vSphere Storage Appliance (VSA) – Useful Links [Updated]

[Updated 17-Dec-2012]

In August 2011, the vSphere Storage Appliance (VSA) was officially launched by VMware. This is VMware’s low cost, easy to install, shared storage solution which aims to enable SMB (Small to mid-size) customers to have access to core vSphere features such as vMotion & vSphere HA.

In September 2012, the VSA v5.1 was launched. This release included a number of new enhancements and features.

This blog article is simply to bring together a bunch of links to allow you to successfully evaluate, and then deploy a VSA in your infrastructure.

Offical Documentation

• VSA 1.0 Datasheet – https://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/products/vsphere/vSphere-VSA-Datasheet.pdf
• VSA 1.0 Release notes – https://www.vmware.com/support/vsa/doc/vsphere-storage-appliance-10-release-notes.html
• VSA 1.0 Install & Configure/Administrators Guide – https://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vsphere-storage-appliance-pubs.html
• VSA 1.0 Evaluation Guide – https://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/products/vsphere/VMware-vSphere-Storage-Appliance-Evaluation-Guide.pdf
• VSA 1.0 Performance White Paper – http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/techpaper/vsa-perf-vsphere5.pdf
• VSA 1.0 Technical Deep Dive – http://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/10238

• VSA 5.1 Release notes – https://www.vmware.com/support/vsa/doc/vsphere-storage-appliance-51-release-notes.html
• VSA 5.1 New Features – http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/VMW-WP-vSPHR-WhatsNewVSA.pdf
• VSA 5.1 Install & Configure/Administrators Guide – http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-51/topic/com.vmware.ICbase/PDF/vsphere-storage-appliance-51-install-administration-guide.pdf

 HCL

• Select ESXi 5.0 or ESXi 5.1 in the Product Release Version and the VSA in the Feature to get a list of supported hosts – http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php. This is regularly updated, so worth checking back every now and then.
• The HCL has been relaxed as of December 2012. Now you simply need a qualified RAID controller – more here: http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/12/major-hcl-changes-for-the-vsphere-storage-appliance-vsa.html

 VSA VMTN Community

• Ask questions & get help on the VSA – http://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/server/vsphere/vsa

 VSA Product Demos & Eval Videos

• VSA 5.1 Eval Videos can be found here – https://my.vmware.com/group/vmware/evalcenter?p=vmware-vsphere51-ent – under the ‘Using the Product’ tab.

• VSA 1.0 Overview Demo – http://download3.vmware.com/media/flv/VSAOverview.html
• VSA 1.0 Install & Configure Demo – http://download3.vmware.com/media/flv/VSAInstallation.html
• VSA 1.0 Resilience Demo – http://download3.vmware.com/media/flv/VSAResilience.html
• VSA 1.0 Offline/Click Thru Demo – See the VSA in action without actually installing it – http://communities.vmware.com/thread/326302?tstart=0

 KB Articles

• VSA FAQ – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2001389
• Useful VSA Licensing Info – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2002309
• VSA Performance Expectations and Optimizations – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2000574
• VSA Memory Overcommit restriction – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2008050
• Mounting VSA NFS datastores on ESXi hosts manually – kb.vmware.com/kb/2004833
• Getting started with the VMware vSphere Storage Appliance – kb.vmware.com/kb/2009895

 Blog Articles

• VSA Intro – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2011/08/new-enhanced-vsphere-50-storage-features-part-4-vsphere-storage-appliance.html
• VSA Resilience [Failed Node] – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2011/08/vsphere-storage-appliance-part-2-resilience.html
• VSA Installed & Configured in less than 10 minutes – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2011/08/vsphere-storage-appliance-vsa-installed-configured-in-10-minutes.html
• VSA Resilience [Back-End Network] – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2011/09/vsphere-storage-appliance-vsa-network-outage-scenario-1-back-end.html
• VSA Resilience [Front-End Network] – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2011/09/vsphere-storage-appliance-vsa-resilience-network-outage-scenario-2-front-end.html
• Can I run vCenter on a VSA Cluster member? – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2011/09/vsphere-storage-appliance-can-i-run-vcenter-on-a-vsa-cluster-member.html
• Managing multiple remote VSA deployments from a single vSphere Client – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2011/09/using-the-linked-mode-vcenter-feature-for-managing-a-remote-vsa.html
• Network Resilience Demo – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2011/10/vsphere-storage-appliance-vsa-resilience-network-outage-demos.html
• RAID 10 Requirement Relaxed! – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/01/raid10-requirement-for-vsphere-storage-appliance-vsa-relaxed.html
• Exiting VSA Maintenance Mode using WSCLI – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/04/exiting-vsa-maintenance-mode-using-wscli.html
• Mounting NFS datastore to non-VSA ESXi hosts – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/05/scale-out-vsa-mounting-vsa-nfs-datastores-to-non-vsa-esxi-hosts.html 
• New VSA Whitepapers from Principled Technologies – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/05/new-vsphere-storage-appliance-vsa-whitepapers-now-published.html
• VSA & Fault Tolerant VMs – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/08/vsphere-storage-appliance-vsa-fault-tolerant-vms.html
• VSA 5.1 New Features – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/08/new-features-of-the-vsphere-storage-appliance-version-5-1.html

Some recent articles from Rawlinson (@punchingclouds):

• VSA 5.1 Cluster Service Consideration & Successful Deployment Series – Part 1 –
• http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/11/vcloud-suite-vsa-5-1-cluster-service-considerations-successful-deployments-series-part-1.html
• VSA 5.1 Cluster Service Consideration & Successful Deployment Series – Part 2 – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/11/vcloud-suite-vsa-5-1-cluster-service-consideration-successful-deployment-series-part-2.html
•  VSA 5.1 Remote Office/Branch Office Consideration & Successful Deployment Series – Part 3 –http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/11/vcloud-suite-vsa-5-1-remote-officebrach-office-consideration-successful-deployment-series-part-3.html
• Manage the vCloud vSphere Storage Appliance (VSA) 5.1 from the vSphere Web Client –http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/11/manage-the-vcloud-suite-vsphere-storage-appliance-vsa-5-1-from-the-vsphere-web-client.html
• vSphere Storage Appliance (VSA) 5.1 Considerations for Successful Brownfield Deployments – Part I –http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/12/vcloud-suite-vsa-5-1-considerations-for-successul-brownfield-deployments-series-part-i.html
• vSphere Storage Appliance (VSA) 5.1 Considerations for Successful Brownfield Deployments – Part II – http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/12/vcloud-suite-vsphere-storage-appliance-vsa-5-1-considerations-for-successful-brownfield-deployments-part-ii.html

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