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Posted to dev@vcl.apache.org by Brian Bouterse <bm...@gmail.com> on 2009/08/21 17:11:04 UTC

Extending esx.pm to thinly boot ESX VMs from NetApp hardware

I wanted to inform the community and give a forum for feedback (this  
thread) on an effort to extend the existing esx.pm provisioning module  
to boot netbooted ESX virtual machines in a 'thin provisioning' way  
from NetApp storage hardware.  Essentially, through the use of file  
and volume level cloning the NEXT Services lab is going to replace any  
SSH based manipulation of images in the image library maintained by  
the esx.pm with ZAPI calls to the netapp API.  These ZAPI calls will  
provide vmdk cloning capabilities to replace the simple cp via ssh  
which is being done now.  Here is a high level briefing of the NetApp  
storage efficiency this integration will leverage:  http://media.netapp.com/documents/storage-efficiency-brief.pdf

The existing esx.pm module is located here:  http://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/incubator/vcl/trunk/managementnode/lib/VCL/Module/Provisioning/esx.pm
The readme about the existing esx.pm is located here:  http://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/incubator/vcl/trunk/managementnode/lib/VCL/Module/Provisioning/esx.README

The existing esx.pm module will stay as-is, and the new code will be  
created in a file named esx-thin.pm which will ultimately be committed  
back to the apache.org SVN once the code has been tested and is felt  
to create some value.

Best,
Brian


Brian Bouterse
NEXT Services
919.698.8796


Re: Extending esx.pm to thinly boot ESX VMs from NetApp hardware

Posted by Brian Bouterse <bm...@gmail.com>.
As a follow-on note; you can track the progress of this project here:  https://wiki.oscar.ncsu.edu/wiki/index.php/VCL_Thin_Provisioning

Best,
Brian


Brian Bouterse
NEXT Services
919.698.8796

On Aug 21, 2009, at 11:11 AM, Brian Bouterse wrote:

> I wanted to inform the community and give a forum for feedback (this  
> thread) on an effort to extend the existing esx.pm provisioning  
> module to boot netbooted ESX virtual machines in a 'thin  
> provisioning' way from NetApp storage hardware.  Essentially,  
> through the use of file and volume level cloning the NEXT Services  
> lab is going to replace any SSH based manipulation of images in the  
> image library maintained by the esx.pm with ZAPI calls to the netapp  
> API.  These ZAPI calls will provide vmdk cloning capabilities to  
> replace the simple cp via ssh which is being done now.  Here is a  
> high level briefing of the NetApp storage efficiency this  
> integration will leverage:  http://media.netapp.com/documents/storage-efficiency-brief.pdf
>
> The existing esx.pm module is located here:  http://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/incubator/vcl/trunk/managementnode/lib/VCL/Module/Provisioning/esx.pm
> The readme about the existing esx.pm is located here:  http://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/incubator/vcl/trunk/managementnode/lib/VCL/Module/Provisioning/esx.README
>
> The existing esx.pm module will stay as-is, and the new code will be  
> created in a file named esx-thin.pm which will ultimately be  
> committed back to the apache.org SVN once the code has been tested  
> and is felt to create some value.
>
> Best,
> Brian
>
>
> Brian Bouterse
> NEXT Services
> 919.698.8796
>