Welcome! If this is your first time taking a lab navigate to the Appendix in the Table of Contents to review the interface and features before proceeding.

For returning users, feel free to start your lab by clicking next in the manual.

Please verify that your lab has finished all the startup routines and is ready for you to start. If you see anything other than "Ready", please wait a few minutes.  If after 5 minutes your lab has not changed to "Ready", please ask for assistance.

With Virtual Volumes, there are two big changes to how Virtual Machine Snapshots work:

1. Snapshots are no longer managed by vSphere.  You still create them the same way via the vSphere client; however, all of the snapshots are actually managed on the Storage Array.
2. With traditional VMFS based Virtual Machine snapshots, the base disk becomes read-only and all changes are written to delta files.  Sounds familiar, right?  Once you delete a snapshot, those delta files all have to be merged back into the base disk which is both resource intensive and time consuming.  With Virtual Volumes, the base disk remains read/write when a snapshot is taken (the delta snap files hold the original data when a change is made).  When you delete a snapshot, you simply discard the snap delta files, since the base disk already contains all of the latest data.

This results in an incredible benefit in performance and efficiency (with an additional benefit being that you no longer have to worry about keeping 'too many' snapshots around)!

Virtual Volumes enable Virtual Machine aware storage and policy based management across heterogeneous arrays.

Let's jump right in and create a Virtual Volume!

1. Click on the Chrome Icon on the Windows Quick Launch Task Bar.

For the purposes of this Hands On Lab, we will be using the HTML5-based vSphere client.

1. Select RegionA
2. Click vcsa-01a Web Client

If you experience the Chrome "cip" pop-up, you can safely choose to Always open links of this type and continue.

1. Select the Checkbox
2. Click Open vmware-cip-launcher.exe

1. Click Login

1. Left-Click on "Menu"
2. Select Storage.

Expand vcsa-01a.corp.local if necessary

1. Right-click RegionA01 datacenter
2. Select Storage
3. Select New Datastore...

1. Select vVOL
2. Click Next

In this case, we are creating a vVol that communicates to a Storage Array via an iSCSI based protocol.

• A Storage Administrator has performed the necessary work in our lab to make this particular Storage Container accessible.  Notice that this disk is being made available via a Nimble  Virtual Storage Appliance (VSA).

1. Enter the Datastore Name:  nimblea-module1
2. Choose the "nimblea-vvol-module1" as the Backing Storage Container
3. Click Next

1. Select esx-01a and esx-02a host.
2. Click Next

1. Review settings and click Finish

1. Select RegionA01
2. Select the Datastores Tab
3. Notice that the newly created Virtual Volume (nimblea-module1) is showing Normal (online) status.

The Virtual Volume is ready to be used by Virtual Machines!

In just a few simple steps, you have added a Virtual Volume to your vSphere lab environment.

If it feels like the exercise you just went through was nothing more than adding a New Datastore to vCenter, don't worry.  Working with Virtual Volumes is meant to provide a familiar storage experience to Virtual Infrastructure Administrators; however, they provide powerful new capabilities that have not existed previously.

In later modules of this lab you will learn about each of the architectural components that drive Virtual Volumes and see first-hand how Storage Administrators perform the necessary steps to provision storage resources that are consumable via Virtual Volumes.

Virtual Volumes are enabled by features that are exposed via the back-end Storage Array (QoS, Disk Performance Tiers, Snapshotting, Replication, De-Duplication, etc.).  Virtual Machines that use Virtual Volumes can leverage the features that you choose via Software Based Policies, on the fly, without having to make any changes to the Storage Array or re-format LUNs via vSphere.

In the next Lesson you will learn about the benefits that Virtual Volumes provide.  You will then complete the Module with a review of the Software and Hardware Requirements necessary for Virtual Volumes.

Virtual Volumes simplifies storage operations by automating manual tasks and eliminating operational dependencies between the vSphere Admin and the Storage Admin. Provisioning is faster, and change management is simpler as the new operational model is built upon policy-driven automation.

Virtual Volumes simplifies the delivery of storage service levels to applications by providing administrators with finer control of storage resources and data services at the VM level that can be dynamically adjusted in real time.

Virtual Volumes improves resource utilization by enabling more flexible consumption of storage resources, when needed and with greater granularity. The precise consumption of storage resources eliminates over-provisioning. The Virtual Datastore defines capacity boundaries, access logic, and exposes a set of data services accessible to the virtual machines provisioned in the pool.

Virtual Datastores are purely logical constructs that can be configured on the fly, when needed, without disruption and don’t require formatting with a file system.

Historically, vSphere storage management has been based on constructs defined by the storage array: LUNs and filesystems. A storage administrator would configure array resources to present large, homogenous storage pools that would then be consumed by vSphere administrator.

