ME4: Deployment Storage Types and Recommendations

The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of choosing the correct storage type for your environment at deployment. This article is a direct reference from the ME4 Deployment Guide.

Due to the rigidity of choosing a storage type, after you create a disk group using one storage type, the system uses that storage type for additional disk groups. To switch to the other storage type, you must first migrate any data off and next remove all disk groups and start over from scratch.

During the deployment process, the ME4 Storage Setup wizard guides you through each step in the process of creating disk groups and pools in preparation for attaching hosts and volumes.

Access the Storage Setup wizard from the Welcome panel or by choosing Action > Storage Setup. When you access the wizard, you must select the storage type for your environment. After selecting a storage type, you are guided through the steps to create disk groups and pools. The panels that appear and the options within them are dependent upon:      

• Whether you select a virtual or linear storage type
• Whether the system is brand new (all disks are empty and available, and no pools are created)
• Whether the system has any pools

Select the storage type

When you first access the wizard, you are prompted to select the type of storage to use for your environment. Read through the options and make your selection, and then click Next to proceed.

• Virtual storage supports the following features:      
  • Tiering
  • Snapshots
  • Replication
  • Thin provisioning
  • One pool per installed RAID controller and up to 16 disk groups per pool
  • Maximum 1 PB usable capacity per pool with large pools feature enabled
  • RAID levels 1, 5, 6, 10, and ADAPT
  • Adding individual disks to increase RAID capacity is only supported for ADAPT disk groups
  • Capacity can be increased by adding additional RAID disk groups
  • Page size is static (4 MB)
  • SSD read cache
  • Global and/or dynamic hot spares
• Linear storage supports the following features:
  • Up to 32 pools per installed RAID controller and one disk group per pool
  • RAID levels 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 50, ADAPT, and NRAID
  • Adding individual disks to increase RAID capacity is supported for RAID 0, 3, 5, 6, 10, 50, and ADAPT disk groups
  • Configurable chunk size per disk group
  • Global, dedicated, and/or dynamic hot spares

Creating disk groups and pools

The panel that appears when creating disk groups and pools is dependent upon whether you are operating in a virtual storage environment or a linear storage environment.

NOTE:  For information on creating a Virtual Disk Group, refer to PowerVault: ME4 - How to Create a Virtual Disk Group with ME Storage Manager GUI .

Virtual storage environments

If you are operating in a virtual storage environment, the system scans all available disks, recommends one optimal storage configuration, and displays the suggested disk group layout within the panel. Disk groups are automatically grouped together by pool and tier and include a description of the total size and number of disks that are provisioned (including the configuration of spares and unused disks).

If the system is unable to determine a valid storage configuration, the wizard lists the reasons why and provides directions on how to achieve a proper configuration. If the system is unhealthy, an error is displayed along with a description of how to fix it. Follow the recommendations in the wizard to correct the errors, then click Rescan to view the optimized configuration.

For a system with no pools provisioned, if you are satisfied with the recommended configuration, click Create Pools to provision the system as displayed in the panel and move on to attaching hosts. For a system that contains a pool, if you are satisfied with the recommended configuration, click Expand Pools to provision the system as displayed in the panel.

If your environment requires a unique setup, click Go To Advanced Configuration to access the Create Advanced Pools panel. Select Add Disk Group and follow the instructions to manually create disk groups one disk at a time. Select Manage Spares and follow the instructions to manually select global spares.

Linear storage environments

If you are operating in a linear storage environment, the Create Advanced Pools panel opens. Select Add Disk Groups and follow the instructions to manually create disk groups one at a time. Select Manage Spares and follow the instructions to manually select global spares. Click the icon for more information about the options presented.