VMware significantly lowers vSAN hardware requirements after telemetry analysis

VMware has significantly lowered the minimum hardware requirements for its virtual storage arrays based on vSAN. Previously, an analysis of telemetry data from thousands of vSAN clusters in production had shown that the previous recommendations were set too high. The hardware guidelines were previously based on synthetic tests under extreme conditions rather than real workloads.

The new specifications for ReadyNodes—the storage servers in virtual arrays—provide for up to 67 percent less RAM for vSAN storage clusters. For CPU cores, there is a reduction of up to 33 percent for vSAN storage clusters. For vSAN HCI clusters (Hyperconverged Infrastructure), RAM requirements decrease by up to 50 percent. Product Marketing Engineer Pete Koehler admits in the announcement that VMware analyzed telemetry data from thousands of vSAN clusters with various production workloads and found: “vSAN clusters use significantly less RAM than expected” and “possibly fewer CPU resources than expected.”

Simplified ReadyNode Profiles

VMware has also simplified the ReadyNode profiles. For vSAN HCI clusters, there will only be three profiles in the future (vSAN-HCI-SM, -MED, -LRG), as well as for vSAN storage clusters (vSAN-SC-SM, -MED, -LRG). The new guidelines apply to all vSAN ESA versions (8.0 to the latest version) for both new and existing clusters. The profiles show minimum requirements—customers can increase any resource but must note that, for example, more storage devices also require more RAM.

The reduced requirements mean not only lower acquisition costs for users—especially relevant given rising storage prices. Koehler also pointed to lower energy consumption and reduced cooling requirements. The leaner specifications could help owner Broadcom attract more customers to VMware Cloud Foundation. Previously, the company had license changes increased costs for many users and was sharply criticized for it.

(fo)