Dell PowerVault MD 32XX/36XX Series Storage Arrays CLI Guide

Create Disk Pool

Description

This command creates a new disk pool based on the specified parameters. You can create the disk pool by entering either a list of physical disks or a type of physical disk that you want to use for the disk pool. Each disk pool must be created from a minimum of 11 physical disks specified. There is no upward limit of physical disks supported in a single disk pool, but the number cannot exceed the number of physical disks supported on the storage array or the maximum size allowed by the model. iSCSI units have a limit of 256 TB and SAS and Fibre Channel units have a limit of 1024 TB.

NOTE: If you enter a list of physical disks, ensure that all of the physical disks have the same capacity. If the physical disks do not have the same capacity, each physical disk in the disk pool reports capacity equal to the smallest physical disk.

Syntax

Parameters

create diskPool
                                 physicalDisks=(enclosureID1,drawerID1,slotID1 ... enclosureIDn,drawerIDn,slotIDn)
                                 physicalDiskType=SAS
                                 userLabel="diskPoolName" [physicalDiskCount=physicalDiskCountValue]
                                 [enclosureLossProtect=(TRUE | FALSE)]
                                 [drawerLossProtect=(TRUE | FALSE)]
                                 [allocateReservedSpace=(TRUE | FALSE)]
                                 [warningThreshold=(warningThresholdValue|default)]
                                 [criticalThreshold=(criticalThresholdValue|default)]
                                 [criticalPriority=(highest|high|medium|low|lowest)]
                                 [backgroundPriority=(highest|high|medium|low|lowest)] 
                                 [degradedPriority=(highest|high|medium|low|lowest)]
                                 [securityType=(none|capable|enabled)]
                                 [physicalDiskMediaType=(hdd | ssd | allMedia | unknown)]
                                 [securePhysicalDisks=(fips | sed )]
                                 [dataAssurance=(none|enabled)]

Parameter	Description
`physicalDisks`	The physical disks that you want to assign to the disk pool that you want to create. For dense physical disk enclosures, specify the enclosure ID value, the drawer ID value, and the slot ID value for each drive that you assign to the disk pool. For non-dense physical disk enclosures, specify the enclosure ID value and the slot ID value for each physical disk that you assign to the disk pool. Enclosure ID values are `0` to `99` . Drawer ID values are `0` to `4` . Slot ID values are `0` to `59` . Enclose the enclosure ID values, the drawer ID values, and the slot ID values in parentheses.
`userLabel`	The name that you want to give the new disk pool. Enclose the disk pool name in double quotation marks (" ").
`driveCount`	The `driveCount` parameter limits the disk pool candidates to the given number. When using this parameter, the minimum value that you can enter is 11. Use this parameter only when the `driveType` parameter is specified.
`trayLossProtect`	The setting to enforce enclosure loss protection when you create the disk pool. To enforce enclosure loss protection, set this parameter to `TRUE`. The default value is `FALSE`.
`drawerLossProtect`	The setting to enforce drawer loss protection when you create the disk pool. To enforce drawer loss protection, set this parameter to `TRUE`. The default value is `FALSE`.
`warningThreshold`	The percentage of storage capacity at which you receive a warning alert that the disk pool is nearing full capacity. Use integer values. For example, a value of `60` means 60 percent. For best operation, the value for this parameter must be less than the value for the `criticalThreshold` parameter. Valid values are from `0` to `100`. The default value is `50`. Setting this parameter to `0` disables warning alerts. If you set this to `default`, the warning alert threshold value is determined by the RAID controller module firmware.
`criticalThreshold`	The percentage of storage capacity at which you receive a critical alert that the disk pool is nearing full. Use integer values. For example, a value of `70` means 70 percent. For best operation, the value for this parameter must be greater than the value for the `warningThreshold` parameter. Valid values are from `0` to `100`. The default value is 85 percent. Setting this parameter to `0` disables both warning alerts and critical alerts. If you set this to `default`, the critical alert threshold value is determined by the controller firmware.
`criticalPriority`	The priority for reconstruction operations for critical events on the disk pool. For example, disk pool reconstruction after at least two drive failures. Valid values are `highest`, `high`, `medium`, `low`, and `lowest` The default value is `highest`.
`backgroundPriority`	The priority for background operations on the disk pool. Valid values are `highest`, `high`, `medium`, `low`, and `lowest`. The default value is `low`.
`degradedPriority`	The priority for degraded activities on the disk pool. For example, disk pool reconstruction after one physical disk failures. Valid values are `highest`, `high`, `medium`, `low`, and `lowest`. The default value is `high`.
`securityType`	The setting to specify the security level when creating the disk pool. All virtual disk candidates for the disk pool have the specified security type. These settings are valid: `none`—The virtual disk candidates are not secure. `capable`—The virtual disk candidates are capable of having security set, but security has not been enabled. `enabled`—The virtual disk candidates have security enabled. The default value is `none`.
`securephysicalDisks`	The type of secure drives to use in the virtual disk group. These settings are valid: `fips` — To use FIPS compliant drives only. `sed` — To use SED compliant drives only. NOTE: At this time, the controller firmware does not support mixed FIPS and SED drives within disk groups or disk pools. CAUTION: Use this parameter along with the `securityType` parameter. If you specify none for the `securityType` parameter, the value of the `securePhysicalDisks` parameter is ignored, because non-secure disk pools do not need to have secure drive types specified.
`physicalDiskMediaType`	You must use this parameter when you have more than one type of physical disk media in your storage array. Valid physical disk media are: `hdd`—Use this option when you have hard disk drives. `ssd`—Use this option when you have solid state disks. `unknown`—Use this option if you are not sure what types of physical disk media are in the expansion enclosure. `allMedia`—Use this option when you want to use all types of physical disk media that are in the expansion enclosure. The default value is `hdd`.
`dataAssurance`	The setting to specify that a disk pool has data assurance protection to make sure that the data maintains its integrity. When you use this parameter, only protected physical disks can be used for the disk pool. These settings are valid: `none` – The disk pool does not have data assurance protection. `enabled` – The disk pool has data assurance protection. The disk pool supports protected information and is formatted with protection information enabled. The default value is `none`. NOTE: This option is only valid for enablement if the drives, the controller, and the host bus adapter are all DA-capable.

Security Type

The securityType parameter is valid for physical disks that are capable of self-encrypting disk (SED). With SED, the RAID controller module firmware can create a key and activate the physical disk security feature. The physical disk security feature encrypts data as the data is written to the physical disk and decrypts the data as the data is read from the physical disk. Without the key created by the RAID controller module, the data written to the physical disk is inaccessible.

Before you can set the securityType parameter to capable or enabled, you must create a storage array security key. Use the create storageArray securityKey command to create a storage array security key. These commands are related to the security key:

create storageArray securityKey
export storageArray securityKey
import storageArray securityKey
set storageArray securityKey
start secureErase (physicalDisk | physicalDisks)
set physical disk securityID

Secure physical disks

Secure-capable drives can be either Self Encrypting Disk (SED) drives or Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) drives. Use the physicalDiskDrives parameter to specify the type of secure physical disks to use . The values you can use are fips and sed.

NOTE: The controller firmware does not support a mix of SED and FIPS physical disks within disk groups and disk pools.

Example command

create diskPool physicaDiskType=SAS userLabel="FIPS_Pool" physicalDiskCount=11 securityType=capable secureDrives=fips;

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