Welcome!
Use this page to get yourself up to speed on the VAST Data Platform. You’ll find answers to frequently asked questions and links to dive deeper into helpful resources.
Top Tips For New VAST Users
Managing Your VAST System
You will manage day-to-day operations using the VAST Management System (VMS). You can access the VMS using the graphical user interface (VMS GUI), Command Line Interface, or through a Rest API. Default passwords were provided during onboarding. Watch a demonstration of accessing VMS.
The VMS GUI
The VAST Management System GUI (VMS GUI) contains various sections that will help you set up networking, manage users and Providers, control data access, and monitor performance. Download a list of the sections in the GUI and how you will use them, or watch a tour of the GUI Dashboard.
VAST Admin Guides
Jump to the Admin Guide section from the homepage of the Support Portal and select the version of VAST that matches your setup. View the latest version of the Admin Guide.
Requesting Support
Use this support portal to submit a ticket. You will also be able to monitor existing tickets. If you have opted for a Slack channel with VAST support, use that for quick communication but not for ticket submission. Your account team is also on hand should a need arise. Learn more about the support ticketing process at VAST.
VAST Terminology
Review these common terms within VAST to be ready to operate your VMS.
CBox – A server chassis containing four compute nodes. VAST has had a few generations of this provided by INTEL (Cascade Lake), DELL, and HPE (Ice Lake).
CNode – A VAST server appliance that runs the VAST OS software. (VAST architecture allows for mixed models and generations of nodes to be added. Currently, you may use a CBOX, but in the future, a CNODE may be used, which is a single 1U device vs a 2U 4-node architecture. Note: CNODE/BOX is often referred to as the protocol endpoint. Client traffic will access a protocol presented by the CNODE/BOX. These devices are stateless and will never be used to store customer data.
DBox – An NVMe-oF JBOF, this enclosure contains NVMe-oF controller cards and flash SSDs.
DNode – An NVMe-oF controller card within the DBox. (The DBOX will contain 2 – 4 DNODEs, but is irrelevant to the end user. The DBOX is where all data is stored. No customer clients will address the DBOX/NODE directly.
Element Store - The cluster's namespace for data. It is shared by both file and object storage protocols. The Element Store can simultaneously present data as objects in a flat hierarchy and as files in a hierarchy of directories.
Providers /Auth Providers - Identity providers such as Active Directory, Open LDAP servers, NIS, that store user and group attributes. They are used by the cluster when authorizing permission for users to access files and directories. They may also be used for authenticating users via Kerberos or NTLM.
View - A configuration that defines and exposes a path in the Element Store to selected access protocols. A view can have specific security settings for hosts and protocols. Note: You may also consider these as exports or shares.