POWERSTORE 3.

0
ADMINISTRATION -
VMWARE PROVISIONING

PARTICIPANT GUIDE

PARTICIPANT GUIDE
 PowerStore 3.0 Administration - VMware Provisioning

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Table of Contents

PowerStore 3.0 Administration - VMware Provisioning 5

Introduction 5

PowerStore Support for Data Virtualization 6

PowerStore Integration with VMware vSphere 6
VASA Support 8
Virtual Volumes Support 10

Provisioning VMFS Datastores 12

VMware ESXi Host iSCSI Connectivity 12
ESXi Host Configuration in PowerStore Manager 14
ESXi Multipathing 20
Activity: Create an ESXi Host Configuration 21
Practice: Create an ESXi Host Configuration 22
ESXi Host Access to Provisioned Volumes 22
Activity: Present Volume to an ESXi Host 25
Practice: Present a PowerStore Volume to an ESXi Host 26
Expand Capacity of VMFS Datastores 26
Activity: VMFS Datastore 29
Practice: Manage VMFS Datastores 30
Data Virtualization and VMFS Datastore Key Points 30

Provisioning NFS Datastores 32

VMware File Systems Overview 32
VMware File System Details 33
Create VMware File System 34
Discover Storage Device in vSphere 40
Activity: VMware File System 44
Practice: Configure VMware File System 44
Monitoring and Managing Virtual Machines 45
Modify Capacity of NFS Datastores 46
Unmap and Remove VMware File System in PowerStore 49

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 NFS Datastore Key Points 50

Provisioning vVol Datastores 52

Configure PowerStore to Store Virtual Volumes 52
Provision Virtual Machines on vVol Datastore 64
Manage a vVol Datastore 78
vVol Datastore Key Points 97

Appendix 99

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 PowerStore Support for Data Virtualization

PowerStore 3.0 Administration - VMware Provisioning

Introduction

Configure and manage VMware Provisioning:

 Explain how PowerStore integrates with vSphere virtualized
environment.
 Configure and manage PowerStore storage resources for VMFS
Datastores.
 Configure and manage PowerStore storage resources for NFS
Datastores.
 Configure and manage PowerStore storage resources for vVol
Datastores.

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PowerStore Support for Data Virtualization

PowerStore Integration with VMware vSphere

PowerStore, with its close integration with VMware vSphere, is optimized

for virtualized environments. PowerStore provides the storage capabilities
to support specialized VMware datastores in vSphere, shared by ESXi
hosts.

PowerStore supports three types of VMware datastores:

 Block volumes are discovered and mounted as VMFS datastores.
 On PowerStore T, exported file systems are mounted as NFS
datastores.
 Storage containers are mounted as vVol datastores.

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Supported VMware storage

PowerStore works closely with existing VMware storage management and

integration features.
 vStorage API for Storage Awareness (VASA)
 vStorage API for Array Integration (VAAI) for SAN and NAS

PowerStore X provides a hypervisor layer in addition to block

storage.
 VMware ESXi is the base operating system running
on the PowerStore X hardware.
 PowerStore X appliances use a portion of the system
resources and storage space to run the PowerStore
software VMs.

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VASA Support

Overview

vStorage API for Storage Awareness (VASA) is a VMware-defined

vendor neutral API that enables vSphere to determine the capabilities of a
storage system.
 VASA provides a common way for VMware to integrate with storage
vendors.
 The API is implemented using an out-of-band, Simple Object Access
Protocol (SOAP) over HTTPS.
 The API requests basic storage information from a storage system,
and displays this information in VMware vCenter.
 The information is used for monitoring and reporting storage details to
a Storage or VMware administrator.
 VASA also allows PowerStore to be aware of VMWare Virtual
Machines configured to use PowerStore vVol storage.

VASA gathers information about the PowerStore system. Features also

include reporting of granular I/O statistics, and active management of
virtual volumes and their related entities.

PowerStore system that is registered as a VASA storage provider in vSphere

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VASA Sessions

A VASA session is created when a vCenter connects to the VASA

Provider using the VASA protocol.
 PowerStore supports the latest VASA protocols.
 The protocol enables and enforces only one session per vCenter.
 Sessions are created with information about the context of the host
(FC/iSCSI initiators, NFS mounts, and so on) for use in filtering results.
 Sessions are maintained in memory only.

 Sessions are not persisted across restarts.

 vCenter detects a failed session and automatically starts a new
one.

Plugins

PowerStore supports Dell Technologies tools that enhance its integration

with VMware. Some of the key plugins are listed here.

Plugin Description

Virtual Storage Integrator (VSI) for Enables provisioning, managing, and

VMware vSphere Web Client monitoring storage from vSphere

vRealize Orchestrator (vRO) Plug- Streamline VMware and PowerStore

in for PowerStore tasks through automation workflows

Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) SRA extends the disaster-restart

management functionality of
VMware Site Recovery Manager
(SRM) to the PowerStore storage
environment. Dell offers an SRA for
block storage and an SRA for file
storage.

In addition, PowerStore X appliances include support for VMware NSX

Data Center for vSphere (NSX-V). NSX-V is a network virtualization and

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security platform that enables the implementation of virtual networks on a

physical network.

Go to: Verify the latest list of supported plugins in the

Virtualization Infrastructure Guide on PowerStore Info Hub.

Virtual Volumes Support

PowerStore supports storage provisioning for VMware virtual volumes

(vVols). vVols are stored in PowerStore storage containers, which have
a 1:1 mapping with VMware vVol datastores.

PowerStore communicates with the vCenter server using the VASA

protocol. VASA makes information about the PowerStore storage system,
including storage container properties and data services, visible in
vCenter.

Communication is established through Protocol Endpoints (PE), which

establish a data path between the ESXi hosts and storage containers.

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vVols communication

Benefits:
 Use storage profiles in vCenter, with configurable rules, to provision
virtual machines. Storage profile rules include usage tags, QoS priority,
and storage properties.
 Reporting on existing vVols and related virtual machines in
PowerStore Manager without requiring continuous polling.
 VM-level granularity, which offloads data services operations to the
PowerStore system. Data service operations include individual VM
snapshots, fast clones, and full clones.

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Provisioning VMFS Datastores

VMware ESXi Host iSCSI Connectivity

iSCSI Connectivity

Verify that the ESXi host VMkernel adapter is associated with the iSCSI
Software Adapter, so that initiator and target have connectivity.

Open a vSphere Client session to the vCenter server that manages the
ESXi host. Go to the Hosts and Clusters section and select the ESXi
host. Then perform the following operations:
1. Expand the Storage section and select Storage Adapters.
2. Select the adapter under the iSCSI Software Adapter section.
3. Open the Network Port Binding tab.
4. Verify that the iSCSI VMkernel network adapter from the VMkernel
adapters page is listed. The Port Group Policy must be Compliant and
the Path Status Active, indicating that the initiator and target
connectivity is set. If not listed, the adapter must be added by selecting
Add.

iSCSI VMkernel network adapter vmk1 is associated with the iSCSI Software Adapter
vmhba65

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Discover Targets

To discover the ESXi host initiator in the PowerStore cluster, enable the
ESXi host to discover the PowerStore iSCSI targets.

From the vSphere Web Client session to the vCenter Server > ESXi Host
Configure tab:
1. Open the Dynamic Discovery tab.
2. Click Add to open the Add Send Target Server dialog.
3. Type the Global Storage Discovery IP address, or the storage IP
address of one of the nodes of the Cluster appliance.
4. Click OK to close the Add Send Target Server dialog and save the
configuration.
5. The IP address is displayed in the list of iSCSI servers. Repeat to add
another target.

