For a local file directory, shared file system, or network file system, a storage volume is a file created in a storage pool. The system supports the following storage volume formats:
Raw—High-speed storage volume. This format has simple structure and high I/O performance. It does not support snapshots, online backup, or online clone.
Qcow2—Intelligent storage volume. This format supports snapshots, fast clone, and online backup. When you create a storage volume, the default format is Qcow2.
For a storage pool of the LVM logical storage volume type, a storage volume is a logical volume in a volume group. VMs mount logical volumes as block devices.
For a storage pool of the iSCSI network storage or FC network storage, a storage volume is a LUN on a storage server. VMs mount LUNs as block devices.
For an RBD storage pool, a storage volume is an RBD on distributed storage. RBDs use the raw disk format and support snapshots and online clone.
For an iSCSI network storage pool, if a target has multiple LUNs, only LUNs can be used by VMs as block devices are displayed in the storage volume list.
If the host restarts during the creation of a storage volume, delete the storage volume and create it again after the host restarts.
To avoid VM data loss during bulk storage volume migration, do not start, shut down, migrate, clone, snapshot, or back up VMs that use the storage volumes.
RAW storage volumes that are being used by VMs cannot be migrated.
RBDs in an RBD storage pool cannot be uploaded, downloaded, or bulk migrated.
You cannot create storage volumes of the same name in RBD storage pools that use the same ONEStor metadata pool.
You can create level-2 directories only in storage pools of the following types:
Local file directory.
FC shared file system, iSCSI shared file system, or NVMe-oF shared file system.
NFS.
In a storage pool, you cannot create subdirectories in a level-2 directory.
In a storage pool, you cannot migrate one level-2 directory to another level-2 directory.
When you migrate a level-2 directory between two storage pools, make sure the destination storage pool does not have a directory or storage volume that uses a name identical to the level-2 directory name.
You can perform the following operations for a level-2 directory of a storage pool:
Create storage volumes.
Delete storage volumes.
Migrate storage volumes.
Upload files.
Download storage volumes.
On the top navigation bar, click Resources.
From the left navigation pane, select Compute > Host Pool Name > Host Name or Compute > Host Pool Name > Cluster Name > Host Name.
Click the Storage tab.
Click a storage pool.
(Optional.) Select a level-2 directory.
Click Add Storage Volume.
Configure the parameters as described in "Parameters."
Click OK.
On the top navigation bar, click Resources.
From the left navigation pane, select Compute > Host Pool Name > Host Name or Compute > Host Pool Name > Cluster Name > Host Name.
Click the Storage tab.
Select an iSCSI network storage pool or FC network storage pool.
Click Add LUN.
Configure the parameters as described in "Parameters."
Click OK.
On the top navigation bar, click Resources.
From the left navigation pane, select Compute > Host Pool Name > Host Name or Compute > Host Pool Name > Cluster Name > Host Name.
Click the Storage tab.
Select a storage pool.
Click Create Level-2 Directory.
Enter a name for the directory.
Click OK.
On the top navigation bar, click Resources.
From the left navigation pane, select Compute > Host Pool Name > Host Name or Compute > Host Pool Name > Cluster Name > Host Name.
Click the Storage tab.
Click a storage pool.
(Optional.) Select a level-2 directory.
Click Upload Files.
Click in the dashed box to select files.
Click Start.
On the top navigation bar, click Resources.
From the left navigation pane, select Compute > Host Pool Name > Host Name or Compute > Host Pool Name > Cluster Name > Host Name.
Click the Storage tab.
Click a storage pool.
(Optional.) Select a level-2 directory.
Select multiple storage volumes.
Click Bulk Migrate.
In the dialog box that opens, click OK.
Select the destination storage pool and its level-2 directory (optional) and click OK.
On the top navigation bar, click Resources.
From the left navigation pane, select Compute > Host Pool Name > Host Name or Compute > Host Pool Name > Cluster Name > Host Name.
Click the Storage tab.
Click a storage pool.
Select level-2 directories.
Click Bulk Migrate.
In the dialog box that opens, click OK.
Select the destination storage pool and then click OK.
On the top navigation bar, click Resources.
From the left navigation pane, select Compute > Host Pool Name > Host Name or Compute > Host Pool Name > Cluster Name > Host Name.
Click the Storage tab.
Click a storage pool.
Click Delete in the Actions column for a storage volume or level-2 directory.
In the dialog box that opens, click OK. If you delete a storage volume, select whether to destroy data.
If you delete a storage volume, enter DELETE in the dialog box that opens, and then click OK.
On the top navigation bar, click Resources.
From the left navigation pane, select Compute > Host Pool Name > Host Name or Compute > Host Pool Name > Cluster Name > Host Name.
Click the Storage tab.
Click a storage pool.
(Optional.) Select a level-2 directory.
Click Download in the Actions column for a storage volume.
Click OK.
Create a storage volume:
Name: Storage volume name, which cannot be identical to a level-2 directory name in the same storage pool.
Max. Size: Specify the maximum size of the storage volume, which cannot exceed the available space of the storage pool.
Format: Select the format of the storage volume.
Base Image: Select the base image file, which is a storage volume installed with an OS and applications. Multiple VMs can share a base image. You must select a qcow2 or raw file. This parameter is required when the storage volume format is intelligent and the provision mode is thin.
Provision: Select a storage volume provision mode. Options include Thin, Lazy Zeroed, and Eager Zeroed.
Thin—Allocates only as much storage space as the storage volume needs for its initial operations when the storage volume is created. If the storage volume needs more storage space later, the system allocates as much storage space as the volume would require based on the specified maximum storage size.
Lazy Zeroed—Allocates the specified maximum storage size to the storage volume when the storage volume is created. Data remaining on the physical device is not erased during creation, but is zeroed out on first write from the VM. NFS storage pools do not support storage volumes of the lazy zeroed provision mode.
Eager Zeroed—Allocates the specified maximum storage size to the storage volume when the storage volume is created. Data remaining on the physical device is zeroed out during creation. It might take a longer time to create storage volumes in this format than to create storage volumes of other formats.
Disk Cluster Size: Set the smallest amount of disk space that can be used to store a file. If a file is larger than a disk cluster, it is stored in multiple disk clusters. If a file is smaller than a disk cluster, it is stored in a dedicated disk cluster. A shared file system is mainly used to store VM image files. As a best practice, set the value of this parameter as large as possible to enhance disk read performance and save disk space. You must configure this parameter when you add a Qcow2 storage volume.