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Interview Questions - Storage

The document provides answers to various questions related to storage concepts in a VMware environment like LUN, datastore, VMFS, zoning, masking, RDM, multipathing, APD and PDL. It explains key terms, best practices and troubleshooting steps for common storage issues.

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14 views

Interview Questions - Storage

The document provides answers to various questions related to storage concepts in a VMware environment like LUN, datastore, VMFS, zoning, masking, RDM, multipathing, APD and PDL. It explains key terms, best practices and troubleshooting steps for common storage issues.

Uploaded by

cditnvu409
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Storage

3: what is a LUN

Ans: LUN = Logical unit number

A raw partition on a SAN Array

4:what is a datastore and how to create a datastore

Ans: Datastore is a VMFS partition created on a LUN

ESXi -- R/C-- storage -- new datastore --select VMFS- select the LUN - enter datastore name -- select
VMFS version 6/7 -- next --finish

5: what is VMFS

Ans: VMFS is virtual machine filesystem designed by vmware allows read-write from multiple machines
at a time

6: What info will you share to SAN team for storage attachment

Ans: WWN address from both the HBA Adapters

7: What is zoning and Masking

Ans:

Zoning : Presenting a LUN via Switch fabric ( SAN switches)

Masking: present a LUN to the necessary hosts (hiding it from unnecessary hosts )

8: What are the Components in SAN Array

Ans :

SC - storage controller - it will have an OS to manage the data to and from the SAN Array

DAE : A shelve with multiple physical disks grouped in it

Pool : Logical grouping of physical disks from different DAEs


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LUN : A raw volume/partition created on the Pool ( LUN is provisioned from multiple physical disks)

9: what is the difference between block and File / object storage

Ans :

FC/ iscsi - Block based storage ( VMFS filesystem )

NFS - File/ Object based storage

There is difference in the storage space allocation to read and write data on the storage system is
different

10: How to expand an existing datastore

Ans :

VM : Share LUN ID ( naa. id ) to the SAN team ( Datastore -- configure -- device backing--
naa.7845485589660 )

SAN : SAN team will allocate extra space from the pool

VM : Then expand the datastore ( datastore -- configure -- general -- increase -- select the allocated
space -next -finish )

If the allocated LUN / extra space is not visible , rescan

Reboot the host

11: How to attach a NFS datastore to multiple ESXi hosts

Ans : Select NFS Datastore --R/C-- Mount datastore to additional hosts -- select hosts -- next -finish

12: What is RDM

Ans : Raw device mapping

Attach a RAW Lun directly from the SAN array to the VM , instead of VMDK file from a VMFS partition

Physical mode - Attach LUN directly to a vm

Adv: Apps will read-write directly on the LUN

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Dis Adv: No cloning , no snapshot, no svmotion

Note: vmotion is possible if the LUN is presented to all hosts in the cluster

virtual mode - VM will use mapped disk to read-write on RDM

Features allowed: cloning , snapshot, svmotion , vmotion

13: Datastore is 100 % full how to troubleshoot

Ans:

1: svmotion any vm to another datastore

2: Find any vm with snapshot and delete the snapshot

3: Try to power off the hung vm or any VM so that swap file will be deleted and we manage to get
some free space

4: Expand a datastore

14 : Datastore is disconnected how to fix it

Ans: verify if its disconnected from single host or multiple hosts

if its disconnected from one host - problem is on host side

if its disconnected from multiple hosts - problem on storage side

1: Rescan for storage

2: Talk to storage admin

3: Enter host into MM and restart the host

15 : what is multipathing , and how many types are there

Ans: its path selection policy from the host to the storage

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Fixed : Path A will be active and path B will be passive , incase of failure on path A , path B will become
active automatically

once the path A comes online, path A will become active and data will flow through path A , path B will
be passive

MRU - most recently used :

Path A will be active and path B will be passive , incase of failure on path A , path B will become active
automatically

once the path A comes online, path A will become passive and data will flow will continue via path B

RR - Round robin

Both paths will be active / active

16: APD - All paths dead & PDL : Permanent device loss

APD : when a LUN from the storage is deleted without unmounting from the ESXi or if both SAN
switches or storage controllers are restarted / down it will lead to APD from the HOst

solution : Fix from the sto

rage end if not fixed, restart the ESXi

PDL : permanent device loss

Solution : restart managmement agents on the host , if not rescan from CLI

Ask storage team to the connect back the LUN , if not fixed restart the ESXI

unmount datastore from the ESXI

ESXi -- sleect datastore -- R/C-- unmount


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17: How many maximum LUNs/ Datastores can be provisioned to an ESXi 7.0

Ans:

FC / iSCSi : 1024

NFS : 256

18: Maximum LUN Size supported on the ESXi 7.0

Ans: 64 TB

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