Creating a VMFS datastore

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Use the IBM Storage Ceph Plugin for vSphere to automate the creation of vSphere Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) datastores.

Before you begin

Identify the vSphere cluster for which you want to create the new VMFS datastore(s).
Note: In multi-IO-group configurations, ensure that hosts are configured and zoned to all IO-groups on the storage system - volumes created in IO-groups that are not accessible to the host is not accessible.

About this task

This workflow initially evaluates storage connectivity to ensure all hosts in the selected vSphere cluster have sufficient access to the storage system. If any hosts in the selected vSphere cluster are deemed not to be correctly defined on the storage system, or if conditions exist that prevent the host status being reported as online by the underlying storage system, an alert is displayed. Host connectivity depends on if the host NQN of the given ESXi has been added to the host list of the NVME-oF subsystem. Where possible, consider using host clusters to simplify management and storage provisioning for clustered host environments.

Volume to be created:
  • The name specified in the workflow is used both when creating the volumes on the storage system and for the VMFS datastore(s).
  • The specified capacity defines the size of the volume created in the storage system. Note that a small area of the volume is allocated to the VMFS partition and so the available capacity for the VMFS datastore may differ from the underlying volume's capacity.

The appropriate host volume mappings are created for all members of the vSphere cluster.

By default, all volumes are created as Thin Provisioned or Space Efficient volumes on the storage system. If this is not the preferred behavior, consider assigning a Provisioning Policy to the storage pool on the storage system. This Provisioning Policy defines how volumes are created by default and overrides the default behavior.

Finally, a VMFS datastore is created from each volume, and the storage adapters for each vSphere cluster member is rescanned to correctly mount the new datastore(s).
Note: Version VMFS6 is automatically used for all datastores created by the plug-in. In accordance with best practices, a single volume is created for each VMFS datastore requested.

Procedure

  1. From the vSphere Client, select the vSphere Cluster that requires new VMFS datastores, and click Actions > IBM Storage.
  2. From the IBM® Storage plug-in submenu, select Create VMFS Datastore.
  3. Define a Name for the new VMFS datastore.
    The same name is used when creating the volume on the storage system.
  4. Specify the required Size.
    Size is specified in either TB or GB.
  5. Click NEXT.
  6. In the Storage System Selection page, select the storage system for which the datastore will be created on.
    Note: It can take a few moments while all ESXi hosts in the VMware cluster are cross-referenced with host objects and assigned ports. Depending on the number of hosts in the vSphere cluster, the cross-referencing can take up to 1 minute. Any discrepancies that might exist between the host objects or port assignments are indicated. A hyperlink to the management interface for the selected storage system is available for easy access to the element manager.
  7. Review the summary and click Create.
    A progress bar will appear within the view, and vSphere tasks will be generated for each step in the workflow.
  8. Monitor the Recent Tasks view in vSphere to confirm the task is completed successfully.
    After all tasks are successfully completed, the VMFS datastore(s) will be available for use.