Create VMFS datastore

VMFS datastores are used as repositories for virtual machines’ files. They can be set up on any SCSI-based storage device that the ESXi host discovers, such as Fibre Channel, iSCSI, or local storage devices.

Here is how you can create a VMFS datastore using vSphere Web Client:

1. Right-click the ESXi host in the inventory and select New Datastore:

create new datastore

2. The New Datastore wizard opens. First, select your ESXi host as the location and click Next:

create new datastore location

3. Select VMFS as the datastore type and click Next:

create new datastore datastore type

4. Name the datastore and select the available LUN:

create new datastore datastore name lun

5. Select the VMFS version. If you want the datastore to be accessed by ESXi hosts of version prior to 5.0, select VMFS 3. Otherwise, leave the default value of VMFS 5:

create new datastore vmfs version

6. Choose the datastore size:

create new datastore size

7. Click Finish to start creating the datastore:

create new datastore finish

The datastore should be listed in the Datastore inventory:

datastore inventory


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