Primary storage in CloudStack stores running virtual machine disk volumes on hosts and is used for production applications, databases, and dev/test systems. It requires high-performance storage that can handle high change content and bursty I/O workloads. To configure primary storage, administrators first set up storage space on a SAN, create a hypervisor-level storage repository, and then define a primary storage in CloudStack that is associated with compute offerings for user VMs.

1. Primary Storage in CloudStack

2. What is CloudStack?
Apache CloudStack is open source software designed to
deploy and manage large networks of virtual machines as a
highly available, highly scalable Infrastructure-as-a-Service
(IaaS) cloud computing platform.
Compute, Network, Storage
Automation

3. CloudStack
from the top
down

4. Storage Use Cases & Workloads
Primary Storage Secondary Storage
Objectives
Storage for running VM disk
volumes on a host
Data to be stored for future
retrieval
Use Cases
• Production Applications
• Traditional IT Systems
• Database Driven Apps
• Messaging / Collaboration
• Dev/Test Systems
• VM Templates
• ISO Images
• Disk Volume Snapshots
• Backup / Archive
• Image Repository
Workloads
• High Change Content
• Smaller, Random R/W
• Higher / “Bursty” IO
• Typically More Static Content
• Larger, Sequential R/W
• Lower IOPS

5. What is Primary Storage?
• Primary Storage is associated with a cluster.
• A cluster can access more than one Primary Storage.
• Primary Storage can be shared among hosts or local to a
host.
• Primary Storage stores the disk volumes (both root and
data disks) for all the VMs in that cluster.
• Depending on hypervisor type, there are several ways to
configure Primary Storage (we shall take a look at
XenServer).

6. Primary Storage Today (CS Version <= 4.1)
• Admin sets aside space ahead of time on the storage
system (ex. creating a large volume on a SAN).
• Admin interacts with hypervisor that is in the cluster the
storage will be servicing to make it aware of the new
storage (ex. creating a XenServer Storage Repository).
• Admin interacts with CloudStack to create Primary Storage
for the cluster based on the hypervisor data structure (in
this case, the XenServer Storage Repository).
• Admin associates the Primary Storage with Compute
and/or Disk Offerings.

7. Create a
Volume on the
SolidFire SAN

8. Create a XenServer Storage Repository

9. Create a XenServer Storage Repository

10. Create a XenServer Storage Repository

11. Create a XenServer Storage Repository

12. Create a Primary Storage in CloudStack

13. Create a Primary Storage in CloudStack

14. Create a Primary Storage in CloudStack

15. Create a Compute Offering in CloudStack

16. Create a Compute Offering in CloudStack

17. Create a Compute Offering in CloudStack

18. A Glimpse into the Future of Primary
Storage

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