The Global Storage Discovery IP for Cluster1 is added for dynamic discovery

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Paths

If iSCSI connectivity is set correctly, the paths between the initiator and
the iSCSI servers (targets) can be verified:
 Select the Paths tab on the details information page of the adapter. If
no adapter is selected from the Storage adapters page, there is
nothing displayed on the bottom of the page.
 The status of all paths should be active. The LUNs column is empty
because there is no provisioned volume presented to the ESXi host.

The paths to each node of the Appliance 1 of Cluster1

Tip: If the VMKernel port, iSCSI storage adapter, and

Network Port Binding to the VMKernel port are not
configured, add them manually. Find the instructions in the
Host Configuration Guide on PowerStore Info Hub.

ESXi Host Configuration in PowerStore Manager

This example uses iSCSI. You can also add an NVMe host and attach a
volume in PowerStore and VMware.

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Add Host

To add a host configuration, associate the host with one or more initiators
(iSCSI initiator, FC WWN, or NVMe initiator) and the Operating System.

A Host Group profile is also a possible configuration for environments with

multiple external ESXi hosts within a vSphere data center. Each ESXi host
must be configured with SendTargets for dynamic discovery of the storage
system iSCSI interfaces before configuring the Host Group profile.

From Compute > Host Information, click ADD HOST.

PowerStore Manager Host Information

Host Details

Follow the Add Host wizard to create the Host configuration, selecting
ESXi as the operating system.

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Host Details step of the Add Host wizard

Initiator Type

On the Initiator Type step, select the block storage protocol the host uses
to access provisioned storage.
 iSCSI initiators are automatically discovered if the host has logged in
and connected to the PowerStore iSCSI targets.
 If any appliance in the cluster has an FC embedded module, FC and
NVMe/FC initiators are automatically discovered. The cluster FC port
must be connected to a FC-based switch and zoned to the host FC
HBA. Click to see examples of the initiator step with FC and NVMe
selected.
 An NVMe-vVol host type enables vVol support for ESXi hosts
connected to PowerStore using NVMe over Fibre Channel. ESXi must
be selected as the operating system for this option to be available.

For NVMe/TCP, automatic discovery happens if:

 The host is connected to the SAN Ethernet switch.
 The host is configured with the correct VLAN ID and routing rules.
 The software of the host is configured to connect to the discovery
service IP address of the cluster.

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Initiator Type steps of the Add Host wizard with iSCSI selected

Host Initiators

Discovered and logged in initiators appear in the Host Initiators page. It

is not necessary to manually add the initiators.

Select the auto-discovered Host identifier (iSCSI initiator, FC WWN, or

NVMe initiator) that matches your host.

If the host identifier was not discovered, add it manually by clicking ADD
INITIATOR.

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Select Host's Initiators step of the Add Host wizard

Host Connectivity

Host Connectivity options are available for an ESXi host.

 Local Connectivity creates a single, standard ESXi host on the local
storage system.
 Metro Connectivity creates a single ESXi host that stretches across
two storage systems. If Metro Connectivity is selected, specify whether
host is located at the same site as the storage system or at the remote
site. Select Metro Connectivity only when configuring Metro Volumes
protection over a stretched vSphere cluster.

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Host Connectivity step of the Add Host wizard

Summary

Review the host configuration on the Summary page. Click BACK to

make changes, if necessary.

Click ADD HOST to start the job. The job starts in the background, and
PowerStore Manager displays a confirmation message when the host is
added.

Add Host summary

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ESXi host created and listed on Host Information

ESXi Multipathing

View or edit ESXi native multipathing in vSphere.

1. With the host selected, go to Configure > Storage Devices.
2. Select the storage device.
3. Scroll down in the Properties and select ACTIONS > Edit
Multipathing. Define the Multipathing policy to adopt for the storage
device.

vSphere host storage device selected with Edit Multipathing option

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Edit Multipathing Policies

Tip: For iSCSI multipathing best practices for a VMWare

host, see the Host Configuration Guide on PowerStore Info
Hub.

Activity: Create an ESXi Host Configuration

Virtual lab for facilitated sessions:

 Create an ESXi Host Configuration in
PowerStore.

Simulation:
 Create an ESXi Host Configuration in
PowerStore.

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Practice: Create an ESXi Host Configuration

The web version of this content contains an interactive activity.

ESXi Host Access to Provisioned Volumes

For PowerStore X models:

 Volumes can only be provisioned to the internal ESXi
hosts using PowerStore REST API or CLI.

Map ESXi Host to Volume

Create a volume and then map it to an ESXi host so that VMFS datastores
can be created in the vSphere environment.

Select an ESXi host during the Create Volumes wizard, or add the host
later.

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Creating a 20.0 GB volume called VMFS1-1_6

Discover Volume in vSphere

When the volume is created and mapped to an ESXi host, discover the
volume in the vSphere environment.

Open a session to the vCenter server that manages the ESXi host. Select
the ESXi host from the Hosts and Clusters section:
1. Select Storage Devices.
2. Open the Configure tab.
3. From the Actions menu, select Storage > Rescan Storage.
4. Keep the checkboxes marked and click OK to initiate the task.

a. The discovered PowerStore volume is displayed in the list of

storage devices.
b. The properties of the device are displayed in the bottom of the page
with the volume identifier.

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Rescanning the iSCSI software adapter for new storage devices in vSphere Client

Create VMFS Datastore

Once the volume is discovered, use it to create a VMFS datastore in the

vSphere environment.

From the vSphere Web Client session, select the ESXi host under the
Hosts and Clusters section:
1. Open the Datastores tab.
2. From the Actions menu, select Storage > New Datastore to launch
the wizard.
3. Select VMFS Datastore as the type
4. Enter a name to identify the new datastore.
5. From the list of available storage devices, select the discovered
volume.
6. Next steps enable you to specify the VMFS version for the datastore
(VMFS 6 or VMFS 5) and the partition configuration. After reviewing
the configuration, start the creation process by clicking Finish.

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Create New Datastore

New Datastore wizard

Activity: Present Volume to an ESXi Host

Virtual lab for facilitated sessions:

 Present a PowerStore Volume to an ESXi
Host.

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Simulation:
 Present a PowerStore Volume to an ESXi
Host.

Practice: Present a PowerStore Volume to an ESXi

Host

The web version of this content contains an interactive activity.

Expand Capacity of VMFS Datastores

Volume Properties

To increase the size of a VMFS datastore that is created with provisioned

PowerStore storage:
 Change the volume size in PowerStore Manager.
 Increase the size of the datastore in vSphere to match the volume.

From Storage > Volumes, select the name of the volume that is
provisioned to the ESXi host.

The volume properties page opens. The available Information includes

storage consumption, system performance, alerts and event notification,
associated protection policy, and hosts mapped to the volume. Select any
of the cards to see more details.

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Volume Performance

Change Volume Size

From the properties page of the volume that is mapped to the ESXi host:
1. Select the pencil icon on the right of the Volume name.
2. Increase the size of the volume. Shrinking of volume size is not
supported in PowerStore.
3. Click APPLY to save the changes. The slide-out panel closes and the
information at the capacity tab is updated.

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Modify volume capacity

Increase Datastore Capacity

Launch a vSphere Web Client session to the vCenter Server, and open
the Storage view from the menu.

Select the VMFS datastore and the Configure tab.

On the General page:

1. Click INCREASE on the Capacity section. The Increase Datastore
Capacity dialog opens.
2. Select the disk/LUN to use to increase the size of the datastore
capacity.
3. The system shows the amount of free space that is available to expand
the datastore. From the Partition Configuration dropdown menu,
select Use "Free Space <amount of free space>" to expand the
datastore.

