vSAN is an enterprise-class, storage virtualization software when combined with vSphere allows you to manage compute and storage with a single platform. With vSAN, you can reduce the cost and complexity of traditional storage and take the easiest path to hyperconverged infrastructure and hybrid cloud. vSAN provides many capabilities including:
- Storage Policy Based Management (SPBM), which enables organizations to realize a unified control plane across all storage services, enabling IT administrators to improve productivity while managing SQL Server deployments
- VMware vSphere Storage vMotion, which enables organizations to consolidate SQL Server databases without disruption to ease migrations and reduce licensing costs between clusters, data centers, or clouds.
- An on-disk format that supports on-disk virtual file format 11.0, which provides highly scalable snapshot and clone management support per vSAN cluster.
VMware vSAN 7.0 is the latest version available at the time of testing. It integrates seamlessly with vSphere. The VMware ecosystem makes vSAN 7.0 the ideal storage platform for business-critical applications, disaster recovery sites, remote office and branch office (ROBO) implementations, test and development environments, management clusters, security zones, and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). vSAN 7.0 introduces the following new features:
- Integrated File Services—vSAN File Services enables users to provision file shares alongside block VMDKs, with the same operational model. File shares receive all core vSAN capabilities such as availability storage efficiency, security, and more. There is no additional software or appliances that you need to manage. vSAN starts with support for NFS 4.1 and 3. We support up to eight file service VMs per vSAN cluster. For scalability, the file shares are served by these FSVMs in a round robin manner.
- vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM)—Unified software and firmware life cycle management is scheduled in vCenter. One solution configures, patches, or upgrades ESXi clusters, providing a consistent experience and scalable outcomes. Relevant information is brought from different portals together to reduce preupgrade planning time. vLCM is only being offered at launch by Dell Technologies and one other OEM.
- With vLCM, Dell EMC OpenManage Integration for VMware vCenter (OMIVV) 5.1 can be registered as a Hardware Service Manager (HSM) to coordinate firmware updates with software updates. Providing a unified life cycle that provides a consistent experience consolidates relevant information to reduce preupgrade planning time and helps unify heterogeneous update processes.
- Enhanced Cloud Native Storage—vSAN supports file shares for cloud-native applications, enabling greater efficiencies for applications that use files. vSAN 7.0 supports vSphere with Kubernetes, which enables stateful containerized workloads to be deployed on Supervisor and Guest clusters.