Virtual Machine Operations

Snapshots

  • Snapshot operations should be performed in the VMware vSphere Web Client. Snapshots of virtual volume (vVol) virtual disks (vDisks) cannot be created directly from the DataCore SANsymphony software.
  • Snapshot vDisks are created and maintained in DataCore SANsymphony as a result of snapshot operations performed in the vSphere Web Client. They are placed in the pool and node specified by the Preferred Snapshot Pool of the vDisk template. If no preferred snapshot pool is selected in the template, the DataCore VASA Provider will use the pool that is specified first in the vDisk template.
  • In DataCore SANsymphony, snapshots are named by appending the creation timestamp with the vVol name, and the virtual machine (VM) name appears in the description. Snapshots of vVol vDisks appear in the DataCore Management Console and have the subtype vVol.
  • Do not perform any snapshot operations on existing snapshots of vVol vDisks or manipulate the snapshots in any way from the DataCore SANsymphony software.
  • If a mapstore pool is not assigned in DataCore SANsymphony, the DataCore VASA Provider automatically sets it to be the pool where the first snapshot of a vVol is created.

Replication and Snapshots

  • Replication cannot be setup on a virtual machine (VM) with existing snapshots. To set up replication on such a VM, all the snapshots must be deleted first.
  • Once replication has been set up, all the snapshots created afterward will also be replicated at the target site.
  • Deletion of the snapshot on source site will also automatically delete the corresponding snapshot on the target site if present.

Migrating and Cloning Virtual Machines

  • Cloning and migration of virtual machines (VM) should be performed in the VMware vSphere Web Client, not in DataCore SANsymphony software.
  • Migrations can be performed to change the VM storage, change the host, or both. For example, the storage may be changed if it becomes incompatible over time, or to change the policy of a VM from a single vVol vDisk (not highly available) to a mirrored vVol vDisk (highly available).
  • When a VM does not differ much from the snapshot, cloning is faster than doing block level copies of the VM.
  • During migration or cloning, it is possible that many snapshots, DataCore disks, and pass-through vDisks may be created in DataCore SANsymphony software to facilitate the process. These entities may or may not be automatically removed after the operation is completed.

    These entities are owned by the DataCore VASA Provider and ESXi and therefore should not be manipulated in any way.

Also see:

Creating a Virtual Machine