Click FINISH to complete the operation. The VMFS datastore capacity

now reflects the increase of the PowerStore Volume size.

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Increase datastore capacity

Increase Datastore Capacity wizard

Activity: VMFS Datastore

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Virtual lab for facilitated sessions:

 Create a VMFS Datastore from a PowerStore
Volume.
 Increase the Capacity of the VMFS Datastore.

Simulation on the next page: Create a VMFS

Datastore from a PowerStore Volume and increase the
capacity of the VMFS Datastore.

Practice: Manage VMFS Datastores

The online course contains an interaction here.

Data Virtualization and VMFS Datastore Key Points

Data Virtualization and VMFS Key Points:

 PowerStore integrates well with VMware vSphere.
 PowerStore provides the storage capabilities for the creation of
specialized VMware datastores in the vSphere environment which are
shared by ESXi hosts.
 Volumes (Block) are discovered and mounted as VMFS
datastores.
 Exported file systems are mounted as NFS datastores (only on
PowerStore T models).

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 Storage containers are mounted as virtual volumes (vVol)

datastores. (vVol datastores store virtual machines and their
vVols.)
 PowerStore works closely with VMware storage management and
integration features using:
 VMware vSphere APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA)
 VMware vSphere APIs for Array Integration (VAAI)
 PowerStore communicates with the vCenter Server through APIs
based on the VASA protocol.
 VASA gathers information about storage container properties and
data services, and displays this information in vCenter.
 Communications between ESXi hosts VMs and vVols (storage
containers) are established through Protocol Endpoints (PE).
 Block volumes are discovered and mounted as VMFS datastores.

For more information, see the Virtualization Infrastructure

Guide on the PowerStore Info Hub.

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Provisioning NFS Datastores

VMware File Systems Overview

VMware File Systems are designed to perform better than general file
systems for VMware workloads. PowerStore VMware File Systems are
intended to be used as NFS datastores in vSphere environments.

A NAS server must exist before creating a VMware File System.

Supported Features:
 Relevant plug-ins for VMware NFS use cases:
 VAAI
 VSI
 AppSync
 PowerStore VM awareness

The PowerStore NAS VAAI plug-in communicates with PowerStore using

NFS protocol. VAAI operations supported:
 Full File Clone – full copy of a file
 Fast File Clone – snapshot of a file
 Reserve space
 Extended statistics

VMware File Systems do not support Quotas or FLR.

Deep Dive: Compare General and VMware File System

types.

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VMware File System Details

 The first step in the Create File System wizard is to select the type:
General or VMware File System.
 VMware File System are only supported on NAS servers configured
with the NFS protocol.

 The asyncMtime attribute improves performance in VMware

environments and is enabled by default.
 PowerStore maintains a root trust relationship with the ESXi server.
 NFS export is created at the root of the file system.
 Host I/O Size can be configured to 8K, 16K, 32K, or 64K.

 Default Host I/O Size is 8K.

 To maximize performance and minimize overhead, align the I/O
size with the I/O size of the application.

Create File System Wizard: Select File System type

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Create VMware File System

Add File System

A NAS server catalogs, organizes, and optimizes read and write

operations to the associated file systems. The file sharing protocols that
are enabled for the NAS server determine the types of file systems that
you can create.

VMware File Systems can only be created on NAS servers configured with
the NFS sharing protocol.

There are two ways to provision file systems using the PowerStore
Manager interface:
1. From the Storage menu, click the File System Add icon to launch the
Create File System wizard.
2. Select File Systems and click + CREATE on the File Systems page.

PowerStore Manager Storage > File Systems option

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File System Type

There are two types of file systems available in PowerStore.

 General file systems are appropriate for general use with either NFS
or SMB shares.
 VMware File Systems:

 Are optimized for VMware workloads.

 Are only available with the NFS protocol. They are used to create
NFS datastores in the vSphere environment.
 Enable an advanced setting on the File System Details step for
Host I/O Size. To maximize performance and minimize overhead,
align the I/O size with the I/O size of the application.
 Do not support quotas.
 Do not support File Level Retention (FLR). That step of the wizard
is skipped when VMware File System is the selected type.

Create File System Wizard: Select File System type

Select NAS Server

Associate the file system with a NAS server. The table identifies which
sharing protocols are enabled in each NAS server. Verify that the NAS
server has the NFS protocol enabled.

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Create File System Wizard: Select NAS Server

FS Details

Enter the file system details, including name, description, and size. The
size represents the quantity of storage that is subscribed for the file
system. The minimum is 3 GB, and the maximum is 256 TB. 1.5 GB per
file system is always allocated for metadata.

To maximize performance and minimize overhead, set the Host IO Size to

match the I/O size of the application.

PowerStore has events and alerts related to VMware File Systems.

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Create File System wizard: File System Details

NFS Export

Optionally create an NFS export for the file system during file system
creation. The NFS export name must be unique at the NAS server level
per protocol. The NFS export name is combined with the NAS server IP
address to provide an NFS export path for the file system.

Create File System wizard: NFS Export

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Assign NAS Client

Enable NFS export access to the ESXi host:

 Define the minimum access security:

 Sys allows clients with standard NFS security to connect.
 Available only if Secure NFS was configured in the NAS server:
o Kerberos mode (krb5) allows clients using any Kerberos flavor
to connect.
o Kerberos with Integrity allows clients that have Kerberos with
data integrity (krb5i) or encryption to connect.
o Kerberos with Encryption allows clients that have Kerberos
with encryption (krb5p) enabled to connect.
 Define the default access level for NAS clients not in the export access
list to No Access1.
 Add the host name or IP address of the ESXi host(s) to the NAS clients
access list. Define the host access level to read/write, allow root.

You can also assign NAS client access to an NFS export by selecting
MORE ACTIONS and Import Hosts. The option provides instructions on
how to create a CSV file with a list of hosts network addresses and access
types. The CSV file can be imported to the storage system.

1
Access is denied to user or client.

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Create File System wizard: Configure Access

Protection Policy

Optionally select a policy to protect the file system, or add a protection

policy later. If the selected policy contains both snapshot and replication
rules, the replication rules are ignored.

Create File System wizard: Protection Policy

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Summary

Review the file system configuration on the Summary page. You may click
BACK to edit, or CREATE FILE SYSTEM to continue.

Create File System wizard: Summary

Discover Storage Device in vSphere

Create a datastore in vSphere to access the VMware File System.

Host Access

Give the ESXi host access to the NFS export. Find the host IP address by
looking at the VMkernel adapters in vCenter.

From the File Systems page NFS Exports tab, select the NFS export and
MORE ACTIONS > Host Access to add a host. The host must have
read/write, allow root access.

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Add Host to the NFS export

Create New Datastore

With the ESXi host selected in vCenter Server, select ACTIONS >
Storage > New Datastore.

vCenter Actions Menu selecting New Datastore

Datastore Type and Version

Select the NFS datastore type and version of NFS that was selected when
the file system was created.

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Note: With NFSv4.1 and Kerberos authentication is the minimum security

for ESXi host access to the NFS export, there is an additional step in the
wizard to select the type of Kerberos authentication to use.

New Datastore wizard: NFS type

New Datastore wizard: NFS version

Name and Config

Name the datastore and provide the paths to the NFS export:
1. Name: A name that identifies the new datastore
2. Folder: The NFS export
3. Server: The IP address of the NAS server interface

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Find the NFS export path in PowerStore Manager.

New Datacenter wizard: Name and configuration

Ready to Complete

Review the datastore configuration and click FINISH to conclude the

operation.

New Datastore wizard: Ready to complete

New Datastore

Select the Datastores tab from the top menu. The new NFS datastore is
listed.

