What are some examples of path selection policies offered by VMware for load-balancing and failover?

The selection of path policies in VMware plays a crucial role in managing how data is routed in storage area networks (SANs). The chosen answer accurately reflects established best practices for load balancing and failover mechanisms employed by VMware.

Round Robin is a load-balancing technique that distributes I/O requests across multiple paths in a sequential manner, ensuring that no single path becomes a bottleneck and effectively utilizing all available resources. This method is particularly useful for environments that experience fluctuating workloads as it helps maintain optimal performance.

Most Recently Used (MRU) is another important path selection policy that chooses the most recently used path as the primary route for I/O requests. If this path fails, it automatically switches to the next available path. This policy can be efficient for setups where certain paths are consistently faster and handle the majority of I/O tasks.

Fixed path selection simply designates a single best path for I/O operations, returning to this path unless it becomes unavailable. This can be beneficial in scenarios where specific pathways are known to perform better consistently.

These policies reflect a well-rounded approach to managing data paths for load balancing and failover, ensuring resilience and optimal performance in VMware environments.