VMware recently made significant changes to the vVols layout on the VMware Compatibility Guide (VCG). This change is based on all the feedback we heard to improve the user experience and provide more information regarding specific feature support.
I love talking to customers about vSphere Virtual Volumes (vVols). vVols can greatly simplify storage management and provide greater granularity over the existing operational model. Understanding the vVols architecture is the easy part. Sometimes the more challenging part is understanding what features are supported by the various storage vendors.
Understanding vVol Requirements
While most storage vendors have a vVol VASA Provider, there are still some considerations:
- Which array is supported?
- Which version of ESXi does my storage vendor support?
- What VASA certification is certified?
- What VVol features does my storage vendor support?
- What issues\limitations does VASA Provider have?
The first version of the VMware Compatibility Guide for vVols answered some of these questions but often times, in order to get a detailed picture of the vVol feature support you would also need to reference partner documentation.
The New Compatibility Guide for vVols
The new compatibility guide has a simpler layout and provides more information pertaining to the storage vendor’s vVol support. First, the search result layout has been changed to reflect key product feature differentiation in the first page of the search results. By clicking on a Partner Name, you can see what VASA Providers they offer. The guide will also filter out the supported arrays for each VASA Provider and the supported Features.
You can also search by Features to easily see which vendors support the various vVol features.
By expanding the Partner Name, you can easily see Supported ESXi version, supported features, and VASA Provider versions with a link to download.
Lastly, by clicking on more details, you can see detailed information such as supported protocols, KB Articles, VASA provider version, VASA vVol Spec version and more.
Conclusion
Understanding the value proposition for vVols is pretty straightforward. Until today, the most challenging part has been understanding the specifics of each vendor’s implementation. The changes to the VMware Compatibility Guide for vVols greatly simplifies this task and provides more information than ever before. For detailed information on vSphere Virtual Volumes, go to storagehub.vmware.com.
