Hi vadmins,
In the modern enterprise datacenter, optimizing memory utilization while balancing cost and performance is a top priority for virtualization administrators. With Memory Tiering, you can leverage high-performance SSD devices to act as a cost-effective extension of system memory.
In my previous post, Stop Overspending on DRAM: Maximize Capacity with Enhanced NVMe Memory Tiering, we explored the concepts, performance considerations, and how this technology helps you maximize capacity without breaking your IT budget. Today, we are putting theory into action.
This blog article walks you through the complete process of enabling, configuring, and activating Memory Tiering across your ESXi hosts using the VMware vCenter GUI.
Step-by-Step Configuration Guide
Follow these steps to configure Memory Tiering on your ESXi clusters.
Step 1: Navigate to the Configuration Panel
Begin by logging into your vSphere Client.
- Select your target cluster or host from the inventory.
- From the main vCenter navigation menu, head over to the Memory Tiering Configuration section
Step 2: Enable the Feature and Select Host Devices
Once you are in the Memory Tiering Configuration panel, you need to enable the capability and designate the local SSDs that will serve as the tiering storage.
Repeat this process for each ESXi host in your cluster until all hosts are successfully configured.
Locate the Enable toggle and set its status to True.
2. Click on Device and select View host specific details to manage individual host configurations
3. Click on Select to begin configuring an available, unconfigured host
4. A list of all available SSD devices on the host will be displayed. Select the specific SSD device you wish to activate for Memory Tiering
5. Repeat this process for each ESXi host in your cluster until all hosts are successfully configured
Step 3: Configure Mirror Devices
To ensure high availability and data resilience, you must configure mirroring for your tiering devices.
- Repeat the device selection process specifically for your mirror devices
- Ensure that appropriate secondary SSD devices are assigned to act as mirrors, safeguarding the tiered memory space against single-drive failure
On the next screen is it possible to enable encryption and define the size size (default 100)
Applying Changes and Remediation
Once your configuration is complete, you are ready to apply the changes to your active environment.
1. Execute the Pre-Check
Before any changes are committed, click Apply to trigger a system pre-check. This process automatically verifies host compatibility, storage health, and configuration consistency to prevent runtime issues.
2. Review the Impact Analysis
In the next window, the wizard will display a detailed Impact Analysis. Carefully review this summary to understand how the changes will affect your cluster resources and VM distribution
3. Remediate and Activate
When you are ready to finalize the deployment, click the REMEDIATE button.
Important Operational Note:
Clicking REMEDIATE will automatically place all assigned ESXi hosts into Maintenance Mode one by one. Virtual machines will be migrated to ensure zero downtime. Once the remediation process completes on a host, Memory Tiering is officially activated and active on the system!
Final Thoughts
Configuring Memory Tiering is a powerful way to maximize your hardware investment. By leveraging local SSDs as an extended memory tier, you can easily scale your workloads while maintaining robust security and data protection through built-in encryption and mirroring.
For more virtualization deep-dives and cloud architecture guides, stay tuned to Broad-Cloud!
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Disclaimer: Please note that the views expressed in this blog are solely my own and should be treated as personal opinions. This content does not hold any legal or authoritative standing.