VMware vSAN: Deploy and Manage plus VMware vSAN: Troubleshooting Workshop

Storage and virtual infrastructure administrators who want to use software-defined storage with vSAN.

By the end of the course, you should be able to meet the following objectives:

•  Describe the vSAN architecture
•  Identify vSAN features and use cases
•  Configure vSAN networking components
•  Configure a vSAN cluster
•  Deploy virtual machines on a vSAN datastore
•  Configure virtual machine storage policies
•  Perform ongoing vSAN management tasks
•  Configure vSAN encryption
•  Control vSAN resynchronization tasks
•  Create and manage nested fault domains
•  Use the vSAN health service to monitor health and performance
•  Configure a stretched cluster and observe failover scenarios
•  Describe vSAN interoperability with VMware vSphere® features and other products
•  Plan and design a vSAN cluster
•  Use diagnostic and troubleshooting tools to resolve vSAN 6.6 deployment and architectural issues

1  Course Introduction

•  Introductions and course logistics
•  Course objectives
•  Describe the software-defined data center

2  Introduction to vSAN

•  Describe basic vSAN architecture and components
•  Describe the differences between file, block, and object storage
•  Explain the advantages of object-based storage
•  Detail the configuration of a vSAN cluster
•  Install and validate the initial vSAN installation and configuration

3  vSAN Configuration

•  Apply vSAN design considerations
•  Detail the expansion of a vSAN cluster
•  Configure vSAN disk groups manually
•  Identify physical network configuration requirements
•  Describe the configuration of vSAN networking
•  Test and validate the vSAN configuration and functionality
•  Describe the vSAN architecture and components
•  Describe the differences between the vSAN hybrid and all-flash architectures
•  Describe the advantages of all-flash architecture
•  Describe the space-efficiency features of vSAN
•  Describe the different vSAN assessment tools
•  Explain vSAN License Details

4  vSAN Policies and Virtual Machines

•  Explain how storage policies work with vSAN
•  Define and create a virtual machine storage policy
•  Apply and modify virtual machine storage policies
•  Change virtual machine storage policies dynamically
•  Identify virtual machine storage policy compliance status

5  Managing and Operating vSAN

•  Explain how to configure encryption in the vSAN cluster
•  Explain the management of hardware storage devices
•  Identify alarms for vSAN events
•  Describe and configure fault domains
•  Describe the configuration of the vSAN iSCSI service, iSCSI targets, and LUNS

6  Stretched Clusters and Two-Node Clusters

•  Describe the architecture for stretched clusters and two-node clusters
•  Create a stretched cluster
•  Describe how stretched cluster storage policies affect vSAN objects
•  Create and apply a vSAN stretched cluster policy to meet specific needs
•  Discuss the behavior of a stretched cluster when various types of failures occur

7  Monitoring and Troubleshooting vSAN

•  Discuss hardware failure scenarios
•  Describe the process of resynchronization
•  Explain the possible reasons for resynchronization
•  Describe the use of vSphere Client to detect issues
•  Explain the use of the health service to monitor vSAN health
•  Explain the use of the performance service to monitor vSAN performance.
•  Monitor and test the vSAN environment
•  Describe vSAN architecture components and the PNOMA OSI model.

8  vSAN Software Architecture

•  Describe the vSAN architecture and components
•  Describe the policy-driven, object-based vSAN storage environment
•  Describe the vSAN software components: CLOM, DOM, LSOM, CMMDS, and RDT
•  Explain the relationships between the vSAN software components
•  Explain the relationship between objects and components
•  Determine how specific storage policies affect components
•  Describe component placement

9  Troubleshooting Methodology

•  Use a structured approach to solve configuration and operational problems
•  Apply troubleshooting methodology to logically diagnose faults and optimize troubleshooting efficiency

10  Troubleshooting Tools

•  Replace a failed witness appliance
•  Discuss the ways to run various command-line tools
•  Discuss the ways to access VMware vSphere® ESXi™ Shell
•  Use commands to view, configure, and manage your VMware vSphere® environment
•  Explain which log files are useful for vSAN troubleshooting
•  Use log files to help troubleshoot vSAN problems
•  Discuss the esxcli vsan namespace commands
•  Discuss how to use Ruby vSphere Console commands

This course requires completion of one of the following prerequisites:

•  Storage administration experience on block or file storage devices
•  Understanding of concepts presented in the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V6.x] (VSICM) course

Experience working at the command line is helpful.

The course material presumes that a student can perform the following tasks with no assistance or guidance before enrolling in this course:

•  Use VMware vSphere® Web Client
•  Create and manage VMware vCenter Server® objects, such as data centers, clusters, hosts, and virtual machines
•  Create and modify a standard switch
•  Connect a VMware ESXi™ host to NAS, iSCSI, or Fibre Channel storage
•  Create a VMware vSphere® VMFS datastore
•  Use a wizard or a template to create a virtual machine
•  Migrate a virtual machine with VMware vSphere® vMotion®
•  Migrate a virtual machine with VMware vSphere® Storage vMotion®

If you cannot complete all of these tasks, VMware recommends that you complete the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V6.x] (VSICM) course before enrolling in VMware vSAN: Deploy and Manage (VMVSAN).

Recommended as preparation for the following exams:

• This course does not align to a specific exam.