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vStorage API for Storage Awareness (VASA) is a VMware-defined and vendor-neutral API that enables vSphere to determine the capabilities of a storage system. The API requests basic storage information from the Dell Unity system, which is used for monitoring and reporting storage details to the user. For example, if a datastore has FAST Cache, thin, and auto-tier capabilities, this information is displayed and also used to monitor whether or not it is compliant with defined policies.
Dell Unity storage has a native VASA provider which supports VASA 1.0 through 3.0 protocols, so no external plugins or add-ons are required. In order to leverage VASA, the Dell Unity system must be added as a vendor provider in vSphere. For more information, see the section VMware vVols on Virtual Volumes. When the vendor provider has been added, VM storage policies can be created to determine the desired capabilities, as shown in Figure 5.
If a policy is selected while provisioning a VM, the available datastores’ capabilities are checked and categorized as either compatible or incompatible. After deployment, the VM is continuously monitored for compliance with the selected policy. If a VM becomes uncompliant, an alert is provided to the administrator.