Since a single, homogeneous storage pool would potentially contain many different applications and virtual machines; this approach resulted in needless complexity and inefficiency. vSphere administrators could not easily specify specific requirements on a per-VM basis.

Changing service levels for a given application usually meant relocating the application to a different storage pool. Storage administrators had to forecast well in advance what storage services might be needed in the future, usually resulting in the over-provisioning of resources.

With Virtual Volumes, this approach has fundamentally changed. vSphere administrators use policies to express application requirements to a storage array. The storage array responds with an individual storage container that precisely maps to application requirements and boundaries.

Typically, the virtual datastore is the lowest granular level at which data management occurs from a storage perspective. However, a single virtual datastore contains multiple virtual machines, which might have different requirements. With the traditional approach, differentiation on a per virtual machine level is difficult.

The Virtual Volumes functionalities allows for the differentiation of virtual machine services on a per application level by offering a new approach to storage management.

Rather than arranging storage around features of a storage system, Virtual Volumes arranges storage around the needs of individual virtual machines, making storage virtual machine centric.

Virtual Volumes map virtual disks and their respective components directly to objects, called virtual volumes, on a storage system. This mapping allows vSphere to offload intensive storage operations such as snapshot, cloning, and replication to the storage system.

Now that you understand the Benefits, let's review the Requirements that are necessary to use Virtual Volumes in our final Lesson of this Module.

The use of Virtual Volumes requires the following software components:

• vCenter Server 6.5 or later Appliance (VCSA) or vCenter Server 6.5 or later for Windows
• ESXi 6.5 or later

There are over 150 array models from multiple partners that have been certified for Virtual Volumes, with even more on the way.

The use of vSphere Virtual Volumes requires the following hardware components:

• Any Server that is certified for vSphere 6.5 or later that is listed on the VMware Compatibility Guide
• A third party storage array system that supports vSphere Virtual Volumes and is able to integrate with vSphere through the VMware APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA)
• Depending on the vendor specific implementation, the storage array system may or may not require a firmware upgrade in order to support vSphere Virtual Volumes.  Check with your storage vendor for detailed information and configuration procedures.

The VMware Compatibility Guide for Virtual Volumes makes it easy to answer requirement questions like:

• Which array models support vVols?
• Which VASA Provider supports which vVols features?
• Which array vendors support iSCSI vVols?
• ...and many more!

The use of vSphere Virtual Volumes requires the following license:

• vSphere Standard
• vSphere Enterprise Plus 

Congratulations on completing Module 1!

If you are looking for additional information on a Virtual Volumes Overview:

• VMware Virtual Volumes Solutions Overview Whitepaper

The Virtual Volumes Compatibility Guide can be found here:

• VMware Compatibility Guide for Virtual Volumes

Proceed to any module below which interests you most.

• Module 2 - Virtual Volumes Architecture (30 minutes) (Basic) Detailed Virtual Volumes Architecture including Key Components and their usage in Lab.
• Module 3 - Provisioning Virtual Volumes (30 minutes) (Basic) Hands On End-to-End (Storage Admin to VI Admin) Provisioning.
• Module 4 - Storage Policy Based Management with Virtual Volumes Replication (45 minutes) (Advanced) Learn the true power of Virtual Volumes via Storage Policy Management.
• Module 5 - Virtual Volumes with SRM Integration (45 minutes) (Advanced) Virtual Volumes with VMware Site Recovery Manager.
• Module 6 - vVol Storage Vendor Partners (15 minutes) - Watch brief videos from our storage partners on vVol integrations

To end your lab, click on the END button.  

Virtual Volumes are considered a type of virtual machine object, which are created and stored natively on the storage array. vVols are stored in storage containers and mapped to virtual machine files/objects such as VM swap, VMDKs and their derivatives.

There are five different types of Virtual Volumes object types and each map to a different and specific virtual machine file.

• Config - VM Home, Configuration files, logs
• Data - Equivalent to a Virtual Machine Disk File (VMDK)
• Memory - Snapshots
• SWAP - Virtual machine memory swap
• Other - vSphere solution specific object

The vendor provider, also known as the vSphere Storage APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA) provider, is a storage-side software component that acts as a storage awareness service for vSphere and mediates out-of-band communication between vCenter Server and ESXi hosts on one side and a storage system on the other. Storage vendors exclusively develop vendor providers. 

ESXi hosts and vCenter Server connect to the Vendor Provider and obtain information about available storage topology, capabilities, and status.

Subsequently vCenter Server provides this information to vSphere clients, exposing the capabilities around which the administrator might craft storage policies in Storage Policy Based Management (SPBM).

