StarWind Software

Wondering recommendations and experience with open freespace on a LUN.
Most Best practice for any SAN i've used is to always have 20% open for snap shots, catching etc.

Can't find any printed material on this.

Wondering the options and implications. Want best practice of course.

Thanks Clark

Hi Clark,
It really depends on the environment and hypervisor you are using. Please follow the recommendations that are given by the vendors you are using in our environment.

Thanks Oleg

We are running a 2 node Starwind HyperConvered system. Running on Dell R740s with Vmware sitting on top.

Since the VSAN is running on a WINDOWS 2016 Datacenter OS... would we not have to meeting the windows Requirements?
Open space for repairs and such? I'm thinking windows throws warnings at 20%???

Then, what does Starwind need? Does it need a 10 for snaps etc....?

Then VMware requires 20% free for it's operations.

so a 10TB Partition on WIndows x .80 = 8TB that can be presented to VWMARE.
VMWare 8TB with 20% required free space = 6.4TB of actual space I can use on.

IS that not correct? Can you advise what I might be missing?

thanks Clark

Clark,

Since the VSAN is running on a WINDOWS 2016 Datacenter OS... would we not have to meeting the windows Requirements?
Open space for repairs and such? I'm thinking windows throws warnings at 20%???

You are right for the disk where OS is installed. But you can use all space on the volume with StarWind devices.

Then, what does Starwind need? Does it need a 10 for snaps etc....?

We do not recommend to do snapshots of StarWind VMs, due to delays and possible problems with synchronization during snapshot creation.

so a 10TB Partition on WIndows x .80 = 8TB that can be presented to VWMARE.

No, you do not need to leave 20% on volume, where StarWind devices will be located.

Thank you again Oleg

So, let's start over with the math then.

1. the raid/disk/volume that Starwinds is using for the san is 10TB. We can present 100% of that to VMware with no issues?
2. So VMware get 10TB, and we use the 20% rule for them.. so our max space to use = 8TB (for Virtual Hard drives).

we only lose 20%

Correct?

(and of course since we have windows servers as VMs. We keep the standard windows buffer on those disks.

thanks Clark

We can close this.. I'm taking it up a bit more closely directly with the techs.

1. the raid/disk/volume that Starwinds is using for the san is 10TB. We can present 100% of that to VMware with no issues?

Correct.

2. So VMware get 10TB, and we use the 20% rule for them.. so our max space to use = 8TB (for Virtual Hard drives).

As I told you initially, it depends on your vendors recommendations