EMC VMAX 100K - Vmware Virtual Volumes; Vvol Components; Vvol Architecture Component Management Capability

VMware Virtual Volumes
Storage arrays running HYPERMAX OS support VMware Virtual Volumes (VVols).
VVols are a new storage object developed by VMware to simplify management and
provisioning in virtualized environments. With VVols, the management process moves
from the LUN (data store) level to the virtual machine (VM) level. This level of
granularity allows VMware and cloud administrators to assign specific storage
attributes to each VM, according to its performance and storage requirements.
VVol components
To support management capabilities of VVols, the storage/vCenter environment
requires the following:
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EMC VMAX VASA Provider – The VASA Provider (VP) is a software plug-in that
uses a set of out-of-band management APIs (VASA version 2.0). The VASA
Provider exports storage array capabilities and presents them to vSphere through
the VASA APIs. VVols are managed by way of vSphere through the VASA Provider
APIs (create/delete) and not with the Unisphere for VMAX user interface or
Solutions Enabler CLI. After VVols are setup on the array, Unisphere and Solutions
Enabler only support VVol monitoring and reporting.
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Storage Containers (SC) – Storage containers are chunks of physical storage
used to logically group VVols. SCs are based on the grouping of Virtual Machine
Disks (VMDKs) into specific Service Levels. SC capacity is limited only by
hardware capacity. At least one SC per storage system is required, but multiple
SCs per array are allowed. SCs are created and managed on the array by the
Storage Administrator. Unisphere and Solutions Enabler CLI support management
of SCs.
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Protocol Endpoints (PE) – Protocol endpoints are the access points from the
hosts to the array by the Storage Administrator. PEs are compliant with FC and
replace the use of LUNs and mount points. VVols are "bound" to a PE, and the
bind and unbind operations are managed through the VP APIs, not with the
Solutions Enabler CLI. Existing multi-path policies and NFS topology requirements
can be applied to the PE. PEs are created and managed on the array by the
Storage Administrator. Unisphere and Solutions Enabler CLI support management
of PEs.
Table 32
VVol architecture component management capability
Functionality Component
VVol device management (create, delete) VASA Provider APIs / Solutions Enabler APIs
VVol bind management (bind, unbind)
Protocol Endpoint device management
(create, delete)
Unisphere/Solutions Enabler CLI
Protocol Endpoint-VVol reporting (list, show)
Storage Container management (create,
delete, modify)
Storage container reporting (list, show)
Open systems features
VMware Virtual Volumes 69