vSAN support of NVMe devices behind tri-mode controllers

Products

• VMware vSAN

Issue/Introduction

To provide guidance regarding supported NVMe devices in vSAN environments.

Symptoms:

What is a tri-mode controller?

Discrete RAID controllers that support SATA/SAS/NVMe are often known as "Tri-mode controllers". 

VMware vSAN will only support SAS and SATA devices attached to a Tri-mode controller.
NVMe devices attached to Tri-mode controller are NOT a vSAN supported configuration.

Resolution

NVMe devices are only supported directly connected to a PCIe slot on the bus. 
Reference: https://core.vmware.com/resource/vmware-vsan-design-guide#sec6843-sub14

Additional Information

See https://core.vmware.com/resource/vmware-vsan-design-guide#sec6843-sub14