Manage shared storage pools
A shared storage pool can be used by multiple hosts in the cluster. You must deploy shared storage if you want to provide any services that require live migration of VMs, including HA, DRS, and DPM services. The use of shared storage accelerates VM migration, because VMs can be moved around the cluster without the need to move storage resources.
Figure-1 Shared storage pools
Restrictions and guidelines
For a network file system storage pool mounted to a host that supports auto VM migration, make sure the storage pool has the same name and source server path as the network file system storage pools mounted to other hosts in the cluster.
For an iSCSI network storage pool mounted to a host that supports auto VM migration, make sure the storage pool has the same name and target as the iSCSI network storage pools mounted to other hosts in the cluster.
For an FC network storage pool mounted to a host that supports auto VM migration, make sure the storage pool has the same name as the FC network storage pools mounted to other hosts in the cluster and make sure the LUNs used by VMs in each FC network storage pool are the same.
To bind a network file system storage pool or FC network storage pool to multiple hosts, you must bind the storage pool to the hosts one by one. For more information, see storage pool management in the host management guide.
Add a shared storage pool
On the top navigation bar, click Storage, and then select Shared Storage Pools from the navigation pane.
Click Add.
In the wizard that is launched, configure a shared storage device as described in "Parameters."
Click OK.
Refresh a shared storage pool
On the top navigation bar, click Storage, and then select Shared Storage Pools from the navigation pane.
In the shared storage list, click the Refresh icon
for a shared storage pool.
Format a shared storage device
Formatting a shared storage device will clear all files stored on the device. Please be cautious. Make sure the device will not be used any more before you formatting it.
To format a shared storage device:
On the top navigation bar, click Storage, and then select Shared Storage Pools from the navigation pane.
In the shared storage list, click the Format icon
for a shared volume.
Click OK.
Delete a shared storage device
Deleting a shared storage device will unmount the device from the hosts in the cluster. The data on the device will not be affected as long as the corresponding block device is not deleted.
To delete a shared storage device:
On the top navigation bar, click Storage, and then select Shared Storage Pools from the navigation pane.
In the shared storage list, click the Delete icon
for a shared storage device.
Click OK.
Add shared storage clients
On the top navigation bar, click Storage, and then select Shared Storage Pools from the navigation pane.
Click Add Hosts on top of the bottom host list.
In the dialog box that opens, click Select Hosts.
Select hosts that will act as clients to access the shared storage, and then click OK.
Click OK.
Start the storage pools for multiple hosts
On the top navigation bar, click Storage, and then select Shared Storage Pools from the navigation pane.
In the bottom host list, select one or multiple hosts, click Batch Actions, and then select Start.
In the dialog box that opens, click OK.
Suspend the storage pools for multiple hosts
On the top navigation bar, click Storage, and then select Shared Storage Pools from the navigation pane.
In the bottom host list, select one or multiple hosts, click Batch Actions, and then select Suspend.
In the dialog box that opens, click OK.
Delete the storage pools for multiple hosts
On the top navigation bar, click Storage, and then select Shared Storage Pools from the navigation pane.
In the bottom host list, select one or multiple hosts, click Batch Actions, and then select Delete.
Click OK.
Parameters
Add a shared storage pool:
Type: To access the distributed storage or an external IP SAN storage device, select the iSCSI Shared Directory or iSCSI Network Storage option. To access an FC SAN storage device, select the FC Shared Directory option.
Target Path: Select a point to mount the shared storage pool in the client.
IP Address: For distributed storage, enter 127.0.0.1 or the iSCSI HA VIP for converged deployment and enter the iSCSI HA VIP for distributed deployment. For external IP SAN storage devices, enter the IP address of the IP SAN storage server. If multiple paths are available, separate each IP address by using a semicolon (;). This field is required for an iSCSI shared directory or iSCSI network storage pool.
LUN: Specify a LUN for the shared file system. This field is required for an iSCSI shared directory.
Target: Configure this parameter when you create an iSCSI network storage pool. Click the
icon to automatically obtain a target. A target can be used by only one iSCSI network storage pool. The UIS distributed storage cluster has only one target.
NAA: Specify the network addressing authority identifier for the LUN, which is the unique identifier of the LUN on the storage server. For an iSCSI shared directory, this field is automatically determined by the selected LUN. For an FC shared directory, you must select a LUN for this field.