Access the Datastores view with the vSphere Client navigator.

Use the Datastores view to list all datastores available in the vSphere infrastructure inventory, analyze the information, and modify properties.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to any inventory object that is a valid parent object of a datastore, such as a host, a cluster, or a data center, and click the Datastores tab.
    Datastores that are available in the inventory appear in the center panel.
  2. Use the options from a datastore right-click menu to perform basic tasks for a selected datastore.

    Availability of specific options depends on the type of the datastore and its configuration.

    Option Description
    Register VM Register an existing virtual machine in the inventory. See the vSphere Virtual Machine Administration documentation.
    Increase Datastore Capacity Increase the capacity of the VMFS datastore or add an extent. See Increase VMFS Datastore Capacity.
    Browse Files Navigate to the datastore file browser. See Use Datastore Browser.
    Rename Change the datastore name. See Change Datastore Name.
    Mount Datastore Mount the datastore to certain hosts. See Mount Datastores.
    Unmount Datastore Unmount the datastore from certain hosts. See Unmount Datastores.
    Maintenance Mode Use datastore maintenance mode. See the vSphere Resource Management documentation.
    Configure Storage I/O Control (VMFS) Enable Storage I/O Control for the VMFS datastore. See the vSphere Resource Management documentation.
    Edit Space Reclamation (VMFS) Change space reclamation settings for the VMFS datastore. See Change Space Reclamation Settings.
    Delete Datastore (VMFS) Remove the VMFS datastore. See Remove VMFS Datastores.
    Tags & Custom Attributes Use tags to encode information about the datastore. See Assign Tags to Datastores.
  3. To view specific datastore details, click a selected datastore.
  4. Use tabs to access additional information and modify datastore properties.
    Tab Description
    Summary View statistics and configuration for the selected datastore.
    Monitor View alarms, performance data, resource allocation, events, and other status information for the datastore.
    Configure View and modify datastore properties. Menu items that you can see depend on the datastore type.
    Permissions Assign or edit permissions for the selected datastore.
    Files Navigate to the datastore file browser.
    Hosts View hosts where the datastore is mounted.
    VMs View virtual machines that reside on the datastore.