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vCenter Datastores tab showing new datastore

Activity: VMware File System

Virtual lab for facilitated sessions:

 Create a VMware File System in PowerStore
Manager.

Simulation on the next page: Create a VMware File

System in PowerStore Manager.

Practice: Configure VMware File System

The web version of this content contains an interactive activity.

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Monitoring and Managing Virtual Machines

Virtual Machines

PowerStore Manager displays details about the Virtual Machines and their
associated datastores. Go to Compute > Virtual Machines.

PowerStore Compute menu

Virtual Machine Details

Click the name of the virtual machine to open its properties page.
Properties for NFS Virtual Machines are limited to the compute
performance. Snapshots, protection policies, and alerts that are available
for other objects are not available for NFS-based VMs.

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NFS Virtual Machine showing Compute Performance card

Modify Capacity of NFS Datastores

File System Properties

Increase or shrink the capacity of NFS datastores that are provisioned in

PowerStore:
1. Change the file system size in PowerStore Manager.
2. Refresh the capacity in vSphere.

From Storage > File Systems, select the name of the file system that is
provisioned to the ESXi host using an NFS export.

Select any of the cards—PERFORMANCE, ALERTS, PROTECTION,

VIRTUAL MACHINES—to see more details.

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File System details

Change File System Size

To modify the file system size:

1. Select the pencil icon next to the file system name.
2. Change the size. In the example, the size of the file system was
decreased from 40 GB to 30 GB.
3. Click APPLY to save the changes. The slide-out panel closes and the
capacity tab is updated.

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File System Properties

Refresh Datastore Capacity

Launch a vSphere Web Client session to the vCenter Server, and open
the Storage view from the menu.

Select the NFS datastore and the Configure tab.

On the General page, click REFRESH on the Capacity section. The

updated capacity is displayed, once the refresh is complete.

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vSphere showing that the datastore was decreased by 10 GB.

Unmap and Remove VMware File System in

PowerStore

To remove NAS client access to an existing NFS export, go to the File

Systems page PowerStore Manager and select the NFS Exports tab:
1. Select the NFS export.
2. Select MORE ACTIONS > Host Access.
3. Select the checkbox of the ESXi host to remove.
4. Click DELETE. The system displays a message that the host was
removed.
5. Click APPLY to commit the changes.

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Steps to remove ESXi host access to the NFS export

Important: Unmount the datastore in vSphere before

unmapping and removing the VMware File System in
PowerStore Manager.

NFS Datastore Key Points

 VMware File Systems are designed to perform better than general file
systems for VMware workloads. PowerStore VMware File Systems are
intended to be used as NFS datastores in vSphere environments.
 Exported file systems are mounted as NFS datastores (only on
PowerStore T).
 NFS datastore size can be increased or decreased on their
underlying exported and mounted file systems.

 Change the file system size in PowerStore Manager.

 Refresh the capacity in vSphere.

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For more information, see the Virtualization Infrastructure

Guide on PowerStore Info Hub.

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Provisioning vVol Datastores

Configure PowerStore to Store Virtual Volumes

Configuring Virtual Volumes Support

Creating virtual machines in PowerStore provisioned storage containers

involve tasks that are performed on the PowerStore, and tasks that are
performed in the vSphere environment.

Some tasks in PowerStore depend on the conclusion of another required

configuration in the vSphere environment, and vice versa.

PowerStore Manager and vCenter Server processes

Register vCenter and VASA Provider

Workflow Steps

The registration of the vCenter server in PowerStore Manager relies on

the VASA storage provider registration process. These processes are run
differently on PowerStore T and PowerStore X.

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PowerStore Manager and vCenter Server processes

PowerStore X Automatic Registration

In PowerStore X models, vCenter is registered as part of initial

configuration. PowerStore is automatically registered as a VASA provider
in vSphere and vVol support is enabled by default.

Initial Configuration Wizard Hypervisor step

PowerStore T Manual Registration

In PowerStore T models, register the vCenter server in PowerStore

Manager from Compute > vCenter Server Connection. This option
registers PowerStore as a VASA provider in vSphere.

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When connecting a vCenter server, provide the IP address or hostname

along with administrator login credentials:
1. vCenter server IP address or host name and administrator login
credentials.
2. Enter a PowerStore username and password with VM administrative
privileges.

After successful connection, the vCenter server displays a Configured

state, and the status of the VASA registration is Online.

vCenter Server Connection

Activity: Verify PowerStore Is Configured for vVol Datastores

Support

Virtual lab for facilitated sessions: Verify

PowerStore is configured For vVol Datastores
Support.

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Simulation: Verify PowerStore is configured

For vVol Datastores Support.

Practice: Verify Configuration for vVol Datastores

The online course contains an interaction here.

Add ESXi Host Configuration

Highlighted steps are related to ESXi host-to-storage connectivity

To create an ESXi Host configuration in PowerStore Manager, configure

the ESXi host to connect to PowerStore in vSphere.
 ESXi host connection to a PowerStore system uses Fibre Channel,
iSCSI, or NVMe.

FC and NVMe/FC connectivity between the ESXi host and the PowerStore
system require that:
 ESXi host has at least one HBA adapter that is installed and connected
to an FC-based switch.

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 PowerStore cluster has embedded FC modules that are connected to

an FC-based switch.
 Zone configuration is created in the switch between the initiator and
targets.

The processes to discover PowerStore iSCSI targets and create a host

configuration apply to both vVols and VMFS:
 Review the PowerStore iSCSI targets discovery process.
 Review the host configuration process.

To create a host configuration for storage containers using the NVMe/FC

protocol:
 Learn more about NVMe/FC vVols support.
 Configure a host with NVMe/FC vVols support.

Storage Container Overview

Overview

On PowerStore clusters, a storage container acts as a logical grouping

of vVols that enables vVols to map directly to an appliance. A storage
container spans all appliances in a PowerStore cluster and uses storage
from each. Each storage container provides a single namespace across
the clustered storage.

When presented to ESXi hosts, the storage container is equivalent to a

vVol datastore. The PowerStore cluster manages the placement of vVols
stored within the cluster:
 vCenter and the ESXi hosts do not have visibility to the distribution of
storage among the appliances.
 vVols can migrate between appliances without the knowledge of
vSphere.

Although the multiple-appliance cluster may host multiple virtual

machines, each VM virtual disk is bound to an individual appliance. If the
appliance fails, only its hosted VMs are affected. If the appliance must be

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taken offline for maintenance, the hosted VMs must be relocated to

another appliance in the cluster.

Storage containers spanning appliances

Default Storage Container

During initial configuration, PowerStore arrays automatically provision a

default storage container named PowerStore <Cluster_Name>.

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In a PowerStore X cluster: In a PowerStore T cluster:

 The default storage container is  Once the VASA provider is
shared with internal ESXi hosts. registered, the default storage
All registered hosts are container becomes accessible
automatically provided access in the vSphere environment.
to this storage container.  Storage container must be
 An associated vVol datastore is manually mounted as a vVol
automatically created on each of datastore in vSphere.
the internal ESXi hosts.  Once the storage container is
 The cluster provides a single mounted as a vVol datastore,
VASA provider to manage storage all the storage available on the
containers. cluster is exposed.
 New storage containers are
automatically mounted as vVol
datastores on the internal ESXi
host.

The hosts must be registered in PowerStore using iSCSI, FC, or

NVMe/FC connectivity. The VASA provider must be registered in order for
the storage container to be available to the ESXi host.

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Automatic mounting of the storage containers is supported in PowerStore X models

Create Storage Container

Workflow Steps

To provision storage to support VMware vVols, create a storage container

in PowerStore Manager.

