Enabling multiple storage tiers in a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) cluster

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program code executable by a computer system, the program code embodying a method for enabling multiple storage tiers in a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) cluster, the method comprising:

• creating first and second pluralities of disk groups in the HCI cluster, wherein the HCI cluster comprises a plurality of host systems with locally-attached physical storage devices, wherein the locally-attached physical storage devices are aggregated into a virtual storage pool that is made available to virtual machines (VMs) running on the plurality of host systems for data storage, wherein each disk group in the first plurality of disk groups comprises a subset of the locally-attached physical storage devices that are of a first type, and wherein each disk group in the second plurality of disk groups comprises another subset of the locally-attached physical storage devices that are of a second type;
• tagging each disk group in the first plurality of disk groups with a first disk group tag;
• tagging each disk group in the second plurality of disk groups with a second disk group tag;
• creating a first virtual machine (VM)-level storage policy that includes a first placement rule identifying the first disk group tag and one or more second placement rules corresponding to one or more VM fault tolerance requirements;
• associating the first VM-level storage policy with a VM to be provisioned in the HCI cluster;
• and
• at a time of provisioning the VM in the HCI cluster, placing persistent data of the VM on one or more of the first plurality of disk groups in accordance with the first and second placement rules included in the first VM-level storage policy associated with the VM.

A computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon program code that, when executed, causes the processor to:
• create first and second pluralities of disk groups in a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) cluster, wherein the HCI cluster comprises a plurality of host systems with locally-attached physical storage devices, wherein the locally-attached physical storage devices are aggregated into a virtual storage pool that is made available to virtual machines (VMs) running on the plurality of host systems for data storage, wherein each disk group in the first plurality of disk groups comprises a subset of the locally-attached physical storage devices that are of a first type, and wherein each disk group in the second plurality of disk groups comprises another subset of the locally-attached physical storage devices that are of a second type;
• tag each disk group in the first plurality of disk groups with a first disk group tag;
• tag each disk group in the second plurality of disk groups with a second disk group tag;
• create a first virtual machine (VM)-level storage policy that includes a first placement rule identifying the first disk group tag and one or more second placement rules corresponding to one or more VM fault tolerance requirements;
• associate the first VM-level storage policy with a VM to be provisioned in the HCI cluster;
• and
• at a time of provisioning the VM in the HCI cluster, place persistent data of the VM on one or more of the first plurality of disk groups in accordance with the first and second placement rules included in the first VM-level storage policy associated with the VM.