So, just what is a Monster VM? It’s any virtual machine residing in the data centre. They might be virtualised databases, virtual desktops or something else entirely. What they have in common is that each and every one has the potential to misbehave. This doesn’t mean VMs are evil, but when provoked or poorly placed, they can turn nasty.

VM-Aware Storage (VAS) can help you manage Monster VMs by addressing individual requirements.  Here are the three most common Monster VMs – and some insight into how to can prevent them wreaking havoc in virtual data storage environments.

The Gulper
The Gulper is a flash-eating menace that terrorises conventional storage. This could be an Oracle or SQL database, or a large mission critical application. These are all I/O or throughput-intensive VMs that need performance isolation, or their own “lane” with a high Quality of Service (QoS) ceiling, to get the required performance resources without disrupting other VMs.

Trap this fella in LUN-based storage and the Gulper will trample over other VMs to scavenge more than its fair share of resources. Legacy storage is not equipped to deal with this situation but VAS sure is. A few Gulpers can be comfortably tamed on the right Hybrid-Flash array, but more than that and an All-Flash solution is the answer.

The Werewolf
Got a VM getting a little hairy on a predictable schedule? You’re dealing with a Werewolf.

The work of this usually mild-mannered VM is critical, but every full moon it will ‘wolf out’ and start eating other VMs.

With conventional storage, the only solution is to wait out the storm – not a great option if under a heavy moon. The silver bullet for this beast is VM-level QoS storage. This guarantees the I/O it needs, when it needs it most. Hybrid-Flash delivers the best bang for buck for one or two Werewolves. But if the whole howlin’ pack descends, check out an All-Flash array.

The Beast
The Beast just wants to be a good VM: fetching information, digging for insights, doing decent VM work. But, like all wild things, the Beast has poor impulse control. Fail to push the right buttons and discover its caprice – in test and development team or private cloud. Not knowing when the Beast will snap (or what sets it off) means all kinds of cajoling, like troubleshooting and running diagnostics.

That’s where VAS comes in handy, identifying the root cause of problems across host, network and storage to solve issues quickly. With the right Hybrid array, keep the Beast on-side.

Every IT admin has to deal with resource-hogging Gulpers, vicious Werewolves and unpredictable Beasts –  but with the right storage systems in place, take control and tame every VM Monster.

ABOUT GRAHAM SCHULTZ//

Graham Schultz is MD at Tintri ANZ.