Jeff, Here's the way I look at things when XenServer is the hypervisor, and this is primary storage specific.
NFS - NFS mount is created outside of XenServer, and within CS you create primary storage using that mount. You then effectively bind that primary storage to a XenServer cluster forming what XenServer refers to as an "NFS SR". If you look at the configuration from a XenServer perspective, there is an SR which has a uuid matching that of the CS primary storage. iSCSI - If you're using single path without CHAP, then this is very similar to the NFS case, except that you start with a pre-existing LUN and end up with an iSCSI SR instead of an NFS one. - If you're using multi-path or require CHAP, then you setup the iSCSI SR using the XenServer methods (CLI, API, XenCenter), and tell CS about this storage using the "PreSetup" option. This gives a bit more flexibility on the storage backend at the expense of storage being a blackbox to CS HBA/Fiber - This is always configured using the "PreSetup" name as CS has no concept of WWID/WWN. Storage direct plugin - This is the SolidFire/NetApp case where those arrays have a special understanding of CloudStack and expose additional configuration options. Local storage - Unless explicitly configured for use with CS, this is unused. Any existing local storage on a XenServer host when the host is added to CloudStack will be lost. In the case of everything *except* PreSetup, I think of managed storage being one where CloudStack actually configures the host for the storage, and may optionally configure the storage for CloudStack. In other words, if I can just consume some storage provided by a storage admin, and other than configuration within CloudStack it "just works", then that's managed. -tim On Wed, Aug 3, 2016 at 8:09 AM, Jeff Hair <j...@greenqloud.com> wrote: > So essentially, CS is categorizing managed storage as something it needs to > make a series of API calls etc to in order to set up and configure it? > Whereas unmanaged is something it expects you to provide settings for when > adding, and expects you to have set it up yourself prior to adding? > > *Jeff Hair* > Technical Lead and Software Developer > > Tel: (+354) 415 0200 > j...@greenqloud.com > www.greenqloud.com > > On Wed, Aug 3, 2016 at 11:39 AM, Erik Weber <terbol...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > My understanding is that managed storage are managed by a cloudstack > > plugin, e.g. where cloudstack does something on the actual storage > > (provision a lun or something), whilst unmanaged is managed outside of > > cloudstack (for instance by you). > > An example of a manged storage is Solidfire, an example of unmanaged is > > Your local NFS server where you manually exported a mountpoint. > > > > Hope that clears it up :-) > > > > -- > > Erik > > > > On Wed, Aug 3, 2016 at 12:33 PM, Jeff Hair <j...@greenqloud.com> wrote: > > > > > Hi, > > > > > > Is there anywhere in the mailing list, documentation, etc about what > > > exactly "managed storage" means? Or can someone explain the difference > > > between managed and unmanaged? The API docs say that it means whether > or > > > not the storage is "managed by CloudStack." This isn't very detailed > > > information though. I've scoured the docs via Google but I don't see > > > anything really about it. > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > Jeff > > > > > >
