Rapid Provisioning of Virtual Machines Using SAN Copy Overview

You can use either of the following methods to create a SAN copy-capable template.

Note
The outlined methods provide a high-level overview of the workflow, and assume the prerequisites are met. Links to more detailed procedures for each method are provided. The prerequisites are described in the “Rapid Provisioning by Using SAN Copy Prerequisites” section of this topic.

Method 1: Create a SAN copy-capable template from a new virtual machine

Method 2: Create a SAN copy-capable template from an existing virtual machine

Before you begin, make sure that the following prerequisites are met:

• The storage array must support the new storage management features in VMM.
  
  
• The storage array must support cloning or snapshots, and have the feature enabled.
  
  

  Note
  Realize that this may require additional licensing from your storage vendor.

• The storage pool that you want to use for rapid provisioning must be under VMM management. This involves adding the SMI-S provider for the array, discovering storage pools, classifying the storage, and setting the preferred allocation method for the storage array to either snapshot or cloning.
  
  
• The storage pool that you want to use for rapid provisioning must be allocated to the host group where you want to rapid provision virtual machines.
  
  
• The Hyper-V hosts that you want to use as placement destinations must be members of the host group. Additionally:
  
  
  • If you want to create a SAN-copy capable template from a new virtual machine, the host where you create the virtual machine must also be a member of this host group.
    
    
  • If you want to create a SAN-copy capable template from an existing virtual machine, and want to create and assign the logical unit from the library server, the library server must be a member of this host group. Therefore, the library server must be a Hyper-V host. (If you do not want to add the library server as a host, you can assign the logical unit out-of-band by using your storage array vendor’s management tools.)
    
    
• All Hyper-V hosts that you want to use for rapid provisioning and the library server must have access to the storage array. Also, they must use the same type of SAN connectivity. For SAN migrations to succeed, you cannot have some hosts that connect to the array through Fibre Channel and others that connect through iSCSI. Configuration will vary depending on your storage hardware. Configuration typically includes the following:
  
  

  Note
  For specific configuration information, see your storage array vendor’s documentation.

  • The Multipath I/O (MPIO) feature must be added on each host that will access the Fibre Channel or iSCSI storage array. You can add the MPIO feature through Server Manager. If the MPIO feature is already enabled before you add a host to VMM management, VMM will automatically enable MPIO for supported storage arrays by using the Microsoft provided Device Specific Module (DSM). If you already installed vendor-specific DSMs for supported storage arrays, and then add the host to VMM management, the vendor-specific MPIO settings will be used to communicate with those arrays.
    
    If you add a host to VMM management before you add the MPIO feature, you must manually configure MPIO to add the discovered device hardware IDs. Or, you can install vendor-specific DSMs.
    
    

    Note
    For more information, including information about how to install MPIO, see Support for Multipath I/O (MPIO).

  • If you are using a Fibre Channel storage area network (SAN), each host that will access the storage array must have a host bus adapter (HBA) installed. Additionally, make sure that the hosts are zoned accordingly so that they can access the storage array.
    
    
  • If you are using an iSCSI SAN, make sure that iSCSI portals have been added and that the iSCSI initiator is logged into the array. Additionally, make sure that the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator Service on each host is started and set to Automatic. For information about how to create an iSCSI session on a host through VMM, see How to Configure Storage on a Hyper-V Host.
    
    

For information about supported storage arrays, how to bring storage under VMM management, how to configure the preferred capacity allocation method for a managed storage array, and how to allocate storage to a host group, see Configuring Storage Overview.

Follow these steps to deploy a virtual machine by using rapid provisioning.