Highlighted steps are related to provisioning storage for Virtual Volumes support

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Add Storage Container

All PowerStore appliances support multiple storage containers on a

cluster.

There are two ways to provision a storage container using the PowerStore
Manager interface:
 Expand the Storage submenu, and click the Storage Containers Add
sign.
 Or select Storage Containers and click CREATE on the Storage
Containers page.

PowerStore Manager Storage Containers option

Define Quota

On the Create Storage Container slide-out panel, enter a name that

identifies the storage container when manually mounting it on the vSphere
environment.
 Check the box to Enable storage container capacity quota. The
feature controls the provisioning capacity to vSphere.
 Define a value for the Container Quota.

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A storage container that is called vVol_SC06 is created with a defined quota of 20 GB

Availability

In PowerStore X, the new storage container is automatically mounted to

the internal ESXi host.

In PowerStore T, the new storage container is discoverable in the vSphere

environment. Manually mount the storage device to ESXi the host as a
vVol datastore.

PowerStore Manager Storage Containers

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Create vVol Datastore

Workflow Steps

Once the storage container is created in the PowerStore T cluster, use it

to create a vVol datastore in the vSphere environment.

PowerStore Manager and vCenter Server processes

Add vVol Datastore

From the vSphere Web Client session, select the ESXi host under the
Hosts and Clusters section:
1. Expand the Storage section and select Storage > New Datastore.
2. Select vVol as the type of datastore.
3. Enter a name for the new datastore, and select a storage container
from the list of discovered storage devices. The example shows the
default container and storage container recently added to the
PowerStore cluster.
4. After reviewing the configuration, start the creation process by clicking
FINISH.

The vVol datastore is mounted to the ESXi host and is ready to store
virtual machines and their vVols.

Click to play the vVol Datastore video in a separate browser tab.

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Protocol Endpoints

Protocol Endpoints (PE) are automatically created when an ESXi host is

granted access to a vVol datastore. I/O from VMs is sent through PEs to
the storage containers on the PowerStore system. A single PE can send
I/O requests from many VM clients to their vVols.

SCSI PEs are like LUN mount points that allow I/O access to vVols from
the ESXi host to the storage system.
 The block vVol is bound to the associated SCSI PE every time that the
VM is powered on.
 When the VM is powered off, the PE is unbound.

From the vSphere Web Client session, open the Hosts and Clusters view
and select the ESXi host from the left panel:
1. Open the Configure tab.
2. Select the Protocol Endpoints option under Storage.
3. Verify that the established data paths with the PowerStore storage
container are displayed.

SCSI PEs are created for every ESXi host-to-vVol datastore (storage container)
established connection.

Activity: Provision PowerStore Storage for vVol Datastores

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Virtual lab for facilitated sessions: Provision

PowerStore Storage for vVol Datastores

Simulation: Provision PowerStore Storage for

vVol Datastores

Practice: Provision PowerStore for vVol Datastores

The online course contains an interaction here.

[Detailed description of the Interaction for Guides]

Provision Virtual Machines on vVol Datastore

Create VM Storage Policies

Workflow Steps

With the vVol datastore created, create a Virtual Machine storage policy.
Provision VMs by selecting the storage policy and using a compatible vVol
datastore. Storage policies ensure that the datastore has the appropriate
configuration for the VM.

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Highlighted step is related to creating storage policies for VMs

Create VM Storage Policy

Create a Protection Policy with rules for PowerStore vVol storage.

From the menu, select Policies and Profiles. Select VM Storage

Policies from the left navigation, and then click CREATE.

VM Storage Profiles

Name the Storage Policy

Enter a name to identify the storage policy and an optional description.

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Storage policy name and description

Policy Structure

On the Policy Structure page, select Enable rules for Dell EMC
PowerStore storage in the Datastore specific rules section.

Storage policy structure

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PowerStore Rules

Two types of rules can be created:

 QoS Priority: Select the quality of service priority—Low, Medium, or
High.
 Snapshot Schedule: If a snapshot schedule is available, set it here.

Storage Policy PowerStore rules

Storage Compatibility

The next step shows all the available mounted compatible datastores.

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Storage policy storage compatibility

Review and Finish

After reviewing the configuration, start the creation process by clicking

FINISH.

Storage policy review and finish

New VM Storage Policy

Once complete, the new policy is added to the list.

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New VM storage policy listed

Create Virtual Machine on vVol Datastore

Workflow Steps

A VM administrator can use a VM storage policy with PowerStore rules to

provision virtual machines on the vVol datastore.

Highlighted steps are related to provisioning VMs on a vVol datastore

New Virtual Machine Wizard

To create a virtual machine on the vVol datastore, select the ESXi host
under Hosts and Clusters. Select Actions > New Virtual Machine.

The default option is to create a new virtual machine.

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New Virtual Machine wizard

Name and Location

Enter a name for the new virtual machine, and select the datacenter and
folder where to place the new VM.

Select a name and folder

Compute Resource

Select the ESXi host where the virtual machine must be placed, and
advance to the next step.

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Select a host

Select Storage and Policy

On the storage section of the wizard, select a previously created VM

Storage Policy.

VM Storage Policy options

The available datastores are presented as compatible (vVol datastores)

and incompatible (VMFS or NFS datastores). Select a compatible
datastore and advance to the next step.

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Select Storage

vSphere Compatibility and Guest OS

Select the minimum vSphere version compatibility, and advance to the

next step.

Select Compatibility

Select the Guest OS to run on the virtual machine.

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Select a Guest OS

Customize Hardware

Optionally, customize the hardware configuration of the virtual system.

Customize Hardware

Finish

After reviewing the configuration, start the creation process by clicking

FINISH. The system start the process and closes the dialog.

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Ready to complete

Power On VM

1. From the left panel, select the virtual machine that was created.
2. Power on the virtual machine using the menu tools.

The virtual machine is up and ready to be configured. The vVols

associated with the new virtual machine are stored on the storage
container in PowerStore.

Power on new VM

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Monitoring VMs and vVols in PowerStore

Virtual Machines

PowerStore discovers the details about VMs that are stored in the
datastores and displays them in PowerStore Manager. This feature is
available for all VMs created on provisioned PowerStore storage, including
VMFS, NFS, and vVol datastore types.

To monitor the VMs and its vVols in PowerStore Manager, go to Compute

> Virtual Machines.

PowerStore Virtual Machines option

Virtual Machine Details

Verify the virtual machine details and alerts. PowerStore subscribes to VM

object change events with no need for continuous polling.

Virtual Machine properties include:

 Reporting of granular I/O statistics
 Active management of vVols and their related entities.

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Virtual Machines in PowerStore Manager

Virtual Volumes

vVols are storage objects that are provisioned automatically on a storage

container and store VM data. To view the Virtual Volumes associated with
the virtual machine, open the Virtual Volumes card. A list of vVols
created with the VM is displayed.

vVols are subject to their own set of limits:

 Data: Stores data such as VMDKs, snapshots, clones, and fast-clones.
At least one Data vVol must be created per VM to store its hard disk.
 Config: Stores standard VM-level configuration data such as: .vmx
files, logs, and NVRAM. At least one Config vVol must be created per
VM to store its .vmx configuration file.
 Swap: Stores a copy of the memory pages of a VM when it is powered
on. Swap vVols are automatically created and deleted when VMs are
powered on and off.
 Memory: Stores a complete copy of the memory of a VM on disk when
the VM is suspended. The memory copy is also used for a VM with-
memory snapshot.

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Virtual Machines Virtual Volumes card

Activity: Create VMs from vVol Datastores and Monitor vVols

Virtual lab for facilitated sessions: Create

Virtual Machines from vVol Datastores and
Monitor vVols.