Vendor Providers are typically setup and configured by the vSphere administrator in one of two ways:

• Automatically via the array vendors plug-in
• Manually through the vCenter Server

Unlike traditional LUN and NFS-based vSphere storage, the Virtual Volumes functionality does not require preconfigured volumes on a storage side.

Instead, Virtual Volumes uses a storage container, which is a pool of raw storage capacity and/or an aggregation of storage capabilities that a storage system can provide to virtual volumes.

Depending on the storage array implementation, a single array may support multiple storage containers. Storage Containers are typically setup and configured by storage administrators.

Containers are used to define:

• Storage capacity allocations and restrictions 

• Storage policy settings based on data service capabilities on a per 
virtual machine basis 


A Virtual Datastore represents a storage container in a vCenter Server instance and the vSphere Web Client. A Virtual Datastore represents a one-to-one mapping to the storage system’s storage container.

The storage container (or Virtual Datastore) represents a logical pool where individual Virtual Volumes VMDKs are created.

Virtual Datastores are typically set up and configured by vSphere administrators.

A one-to-mapping is created between a vVols datastore and a storage container on the array. If another vVols datastore is needed, a new storage container must be created.

Although storage systems manage all aspects of virtual volumes, ESXi hosts have no direct access to virtual volumes on the storage side. Instead, ESXi hosts use a logical I/O proxy, called the protocol endpoint, to communicate with virtual volumes and virtual disk files that virtual volumes encapsulate.

ESXi uses protocol endpoints to establish an on-demand data path from virtual machines to their respective virtual volumes.

Protocol Endpoints are compatible with all SAN/NAS industry standard protocols:

• iSCSI
• NFS v3
• Fiber Channel (FC)
• Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)

Protocol Endpoints are set up and configured by Storage Administrators.

Here you can see the relationships between the key Virtual Volumes Components, including views from a top-down (VI Admin) perspective and bottom-up (Storage Admin) perspective.  

Published Capabilities will vary depending on array types.

Once all of these components are in place, VI Admin's can easily create VM Storage Policies to take advantage of Array capabilities as part of automating the Software-Defined Datacenter.

1. Click on the Chrome Icon on the Windows Quick Launch Task Bar.

This Hands On Lab will be using the HTML-5 based vSphere client.

1. Select Region A
2. Click vcsa-01a Web Client

1. The username and password should be auto-saved. If they are not use user name of administrator@vsphere.local and a password of VMware1!
2. Click Login

1. Hover over the Home Menu
2. Select Storage

1. Make certain the focus is on the vCenter level: vcsa-01a.corp.local
2. Click Configure
3. Select Storage Providers

The Nimble VSA Storage Providers have already been added to the Lab and they are in Online and Active status.

Virtual Volumes use vSphere Storage APIs (VASA) version 3.0.

As a reminder, these VASA providers are responsible for mediating out-of-band communication between vSphere and Storage Systems.  ESXi hosts and vCenter connect to the Vendor Provider to obtain information about available storage topology, capabilities and status.

Note:  The terms, "Storage Provider", "Vendor Provider" and "VASA Provider" can be used interchangeably.

1. Open a new Tab in your browser and select the NimbleA on the bookmarks bar

1. Login with the User: admin | Password: VMware1! 

1. Select Manage
2. Select Data Storage

1. In the left-hand navigation menu, Select the "nimblea-vvol-default" (This is the Nimble Folder that we used to create the Datastore nimblea-vvol01 in vSphere

Storage Containers are pools of raw storage capacity that a storage system can provide to Virtual Volumes.

Review the usage statistics on the Nimble Storage Container for vVols and note the Volume Type and Protocol indicates vVols via iSCSI.

This Storage Container was created by a Storage Administrator and was used in a previous module of this lab. As you've seen, this Container is visible to a vSphere Administrator when adding storage via vCenter (done via the 'New Datastore' Wizard when selecting 'VVol' as the Virtual Datastore type).  

1. From the Manage menu choose Data Access

There will be 2 or 3 Protocol Endpoints of the type iSCSI from this Nimble VSA to vSphere depending on your work thus far. These represent the in-band connections to both esx-01a and esx-02a.

Protocol Endpoints are used to establish the Data path between Virtual Machines and their respective Virtual Volumes.  These Protocol Endpoints are using the iSCSI protocol; however, it is possible to use other SAN/NAS industry standard protocols like NFS, Fiber Channel and Fiber Channel over Ethernet. In this case, iSCSI protocol endpoints can utilize any iSCSI interface or Fibre Channel connection for IO.

We'll now examine the Nimble configurations...

The Nimble vSphere Plug-in has been installed on both vCenter Servers for you. You may navigate back to your vSphere tab in Chrome to view the components. This Plug-in will be valuable for later modules in this lab. To view the Plug-in follow the below:

1. Return to your vCenter tab and navigate to the Menu button
2. Choose HPE Alletra 6000 and Nimble Storage.

We'll now inspect the full web interface.

