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.
Also called Virtual Machine File System.
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Terms in this definition
- Chat message roles
Labels on chat messages: instructions go under system, the person's input under user, the model's previous answers under assistant, and results returned by a called tool under tool (or function).
- 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. - iSCSI
Protocol that carries block storage over TCP on port 3260. When recovering files, Azure Backup's script mounts recovery point disks as local volumes using it.
- LSDOU
The sequence in which Group Policy is processed: the local policy first, followed by site, domain and organisational unit policies. The nearest, last-processed setting takes effect unless Enforced or Block Inheritance alters that.
Related terms
- FC
Fibre Channel, a SAN protocol for block storage. VCF clusters may use VMFS over it as principal storage.
- 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.
- SAN
Block storage carried over its own dedicated network, typically iSCSI or Fibre Channel, which gives ESX hosts LUNs to format as VMFS datastores.