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FAQs

Frequently asked questions...

  • What is a volume?
    A volume is a container in which applications, databases, and file systems store data. It is the logical component created for the host to access storage on the storage array.
  • Why am I seeing a capacity over-allocation error when I have enough free capacity in a volume group to create volumes?
    The selected volume group might have one or more free capacity areas. A free capacity area is the free capacity that can result from deleting a volume or from not using all available free capacity during volume creation.
  • How does my selected workload impact volume creation?
    A workload is a storage object that supports an application. You can define one or more workloads, or instances, per application. For some applications, System Manager configures the workload to contain volumes with similar underlying volume characteristics. These volume characteristics are optimized based on the type of application the workload supports. For example, if you create a workload that supports a Microsoft SQL Server application and then subsequently create volumes for that workload, the underlying volume characteristics are optimized to support Microsoft SQL Server.
  • Why aren't these volumes associated with a workload?
    Volumes are not associated with a workload if they have been created using the command line interface (CLI) or if they have been migrated (imported/exported) from a different storage array.
  • Why can’t I delete the selected workload?
    This workload consists of a group of volumes that were created using the command line interface (CLI) or migrated (imported/exported) from a different storage array. As a result, the volumes in this workload are not associated with an application-specific workload, so the workload cannot be deleted.
  • How do application-specific workloads help me manage my storage array?
    An application is software such as SQL Server or Exchange. You define one or more workloads to support each application. For some applications, System Manager will automatically recommend a volume configuration that optimizes storage. Characteristics such as I/O type, segment size, controller ownership, and read and write cache are included in the volume configuration.
  • How does providing this information help create storage?
    The workload information is used to optimize the volume characteristics such as I/O type, segment size, and read/write cache for the workload selected. These optimized characteristics dictate how your workload interacts with the storage array components.
  • What do I need to do to recognize the expanded capacity?
    If you increase the capacity for a volume, the host might not immediately recognize the increase in volume capacity.
  • Why don't I see all my pools and/or volume groups?
    Any pool or volume group to which you cannot move the volume does not display in the list.
  • What is segment size?
    A segment is the amount of data in kilobytes (KiB) that is stored on a drive before the storage array moves to the next drive in the stripe (RAID group). Segment size applies only to volume groups, not pools.
  • What is preferred controller ownership?
    Preferred controller ownership defines the controller that is designated to be the owning, or primary, controller of the volume.
  • What is Automatic Load Balancing?
    The Automatic Load Balancing feature provides automated I/O balancing and ensures that incoming I/O traffic from the hosts is dynamically managed and balanced across both controllers.