You can set up a virtual flash resource or add capacity to existing virtual flash resource.

To set up a virtual flash resource, you use local flash devices connected to your host or host cluster. To increase the capacity of your virtual flash resource, you can add more devices, up to the maximum number indicated in the Configuration Maximums documentation. An individual flash device must be exclusively allocated to the virtual flash resource. No other vSphere functionality, such as vSAN or VMFS, can share the device with the virtual flash resource.

Procedure

  1. In the vSphere Client, navigate to the ESXi host.
  2. Click the Configure tab.
  3. Under Virtual Flash, click Virtual Flash Resource Management.
  4. Click one of the following options.
    Option Description
    Add Capacity If you are creating the virtual flash resource on an individual host.
    Add Capacity on Cluster If you are creating the virtual flash resource on a cluster.
  5. From the list of available entities, select one or more to use for the virtual flash resource and click OK.
    If your flash devices do not appear on the list, see Marking Storage Devices.
    Option Description
    Local VMware Disk Select any combination of unclaimed flash devices.

    ESXi creates the VFFS volume on one of the devices and then extends the volume on the rest of the devices. The system configures the virtual flash resource on the entire VFFS volume.

    If a VFFS volume exists on your host, you cannot select any unclaimed devices without first selecting the existing VFFS volume.

    volume ID - Configure using the existing VFFS volume extents

    If you previously created a VFFS volume on one of the host's flash devices using the vmkfstools command, the volume also appears on the list of eligible entities. You can select just this volume for the virtual flash resource. Or combine it with the unclaimed devices. ESXi uses the existing VFFS volume to extend it over other devices.

Results

The virtual flash resource is created. The Device Backing area lists all devices that you use for the virtual flash resource.

What to do next

Use the virtual flash resource for I/O caching filters developed through vSphere APIs for I/O Filtering. See Using Flash Storage Devices with Cache I/O Filters.

You can increase the capacity by adding more flash devices to the virtual flash resource.