vsphere-esxi-vcenter-server-55-storage-guide

Chapter 19 Working with Virtual SANEnable Virtual SAN on Existing ClustersYou can edit cluster properties to turn on Virtual SAN for an existing cluster.PrerequisitesVerify that your environment meets all requirements. See “Requirements for Virtual SAN,” on page 176.Procedure1 Browse to the host cluster in the vSphere Web Client navigator.2 Click the Manage tab and click Settings.3 Under Virtual SAN, select General and click Edit to edit Virtual SAN settings.4 Select the mode for storage disks to be claimed.OptionAutomaticManualDescriptionClaims all empty disks on the included hosts for Virtual SAN. Virtual SANin automatic mode claims only local disks on the ESXi hosts in the cluster.You can add any remote non-shared disks manually.Requires manual claiming of the disks on the included hosts. New disks onthe host are not added to Virtual SAN. With the manual mode, twomethods of organizing disks into disk groups exist, semi-automatic andmanual.NOTE When you use this mode, a Virtual SAN datastore is created, but itsinitial size is 0 bytes. The datastore remains unusable until you manuallyclaim disks.5 Click OK.Enabling Virtual SAN creates a Virtual SAN datastore and registers the Virtual SAN storage provider. TheVirtual SAN storage provider communicates to vCenter Server storage capabilities of the datastore.What to do nextVerify that the Virtual SAN datastore has been created. See “View Virtual SAN Datastore,” on page 182.Verify that the Virtual SAN storage provider is registered. See “View Virtual SAN Storage Providers,” onpage 189.If you use manual mode for Virtual SAN, claim disks or create disk groups. See “Managing Disk Groups,”on page 183.If you want to disable Virtual SAN on a cluster, see “Disable Virtual SAN,” on page 182.Assign a License Key to a Virtual SAN ClusterAfter you obtain an appropriate license key, assign it to your Virtual SAN cluster. Alternatively, you can usean existing Virtual SAN license key if it is already available in the inventory of the vCenter Server system.When you turn on Virtual SAN for a cluster, you can use Virtual SAN in evaluation mode to explore itsfeatures. The evaluation period starts when Virtual SAN is enabled and expires after 60 days. To continueusing Virtual SAN, make sure to license it before the evaluation period expires.Prerequisites• Required privilege: Global.Licenses• If you plan to assign an existing license key, verify that the license key has been loaded to thevCenter Server system.VMware, Inc. 181