HPE2-K45 - Using HPE SimpliVity

According to the HPE SimpliVity Video - How to Delete a HPE SimpliVity Datastore1, one of the possible causes of the failure to delete an existing datastore is that the management network for a host is disconnected. This prevents the communication between the HPE SimpliVity federation and the vSphere Web Client, and thus the deletion operation cannot be performed. To check the management network status, the video suggests clicking Hosts from the vSphere Web Client inventory panel, double-clicking the host to check, clicking the Manage tab, and then the Networking subtab. The other options are not correct because:

• The datastore being marked as read-only is not a likely cause of the failure to delete it. The HPE SimpliVity Administration Guide2 states that the datastore must be writable before deleting it, and that the HPE SimpliVity federation will automatically change the datastore to writable mode when deleting it.
• The FC connection between the host and array failing is not a likely cause of the failure to delete the datastore. The HPE SimpliVity federation does not use FC connections to access the datastores, but rather uses NFS or SMB protocols over Ethernet networks2.
• The datastore not being added to the scope is not a likely cause of the failure to delete it. The HPE SimpliVity federation does not require the datastore to be added to the scope to delete it, as long as the datastore is visible in the vSphere Web Client1. References: 1: HPE SimpliVity Video - How to Delete a HPE SimpliVity Datastore2: HPE SimpliVity Administration Guide (A00019350ENW), pages 105-107.

• A stretched cluster is a configuration that allows two or more HPE SimpliVity clusters to span across different physical locations, while maintaining a single logical cluster and asingle management interface. A stretched cluster provides high availability, disaster recovery, and workload mobility for the virtual machines (VMs) running on the HPE SimpliVity platform12.
• A VDI infrastructure is a virtualization solution that delivers desktops and applications to end users from a centralized data center. VDI infrastructure can use different types of VMs, such as linked clones or full clones, to provide the desktops and applications to the end users. Linked clones are VMs that share a common base image and consume less storage space, while full clones are VMs that have their own independent copies of the base image and consume more storage space34.
• According to the HPE Reference Architecture for VMware Horizon on HPE SimpliVity document, both linked clones and full clones are supported on a stretched cluster. The document states that "HPE SimpliVity supports both linked clones and full clones on a stretched cluster. Linked clones are recommended for better storage efficiency and performance. Full clones can be used for persistent desktops that require more customization and personalization."5 The document also provides the design considerations and best practices for deploying VDI infrastructure on HPE SimpliVity stretched cluster, such as the network requirements, the VM placement, the backup and restore policies, and the failover and failback scenarios.

References:

1: HPE SimpliVity Stretched Cluster Guide 2: HPE SimpliVity Stretched Cluster 3: What is VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure)? - VMware 4: What is a Linked Clone? - Definition from Techopedia 5: HPE Reference Architecture for VMware Horizon on HPE SimpliVity : [HPE SimpliVity Data Virtualization Platform] : [HPE SimpliVity Intelligent Workload Optimizer] : [HPE SimpliVity Federation Design and Scaling Guide]

Before moving a virtual machine to another datastore, you need to take a snapshot of the virtual machine using the HPE SimpliVity plugin in vSphere. This ensures that the virtual machine is in a consistent state and that the data is protected. The snapshot also serves as a backup in case the move operation fails or is interrupted. After taking the snapshot, you can use the HPE SimpliVity move operation to move the virtual machine to the desired datastore, either within the same cluster or across clusters. The move operation preserves the data efficiency and resiliency of the virtual machine, and does not require any downtime or reconfiguration12. References: Move a virtual machine to another datastore - Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HPE SimpliVity frequently asked questions