Simulation: Create Virtual Machines from vVol

Datastores and Monitor vVol.

Practice: Create VMs from vVol Datastores and Monitor vVols

The online course contains an interaction here.

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Manage a vVol Datastore

Monitor Virtual Volumes in Storage Container

PowerStore discovers the details about the vVols and displays them in
PowerStore Manager.

Storage Containers

Go to Storage > Storage Containers to see all the storage containers.

Use this view to access the vVols.

Storage Containers list

List of vVols

Select the name of the storage container that is provisioned to the ESXi
host using VASA support.

Select the VIRTUAL VOLUMES card and select one or more vVols:
 GATHER SUPPORT MATERIALS for troubleshooting.

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 Monitor the status of an object by selecting ADD TO WATCHLIST.

Remove it from the watchlist to stop monitoring it.
 Under MORE ACTIONS, change the metric granularity by selecting
five or twenty seconds.

Storage Containers Virtual Volumes tab

Virtual Volume Details

There are two ways to view vVol details:

1. Click the virtual volume name to view storage capacity consumption
and system performance that is related to the vVol.
2. From the virtual volume properties page, select the pencil icon next
to the virtual volume identification. A slide-out panel displays the virtual
volume properties, as show in this example.

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Virtual volume properties

Modify Capacity of vVol Datastores

Storage Container Details

The capacity of vVol datastores, from provisioned PowerStore storage,

can be increased or decreased:
 Change the storage container quota in PowerStore Manager.
 Refresh the capacity in vSphere.

From Storage > Storage Containers, select the name of the storage
container that is provisioned to the ESXi. Select any of the cards to see
details.

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Storage Container details

Change Container Quota

From the properties page of the storage container that is attached to the
ESXi host:
1. Select the pencil icon next to the storage container name.
2. Change the value of the Container Quota. In the example, the storage
container quota was increased.
a. A high water mark defines the percentage used that triggers an
alert.
3. Click APPLY to save the changes.

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Virtual volume properties

Refresh Datastore Capacity

Launch a vSphere Web Client session to the vCenter Server, and open
the Storage view from the menu.

Select the vVol datastore and the Configure tab.

On the General page, click REFRESH on the Capacity section. The vVol
datastore capacity reflects the change to the PowerStore storage
container size.

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Updated vVol capacity in vCenter

Migrate a Virtual Machine to Another vVol Datastore

VM Migration Overview

Native vSphere features help manage the placement of virtual machines

and storage use with PowerStore.
 vMotion enables moving VM compute to PowerStore X appliances
nodes.
 Storage vMotion enables the migration of VM storage to another
PowerStore storage container.

Virtual machine vVols can also be moved between storage containers. In

the example, a storage container is created in Cluster2 to be the
destination for virtual machines on a storage container in Cluster1.

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Storage Containers

Migrating VM Storage

From the vSphere Web Client session, select the ESXi host under the
Hosts and Clusters section.

To migrate a virtual machine storage from one vVol datastore to another:

1. Select the virtual machine hosted by the ESXi server.
2. Expand the Actions menu and select Migrate. The Virtual Machine
Migrate wizard launches.
3. Select Storage Only as the migration type.
4. Scroll down the available storage list and select the destination vVol
datastore. The datastore is listed as compatible.
5. After reviewing the parameters for the operation, start the migration by
clicking FINISH. The system start the operation and closes the dialog.

The storage that is associated with the virtual machine shows as modified.
In the example, virtual machine is migrated from VVol_Datastore06 to
VVol_Datastore02.

Click to open the video on a new browser tab.

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Placement

From a PowerStore Manager session to the destination cluster, go to

Compute > Virtual Machines.

The migrated VM and its associated vVols exist in the destination storage
container. From the virtual machine properties, select the VIRTUAL
VOLUMES card. All virtual machine volumes including snapshots are
moved during Storage vMotion operations.

In the example, the VMs and their vVols that were once stored in storage
container VVOL_SC06 in Cluster1 are now in storage container
VVOL_SC02 in Cluster2.

Virtual Machine details showing associated Storage Container

Assigning Protection Policies to Virtual Machines

To protect a virtual machine by setting a snapshot schedule, go to

Compute > Virtual Machines:
1. Select the virtual machine that you want to protect.

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2. Open the PROTECTION menu and select the Assign Protection

Policy option.
3. Select the policy that you want to associate with the VM. The policy
protects the VM, and the underlying vVols.

For policies that include a replication rule, only the snapshot schedule is
used. Replication is not supported for virtual machines.

Assign a protection policy to a VM

Activity: Manage Virtual Machine and vVols in PowerStore

Manager

 Increase the Capacity of a vVol Datastore

and Migrate VM.
 Manage Virtual Machine and vVols in
PowerStore Manager.

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Simulation on the next page covers these

vVols topics:
 Increase the capacity of vVol Datastore
and Migrate VM.
 Manage Virtual Machine and vVols in
PowerStore Manager.

Practice: Work with vVol Datastores

The online course contains an interaction here.

Migrate Virtual Volumes to Another PowerStore Appliance

About VM Migration

PowerStore supports nondisruptive migration of virtual machines

between the appliances of a cluster.

Both manual and assisted migrations are supported.

 Manually migrate vVols before putting an appliance into maintenance
mode or removing an appliance from a cluster.
 PowerStore clusters perform assisted migrations to address resource
balancing requirements.

Migration uses the system bond over the cluster network to migrate the
vVols. The migration session replicates the source vVol and its snapshots
to the destination appliance. After the initial synchronization, the
replication process performs the last delta copy of the vVol.

PowerStore and the ESXi hosts nondisruptively cut over to the migrated
vVol.

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VM1 vVols are migrated from appliance 1 to appliance 2

Select VM

To perform a VM migration, go to Compute > Virtual Machines.

1. Select the VM to migrate. All of its associated vVols migrate with it.
2. From the MORE ACTIONS menu, select Migrate. The option is only
available for single selections in multi-appliance clusters.

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Storage Container Virtual Volumes

Verification

PowerStore verifies that there are no issues with the proposed migration.

Initializing step of the Migrate wizard

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Select Appliance

Select an appliance to be the destination. Details include the current

capacity on each appliance. The storage container spans all appliances in
the cluster, using storage from each one. The virtual machine is migrated
within the same storage container between the appliances.

1. Select the destination appliance. The screen is updated to show

appliance capacity usage after the migration.
2. Click NEXT.

Migrate VM Select Appliance

Summary

The summary screen displays details about the process that is about to be
started.
 Recommended knowledge base article with detailed use cases and
limitations to be reviewed before starting the process.
 Notification that the virtual machine and any associated thin clones and
snapshots are also migrated.
 Notification that the migration process takes some time.

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Review the Summary information. Click BACK if edits are required. Select
whether the migration should start immediately or defer it until later.

Click FINISH to complete the setup. Track progress on the Internal

Migrations page.

VM migration summary

Internal Migrations

The migration process is initiated, and it is in a synchronizing state

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The VM has successfully migrated to the destination appliance

Remove a Storage Container

Removing Storage Container

Delete a storage container when there is a need to reclaim storage space

and repurpose the capacity quota that is used for a vVol datastore.

Before removing a storage container, the VMs and vVols that are stored in
it must be migrated to another storage. Then unmount the vVol datastore
from the ESXi host in the vSphere environment, and remove the storage
container in PowerStore Manager.

Relationship between storage containers and vVol datastores

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vSphere

From the vSphere Web Client session, select the ESXi host under the
Hosts and Clusters section to unmount the vVol datastore:
1. Click Datastores.
2. Click the name of the datastore to unmount.
3. Click VMs. Verify that the datastore does not contain any virtual
machines.
4. From the Actions menu, select Unmount Datastore.
5. In the Unmount Datastore window, check the box next to each host
that has the datastore mounted. Click OK.

