Storage Architecture

VMware vSAN is used in both management and compute workload domains to provide highly available shared storage to vSphere clusters.

vSAN uses the local disks, all-flash devices, or flash and standard magnetic hard drives in each ESXi host to create a highly available shared datastore for the vSphere cluster. vSAN reduces storage costs, especially in remote or edge locations where a dedicated array is impractical.

When using vSAN, you can use all flash or a combination of flash and magnetic hard drives and compatible I/O controllers including the firmware level of each component from the VMware vSAN hardware compatibility list or use vSAN Ready Nodes.

vSAN Ready Nodes

VMware vSAN Ready Node is a validated server configuration in a certified hardware form factor for vSAN deployment, jointly recommended by the server OEM and VMware. For examples about standardized configurations from different vSAN partners, see the vSAN Ready Node documentation.