Configuring vSAN settings for optimal Private Cloud performance

If you use the Private Cloud, we recommend optimising the storage settings. This allows you to ensure efficient utilisation of resources, data security, and high performance. The vSAN configuration section in the Cloud Panel offers a range of options that allow you to customise your storage settings to your specific requirements. In the vSAN configuration section, you can define the storage efficiency, encryption, and redundancy criteria for your Private Cloud storage. The necessary steps are explained in the following sections.

The vSAN configuration process is briefly summarised below:

• Open the vSAN configuration in the Cloud Panel.
• Set the storage efficiency.
• Activate encryption if necessary.
• Configure the redundancy.
• Save the settings.

The following sections contain further information on the individual steps.

• Within the area Private Cloud > Private Cloud, click on vSAN configuration.

To set the storage efficiency, select one of the following options in the Storage efficiency list:

None: No storage efficiency is applied to stored data.

Compression only: Compression improves the total operating costs by reducing the data stored on physical hard drives.

Deduplication and compression: Deduplication and compression improve the total operating costs by reducing the data stored on physical discs. Deduplication and compression only work for all-flash hard drive groups. The creation of hybrid hard disk groups is not permitted if deduplication and compression are enabled.

To configure the encryption of the data, activate the desired options and configure them if necessary:

Encryption of data at rest

This option specifies that existing data should be encrypted. The following additional setting options are available for this option:

Delete remaining data: This option specifies that vSAN should delete existing data before encrypting storage devices. This option can significantly increase the processing time for each disk. You should therefore only select it if there is unwanted data on the disks.

Key provider: Select the desired key provider.

Encryption of data in transit

This option activates fault-tolerant data traffic encryption.

Key generation interval: This option specifies how often a new key should be generated.

If you select the Allow reduced redundancy option, you allow vSAN to temporarily reduce the protection level of virtual machines. This allows deduplication, compression, and encryption processes to be carried out.

In certain cases, the Allow reduced redundancy option is already preselected and cannot be deactivated. This is done to ensure continued functionality with limited resources.

To maintain data redundancy while changing storage efficiency or encryption, you must add a host in certain cases based on the size of the cluster and storage requirements. This is necessary if you make changes to storage efficiency or encryption. Without this additional host, the redundancy must be temporarily reduced.

Example: 

At least 3 hosts are required for RAID1 protection. A third host is necessary for RAID1 configurations because vSAN requires at least three hosts to store two complete copies of the data and to ensure that a complete copy remains intact in the event of a host failure. If the configuration is changed, and new data copies need to be created or existing ones reorganised, there is not enough capacity to maintain full redundancy immediately without an additional host. In this case, the redundancy must be reduced.

To save the settings, click on Save.

Further information can be found in the following articles:

Using Deduplication and Compression in vSAN Cluster

Deduplication and Compression Design Considerations in vSAN Cluster

Reduce VM Redundancy for vSAN Cluster

vSAN Data-In-Transit Encryption

vSAN Data-At-Rest Encryption