Inspired vLabs enables efficient delivery of customized training labs by building a highly available infrastructure around StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN)

CHALLENGE

Before deploying StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN), Inspired vLabs used OpenFiler to provide iSCSI-based storage for ESXi hosts in its VMware training labs. OpenFiler required a separate Linux virtual machine (VM), adding configuration and resource overhead to each lab environment. Its complexity also increased the amount of storage-related administration required by the IT team, despite the company s predominantly Microsoft-based training infrastructure.

Inspired vLabs needed a simpler way to provide virtual shared storage without deploying an additional storage VM for every lab.

We like that StarWind is Windowsbased. We were able to install it on an existing Windows VM within the student lab kit, thus eliminating the overhead of an additional OpenFiler VM.

Justin Stoltz, IT Manager

SOLUTION

Inspired vLabs chose StarWind VSAN because it could run directly on an existing Windows virtual machine within the student lab environment, eliminating the additional OpenFiler VM. StarWind VSAN provided the required virtual storage for ESXi hosts through iSCSI while fitting naturally into the Windows-based lab stack.

By consolidating storage functionality into an existing VM, Inspired vLabs reduced per-lab resource consumption and deployment complexity, making its customized virtual training environments easier to provision and operate.