Monitoring VMware vSphere Storage APIs – Array Integration using esxtop and maintaining the status as enabled
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Monitoring VMware vSphere Storage APIs – Array Integration using esxtop and maintaining the status as enabled

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Article ID: 342563

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article provides information on determining the status of VMware vSphere Storage APIs – Array Integration (VAAI) and monitoring VAAI operations statics using esxtop command.


Symptoms:


Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5
VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0

Resolution

For more information on VAAI and to determine the status of the VAAI on a particular storage array, see Frequently Asked Questions for vStorage APIs for Array Integration (1021976) and vSphere Storage APIs - Storage Awareness FAQ (2004098).

The VAAI provides counters for these commands:
  • ATS - Atomic Test & Set - HardwareAcceleratedLocking on Single Extent Datastore or on Multi Extent Datastore (SCSI code 0x89)
  • Extended copy - HadwareAcceleratedMove (SCSI code 0x83)
  • Write Same - HadwareAcceleratedInit or Zeroed out blocks (SCSI code 0x93 or 0x41)
  • Block Delete - UNMAP (SCSI code 0x42)


For more information on ESXi 5.5, see Using esxcli in vSphere 5.5 to reclaim VMFS deleted blocks on thin-provisioned LUNs (2057513).

When using the esxtop command:
  • press u to get the disk device view.
  • press f, o & p to select VAAISTATS and VAAILATSTATS/cmd fields.


You see the different counters in the column heads which can be split into different categories:

  • ATS - Atomic Test & Set

    ATS – The number of ATS commands successfully completed
    ATSF – The number of ATS commands failed
    AAVG/suc – The Average ATS latency per successful command
    AAVG/f – The Average ATS latency per failed command

  • Extended Copy

    Clone_RD – The number of CLONE commands successfully completed where this device was a source.
    Clone_WR – The number of CLONE commands successfully completed where this device was a destination
    Clone_F – The number of failed CLONE commands
    MBC_RD/s – The megabytes of clone data read per second
    MBC_WR/s – The megabytes of clone data written per second
    AVAG/suc – The average clone latency per successful command
    AVAG/f – The average clone latency per failed command

  • Write Same

    Zero – The number of ZERO commands successfully completed
    Zero_F – The number of ZERO commands failed
    MBZERO/s – The megabytes zeroed per second
    ZAVG/suc – The average zero latency per successful command
    ZAVG/f – The average zero latency per failed command

  • UNMAP - Block Delete

    Delete – The number of successful DELETE commands
    Delete_F – The number of DELETE commands failed
    MBDEL/s – The rate at which the DELETE command getting processed which is measured in Megabytes per second


Additional Information