Managing Storage

A virtual machine uses a virtual disk to store its operating system, program files, and other data associated with its activities. A virtual disk is a large physical file, or a set of files, that can be copied, moved, archived, and backed up.

To store virtual disk files and manipulate the files, a host requires dedicated storage space. ESXi storage is storage space on a variety of physical storage systems, local or networked, that a host uses to store virtual machine disks.

This chapter includes the following topics:

■	Introduction to Storage

■	Examining LUNs

■	Managing Paths

■	Managing Path Policies

■	Managing NFS/NAS Datastores

■	Monitoring and Managing SAN Storage

■	Migrating Virtual Machines with svmotion

■	Configuring FCoE Adapters

■	Scanning Storage Adapters

■	Retrieving SMART Information

Managing iSCSI Storage discusses iSCSI storage management. Managing Third-Party Storage Arrays explains how to manage the Pluggable Storage Architecture, including Path Selection Plugin (PSP) and Storage Array Type Plugin (SATP) configuration.

For information on masking and unmasking paths with ESXCLI, see the vSphere Storage documentation.