Creating a Storage Policy

vCenter makes the capabilities advertised by an array’s VASA Provider available to VMware administrators for assembling into storage policies. Administrators can create policies by using APIs, GUI, CLI, or other tools. This section describes two ways of creating policies for FlashArray-based vVols:

1. Custom Policy Creation
   1. Using the Web Client to create custom policies using capabilities published by the FlashArray VASA provider
2. Importing FlashArray Protection Groups
   1. Using the Plugin to create storage policies by importing a FlashArray protection group configuration

   Creating Custom Storage Policies

   Click the home icon at the top of the Web Client home screen, and select Policies and Profiles from the dropdown menu to display the VM Storage Policies pane.

   Policies and Profiles Command

   Select the VM Storage Policies tab and click the Create VM Storage Policy button to launch the Create New VM Storage Policy wizard.

   Create VM Storage Policy Button

   Select a vCenter from the dropdown and enter a name and description for the policy.

   Create New VM Storage Policy Wizard

   It is a best practice to use a naming convention that is operationally meaningful. For example the name above suggests that the policy will have local snapshot protection with a one hour interval and 15 minute replication.

   Select com.purestorage.storage.policy in the <Select provider> dropdown to use the FlashArray VASA provider rules (com.purestorage.storage.policy) to create the storage policy.

   Before Purity 6.2.6 and VASA Provider 2.0.0 the FlashArray VASA Provider rulesets showed up as a string like this. Moving forward the rules will have a friendlier name displaying as just "Everpure"
   Rule-set Page of the Create New VM Storage Policy Wizard

   A storage policy requires at least one rule. To locate all VMs and virtual disks to which this policy will be assigned on FlashArrays, click the <Add rule> dropdown and select the Everpure FlashArray capability.

   Adding a Storage Policy Rule

   At least one Placement rule needs to be provided in order to create a storage policy with the Everpure rules.

   Error if no placement rule is provided

   The selected rule name appears above the <Add rule> dropdown, and a dropdown list of valid values appears to the right of it. Select Yes and click Next to create the policy. As defined thus far, the policy requires that VMs and vVols to which it is assigned be located on FlashArrays, but they are not otherwise constrained. When a policy is created, the Plugin checks registered arrays for compliance and displays a list of vVol datastores on arrays that support it.

   List of Arrays Compatible with a New Storage Policy

   The name assigned to the policy (FlashArray-1hrSnap15minReplication) suggests that it should specify hourly snapshots and 15-minute replications of any VMs and virtual volumes to which it is assigned. Click Back to edit the rule-set.

   Note:

   With the release of Purity 6.2.6 and VASA Provider 2.0.0 a placement rule was added for local snapshot protection. Meaning that replication groups are no longer required to provide local snapshot protection to VMs. If using a Purity//FA version lower that 6.2.6 then replication groups will still be needed for providing local snapshot protection. In the example we provide in this KB we will show how to leverage Snapshot Placement ruleset in a policy.

   FlashArray replication and snapshot (only required for Purity//FA versions below 6.2.6) capabilities require component rules. Click Custom and select Replication from the dropdown to display the Replication component rule pane.

   Selecting Replication Capabilities for the Policy

   Click the Add Rule dropdown again, select Remote Replication Interval, enter 15 in the text box, select Minutes as the unit and click Next to display the list of registered arrays that are compatible with the augmented policy.

   Specifying Replication Interval Rule

   In vSphere there is the ability to create pre-defined replication rule requirements. These can be created in the Storage Policy Components tab under Policies and Profiles.

   Creating a new Storage Policy Component

   After selecting the Everpure Replication Provider the same replication rules are available to be used. Here we create a component ruleset that matches the custom one we provided in the storage policy above.

   Storage Policy Component with Replication rules

   If we had wanted to use a replication component in the new storage policy we would have selected it from a drop down instead of choosing the custom option.

   Selecting a Storage Policy Component

   With Purity//FA 6.2.6 and VASA Provider 2.0.0 local snapshot protection is provided through a placement capability. To provide local snapshot protection the "Local Snapshot Protection" rule will need to be selected. While the local snapshot rules can be added to a replication component, we recommend using local snapshot placement rules for this moving forward. Here is what the local snapshot placement rules look like.

   Selecting Local Snapshot Placement Capability

   With local snapshot placement VASA will be creating a new FlashArray protection group that will be mapped one to one with this storage policy. As such all protection group settings will be required as part of enabling that capability ruleset. Additionally help tooltips are provided for each rule.

   Snapshot placement rule hints

   In the example provided here we have a Storage Policy that has both local snapshot placement enabled along with replication rules.

   Storage Policy review and finish

   Note:

   A policy can be created even if no registered vVol datastores are compatible with it, but it cannot be assigned to any VMs or vVols. Storage can be adjusted to comply, for example, by creating a compliant protection group, or alternatively, the policy can be adjusted to be compatible with existing storage.

   Auto-policy Creation with the Plugin

   Changing a Storage Policy

   A VMware administrator can edit a storage policy that no longer fulfills the needs of the VMs assigned to make it fulfill current needs.

   To change a policy’s parameters from the Policies and Profiles page in the Web Client, select VM Storage Policies, select the policy to be changed, and click the Edit button to display a list of the policy’s rules. Make the needed rule changes and click OK.

   Edit Settings Button

   Changing or adding a Policy Rule

   Clicking OK launches the VM Storage Policy in Use wizard, offering two options for resolution:

   Manually later

   Flags all VMs and virtual disks to which the changed policy is assigned as Out of Date.

   Now

   Assigns the changed policy to all VMs and virtual disks assigned to the original policy.

   VM Storage Policy in Use Wizard

   Should Manually Later have been chosen the VM compliance can be checked by selecting the storage policy and then looking at the VM Compliance tab.

   Out of Date Storage Policies

   If Manually later is selected, VMs and vVols show Out of Date compliance status. Update the policies for the affected VMs by clicking the Reapply from the VM Storage Policy header bar.

   Reapply Storage Policy Button

   Confirm the Reapply Action

   Now that the Policy has been reapplied the VMs policy status will be in compliance.