 (Note: Due to the nature of the Hands-on-Lab environment, it may be necessary to adjust the zoom settings on the Chrome browser window to view this plug-in properly - see below for an illustration on this setting. 80% zoom is recommended)

1. Select nimblegroupa group

1. Select VVOL

Here you can see the vVols that are available to vSphere via the Nimble VSA. Depending on the modules of this lab that you have completed, your display may have different vVols listed.

 You may inspect the vVols further before continuing to the next steps.

The Nimble Protocol Endpoints are managed in vCenter. In the next steps we'll see where these are visible in vSphere

1. Hover over the Menu  
2. Select Hosts and Clusters

1. Click the RegionA01 down arrow, to expand it's contents
2. Click the RegionA01-COMP01 down arrow, to expand it's contents.

1. Select esx-02a.corp.local
2. Select the Configure Tab
3. Under the Storage category, Click Protocol Endpoints

Notice that the Nimble VSA Protocol Endpoint is configured to use SCSI (leveraging iSCSI). As you learned earlier, Protocol Endpoints are used to establish the Data path between Virtual Machines and their respective Virtual Volumes.

1. Hover over the Menu
2. Select Storage

1. Select RegionA01
2. Click Datastores  

Note that there are multiple Virtual Datastores present with type "vVol" that were added to vCenter by a VI Admin.

These Virtual Volumes are a one-to-one mapping to their Nimble Storage Containers and are ready for Virtual Machine usage.

Note: Based on the Modules you have completed in this Lab, you will see different datastores available. It is safe to continue to your next step if your datastores are not identical to those listed in the screenshot.

You have confirmed all of the key vVol Components within our Lab Environment.  In a later Lab Module, you will create new Virtual Volumes all the way from End-to-End (Storage Array to vSphere).

Congratulations on completing Module 2!

If you are looking for additional information on Virtual Volumes Architecture, try one of these:

• VMware vSphere Virtual Volumes: Getting Started Guide
• Virtual Volumes Architecture (Official Virtual Volumes Documentation Guide)

Proceed to any module below which interests you most.

• Module 1 - Overview and Requirements (30 minutes) Basic) High level overview of Virtual Volumes, add new Virtual Volume to vCenter.
• Module 3 - Provisioning Virtual Volumes (30 minutes) (Basic) Hands On End-to-End (Storage Admin to VI Admin) Provisioning.
• Module 4 - Storage Policy Based Management with Virtual Volumes Replication (45 minutes) (Advanced) Learn the true power of Virtual Volumes via Storage Policy Management.
• Module 5 - Virtual Volumes with SRM Integration (45 minutes) (Advanced) Virtual Volumes with VMware Site Recovery Manager.
• Module 6 - vVol Storage Vendor Partners (15 minutes) - Watch brief videos from our storage partners on vVol integrations

To end your lab, click on the END button.  

In this lesson you will see the end-to-end provisioning of a new Nimble Virtual Volume beginning with the steps that a Storage Administrator must perform on the Array and finishing with the steps that a VI Admin performs to add the vVol to vCenter.

1. Open a New Tab in your Browser
2. Select the NimbleA shortcut on the bookmarks bar.  

Login with the User: admin Password: VMware1!

We will be provisioning a Block vVol Datastore on the Nimble Array that is accessible via vCenter using the iSCSI protocol. We will first verify the Nimble array can communicate with vCenter through VASA (This was pre-configured for you)

1. Select Administration from the menu bar.
2. Click VMware Integration

Note: there are currently a registrations for vcsa-01a.corp.local and vcsa-01b.corp.local

Scroll to the bottom of the status window for vcsa-01a.corp.local and vcsa-01b.corp.local. The Checkbox labeled VASA Provider (vVols) and Web Client are currently checked

1. Scroll to the bottom for vcsa-01a.corp.local
2. Click Test Status for vcsa-01a.corp.local

This step was completed in the set up of this lab. This is a critical step to vVols operations. Recall that VASA (vStorage APIs for Storage Awareness) is a set of APIs that enables vSphere vCenter to recognize the capabilities of storage arrays. You should receive a successfull status message.

Nimble utilizes folders, also referred to as storage containers, to house the virtual volumes. To view the current folder configuration:

1. Select Manage from the menu bar
2. Click Data Storage

Here you can see the default Folders that were created for this lab.

Once vSphere starts using this container for virtual volumes you will see VMDK and other files stored natively within the folder.

Our final step is to view the Performance Policies

1. Select Manage from the menu bar
2. Click Performance Policies

There are 25 of pre-configured Performance Policies as well as the capability to create our own. These policies will be used in vSphere during the creation of the VM Storage Policy.