The vVol datastore is unmounted from the ESXi host.

Click to open the video on a new browser tab.

PowerStore Manager

On the Storage > Storage Containers page:

1. Select the storage container that is provisioned to ESXi using VASA
support.
2. Click DELETE.
3. The Delete Storage Container dialog opens, warning the storage is
about to be removed. Click DELETE.

The storage container is removed from the storage system.

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Delete a storage container

Unregister vCenter and VASA Provider

PowerStore T

In PowerStore T models, vCenter can be unregistered if vSphere

integration is no longer needed. This step must be performed manually in
PowerStore Manager.

To unregister a vCenter Server Connection go to Compute > vCenter

Server Connection.

The page shows that there is a vCenter Server that is connected to the
storage system that is Configured and Online.

Click DISCONNECT to unregister the vCenter server. A dialog box warns

that the storage system will disconnect the vCenter server. Check the box
to confirm the operation. Optionally check the box to also unregister the
storage system as a VASA provider in vSphere. Click DISCONNECT.

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PowerStore X vCenter Server Connection

Remove VASA Provider

If PowerStore will not be used for vVol support at any time soon, consider
also unregistering it as a VASA storage provider in vCenter server. To
manually remove a PowerStore T system from the list of VASA storage
providers, launch a web client session to the vCenter Server. Then open
the Hosts and Clusters view.

Select the vCenter server on the left pane and open the Configure tab.
From the Configure page:
1. Select the Storage Providers option from the submenu.
2. Select the VASA provider record to exclude.
3. Click Remove on the top menu.
4. Click YES to confirm the exclusion of the PowerStore cluster. The
dialog box is closed and the VASA record is eliminated from the list.

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Remove PowerStore as a Storage Provider in vCenter

PowerStore X

In PowerStore X models, vCenter is automatically registered as part of

initial configuration. The vCenter server connection cannot be
unregistered.

The only supported operation is to update the network address and

account credentials that are used for the connection with the same original
vCenter server.

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PowerStore X vCenter Server Connection

vVol Datastore Key Points

Storage Containers Configuration Key Points:

 Virtual volumes are stored in storage containers, which have a 1:1
mapping with the VMware vVol datastores. Storage containers act as a
logical grouping of vVols that enables vVols to map directly to an
appliance.
 Storage containers are mounted as vVol datastores.
 The Capacity of vVol Datastores can be modified on their
underlying Storage Containers.
 Change the Storage Container size in PowerStore Manager.
 Refresh Datastore Capacity in vSphere.
 Configuring virtual volumes support involves tasks that are performed
on both the PowerStore and within the vSphere environment.
 On PowerStore:
o Register VMware vCenter Server.
o Add ESXi Host Configuration.

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o Create Storage Container.

 On vCenter Server:
o Create vVol Datastore.
o Create VM Storage Policies.
o Create virtual machines (VMs) on a provisioned vVol datastore.
 Monitoring Virtual Machines and vVols in PowerStore

 To monitor the VMs and its vVols in PSM, go to Compute > Virtual
Machines.
 Click the virtual machine to open its properties.
 To view the vVols associated with the virtual machine, open the
Virtual Volumes card. A list of vVols created with the VM is
displayed.

For more information, see the Virtualization Infrastructure

Guide on the PowerStore Info Hub.

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VMkernel Network Adapter

Verify that a VMkernel network adapter is created for the iSCSI interface
in the ESXi host. This device must be associated with the iSCSI software
adapter.

From the vSphere Web Client session on the vCenter Server, ESXi Host
Configure tab:
1. Expand the Networking section and select VMkernel adapters.
a. The default vmk0 adapter is used for the Management Network.
b. The list of adapters must include another adapter with an IP
address on the iSCSI network and be associated with a different
virtual switch.
2. Select the adapter.
3. Verify that the IPv4 settings of the iSCSI VMkernel network adapter are
properly configured.

The VMkernel network adapter vmk1 is associated with the virtual switch vSwitch1

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Add an NVMe Host and Attach Volume

Add NVMe over TCP Software Adapter

Before the ESXi host can connect to PowerStore using NVMe over TCP,
add the Software Adapter to the list of Storage Adapters in vSphere Client.
The process is similar to adding the iSCSI Software Adapter to a new
ESXi host.

vSphere Client with host and storage adapters selected

Add Controller

Add the controller in VMWare vSphere Client.

Under Storage Adapters:

1. Select the VMware NVMe over TCP Storage Adapter.
2. Select the Controllers tab.
3. Click ADD CONTROLLER.

In the Add Controller window:

4. For IP, enter one of the front-end Storage Network IPs.
5. For Port Number, enter the discovery port 8009.

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6. Click DISCOVER CONTROLLERS.

7. The list of controllers populates. PowerStore returns every known
NVMe controller in the cluster, from all networks/VLANs. From the list,
select the controllers to connect to the ESXi host.

Add Controller

Add Host, select NVMe Initiator

In the PowerStore Manager Add Host wizard, select the NVMe initiator for
the ESXi host.

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PowerStore Manager Host Initiators

Host Added

The new ESXi host is shown in the list of hosts on PowerStore Manager.

PowerStore host created

Add NVMe Volume

Still in PowerStore Manager, create a volume and map it to the NVMe

initiator on the ESXi host.

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Map volume to NVMe host

New PowerStore Disk in vSphere

In vSphere, refresh the NVMe over TCP Storage Adapter. The new disk
appears under Devices.

Refresh NVMe storage adapter

Fibre Channel Configuration

See the PowerStore Host Configuration Guide for details on Fibre
Channel configuration.

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Recommended configuration:
 Use two separate fabrics.
 For resiliency, each fabric should be on a different physical FC
switch.
 Zone each host to both nodes of each appliance.
 Zoning must be done using the appropriate WWN. PowerStore
exposes two WWNs, one for FC (SCSI WWN) and one for NVMe
(NVMe WWN).
 Use PowerStore SCSI WWN for Fibre Channel SAN.
 Use PowerStore NVMe WWN for NVMe/FC.
 To locate the correct WWN, use the PSTCLI fc_port show
command or the Fibre Channel Ports page in PowerStore Manager

Locate correct FC WWN in Hardware > Appliance > Ports > Fibre Channel

 Maximum number of paths per appliance per volume per host is 8.

 Recommended number of paths per volume per host is 4.
 Link speed should be consistent across all paths to the PowerStore
cluster per single host or cluster of hosts.

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 Balance hosts between the nodes of the appliance to distribute the

load across all target ports.
 Maximum ISL hops is 2.

Select Initiator Type - FC and NVMe

FC and NVMe Initiator type options of the Add Host wizard.

Initiator Type steps of the add host wizard with Fibre Channel (FC) selected

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Initiator Type steps of the add host wizard with NVMe selected

NAS Server Configuration

NAS Servers

To enable NFS file sharing, configure a NAS server with:

 Naming services
 NFS sharing protocol

To open the NAS server properties in PowerStore Manager, go to

Storage > NAS Servers.

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PowerStore Manager Storage > NAS Servers option

NAS Server Properties

Click the NAS server to show its properties. Settings that must be
configured are available on the NAMING SERVICES and SHARING
PROTOCOLS tabs, including:
 Enabling DNS services
 Configuring naming services with UNIX Directory Services (LDAP/NIS)
or local files
 Defining the supported NFS protocol versions

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NAS Server details

DNS

For Directory Services, DNS configuration is required. To add at least one

DNS server, select NAMING SERVICES and the DNS option. Complete
the form and click APPLY to save the configuration.

