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ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere 10.1

Create datastore

Contributors netapp-jani

Depending on the destination chosen for action, the datastore is created and mounted on all the hosts of the destination and the action is enabled only if the current user has privilege to execute.

The create Datastore action wizard supports creation of NFS, VMFS, and vVols datastore. The user interface is self-explanatory, use these steps as guidelines.

Create vVols datastore

You can create vVols datastore with new volumes or with existing volumes. You cannot create vVols datastore with the combination of existing volumes and new volumes.

Note Check to ensure root aggregates are not mapped to SVM.
Steps

  1. Log in to the vSphere client using https://vcenterip/ui

  2. Right-click a host system or a host cluster or a datacenter, and then select NetApp ONTAP tools > Create Datastore

  3. In the Type pane, select vVols in Datastore Type.

    Note You get vVols option only if the VASA provider is registered with the selected vCenter.

  4. In the Name and Protocol pane, provide Datastore name and Protocol information.

  5. In the Storage pane, select Platform and storage VM. In the Advanced options section, depending on your choice, select custom export policy (for NFS protocol) or custom initiator group name (for iSCSI protocol).

    • Platform and asymmetric options help you to filter out the SVMs dropdown options. You should select the SVM to create or use the volume(s) for datastore creation.

    • Asymmetric toggle button is visible only if iSCSI was selected in the previous step and performance or capacity is selected in the platform drop-down.

    • Asymmetric is true for AFF platform and false for ASA platform.

  6. In the Storage attributes pane, you can either create new volumes or use the existing volumes. When creating new volume, you can enable QoS on the datastore.

  7. Review your selection in the Summary pane and click Finish. Datastore is created and mounted on all the hosts.

Create NFS datastore

VMware Network File System (NFS) datastore is a type of storage that uses the NFS protocol to connect ESXi hosts to a shared storage device over a network. NFS datastores are commonly used in VMware vSphere environments and offer several advantages, such as simplicity and flexibility.

Steps

  1. Log in to the vSphere client using https://vcenterip/ui

  2. Right-click a Host System or a Host Cluster or a Datacenter, and then select NetApp ONTAP tools > Create Datastore

  3. In the Type pane, select NFS in Datastore Type.

  4. In the Name and Protocol pane, enter datastore name, size, and protocol information. In the advanced options, select Datastore cluster and Kerberos Authentication.

    Note Kerberos Authentication is available only when NFS 4.1 protocol is selected.

  5. In the Storage pane, select Platform and Storage VM. You can select custom Export Policy in the Advanced Option section.

    • Asymmetric toggle button is visible only if performance or capacity is selected in the platform drop-down.

    • Any option in the platform dropdown enables you to see all the SVMs that are part of the vCenter irrespective of the platform or asymmetric flag.

  6. In the Storage Attributes pane, select the aggregate for creation of volume. In the advanced options choose Space Reserve and Enable QoS as required.

  7. Review the selections in the Summary pane and click Finish.

Datastore is created and mounted on all the hosts.

Create VMFS datastore

Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) is a clustered file system specifically designed for storing virtual machine files in VMware vSphere environments. It allows multiple ESXi hosts to access the same virtual machine files concurrently, enabling features like vMotion and High Availability.

Before you begin

Check the following items before proceeding:

  • Check if all target hosts are healthy and check if the host supports protocol.

  • Create a new volume (min size 2GB)

  • Set Volume options with QOS

  • Create LUN of type VMware

  • Get initiators for all target hosts

  • Create/reuse igroup based on matching initiators

  • Map LUN to igroup

  • Add iSCSI targets to ESXi hosts

  • Rescan Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) on all hosts

  • Mount volume as VMFS6 datastore (for 6.5+ hosts)

  • Rescan VMFS storage on ESXi hosts

  • Move datastore to datastore-cluster

  • Rebalance iSCSI paths

Steps

  1. Log in to the vSphere client using https://vcenterip/ui

  2. Right-click a Host System or a Host Cluster or a Datastore, and then select NetApp ONTAP tools > Create Datastore

  3. In the Type pane, select VMFS in Datastore Type.

  4. In the Name and Protocol pane, enter the datastore name, size, and protocol information. In the Advanced options section of the pane, select the Datastore cluster you want to add this datastore to.

  5. Select Platform and storage VM in the Storage pane. Select Asymmetric toggle button. Provide the Custom initiator group name in the Advanced options section of the pane (optional). You can either choose an existing igroup for the datastore or create new igroup with a custom name.

    If you choose Any option in the platform dropdown you can see all the SVMs that are part of the vCenter irrespective of the platform or asymmetric flag.

  6. From the storage attributes pane, select Aggregate from the drop-down. Select Space Reserve, Use existing volume, and Enable QoS options as required from the Advanced options section and provide the details as required.

  7. Review the datastore details in the Summary pane and click Finish. Datastore is created and mounted on all the hosts.