We will now create a new vVol on the Nimble Array:

1. Select Manage on the menu bar
2. Click Data Storage

vVols on the Nimble Array are created in Folders, change to the Folder view   

1. Click Folders

We'll use the Nimble vVols wizard to create our volume

1. Click the "+"

You are presented with the "Create Folder" dialog box.  Follow the example screenshot and instructions below to complete the required fields.

1. Enter "RegionA01-HOL" in the Name field
2. Choose "VMware virtual volumes(VVols)" Management Type
3. Scroll down once page
4. Choose "vcsa-01a" as the vCenter Server
5. Enter 5 GiB Usage Limit
6. Click Create

Upon creation, you are directed back to the Folder View. Notice RegionA01-HOL is now available.

We will now return to the vSphere Web Client to provision our Nimble storage based Virtual Volume.

1. Click vSphere Web Client on the Windows Task Bar

NOTE - If you need to re-authenticate to vSphere:

1. Select the checkbox for "Use Windows session authentication".
2. Click Login

Alternatively, you can enter a User name of administrator@vsphere.local and a password of VMware1!

1. On the vSphere Web Client Browser Tab
2. Click Menu and select Shortcuts

1. Click on Storage

Let's confirm that newly created datastore is presented to our hosts.

1. Click Menu
2. Click Hosts and Clusters

Congratulations on completing Module 3!

If you are looking for additional information on Virtual Volumes, try this:

• VMware Virtual Volumes (Official Documentation)

Proceed to any module below which interests you most.

• Module 1 - Overview and Requirements (30 minutes) Basic) High level overview of Virtual Volumes, add new Virtual Volume to vCenter.
• Module 2 - Virtual Volumes Architecture (30 minutes) (Basic) Detailed Virtual Volumes Architecture including Key Components and their usage in Lab.
• Module 4 - Storage Policy Based Management with Virtual Volumes Replication (45 minutes) (Advanced) Learn the true power of Virtual Volumes via Storage Policy Management.
• Module 5 - Virtual Volumes with SRM Integration (45 minutes) (Advanced) Virtual Volumes with VMware Site Recovery Manager.
• Module 6 - vVol Storage Vendor Partners (15 minutes) - Watch brief videos from our storage partners on vVol integrations

To end your lab click on the END button.  

While vVol support for array-based replication is supported by many vendors, in the lab we will be working with the Nimble storage array.  Setting up replication with the Nimble array and vCenter requires a few steps, all of which the lab will cover:

1. Establish replication partners between two vVol folders on the Nimble array.
2. Create two new storage-based policy for the Nimble array that controls the replication schedule of the VM.
3. Create a basic VM on Site B which we will assign the the storage-based policy.
4. Inspect Replication success and recovery options

1. Click on the Chrome Icon on the Windows Quick Launch Task Bar.

1. Open a new Tab in your browser and select the NimbleA on the bookmarks bar.

Login with the User: admin | Password: VMware1!  

You are presented with the Nimble array dashboard.  

1. Choose Manage from the menu bar
2. Click Data Protection

On the Data Protection page

1. Click Replication Partners (This could take about a minute to load the Replication Partners page)
2. Select the "+"

You will be presented with the "Partner Creation" dialog in which we will enter all required information to connect to our second Nimble array.  

1. Partner Name: nimblegroupb
2. Hostname/IP: 192.168.220.205 (note: the 3rd octet is "220" as the destination array is on the secondary side)
3. Shared Secret: VMware1!
4. Shared Secret: VMware1!
5. Inbound Location: Select the arrow next to default and choose the folder labeled nimblea-vvol-default
6. Click Next

In the next dialog, you have the option to create a policy that sets bandwidth limits on the replication.  In production environments, this might be a requirement.  In the lab, we will not create such a policy, thus using all available bandwidth for the replication.

1. Click Create

You will be returned to the "Replication Partners" screen.  Initially your connection will have a status of "unreachable" and connection tests will fail until we've configured the replication from the secondary array.

Open a new tab in the Google Chrome browser and click the NimbleB bookmark.

Login with the User: admin | Password: VMware1!  

On the Data Protection page

1. Click Replication Partners
2. Select the "+"

You will be presented with the "Partner Creation" dialog in which we will enter all required information to connect to our first Nimble array.  

1. Partner Name: nimblegroupa
2. Hostname/IP: 192.168.120.205 (note: the 3rd octet is "120" as the destination array is on the secondary side)
3. Shared Secret: VMware1!
4. Shared Secret: VMware1!
5. Inbound Location: Select the arrow next to default and choose the folder labeled nimbleb-vvol-default
6. Click Next

1. Click Create

You are returned to the "Replication Partners" screen.  Initially the status should be listed as "Unreachable" just as in the set up on the first array.