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NAS Server Naming Services - DNS

NIS

To configure naming services with NIS, select NAMING SERVICES and

the UDS (UNIX Directory Services) option. Select NIS from the drop-
down. Add the domain and IP address and click APPLY to save the
configuration.

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NAS Server Naming Services - NIS

LDAP

To configure naming services with LDAP, select NAMING SERVICES and

the UDS (UNIX Directory Services) option. Select LDAP from the drop-
down. Complete the form and click APPLY to save the configuration.

Note: Enable either NIS or LDAP services. The LDAP configuration must
adhere to either the Active Directory, RFC 2307, RFC 2307bis, or iPlanet
schemas. If not, LDAP does not function properly.

Some things to know about this form:

1. By default, LDAP uses communication port 389 and LDAPS (LDAP
over SSL) uses port 636.
2. Type the Base DN (Distinguished Name) of the root of the LDAP
directory tree. For environments with an iPlanet or Open LDAP server,
include the Profile DN.
 For example, the base DN for ldap.hmarine.test would be
dc=ldap,dc=hmarine,dc=test.
3. If using the simple authentication method, enter the user account in
LDAP notation format and type the password. For example,
cn=administrator,cn=user,dc=ldap,dc=hmarine,dc=test.

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4. Click RETRIEVE CURRENT SCHEMA to view and edit the ldap.conf

file. All containers that are specified in the file must reference a
location that is valid and exists in the LDAP configuration. To upload
the updated configuration, click UPLOAD NEW SCHEMA and select
the edited file.
5. Define if the LDAP protocol must use SSL (LDAPS) for secure network
communication. If enabling LDAPS, upload a trust certificate.

NAS Server Naming Services - LDAP

Local Files

Local files can be used instead of, or in addition to, DNS, LDAP, and NIS
directory services. To configure naming services with local files, select
NAMING SERVICES and the LOCAL FILES option. Complete the form
and click APPLY to save the configuration.

1. Download the template using the icon next to the file type.
a. Passwd resolves usernames to User IDs.

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b. Group resolves group names to Group IDs.

c. Hosts resolves hostnames to IP addresses.

d. Netgroup resolves the members of a netgroup.

e. Homedir resolves users' home directory paths.

f. Ntxmap maps Windows and UNIX usernames to each other

(multiprotocol).
2. Update the template with the UNIX/Linux system information and
select UPLOAD LOCAL FILES.
3. Upload it, selecting the proper file type.

PowerStore also supports the combination of local files and NIS, or LDAP
for naming services. If combined with other naming services, the storage
system queries the uploaded local files first.

NAS Server Naming Services - Local Files

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Sharing Protocols

To enable NFS support on the NAS server, select SHARING

PROTOCOLS and the NFS SERVER option. Complete the form and click
APPLY to save the configuration.

Some things to know about this form:

1. If leveraging Kerberos authentication instead of individual clients,
enable Secure NFS.
a. Kerberos realm must be configured. If an AD-joined SMB server
exists on the NAS Server, that Kerberos realm can be used.
2. Enable or disable Extended Credentials. This option supports NFS
credentials with more than 16 groups.

Considerations:
 DNS and NTP must be configured.
 UNIX Directory Service must be configured.

NAS Server Sharing Protocols - NFS Server

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VMware File Enhancement Comparison

Feature General File VMware File System

System

File snap No VMDK fast clone

Quota Enabled Disabled

FLR Enabled Disabled

asyncMtime Disabled Enabled

Host I/O Size Fixed Configurable

VM awareness No Yes

Snapshot support Yes Yes

Protocol snapshot Yes Yes

support

AppSync support Yes Yes

Events and Alerts

 PowerStore monitors I/O received by VMware File System over 24
hours.
 If more than 50% of I/Os are mismatched, a warning alert is triggered.
 If less than 86400 I/Os are received over a 24-hour period, no
mismatch check is performed.

 Too few I/Os do not warrant a mismatch check.

 86400 is one I/O per second per 24 hours.
Example of mismatched allocation size alert:

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FS_BLOCKIO_NOT_MATCH_ALLOCATON_SIZE:
File system %(fsname) in NAS server %(vdmname)
I/O patterns do not match the allocation size
(%(actualSize) bytes) of the file system. The
suggested allocation unit size is %(suggested Size)
bytes

Example of I/O not aligned properly alert:

FS_BLOCKIO_NOT_ALIGNED:
File system %(fsname) in NAS server %(vdmname) I/O
patterns are not aligned with the allocation size
(%(actualSize) bytes) of the file system.

IP Address of VMkernel Adapters

vCenter Server with highlighted VMkernel adapter configured for ESXi host access

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NFS Export Path in PowerStore Manager

NFS Exports showing the export path

NVMe/FC vVol Host Overview

vVols infrastructure on VMware and PowerStore

 Create an NVMe-vVol host type in PowerStore.

 There is NVMe-vVol support over the NVMe/FC protocol. NVMe/TCP
is not supported.
 You can create an external ESXi host that is connected to NVMe
vVols.

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 The NVMe-vVol option is only available when ESXi is selected as

the Host Operating System.
 There is no NVMe-vVol support for internal hosts or for AppsON
virtual machines.
 If a single ESXi host must access both NVMe block and NVMe-vVol
resources, two separate host objects must be created in
PowerStore Manager.
 The ESXi host requires a new version of vSphere that provides NVMe-
vVol support.
 SCSI vVols and NVMe vVols both count toward the PowerStore Max
vVols limits.
 Bound NVMe-vVols cannot be migrated between appliances.

NVMe/FC vVol Support Configuration

NVMe-vVol Host Type

The option to add an Initiator Type of NVMe-vVol is available.

Initiators must be NVMe/FC initiators. NVMe/TCP initiators do not support

NVMe-vVols.

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Add Host wizard showing NVMe-vVol initiator type for ESXi host

NVMe/FC initiators

On the Select Host's Initiators screen, check the boxes for the initiators
to associate with the host.

Select Host's Initiators screen with NVMe-vVol initiators available

Updated Host & Host Groups page

 A new Initiator Type column is displayed on the Host & Host Groups
page.
 Identify which hosts have NVMe-vVol initiators by looking at the
column.

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Host Information screen showing Initiator Type column

NVMe Storage Container

Create Storage Container panel with Select the storage protocol option

 An NVMe Storage Container must be created to support NVMe-vVols.

 Select the storage protocol when creating a Storage Container:

 SCSI (Supports iSCSI or FC transport layer)

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 NVMe (Supports NVMe/FC transport layer)

 To support NVMe-vVols, create an NVMe Storage Container.
 The default PowerStore Storage Container remains as SCSI storage
protocol.

Updated Storage Containers Page

The Storage Containers page includes a Storage Protocol column.

Storage Containers page with new Storage Protocol column

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General File Systems
General file systems are the original file systems in PowerStore such as a
NAS file system.

Storage Container
A storage container is a pool of raw storage capacity or an aggregation of
storage capabilities that a cluster can provide to virtual volumes (vVols).

Virtual Volumes (vVols)

VMware Virtual Volumes (vVols) are storage objects that are provisioned
automatically by a VMware framework to store Virtual Machine (VM) data.

VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM)

VMware disaster recovery and business continuity solution for vSphere
environments.

vSphere Storage API for Array Integration (VAAI)

VMware API framework that enables storage-related tasks to be offloaded
from the VMware ESXi host to the storage system.

vSphere Storage API for Storage Awareness (VASA)

VMware API that allows arrays to integrate with vCenter for management
functionality. The API enables vSphere to determine the storage
capabilities.

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