VMFS (VMware File System) is a clustered filesystem that lets multiple ESXi hosts access the same LUN simultaneously. It’s reliable, well-tested, and handles concurrent access through distributed locking mechanisms. But VMFS corruption does happen — typically due to storage controller issues, firmware bugs, incorrect multipath configuration, or storage array problems — and knowing how to … Read more
VMware vSAN entered the mainstream around 2016 as a hyperconverged storage option — using local drives in ESXi hosts as a shared storage pool, eliminating the need for a dedicated SAN or NAS. For small businesses, the pitch is appealing: consolidate compute and storage, reduce hardware complexity, and lower TCO. The reality is more nuanced. … Read more
When I first deployed Pure Storage in a VMware environment around 2017, the experience was different from anything I’d done with traditional SAN arrays. The management interface is genuinely simple, the performance headroom is substantial, and the VMware integration through the Pure vSphere Plugin changes some fundamental operational assumptions. Here’s what to know going in. … Read more
EMC storage arrays (VNX and VNXe in particular) were a common pairing with VMware in the 2015-2019 era for mid-market organizations. They’re capable arrays with good VMware integration, but the integration requires correct multipath configuration on the VMware side to behave reliably. Getting it wrong produces intermittent storage errors that are difficult to reproduce and … Read more
Connecting XenServer to iSCSI shared storage is more nuanced than the documentation implies. Most guides walk you through the happy path — discover the target, create the SR, done. They skip the operational details that determine whether your shared storage actually behaves reliably over time. Use a Dedicated Storage Network This one is non-negotiable. iSCSI … Read more
XenMotion — XenServer’s live migration capability — requires shared storage. If all your VMs live on local storage (the default after a fresh install), you can’t migrate them between hosts. Setting up a resource pool with shared storage correctly is the step that unlocks the platform’s high availability and flexibility features. Resource Pool Basics A … Read more
Exchange 2013 was designed to tolerate slower, cheaper storage better than any previous version. Microsoft optimized it heavily for JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks) in large enterprise deployments. For mid-size organizations, that changes the calculus around storage architecture — but only if you understand what the optimization actually buys you. Separate OS, Database, and … Read more