VMware VMFS

VMware VMFS, technology unique to VMware, is the default storage system for virtual machine files on physical SCSI disks and partitions. Central storage of virtual machines with VMware VMFS provides more control, flexibility and performance in managing your virtualized IT environment.

VMFS Brochure (pdf - 140Kb)

Enable Unique Capabilities that Assure Service Levels to Applications

While conventional file systems allow only one server to have read-write access to the same file at a given time, VMFS is a cluster file system that leverages shared storage to allow multiple instances of ESX Server to read and write to the same storage, concurrently. VMFS allow you to:

• Greatly simplify virtual machine provisioning and administration by efficiently storing the entire virtual machine state in a central location.
• Support unique virtualization-based capabilities such as live migration of running virtual machines from one physical server to another, automatic restart of a failed virtual machine on a separate physical server, and clustering virtual machines across different physical servers.

Seamlessly Manage Virtual Machine Storage

• Enable multiple installations of ESX Server to read and write from the same storage location concurrently.
• Add or delete an ESX Server from a VMware VMFS volume without disrupting other ESX Server hosts.
• Create new virtual machines without relying on a storage administrator. Adaptive block sizing and addressing for growing files allows you to increase a VMFS volume on the fly.
• Simplify storage management with automatic discovery and mapping of LUNs to a VMware VMFS volume.
• Optimize your virtual machine I/O with adjustable volume, disk, file and block sizes.
• Recover virtual machines faster and more reliably in the event of server failure with Distributed journaling.

VMware VMFS cluster file system is included in VMware Infrastructure Enterprise and Standard Editions and is available for local storage only with the Starter edition.