Rename Nimble volume and VMWare datastore

[Dan_265]

We want to re-name several volumes/datastores in our virtual environment.  We're using a Fiber Channel Nimble array (not iSCSI) and are running on VMWare v 5.0

Is this as simple as just renaming the volume on the Nimble array, and then renaming the datastore within vCenter?  I've read where you can run into issues with iSCSI due to the volume name being imbedded in the datastore path/icn, but was not sure if this applies to Fiber Channel implementations or not.  I suspect no, but thought I would double check.

Also, what impact does the rename have (if any) on replication?

[jmonger96 · Accepted solution]

Hi Dan

I just tried this in a lab running on a FC connected array (vSphere 6). When you rename the volume you will get this message:

As per the message it will take the volume offline, rename it, then bring it back online. This process is very quick (split second) and so the VMs/ESX hosts may survive this short timeout. If you want to be extra sure though I'd recommend planning a maintenance window if you can take downtime on the VMs.

Once the volume is renamed the next replication update will update the downstream volume to the same name.

The renaming of the datastore doesn't cause any downtime.

It worked in my lab, but as above you may want to test first or plan a maintenance window to guarantee no impact.

Jason