Fibre Channel, a SAN protocol for block storage. VCF clusters may use VMFS over it as principal storage.
Also called Fibre Channel.
In the Ultra Transcenders books
Each book explains FC in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.
Terms in this definition
- SAN
Block storage carried over its own dedicated network, typically iSCSI or Fibre Channel, which gives ESX hosts LUNs to format as VMFS datastores.
- General-purpose v1
The older storage account kind (
Storage), which lacks access tiers, Archive and premium file shares and retires on 13 October 2026. Converting to ZRS requires first upgrading to GPv2, a one-way change. - VMware Cloud Foundation
Broadcom's platform for private cloud. It unifies management of NSX, vSAN, vSphere, VCF Automation and VCF Operations as one fleet; VVF, by contrast, lacks automation and cloud management.
- VMFS
Clustered file system for block datastores, whether the storage is iSCSI, local or FC-attached. Unlike VMFS5, VMFS6 can use 4Kn devices and reclaims freed space by itself.
- OVER
Gives a T-SQL window function its window: PARTITION BY, ORDER BY and, if wanted, a ROWS or RANGE frame. Rankings and running totals can then be worked out while every row is kept.
- principal storage
Fixed at cluster creation and impossible to switch later: vSAN (ESA or OSA), VMFS over FC, or NFS v3. Supplemental storage, by contrast, can be added afterwards.