Virtual Disks

In this topic:

Viewing virtual disk information

Creating virtual disks

Serving virtual disks

Unserving virtual disks

Deleting virtual disks

Viewing Virtual Disk Information

When Virtual Disks is opened from DataCore Devices, a list of DataCore virtual disks is displayed. Virtual disk actions are initiated from this area.  

Virtual Disks List

The Virtual Disks list is a complete inventory of all existing DataCore virtual disks that are available for use by ESX hosts, including virtual disks already served to ESX hosts. Additional information in the list includes the virtual disk status, size, and the level of mirroring (mirrored or non-mirrored). The same icons used in the DataCore Servers panels Panel in the DataCore Management Console are displayed in the list to specify the virtual disk type and serve status.

Select a virtual disk in the list to view details.

Virtual Disk Details

Virtual Disk Details

Name of virtual disk.

Status: Virtual disk status as reported from DataCore software.

Served status: Served or Unserved.

Size: Size of the virtual disk when it was created.

Type: Level of mirroring: Mirrored or Non-mirrored (single virtual disk)

Recovery priority: Mirror recovery priority assigned to the virtual disk (Critical, High, Regular or Low). Virtual disks with higher priority settings are given available resources to perform mirror recovery before virtual disks with lower priority.

DataCore Servers panels: Servers used as storage sources for the virtual disk.

ESX Hosts:  The hosts that the virtual disk is served to.

Creating Virtual Disks

A wizard is used to create virtual disks.  Two types of virtual disks can be created:

  • Typical creates a virtual disk of the desired size using the most common configuration parameters.
    • Creates a mirrored virtual disk if two or more servers are in the server group, otherwise a non-mirrored virtual disk will be created. Mirrored virtual disks will be created with redundant mirror paths if sufficient paths are available.
    • Virtual disk size can be entered in the wizard.
    • Storage sources are created from disk pools, which are determined by the software based on the pools with the most available space.
    • All other settings or properties use the standard defaults.
  • Custom creates a virtual disk of the desired size and allows some properties to be modified:
    • Type (mirrored or non-mirrored) can be selected. Mirrored virtual disks will be created with redundant mirror paths if sufficient paths are available.
    • Virtual disk size and amount of reserved space can be entered in the wizard.
    • Storage sources, including server and disk pool or pass-through physical disks, can be selected.
    • All other properties and settings use the standard defaults.

To create virtual disks:

  1. In the DataCore Devices box on the DataCore, click Virtual Disks.
  2. In the menu bar, click Create. The Create Virtual Disk wizard opens.
  3. In Create Options, select Typical virtual disk or Custom virtual disk.   

  4. Click Next and continue making the necessary selections and advancing through the wizard.
  5. When the mirrored virtual disk is ready to be served, the status will be Online.

Serving Virtual Disks

The Serve operation serves the selected virtual disks to ESX hosts. Served virtual disks can be used to create datastores on ESX hosts.

  1. In the DataCore Devices box on the DataCore, click Virtual Disks.
  2. In the menu bar, click Serve. The Serve Virtual Disk wizard opens.
  3. In Select Virtual Disks, select the check boxes for the virtual disks to serve.

  4. Click Next.
  5. In Select Hosts, select the check boxes for the hosts to serve the virtual disks to.

  6. Click Next.
  7. In Serve Options, select Use default LUN which assigns the next available LUN, or Specify LUN and enter the LUN (only available when serving one virtual disk).  

  8. Click Serve. The icon will change to represent a served virtual disk when the operation is complete.

Unserving Virtual Disks

  1. In the DataCore Devices box on the DataCore, click Virtual Disks.
  2. In the Virtual Disks list, select the virtual disk to unserve.
  3. In the menu bar, click Unserve.

Deleting Virtual Disks

Deleting virtual disks is a destructive operation and will permanently delete the data on the virtual disk.

  1. In the DataCore Devices box on the DataCore, click Virtual Disks.
  2. In the Virtual Disks list, select the virtual disk to delete.
  3. In the menu bar, click Delete.
  4. A warning message will appear. Read the message and click Delete again to continue with the operation.