Determining the role of storage providers in vVOLs

As mentioned previously, the VASA provider is a key component for vVOLS, and you need a certified VASA provider that mediates out-of-band communication between vSphere components and the storage.

After you register the storage provider, vCenter can discover all configured storage containers and their capabilities, endpoints, and relevant attributes.

The provider creates an I/O access point for a vVOL on a Protocol Endpoint (PE). A single PE can be the I/O access point for multiple vVOLs.

For more information, see the vSphere 6.5 Storage guide (https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/6.5/com.vmware.vsphere.storage.doc/GUID-8776CF33-ECF8-4541-9221-1F14898B121C.html).