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Storage+Virtualization+Concepts+Study+Guide

This study guide covers storage virtualization in vSphere, detailing how storage resources are presented to virtual machines through virtual disks and datastores. It explains the role of the virtual SCSI controller and the Hypervisor in processing storage I/O commands, as well as the differences between thin and thick provisioning methods. Understanding these concepts is essential for vSphere administrators to optimize storage utilization in virtualized environments.

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17 views2 pages

Storage+Virtualization+Concepts+Study+Guide

This study guide covers storage virtualization in vSphere, detailing how storage resources are presented to virtual machines through virtual disks and datastores. It explains the role of the virtual SCSI controller and the Hypervisor in processing storage I/O commands, as well as the differences between thin and thick provisioning methods. Understanding these concepts is essential for vSphere administrators to optimize storage utilization in virtualized environments.

Uploaded by

gthri.tech1285
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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**This study guide is based on the video lesson available on TrainerTests.

com**

Storage Virtualization in vSphere Study Guide


This chapter explores storage virtualization concepts and how storage resources are presented to virtual
machines within a vSphere environment.

Virtual Machine Resource Requirements

• Similarity to Physical Machines: Virtual machines share similarities with physical machines in their
resource requirements.
• Essential Resources: A virtual machine needs access to various resources to function, including:
o CPU
o Memory
o Network Interfaces
o Storage
• Operating System Perspective: The guest operating system running within the virtual machine is
unaware of its virtualized nature. It expects to interact with physical hardware resources.

Storage Presentation to Virtual Machines

• Virtual Disks: Physical storage is presented to virtual machines as virtual disks. These virtual disks
reside on a designated storage unit called a Datastore.
• SCSI Controller Emulation: To interact with virtual disks, the virtual machine relies on a software
component called a virtual SCSI controller. This controller emulates a physical SCSI controller that the
guest operating system is familiar with.
• Storage I/O Processing: When the guest operating system issues storage commands (e.g., read or write
data), they are directed to the virtual SCSI controller.
• Hypervisor Intervention: The vSphere Hypervisor intercepts these storage commands from the virtual
SCSI controller.
• Datastore Location: The Hypervisor identifies the location of the corresponding virtual disk file (vmdk
file) on the appropriate Datastore.
• Physical Storage Interaction: The Hypervisor leverages physical storage adapters to send the storage
I/O requests to the physical storage network, ultimately reaching the designated Datastore.

Virtual Disk Provisioning Options


• Thin Provisioning: A space-efficient approach where the virtual disk initially consumes only the
storage capacity required for the actual data stored within it. This approach can be advantageous for
saving storage space.
• Thick Provisioning: In contrast, thick provisioned disks allocate the entire storage capacity specified
during creation, regardless of the amount of data currently stored. This method guarantees sufficient
space for future writes.

Types of Thick Provisioned Disks:

• Thick Provisioned Eager Zeroed: The entire allocated space is pre-filled with zeros, ensuring
immediate write performance but potentially impacting initial virtual disk creation time.
• Thick Provisioned Lazy Zeroed: Zeros are written only when disk blocks are first accessed by the
virtual machine, offering faster initial creation time but potentially affecting performance during initial
writes.

Choosing the Right Provisioning Method:

The selection between thin and thick provisioning depends on factors like storage capacity optimization needs,
performance requirements for specific workloads (e.g., databases), and ensuring guaranteed availability of
storage space for the virtual machine.

Summary

Storage virtualization in vSphere plays a crucial role in presenting storage resources to virtual machines. By
understanding concepts like virtual disks, datastores, SCSI controller emulation, and provisioning options,
vSphere administrators can effectively manage and optimize storage utilization within their virtualized
environments.

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