Cloud Architects and Infrastructure Engineers
Designing the storage architecture for a new Anthos on VMware deployment
Use cases
About
The Anthos Storage mind map template provides a technical architecture overview for managing persistent data within Google Cloud's Anthos on VMware environments. This 25-node cheat sheet covers the four primary storage pillars: Overview, vSphere, In-Tree plugin, and CSI. It specifically details how admin and user clusters utilize VMware datastores for etcd data and how StatefulSets leverage PersistentVolumeClaims. By mapping out the relationship between Kubernetes PersistentVolumes and VMDKs, this template serves as a vital reference for engineers configuring external block or file storage systems. It clarifies the transition from legacy volume plugins to the modern Container Storage Interface (CSI) standard, ensuring that workloads can connect directly to storage systems without unnecessary abstraction layers.
Terms and ConditionsWhen to use this template
DevOps Engineers and Site Reliability Engineers
Troubleshooting PersistentVolume provision issues in a Kubernetes user cluster
Kubernetes Administrators
Evaluating the migration from legacy In-Tree plugins to CSI drivers
How to use this template
Step 1
Import the storage map
Open the .xmind file in Xmind to view the hierarchical breakdown of vSphere and CSI components.
Step 2
Map your datastores
Edit the vSphere branch to include your specific VMware datastore names and block device configurations.
Step 3
Define CSI drivers
Customize the CSI section with the specific storage vendor drivers and StorageClass parameters used in your environment.
Frequently asked questions
Anthos on VMware primarily uses vSphere storage. The admin cluster requires a pre-provisioned VMware datastore for its etcd data, while user clusters utilize the vSphere Kubernetes volume plugin to dynamically provision VMDKs for persistent storage needs.
The Container Storage Interface (CSI) allows workloads to connect directly to storage systems without going through vSphere. By deploying a vendor-specific CSI driver, users can configure a StorageClass that enables Kubernetes to expose diverse storage backends to containers.
Yes, the template notes that VMware datastores used by clusters may be backed by NFS, vSAN, or VMFS on block devices. In multi-host environments, these block devices must be attached to all hosts to ensure high availability.
The In-Tree plugin branch specifies that many legacy plugins lack support for dynamic provisioning. This often forces administrators to manually create PersistentVolumes, making them less efficient than modern CSI-based solutions.
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