When deploying the PowerProtect Data Manager (PPDM) virtual appliance using the provided OVA template in a VMware environment, Dell Technologies provides specific requirements for disk provisioning to ensure system integrity and performance.
Thick Provision Eager Zeroed: This format is the mandatory requirement for production PPDM deployments. This disk type allocates all required space on the physical storage immediately and
"zeroes out" the blocks at the time of creation.
Performance: Because PPDM relies on an internal database for managing metadata, protection policies, and system configuration, it requires high-performance, low-latency I/O. Eager Zeroing eliminates the performance penalty associated with the "first-write" zeroing process found in Lazy Zeroed or Thin Provisioned disks.
Reliability: Using Thick Provision Eager Zeroed prevents the risk of the appliance failing due to the underlying datastore running out of space (out-of-space errors), which is a common risk with Thin Provisioning. In the context of a management appliance like PPDM, an unexpected shutdown due to disk exhaustion could lead to database corruption.
Adhering to this deployment requirement ensures that the management plane remains stable and responsive even during high-load periods of asset discovery and job orchestration.