Decoupling compute and storage resources in cloud-based HCI (hyper-converged infrastructure)

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program code executable by a control plane of a hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) deployment, the program code embodying a method for decoupling compute and storage resources in the HCI deployment, the method comprising:

• receiving a request to add a host to a host cluster of the HCI deployment;
• in response to the request, determining a storage capacity to provision for the host;
• provisioning the host from a host platform of an infrastructure on which the HCI deployment is implemented;
• provisioning one or more storage volumes from a storage platform of the infrastructure, the storage platform running on physical server resources in the infrastructure that are separate from the host platform, the one or more storage volumes having the determined storage capacity;
• and
• causing the one or more storage volumes to be network-attached to the host, wherein upon being network-attached to the host, firmware on the host causes the one or more storage volumes to be exposed as directly-attached storage devices to a hypervisor of the host, and
• wherein the hypervisor of the host is configured to make the one or more storage volumes available, as part of a virtual storage pool, to one or more virtual machines in the HCI deployment for data storage.

A computer system implemented as part of a control plane of a hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) deployment, the HCI deployment, the computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon program code that, when executed, causes the processor to:
• receive a request to add a host to a host cluster of the HCI deployment;
• in response to the request, determine a storage capacity to provision for the host;
• provision the host from a host platform of an infrastructure on which the HCI deployment is implemented;
• provision one or more storage volumes from a storage platform of the infrastructure, the storage platform running on physical server resources in the infrastructure that are separate from the host platform, the one or more storage volumes having the determined storage capacity;
• and
• cause the one or more storage volumes to be network-attached to the host, wherein upon being network-attached to the host, firmware on the host causes the one or more storage volumes to be exposed as directly-attached storage devices to a hypervisor of the host, and
• wherein the hypervisor of the host is configured to make the one or more storage volumes available, as part of a virtual storage pool, to one or more virtual machines in the HCI deployment for data storage.