VMWARE VSPHERE 8.

0
INSTALL, CONFIGURE, MANAGE

Lab 11: Accessing NFS Storage

Document Version: 2023-03-08

Copyright © 2023 Network Development Group, Inc.

www.netdevgroup.com

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66BLab 11: Accessing NFS Storage

Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 3
Objective ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Lab Topology ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Lab Settings ............................................................................................................................................... 5
1 Configure Access to NFS Datastores.................................................................................................. 6
2 View NFS Storage Information ........................................................................................................ 12

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66BLab 11: Accessing NFS Storage

Introduction

In this lab, you will create a Network File System (NFS) datastore and record its storage information.

Configuring access to an NFS datastore in vSphere can be beneficial in several ways:

• Increased storage capacity: By configuring access to an NFS datastore, you can increase the
amount of storage available for Virtual Machines (VMs), which can help to ensure that you have
enough space to meet the demands of your virtual environment.
• Improved performance: By configuring access to an NFS datastore, you can improve the
performance of VMs that are stored on the datastore by providing faster access to the files.
• Better storage utilization: By configuring access to an NFS datastore, you can ensure that the
storage on the NFS datastore is being used efficiently, which can help reduce costs and improve
overall storage management.
• High availability: NFS datastores support features such as vSphere High Availability (HA) and
vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), which can help ensure that VMs are running on
the host even in the event of a host failure.
• Scalability: NFS datastores can be expanded and upgraded to support more storage and
improve performance as the needs of your VMs change over time.
• Easy management: By configuring access to an NFS datastore, you can easily manage, monitor,
and access the files stored on the NFS datastore.

It is important to note that before configuring access to an NFS datastore, you should ensure that the
NFS server is properly configured and that the hosts have access to it.

In summary, configuring access to an NFS datastore in vSphere can be beneficial for increased storage
capacity, improved performance, better storage utilization, HA, scalability, and easy management. It is
important to ensure that the NFS server is properly configured and that the hosts have access to it
before proceeding with the configuration.

Objective

• Configure Access to an NFS Datastore

• View NFS Storage Information

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Lab Topology

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Lab Settings

The information in the table below will be needed to complete the lab. The task sections further below
provide details on the use of this information.

Virtual Machine IP Address Account Password

sa-student eth0: 172.20.10.80 sysadmin NDGlabpass123!

sa-vcsa eth0: 172.20.10.94 [email protected] NDGlabpass123!

sa-esxi-01 eth0: 172.20.10.51 root NDGlabpass123!

sa-esxi-02 eth0: 172.20.10.52 root NDGlabpass123!

sa-aio eth0: 172.20.10.10 sysadmin NDGlabpass123!

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66BLab 11: Accessing NFS Storage

1 Configure Access to NFS Datastores

In this task, you will mount an NFS share to your ESXi host and use it as a datastore.

1. Launch the sa-student VM to access the graphical login screen.

To launch the console window for a VM, either click on the machine’s
graphic image from the topology page, or click on the machine’s
respective tab from the Navigator.

2. Launch the Mozilla Firefox web browser by either clicking on the icon found in the bottom toolbar
or by navigating to Start Menu > Internet > Firefox Web Browser.

3. In Firefox, click LAUNCH VSPHERE CLIENT.

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If the VMware Getting Started webpage does not load, please wait an
additional 3 - 5 minutes, and refresh the page to continue. This is
because the vCenter Server Appliance is still booting up and requires
extra time to initialize.

4. To log in to the vCenter Server Appliance, enter [email protected] as the username and
NDGlabpass123! as the password. Click LOGIN.

You may ignore the “browser-OS combination” warning message

presented on the VMware vCenter Single Sign-On page and continue
moving forward with the lab.

5. In the Navigator, click on the Storage tab, and expand sa-vcsa.vclass.local.

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6. Create an NFS datastore called NFS-Datastore.

a. Right-click ICM-Datacenter and navigate to Storage > New Datastore.

b. In the New Datastore window, Type step, select NFS. Click NEXT.

c. On the NFS version step, select NFS 4.1. Click NEXT.

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d. On the Name and configuration step, use the information below to configure the
settings:
i. Name: NFS-Datastore
ii. Folder: /mnt/NFS-Pool
iii. Server: 172.20.13.10
iv. Click ADD
172.20.13.10 is added to the Servers to be added box
v. Click NEXT

e. On the Configure Kerberos authentication step, verify that Don’t use Kerberos
authentication is selected, and click NEXT.

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66BLab 11: Accessing NFS Storage

f. On the Host accessibility step, select sa-esxi-01.vclass.local and sa-esxi-02.vclass.local.

Click NEXT.

g. On the Ready to complete step, review the information, and click FINISH.

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h. Monitor the progress in the Recent Tasks pane. On the Storage tab, expand ICM-
Datacenter and verify that your NFS-Datastore is listed in the Navigator to confirm that
it is now included in the inventory.

7. Leave vSphere Client open, and continue to the next task.

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66BLab 11: Accessing NFS Storage

2 View NFS Storage Information

In this task, you will view the information about your NFS storage and the contents in the NFS
datastore.

Viewing this information is important for several reasons:

• Capacity planning: By viewing the information about your NFS storage, you can determine how
much storage is available, how much is being used, and how much is free. This can help you
plan for future storage needs, and ensure that you have enough storage to meet the demands
of your virtual environment.
• Performance monitoring: By viewing the information about your NFS storage and the contents
in the NFS datastore, you can monitor the performance of the storage and identify any
potential bottlenecks that may be affecting the performance of your VMs.
• Troubleshooting: By viewing the information about your NFS storage and the contents in the
NFS datastore, you can troubleshoot any issues that may arise, such as connectivity problems
or file system errors.
• Compliance: In certain cases, organizations have compliance requirements that datastores be
monitored and audited. Viewing the information about your NFS storage and the contents in
the NFS datastore can help make sure the organization is compliant with these regulations.
• Security: By viewing the information about your NFS storage and the contents in the NFS
datastore, you can ensure that the proper security measures are in place to protect your data
and detect any unauthorized access or breaches.
• Backup and recovery: By viewing the information about your NFS storage and the contents in
the NFS datastore, you can ensure that all necessary data is being backed up, and that you have
a plan in place for recovery in case of a disaster.

In summary, viewing the information about your NFS storage and the contents in the NFS datastore is
important for capacity planning, performance monitoring, troubleshooting, compliance, security, and
backup and recovery. It allows you to have a better understanding of the storage usage and identify
potential issues that could affect the performance and integrity of the VMs hosted on the NFS
datastore.

1. In the Navigator, select the NFS-Datastore.

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2. In the main workspace, select the Summary tab. View the Details pane, and verify that the type,
server IP address and folder name are correct.

3. In the NFS-Datastore main workspace, click the Configure tab. Review the information about the
NFS-Datastore.

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When using an ESXi host, the built-in NFS client uses the NFS protocol over
TCP/IP to access a designated NFS volume located on an NAS server.

This allows the host to mount the volume and utilize it for storage needs.
vSphere supports versions 3 and 4.1 of the NFS protocol. The NFS volume or
directory is typically created and exported by a storage administrator and does
not require formatting with a local file system like VMFS.

Instead, it can be directly mounted on the ESXi host and used for storing and
booting VMs. Additionally, NFS can be used as a central repository for ISO
images, VM templates, etc.

It can also be used to connect a VM’s CD-ROM device to an ISO file on the
datastore to install an operating system. ESXi utilizes two different NFS clients
to support both versions 3 and 4.1 of the NFS protocol.

4. The lab is now complete; you may end the reservation.

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