Virtual provisioning is a storage management technique that enables more efficient allocation of storage to compute systems. It allows storage administrators to create virtual storage resources that are presented to compute systems as if they were physical resources, even if the physical storage capacity does not exist.
Virtual provisioning supports various types of virtual storage, including thin LUNs and thin clones. Thin LUNs enable shared and rapid expansion with only minor disruptions. Multiple shared storage pools can be created, and each pool can be allocated to multiple thin LUNs. However, virtual provisioning does not prevent issues that arise from oversubscription; it is important to monitor and manage capacity utilization to avoid performance degradation or service disruptions. Reference: Section 2.5.1 Virtual Provisioning, page 107.