VMware vCloud Architecture Toolkit for Service Providers - VMware vSAN Two-Node Architecture VMware Cloud Provider Use Cases - Version 2.9 - January 2018

Oct 25, 2026

The document explains how VMware Cloud Providers can deliver low-cost hybrid compute and shared storage to small businesses and startups using a two-node VMware vSAN architecture. It describes how Storage-Policy Based Management and centralized service-provider administration reduce CapEx/OpEx and simplify setup. It contrasts two-node vSAN with local storage approaches that introduce uptime and redundancy risks, potentially leading to data loss and longer recovery. It then outlines three service-provider use cases, including hosted services, stretched applications, and SME public cloud broker deployments, supported by an architecture overview and implementation considerations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

vSAN Two-Node Architecture Overview

Service Provider Sample Use Cases

Use Case 1 - Extended Data Center Hosted Services

Use Case 2 - On-Premises / Off-Premises Stretched Applications

Use Case 3 - Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Public Cloud Broker Deployments

Summary

VMware vCloud® Architecture Toolkit™ for Service Providers VMware vSAN ™ TwoNode Architecture VMware Cloud Provider™ Use Cases Version 2.9 January 2018 Martin Hosken © 2018 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. This product is covered by one or more patents listed at [http://www.vmware.com/download/patents.html](http://www.vmware.com/download/patents.html). VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, [Inc. in](Inc. in) the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. VMware, Inc. 3401 Hillview Ave Palo Alto, CA 94304 [www.vmware.com](www.vmware.com) Contents Introduction ............................................................................................. 5 vSAN Two-Node Architecture Overview ................................................. 7 Service Provider Sample Use Cases ...................................................... 9 3.1 Use Case 1– Extended Data Center Hosted Services ....................................................... 9 3.2 Use Case 2 – On-Premises / Off-Premises Stretched Applications ................................. 10 3.3 Use Case 3 – Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Public Cloud Broker Deployments ........ 11 Summary ............................................................................................... 12 List of Figures Figure 1. Solution Overview .......................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 2. Witness Object Metadata............................................................................................................... 7 Figure 3. Use Case 1 – Extended Data Center Hosted Services ................................................................. 9 Figure 4. Use Case 2 – On-Premises / Off-Premises Stretched Applications............................................ 10 Figure 5. Use Case 3 – Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Public Cloud Broker Deployments ................... 11 Introduction Many VMware Cloud Providers™ deliver business compute and storage platforms which extend across on-premises and provider data centers to their customers. However, these hybrid solutions typically require high levels of CapEx and OpEx, and are therefore out of reach for many small businesses and startups. Deploying VMware vSAN ™ in a two-node configuration on small sites, using low-cost standard server components or vSAN ready nodes, enables small businesses or startups with limited capital to avoid the significant up-front costs associated with storage hardware. In addition, by automating the management of virtual machines through Storage-Policy Based Management (SPBM) , operational costs can also be lowered, with no need for end customers to provide administrative assistance during setup or operational management of the solution. All administration can easily be performed centrally by the service provider as part of their managed service offering, or delegated to local end-customer administrative staff through the use of VMware vCenter Server® role-based access control (RBAC) and the user-friendly VMware vSphere® Web Client. This solution is in contrast to the use of local storage at similar on-premises deployments, and the limitations associated with such configurations. The use of local disk VMFS datastores, without vSAN , introduces multiple risks to uptime of local applications, and provides no redundancy for failure. For instance, with this local disk architecture, a single copy of the virtual machine's files is stored. If that disk fails, the virtual machine will fail, and the only option might be to restore from backups, which is likely to be time consuming and may result in the loss of business data, depending on the Recovery Point Objective (RPO) set out in the app

FAQs

Why do many small businesses and startups find hybrid compute and storage platforms hard to adopt?

The document states that hybrid solutions often require high CapEx and OpEx, making them out of reach for many small businesses and startups.

How does deploying VMware vSAN in a two-node configuration reduce costs and complexity?

It enables small sites to avoid significant up-front costs for storage hardware and uses SPBM to automate virtual machine management, allowing centralized administration by the service provider.

What risks does the document highlight with local disk VMFS datastores when vSAN is not used?

It notes that local disk VMFS stores a single copy of VM files, so a disk failure can cause the virtual machine to fail and may require time-consuming restores from backups, risking data loss depending on RPO/RTO targets.

Oct 25, 2026

Upload by Sophia Brooks