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I noticed in ESXI (6.5) there is option to create something like software RAID, but it is called "Add an extent to existing VMFS datastore", does anybody have experience of what it does and how it works with SSD / NVMe disks? I have server with 3 x 960GB NVME disks (HIgh IOPS VMs) + 2x SSD 1TB disks (low priority VMs) .... does the "Add an extent to existing VMFS datastore" means to create RAID?, if yes :

  • what type of RAID it will do?
  • will it still support HOTSWAP (for SSD disks)?
  • does it use TRIM or whatever technology, not to wear the disks off faster than in normall "independent disk mode" (both NVMe and SSD) ...any disadvantages not to go with this "RAID" option? (OS CPU increased consumption etc")

Most simple solution is to create 3 simple VMFS datastores for NVMe and 2 for SSD disks, BUT creating RAID might help me alot with NOT to move VMs arround as they increase its size. Please HELP

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Based on the vendor site this mean creating one of the variants of RAID0, span/concatenated. Which logically add the new disk after the existing one so the information is stored consecutively.

The big warning is as this is RAID0 fail of any of disks in array may (because of span type) fail the entire RAID and lost all the info there. And be RAID0, but span, you do not have any benefit in speed.

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  • Thanks, this RAID0 could be great information to be included directly in the settings when creating the extend.....RAID0 doesnt give sense for me, you are right. Are you aware of any other RAID5 alternative options in ESXi?
    – Jozef
    1 hour ago
  • @Jozef, AFAIK you can't set in ESX RAID, this is done on hardware controller or SAN/NAS which provide LUN to ESX
    – Romeo Ninov
    1 hour ago

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