1. Check the box next to partner set up.  
2. Click Test

You should be presented with an "Alive" status now.  This is because we now have configured both arrays as replication partners.

1. Return to the NimbleA tab

1. Select the check box next to the replication partner set up
2. Click Test  

Both source and destination should be showing "Alive"

1. Select RegionA
2. Right-click vcsa-01a Web Client, and select "open in new tab"

If you experience the Chrome "cip" pop-up, you can safely choose to Always open links of this type and continue.

1. Select the Checkbox
2. Click Open vmware-cip-launcher.exe

1. Username: administrator@vsphere.local
2. Password: VMware1!
3. Click Login

In our final section, we will create Storage Policies.

1. Left-click Menu
2. Select Policies and Profiles

1. In the left navigation pane, click VM Storage Policies
2. Click Create

1. Enter Name: NimbleA-vVol-Replication
2. Click Next

1. Select Enable rules for "HPE Alletra 6000 and Nimble Storage" under Datastore specific rules
2. Click Next

(Note this screen will update as you make selections)

1. Select Placement
2. Select Select "ADD RULE"
3. Choose Protection schedule (minutely)
4. Choose Next

(Note this screen will update as you make selections)

1. Snapshot frequency: Every 5 minutes
2. Replication partner: nimblegroupb
3. Replication frequency: 1
4. Snapshots to retain on replica: 1
5. Delete replicas from partner: No

(Note this screen will update as you make selections)

1. Select the Replication tab
2. Select Custom
3. Choose Next

1. Confirm storage is available (nimblea-vvol01)
2. Choose Next

Review the settings

1. Click Finish

We need to create a policy on the secondary side that matches the primary side (for reverse replication needs during a failover). As our vCenters are in Enhanced Linked Mode, this task will be done in the same interface and following the same steps from the previous steps with three important differences in configuration listed below:

1. The vCenter Server in focus will be VCSA-01B.CORP.LOCAL
2. Name of the Replication: NimbleB-vVol-Replication
3. Replication Partner: nimblegroupa

(Click here to jump back 9 pages in this manual to follow these instructions again using the 3 different variables above):

Please proceed to create the policy via previous steps and reference the above image to confirm the policy is created accurately.

Select Finish to continue

Congratulations on completing Module 4!

If you are looking for additional information on Virtual Volumes Storage  try the below:

• Virtual Volumes on Virtual Block's Blog

Proceed to any module below which interests you most.

• Module 1 - Overview and Requirements (30 minutes) Basic) High level overview of Virtual Volumes, add new Virtual Volume to vCenter.
• Module 2 - Virtual Volumes Architecture (30 minutes) (Basic) Detailed Virtual Volumes Architecture including Key Components and their usage in Lab.
• Module 3 - Provisioning Virtual Volumes (30 minutes) (Basic) Hands On End-to-End (Storage Admin to VI Admin) Provisioning.
• Module 5 - Virtual Volumes with SRM Integration (45 minutes) (Advanced) Virtual Volumes with VMware Site Recovery Manager.
• Module 6 - vVol Storage Vendor Partners (15 minutes) - Watch brief videos from our storage partners on vVol integration.

To end your lab click on the END button.  

Note: This is an advanced module;  familiarity with SPBM and vSphere Replication is strongly recommended before continuing.

We will create an SPBM (Storage Policy Based Management) policy and replication pairing for this integration. Module 4 of this lab has detailed instructions of how to complete these set-up steps. We will assume that you are familiar with these configurations, as this module will not provide detailed setup instructions.  

1. Click on the Chrome Icon on the Windows Quick Launch Task Bar.

1. Open a new Tab in your browser and select the NimbleA on the bookmarks bar.

Login with the User: admin | Password: VMware1!  

You are presented with the Nimble array dashboard.  

1. Choose Manage from the menu bar
2. Click Data Protection

On the Data Protection page

1. Click Replication Partners (This could take about a minute to load the Replication Partners page)
2. Select the "+"

You will be presented with the "Partner Creation" dialog in which we will enter all required information to connect to our second Nimble array.  

1. Partner Name: nimblegroupb
2. Hostname/IP: 192.168.220.205 (note: the 3rd octet is "220" as the destination array is on the secondary side)
3. Shared Secret: VMware1!
4. Shared Secret: VMware1!
5. Inbound Location: Select the arrow next to default and choose the folder labeled nimblea-vvol-srm
6. Click Next

In the next dialog, you have the option to create a policy that sets bandwidth limits on the replication.  In production environments, this might be a requirement.  In the lab, we will not create such a policy, thus using all available bandwidth for the replication.

