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

vSphere StorageFigure 1‐6. Virtual machines accessing different types of storageHostrequires TCP/IP connectivityvirtualmachinevirtualmachinevirtualmachinevirtualmachinevirtualmachineVMFSSCSIfibrechannelHBAiSCSIHBAsoftwareadapterethernetNICethernetNICKeySAN LAN LAN LANphysicaldiskdatastorevirtualdiskVMFS VMFS NFSfibre arrayiSCSI arrayNAS applianceNOTE This diagram is for conceptual purposes only. It is not a recommended configuration.You can use maps on the Storage Views tab to visually represent and understand the relationships betweenvirtual machines on your host and all available virtual and physical storage resources. For moreinformation, see the vSphere Monitoring and Performance documentation.Comparing Types of StorageWhether certain vSphere functionality is supported might depend on the storage technology that you use.The following table compares networked storage technologies that ESXi supports.Table 1‐4. Networked Storage that ESXi SupportsTechnology Protocols Transfers InterfaceFibre Channel FC/SCSI Block access of data/LUN FC HBAFibre Channel overEthernetFCoE/SCSI Block access of data/LUN • Converged Network Adapter (hardwareFCoE)• NIC with FCoE support (software FCoE)iSCSI IP/SCSI Block access of data/LUN • iSCSI HBA or iSCSI-enabled NIC(hardware iSCSI)NAS IP/NFS File (no direct LUN access) Network adapter• Network adapter (software iSCSI)The following table compares the vSphere features that different types of storage support.24 VMware, Inc.