In VMware Cloud Foundation version 4.1, vVols have taken center stage as a Principal Storage type available for Workload Domain deployments. This inclusion in one of VMware's products of focus should eliminate any doubt that vVols is not an important area of investment for VMware and their ecosystem partners. This technical KB will walk through the steps required to deploy a Workload Domain using Fibre Channel and vVols with the Everpure FlashArray.
Prerequisites
- VMware Cloud Foundation Management Domain deployed with VCF/Cloud Builder version 4.1
- FlashArray with Fibre Channel connectivity
- FlashArray running Purity 5.3.6+
- NOTE: do not use Purity version 5.3.9 as there is a bug which prevents vVols deployment from completing--this is resolved in 5.3.10
- Three or more ESXi hosts with the following characteristics:
- Fibre Channel connectivity and zoning completed
- ESXi version 7.0.1 or above
- Setup for use in VCF 4.1 per VMware's Documentation
- Added as a host object to the FlashArray with their respective WWNs assigned
- Hosts should not have any shared VMFS datastores attached to them (a private volume like boot from SAN is fine, though)
With the above prerequisites confirmed, the process of building a Workload Domain using vVols and FC can be broken down into these steps that we will detail in the remainder of this article:
- Register FlashArray VASA Provider in SDDC Manager
- Create a Host Group and attach it to Everpure Protocol Endpoint on FlashArray
- Commission ESXi Hosts within SDDC Manager for Workload Domain
- Create the Workload Domain with the vVols Storage Type
- Complete VASA registration with Everpure vSphere Plugin post Workload Domain Deployment