Thin provisioning helps you save SAN/NAS storage space. In thin provisioning, instead of provisioning full storage space to a user, the thin provisioning software allocates disk space in a flexible manner based on the minimum space that is required by each user at the given time. Thin provisioning saves considerable storage space in contrast with the conventional storage, where storage is allocated beyond the current requirements of the application.
For more information on the advantages of using thin provisioning, refer to:
How does Veritas Operations Manager help you reclaim underutilized storage?
Veritas Operations Manager offers different solutions for using thin provisioning and thin reclamation. These solutions are listed below:
Thin Provisioning Reclamation Add-on
You can use the Thin Provisioning Reclamation Add-on to optimize storage space by using Veritas File System (VxFS) thin capabilities and Storage Foundation Thin Reclamation API. You can run thin reclamation on the following objects in Veritas Operations Manager:
- Storage array: Select thin pools or LUNs in the context of an array.
- Business entity: Specify a flexible reclamation boundary based on a business entity. Since a business entity can include many objects and is inherently dynamic, the LUNs that are reclaimed change automatically whenever changes occur within that business entity.
- Hosts: Select multiple file systems in context of the hosts. The associated LUNs are reclaimed.
You can configure thin reclamation processes to run at regular scheduled intervals. If you have not scheduled the process run, you can also run it manually. For more information about configuring and running the Thin Provisioning Reclamation Add-on, see:
Veritas Storage Foundation Add-on for Storage Provisioning
You can use the Storage Foundation Add-on for Storage Provisioning to migrate the volume from thick to thin Logical Unit Number (LUN).
Using this add-on, you can select a specific volume to migrate, and optionally change its layout before migration. For more information on using the Storage Foundation Add-on for Storage Provisioning, see:
Veritas Operations Manager policy checks
Veritas Operations Manager policy check feature uses individual rules to validate if the datacenter configuration conforms to a pre-defined standard.
You can create policy templates to check the performance, availability, and utilization of the storage objects in your datacenter. For more information on policy checks, see:
Storage reclamation and thin provisioning reports
Veritas Operations Manager provides extensive reporting capabilities centered around Storage Foundation and High Availability products. It includes reports related to storage utilization, storage reclamation, and inventory. For more information on thin provisioning reports, see:
For more information about Storage Foundation thin reclamation and thin provisioning features, see:
Storage Foundation and High Availability and Veritas Operations Manager documentation for other releases and platforms can be found on the SORT website.
