Creating a New Storage Configuration Using the Advanced Configuration Option

The advanced configuration procedure provides an easy way to create a new storage configuration. Advanced configuration gives you greater flexibility than simple configuration because you can select the drives and the virtual drive parameters when you create a virtual drive. In addition, you can use the advanced configuration procedure to create spanned drive groups.
Note: When a physical drive is in the Prepare for Removal state, you cannot create a virtual drive using that physical drive.
Perform the following steps to create an advanced storage configuration.
  1. On the Server dashboard or the Controller dashboard, select Configure > Advanced Configuration.
    The Advanced Configuration window opens.
    Figure 1. Advanced Configuration Window
  2. Select a RAID level for the drive group from the Raid Level Setting list.
  3. (Optional) Click Compare and Select to view the detailed information on each RAID level.
    Also see RAID Levels for more information.

    When you use advanced configuration, the RAID controller supports the following RAID levels.

    • Single Drive RAID 0 (SDR0)
    • RAID 0
    • RAID 1
    • RAID 5
    • RAID 6
    • RAID 10
    • RAID 50
    • RAID 60

    The window text gives a brief description of the RAID level that you select. The RAID levels that you can choose depend on the number of drives available.

    Note: When any RAID level other than SDR0 is selected, only MDRO drives are listed. The SDRO RAID level is added to help you to create an SDR0 volume using SDR0 drives.
  4. (Optional) Select the Secure check box if you want to apply the encryption logic to secure the data in the virtual drive.

    You can add a hot spare to all of the RAID levels except RAID 0. You can also create a secured virtual drive only when the security capable drives are present. This check box is disabled when there are no secured drives.

  5. (Optional) Complete one of the following steps to reclaim unused storage space.
    Note: The following choices are only applicable when Unmap and Write Same Unmap drives are available.
    • Select the Enable Unmap check box if you want to enable Unmap to reclaim the storage space that is not in use.
    • Select the Enable Unmap/Write Same Unmap check box if you want to enable Unmap to reclaim the storage space that is not in use.

    You can add a hot spare to all RAID levels except RAID 0. Also, you can create a secured virtual drive only when the security capable drives are present. This check box is disabled when there are no secured drives.

  6. Click Next.
  7. Click Add Physical Drives to add physical drives to the drive group.
    Refer to the following sections for more information:
  8. Select the span depth using the slider bar.
  9. Click Add Virtual Drives to add virtual drives to the drive group.
    The Virtual Drive Settings window appears.
    Figure 2. Virtual Drive Settings Window

    For information on configuring virtual drives, see Adding Virtual Drives.

  10. Click Add Virtual Drives.
  11. Click Finish.
    A confirmation message appears if the storage configuration is successfully completed.