Virtualization-Aware Storage

Also known as VM-aware storage, virtualization-aware storage is storage technology that facilitates management and monitoring of storage performance and integration in virtualized environments where virtual machines (VMs) are utilized. Virtualization-aware storage enables the storage infrastructure to be managed together with the VMs rather than as separately managed volumes or LUNs (logical unit numbers).

A key role of virtualization-aware storage is to facilitate communication between the storage array and the hypervisor for more efficient automation and management of storage performance, reliability and cost-efficiency. The storage infrastructure for VM-aware storage is tuned to the distinct input and output patterns of virtual environments and set up to automatically manage quality of server (QoS) for each virtual machine (VM).

While the terms virtualization-aware storage and software-defined storage (SDS) tend to be used interchangeably, virtualization-aware storage is actually more a subset of software-defined storage, as it applies only to software-managed, VM-aware infrastructure that has been specifically designed to enhance data migration and performance in virtualized environments.

See also: VM-aware storage, Storage virtualization and Software-Defined Storage (SDS)

Forrest Stroud
Forrest Stroud
Forrest is a writer for Webopedia. Experienced, entrepreneurial, and well-rounded, he has 15+ years covering technology, business software, website design, programming, and more.

Related Articles

@ Sign

Pronounced at sign or simply as at, this symbol is used in e-mail addressing to separate the user' name from the user's domain name,...

Munging

(MUHN-jing) Munging (address munging), is the act of altering an email address posted on a Web page to make it unreadable to bots and...

How to Create an RSS Feed

In the second installment of RSS how-to, we look at some of the nonrequired (optional) channel and item tags, discuss RSS specifications in-depth and...

Dictionary Attack

(n.) (1) A method used to break security systems, specifically password-based security systems, in which the attacker systematically tests all possible passwords beginning with...

ScalaHosting

ScalaHosting is a leading managed hosting provider that offers secure, scalable, and affordable...

HRIS

Human resources information system (HRIS) solutions help businesses manage multiple facets of their...

Best Managed Service Providers...

In today's business world, managed services are more critical than ever. They can...