1. Click Create

You will be returned to the "Replication Partners" screen after a brief delay.  Initially your connection will have a status of "unreachable" and connection tests will fail until we've configured the replication from the secondary array.

Open a new tab in the Google Chrome browser and click the NimbleB bookmark.

Login with the User: admin | Password: VMware1!  

On the Data Protection page

1. Click Replication Partners
2. Select the "+"

You will be presented with the "Partner Creation" dialog in which we will enter all required information to connect to our first Nimble array.  

1. Partner Name: nimblegroupa
2. Hostname/IP: 192.168.120.205 (note: the 3rd octet is "120" as the destination array is on the secondary side)
3. Shared Secret: VMware1!
4. Shared Secret: VMware1!
5. Inbound Location: Select the arrow next to default and choose the folder labeled nimbleb-vvol-srm
6. Click Next

1. Click Create

 There may be a brief delay while the connection is established. You should be returned to the Replication Partners screen once the connection is created.

You are returned to the "Replication Partners" screen.  Initially the status should be listed as "Unreachable" just as in the set up on the first array.

1. Check the box next to partner set up.  
2. Click Test

You should be presented with an "Alive" status now.  This is because we now have configured both arrays as replication partners.

1. Return to the NimbleA tab

1. Select the check box next to the replication partner set up
2. Click Test  

Both source and destination should be showing "Alive"

1. Select RegionA
2. Right-click vcsa-01a Web Client, and select "open in new tab"

1. Username: administrator@vsphere.local
2. Password: VMware1!
3. Click Login

In our final section, we will create Storage Policies.

1. Left-click Menu
2. Select Policies and Profiles

1. In the left navigation pane, click VM Storage Policies
2. Click Create

1. Enter Name: NimbleA-vVol-SRM
2. Click Next

1. Select Enable rules for "HPE Alletra 6000 and Nimble Storage" under Datastore specific rules
2. Click Next

(Note this screen will update as you make selections)

1. Select Placement
2. Select Select "ADD RULE"
3. Choose Protection schedule (minutely)
4. Choose Next

(Note this screen will update as you make selections)

1. Snapshot frequency: Every 5 minutes
2. Replication partner: nimblegroupb
3. Replication frequency: 1
4. Snapshots to retain on replica: 1
5. Delete replicas from partner: No

(Note this screen will update as you make selections)

1. Select the Replication tab
2. Select Custom
3. Choose Next

1. Confirm storage is available (nimblea-vvol-srm)
2. Choose Next

Review the settings

1. Click Finish

We need to create a policy on the secondary side that matches the primary side (for reverse replication needs during a failover). As our vCenters are in Enhanced Linked Mode, this task will be done in the same interface and following the same steps from the previous steps with three important differences in configuration listed below

1. The vCenter Server in focus will be VCSA-01B.CORP.LOCAL
2. Name of the Replication: NimbleB-vVol-SRM
3. Replication Partner: nimblegroupa

Please proceed to create the policy via previous steps and reference the above image to confirm the policy is created accurately.

Select Finish to continue

1. Select Menu
2. Select Hosts and Clusters

Due to updates to Hands on Labs environment since creation of this lab we will be re-creating the "nimble-srm" VM. Please follow the below steps.

1. Right Click on nimble-srm
2. Choose Rename
3. rename to 'nimble-srm_old'

1. Right-click the nimble-srm_old vm
2. Choose Clone
3. Select Clone to Virtual Machine...

1. Name the clone nimble-srm
2. Follow all defaults until the "Select Storage" screen
3. On the "Select Storage" Screen Choose Datastore "nimblea-vvol-srm".
4. Complete the wizard by selecting Next, Next, and Finish

1. Right-click the nimble-srm vm
2. Hover over VM Policies
3. Select Edit VM Storage Policies...

1. Click the VM storage policy drop-down
2. Select your newly created storage policy NimbleA-vVol-SRM
3. Click Configure next Replication groups

1. Choose Automatic from the Select Replication Group
2. Click OK

1. Click OK

1. Left-click Menu
2. Select Site Recovery

1. Click Open Site Recovery

1. Click View Details

1. If necessary - enter the SRM login credentials

1. Select Storage Policy Mapping
2. Click New

1. Select Prepare mappings manually
2. Click Next

1. Check NimbleA-vVol-SRM on the left
2. Select NimbleB-vVol-SRM on the right
3. Click Add Mappings
4. Click Next

1. Check the box next to vcsa-01b.corp.local to select all
2. Click Next

1. Click Finish

1. Select the Protection Groups tab
2. Click  New

1. Enter the name vVols-SRM-PG
2. Click Next

1. Select Virtual Volumes (vVol replication)
2. Select nimblegroupa fault domain radio button
3. Click Next

1. Click the checkbox next to replication group name nimble-srm-<hex_characters>
2. Click the drop down arrow
3. Verify you see our nimble-srm vm listed with status OK

