Introduction
VMware® vSAN™ is a hyperconverged, software-defined storage platform that is fully integrated with VMware vSphere®.
vSAN Design Overview
This section described the high-level vSAN design overview.
vSAN Limits
These are vSAN constraints that must be taken into account when designing a vSAN cluster.
Network Design Considerations
The vSAN Network Design Guide provides requirements and best practices. A subset are discussed here.
Storage Design Considerations
Before storage can be correctly sized for a vSAN, an understanding of key vSAN concepts is required. This understanding will help with the overall storage design of vSAN.
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1Disk Groups
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2Cache Sizing Overview
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3Flash Devices in vSAN
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4Caching Algorithm
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5Flash Cache Sizing for Hybrid Configurations
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6Flash Cache Sizing for All-Flash Configurations
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7Flash Endurance Considerations
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8Scale up Capacity, Ensure Adequate Cache
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9SATA, SAS, PCI-E and NVMe flash devices
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10Magnetic Disks
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11How Much Capacity do need?
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12How Much Slack Space Should I Leave?
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13Formatting Overhead Considerations
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14Snapshot Cache Sizing Considerations
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15Choosing a Storage I/O Controller
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16Disk Group Design
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17Small Disk Drive Capacity Considerations
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18Very Large VMDK Considerations
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19Disk Replacement/Upgrade Ergonomics
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20Summary of Storage Design Considerations
VM Storage Policy Design Considerations
It is important to have an understanding of the VM Storage Policy mechanism as part vSAN
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1Overview
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2Objects and Components
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3Witness and Replicas
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4Virtual Machine Snapshot Considerations
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5Reviewing Object Layout from UI
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6Policy Design Decisions
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7Virtual Machine Namespace & Swap Considerations
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8Changing a VM Storage Policy Dynamically
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9Provisioning a Policy that Cannot be Implemented
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10Provisioning with the Default Policy
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11Summary of Storage Policy Design Considerations
Host Design Considerations
The following are a list of questions and considerations that will need to be included in the configuration design in order to adequately design a vSAN Cluster.
Cluster Design Considerations
This section of the guide looks at cluster specific design considerations.
Determining if a Workload is Suitable for vSAN
In general, most workloads are suitable for a properly sized vSAN configuration, with few exceptions.
Design & Sizing Examples
These examples illustrate the design and sizing principles discussed so far.
Conclusion
Although most vSAN design and sizing exercises are straightforward, careful planning at the outset can avoid problems later.
Further Information
Further Information
Old Versions
This is where archived copies of older Design and Sizing Guides are stored.