---
sourceDocument: Yokohama IT Operations Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/yokohama/it-operations-management

 Release :

    - yokohama

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Yokohama IT Operations Management

ft:clusterId :

    - itom

bundleId :

    - itom

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Datastore

# Datastore Discovery {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Yokohama
* 
* Updated December 2, 2025
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

A datastore is a storage object for virtual machines that are hosted on an ESXi
server.
A datastore is a collection of one or more physical disks, such as an iSCSI disk, and can be used by more than one ESXi host. However, a physical disk can only connect to one datastore. Because ESXi hosts can share datastores, it is easy to move virtual machine between hosts that have a common datastore.  
Note:  
From the perspective of a virtual machine attached to a datastore, storage is provided by a single disk.  
The advantages to connecting a datastore to multiple disks are:

* The ability to mirror the disks for failover protection.
* The ease of adding storage to the datastore.
{#c_DatastoreDiscovery__ul_ebk_ffs_bs}

For information about the tables used by Discovery to store the data for physical disks and
their relationship to datastores and ESXi hosts, see [ESXi server discovery](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/69HIi_wE1an9UMq2Y8I74Q "Discovery identifies and classifies information about ESXi servers and ESXi resource pools through the discovery of vCenter and not from the direct discovery of any ESXi servers.").

In this example configuration, two ESXi hosts share a common datastore that uses different
types of storage.  
Figure 1. Datastore Discovery with different storage types

## Relationships {#c_DatastoreDiscovery__section_aym_ltf_bcb}

ServiceNow provides tables that contain the relationships between an ESXi host and its
datastore and the specific disks to which the datastore is connected.

ServiceNow Discovery establishes the relationships between a datastore,
the disks attached to the datastore, and the ESXi server that hosts the virtual machines using
that datastore. From the perspective of the ESXi host, iSCSI and fibre channel disks connected
to the datastore are treated as physical disks. Discovery does not show the direct relationship
of the storage disks to the ESXi host.  
Note:  
Storage can be hosted on computers that are not discovered by Discovery. ESXi hosts are discovered through vCenter, and storage is discovered separately through CIM. The system can only establish the relationship between the two when storage is discovered before ESXi.  
{#c_DatastoreDiscovery__table_jp4_szr_bs__entry__2}

| Table | Description |
|-|-|
| cmdb_ci_vcenter_datastore_disk | Stores the relationship of the physical disk to the datastore. |
| vcenter_datastore_hostmount | Stores the relationship between the datastore and the ESXi server to which it is connected. |
| cmdb_ci_disk | Contains the physical disks connected directly to the datastore. This table also contains a reference to the ESXi host. |
| cmdb_ci_fc_disk | Contains the fibre channel disks in a storage area network (SAN) connected to the datastore. This table also contains a reference to the ESXi host. |
| cmdb_ci_iscsi_disk | Contains the iSCSI disks in an IP network connected to the datastore. This table also contains a reference to the ESXi host. |
[Table 1. Datastore tables]

{#c_DatastoreDiscovery__table_jp4_szr_bs}
**Related concepts**   

* [Discovery for VMware vCenter](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/S4sT9mXn~Jvl1GsT0myOfA "Discovery can explore the VMware vCenter process running on a Windows or Linux host. IPv6 is supported for discovery in VMware vCenter.")
* [Discovery for VMware virtual machines](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/EzspSMqJ6LoEIJ4S_TWVUg "Discovery gathers information about virtual machines managed by VMware vCenter.")  
**Related reference**   

* [ESXi server discovery](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/69HIi_wE1an9UMq2Y8I74Q "Discovery identifies and classifies information about ESXi servers and ESXi resource pools through the discovery of vCenter and not from the direct discovery of any ESXi servers.")
* [Standalone ESXi discovery](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/kfJMNZe2fFanLSf9yr4AMg "Standalone ESXi discovery supports discovery of individual ESXi servers that host virtual machines (VMs) and related components without a vCenter. Various CIs and relationships are discovered as part of a discovery schedule.")
* [VM instance state and status fields](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/U0dPtfhL_EEGPhbGQgTPJQ "These tables represent the state and status of the cmdb_ci_vm_instance in various flows such as vCenter Discovery and vCenter Events and the Business Rules which are triggered.")