures for vSAN Storage
- To use vSAN as principal storage for a new VI workload domain, perform the VxRail first run and then create the VI workload domain. See Creating VxRail VI Workload Domains.
- To use vSAN as principal storage for a new cluster, perform the VxRail first run and then add the VxRail cluster. See Add a VxRail Cluster to a Workload Domain Using the SDDC Manager UI.