The IBM Storage Virtualize Plugin for vSphere 2.2 is now available with new features. It supports NVMe over Fibre Channel (FC-NVMe), enabling ESXi host and host cluster management using this protocol. The plugin also allows users to create datastores with NVMe over FC. In addition, it includes thin clone support for datastores that are part of an HA partition, and the base VM operating system has been upgraded to Photon OS 5.0.

Note: For more information on the features of the previous version, IBM Storage Virtualize Plugin for vSphere 2.1, please visit the blog.

Highlights of IBM Storage Virtualize Plugin for vSphere 2.2

This release introduces support for the FC-NVMe protocol. On the host configuration panel, users will see two tabs, SCSI and NVMe if the ESXi host supports FC-NVMe- protocols.

To add a host with FC-NVMe protocol, select the NVMe tab, choose the storage system, and click the 'Add FC-NVMe' button that appears.

Host Cluster Management with FC-NVMe

On the Cluster Configuration panel, if at least one host supports the FC-NVMe protocol, both SCSI and NVMe tabs will be displayed.

To manage a host cluster with FC-NVMe, users need to navigate to the NVMe tab, select the storage system, and then click on 'Manage Host Cluster'.

Create Datastore with FC-NVMe

With this release, the vSphere plugin introduces support for creating datastores using the FC‑NVMe protocol. When creating a new VMFS datastore, users can now select NVMe as the Storage Protocol during the Hosts Connectivity step of the Create VMFS Datastore wizard. This enhancement streamlines the deployment of high‑performance storage configurations and aligns with modern infrastructure requirements.

Thin clone support for datastore that is part of a HA partition

 Before (Code Level 9.1.0.0)

  When a datastore was part of an HA storage partition:

• The Clone (Copy snapshot to new datastore) button was disabled.

• Copying to a new datastore was not supported for both types Clone and Thin Clone.

Now (Code Level 9.1.1.0 and Above)

Thin Clones are now fully supported within HA partitions. Administrators can now copy a snapshot to a new datastore but only using the Thin Clone type.

When Can You Create an HA Thin Clone?

An HA thin clone volume can be created on the active management system of an HA partition:

• If the volume type is thinclone.

• If the source snapshot is an HA snapshot.

• If the thin clone volume is placed into a volume group within the same HA partition.

Base VM operating system is upgraded to Photon 0S 5.0

As part of this release , base VM operating system is upgraded from Photon 4.0 to Photon 5.0.

Reference links:

• IBM Storage Virtualize Plugin for vSphere Knowledge Center  https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/svpfv/2.2.0

• IBM Storage Virtualize and VMware: Integrations, Implementation, and Best Practices – Redbook for the IBM Storage Virtualize Plugin for vSphere.  https://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg248549.html
  

For any queries feel free to contact:

Sandeep Bangur: sandeep.bangur@in.ibm.com

Devendra Mahajan: demahaj1@in.ibm.com

Nilesh Khankari: nikhanka@in.ibm.com

#ibmstorage #FlashSystem #StorageVirtualize #vSphere #VMware #NVMeFC #virtualization #IBMFlashSystem #vSpherePlugin