Update the storage type of a virtual machine’s disk with Performance Cloud VMware (NSX-T)

Summary

Updating the Storage type of a disk can be done for varied reasons. You may want to downgrade the tier of a disk if the data is not accessed often, or if the disk does not need intensive IOPS. Downgrading the type of disk will always result in performance degradation, but it will also reduce your costs. You may also want to upgrade the tier of a disk to gain performance, say for a database or similar use cases.

Prerequisites

Have enough free storage for the destination storage tier in your virtual data center (vDC). You can add more storage & backup addons to your virtual data center through your account management portal Cumulus.


Example: To move a 1TB data disk from Premium SDD to Standard HDD, at least 1TB of Standard HDD storage must be available. 


Please follow steps 1 to 3 below to review your storage quota and usage. 

Important Notes 

Using the full storage quota can cause some features to not work, the inability to add memory to virtual machines, and even the need to add additional storage and backups add-ons, thereby increasing monthly fees.
 

It is strongly recommended to limit the use of the storage quota to 80% because all the elements below, in addition to the virtual disks, count against the total storage quota of your virtual data center:

  • Virtual machine templates
  • ISO files
  • Snapshots created manually or automatically by the backup system
  • Virtual machine memory swap files (.vswp file)

Procedure

  1. Login to the Performance Cloud VMware portal using your credentials.
      
  2. Click on your Virtual Data Center (vDC)

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  3. Optional – Review your storage quota and usage.

    Under the Storage section, click on Storage Policies to view your current storage quota and usage.

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  4. Under Virtual Machines, click on DETAILS for the virtual machine you want to modify.

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  5. Under the Hardware section, click on Hard Disks, then on EDIT.

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  6. Select the new disk policy on the disk to modify and click on SAVE.
    (The VM default policy is Premium SSD)




  7. Wait for the new policy to apply. While the virtual machine is updating, no other action can be performed on the virtual machine.
      
  8. Optional – Resources reduction

    If needed, you can adjust resources for your virtual data center by removing unused storage addons through your account management portal Cumulus.