vSAN Clusters: Built-in Local Storage

Azure VMware Solution (AVS) leverages vSAN clusters for storage, where local disks in each ESXi host contribute to a cluster-wide vSAN datastore. These datastores are automatically created during private cloud deployment and are ready for use immediately.

Who Can Manage vSAN Datastores?

Users with the CloudAdmin role can manage vSAN storage using the following privileges:

• Datastore.AllocateSpace – Allocates space on the datastore
• Datastore.Browse – Browses datastore contents
• Datastore.Config – Configures datastore settings
• Datastore.DeleteFile – Deletes files from the datastore
• Datastore.FileManagement – Manages files within the datastore
• Datastore.UpdateVirtualMachineMetadata – Updates VM metadata on the datastore

Storage Policies & Fault Tolerance

By default, AVS applies the RAID-1 FTT-1 (Failure To Tolerate – 1) storage policy, ensuring data redundancy. All vSAN objects are thin-provisioned, optimizing storage efficiency.

Data-at-Rest Encryption

Security is a key focus in AVS, and vSAN datastores use data-at-rest encryption by default. Encryption keys are stored in Azure Key Vault, with KMS-based integration for vCenter Server key management. If a host is removed from the cluster, its SSD data is instantly invalidated for security.

Datastore Capacity Expansion Options

There are multiple ways to expand storage in AVS beyond vSAN:

1. Azure NetApp Files (ANF) – Enterprise-Grade File Storage

• Best for databases, SAP, and HPC applications without requiring code changes
• Supports NFS datastores that can be attached to AVS clusters
• Available in Ultra, Premium, and Standard performance tiers

2. Azure Elastic SAN – Persistent Block Storage

• Provides iSCSI datastores as persistent storage
• Supports VMFS datastores, which can be attached to AVS clusters

3. Azure Storage Services – Scalable & Secure Storage

AVS integrates with Azure storage services, including:

• Storage Accounts – General-purpose Azure storage
• Table Storage – NoSQL key-value storage
• Blob Storage – Object storage for unstructured data
• File Storage – Includes Azure Files and Azure NetApp Files

This integration provides high security, scalability, and SLA-backed storage for AVS workloads.

Conclusion

Azure VMware Solution provides built-in vSAN storage, strong security through encryption, and scalable expansion options via Azure NetApp Files, Azure Elastic SAN, and Azure Storage Services.