(NOTE: You may not see the nimble-srm VM if you've completed the previous steps quickly; recall there is a 5 minute replication schedule. You may safely restart the creation of your Protecting Group - waiting a 1-2 minutes should be sufficient)

1. Click Next

1. Select Do not add to recovery plan now
2. Click Next

1. Expand the menus as necessary and Select ESXi-RegionA01-vDS-COMP
2. Select ESXi-RegionB01-vDS-Comp
3. Click Add Mappings
4. Click Next

1. Expand the menus as necessary and Select RegionA01
2. Select RegionB01
3. Click Add Mappings
4. Click Next

1. Click Finish

1. Wait until you see the Protection Status as OK

1. Select Recovery Plans
2. Click New

1. Enter the name vVols-SRM-RP
2. Click Next

1. Select the vVols-SRM-PG protection group
2. Click Next

1. Map each drop-down on the right to the exact name on the left
2. Click Next

1. Click Finish

1. Click on the vVols-SRM-RP recovery plan to open it up

1. Click Test

1. Click Next

1. Click Finish

1. Select Recovery Steps

From here you can monitor the test and watch the steps as it proceeds.

While the recovery plan is running, let's go view the data on the Nimble arrays.

1. Return to the Nimble-OS1 tab

1. Click Manage
2. Select Data Protection

Here you can see the volumes on the Nimble arrays that are being replicated.  When looking at Nimble-OS2, you will see the Replica tag attached to the alternate volume.

1. Return to the NimbleB tab

1. Click Manage
2. Select Data Protection

Here you can see the volumes on the Nimble arrays that are being replicated.  When looking at NimbleB, you will see the Replica tag attached to the alternate volume.

1. Click the Site Recovery tab in Chrome

1. You should see that the recovery plan has been completed (it does take some time to run).  
2. You may need to click the Refresh button to see this updated.

NOTE: You may notice task timeout related to VMTools not responding. This is expected behavior as the VM we are testing on is only a shell without an OS. This message can be safely ignored.

At this point you have completed the configuration of vVols with SRM!

If you are looking for additional information on Virtual Volumes Storage  try the below:

• Virtual Volumes on Virtual Block's Blog

Proceed to any module below which interests you most.

• Module 1 - Overview and Requirements (30 minutes) Basic) High level overview of Virtual Volumes, add new Virtual Volume to vCenter.
• Module 2 - Virtual Volumes Architecture (30 minutes) (Basic) Detailed Virtual Volumes Architecture including Key Components and their usage in Lab.
• Module 3 - Provisioning Virtual Volumes (30 minutes) (Basic) Hands On End-to-End (Storage Admin to VI Admin) Provisioning.
• Module 4 - Storage Policy Based Management with Virtual Volumes (30 minutes) - vVols and SPBM configurations
• Module 6 - vVol Storage Vendor Partners (15 minutes) - Watch brief videos from our storage partners on vVol integration.

To end your lab click on the END button.  

vVols represents the collaboration of VMware and the storage ecosystem towards a new storage operational model centered on the VM. Major vendors participated in the design of vVols. The ecosystem continues to  grow and strengthen with solutions ready for vVols. You have reached the end of the interactive portion of this hands-on-lab. This remainder of this lab contains video links to these Vendor solutions.

vVols adoption continues to grow and is  accelerating in 2021 and its easy to see why. vVols eliminates LUN  management, accelerates deployments, simplifies operations, and enables  utilization of all of your arrays functionality. VMware and our storage  partners continue to develop and advance vVols, and its functionality.  In vSphere 7, more features and enhancements have been added, showing  the continued commitment to the program.

We have included videos from our vVols partners below. Please feel free to review them.

• Dell/EMC (15 minutes)
• Hitachi (15 minutes)
• NetApp (7 minutes)
• Pure (13 minutes)

Congratulations on completing Module 6!

Review any module below which interests you most.

• Module 1 - Overview and Requirements (30 minutes) Basic) High level overview of Virtual Volumes, add new Virtual Volume to vCenter.
• Module 2 - Virtual Volumes Architecture (30 minutes) (Basic) Detailed Virtual Volumes Architecture including Key Components and their usage in Lab.
• Module 3 - Provisioning Virtual Volumes (30 minutes) (Basic) Hands On End-to-End (Storage Admin to VI Admin) Provisioning.
• Module 4 - Storage Policy Based Management with Virtual Volumes Replication (45 minutes) (Advanced) Learn the true power of Virtual Volumes via Storage Policy Management.
• Module 5 - Virtual Volumes with SRM Integration (45 minutes) (Advanced) Virtual Volumes with VMware Site Recovery Manager.

To end your lab click on the END button.