Create Array Wizard - Specify RAID Level and Capacity Manually

Use the Create Array Wizard - Specify RAID Level and Capacity dialog to specify the level of and the overall capacity of the new . You can specify the capacity in two different ways: select from a list of capacity choices that is automatically generated by the storage management software or manually select specific to obtain the capacity that you require.


Important:

If your contains mixed , you can choose only the for a single disk drive type to create the new array.

The Automatic method is the default selection. If you selected one or more unassigned disk drives in the Physical pane, the Manual method is the default selection. For more information about using the Automatic method, refer to the Create Array Wizard - Specify RAID Level and Capacity Automatically online help topic.

The Manual method lets you select which specific disk drives comprise the array. A table shows disk drive location information and individual disk drive capacities.


Note:

Only experts who understand disk drive and optimal disk drive configurations should use the Manual method. It is recommended that you select the Automatic method.

Your choice of RAID level affects the resulting capacity of the array. The RAID level chosen determines how much capacity is allocated to redundant (parity) information.

There are limits to how much disk drive space capacity you can have in a single array. These limits vary according to your host type.

  1. Select the RAID level that meets your requirements for array data storage and protection.RAID level choices include , , , and .
  2. Select a method for defining which available disk drives to use in the array, and perform the applicable action.
  3. Select the number of disk drives to include in the array from the Unselected disk drives area, and click Add.

    The Selected disk drives list shows the corresponding array capacity and the number of disk drives that comprise the array.


    Note:

    If you selected RAID Level 1, you must add two disk drives at a time to make sure that a mirrored disk drive pair is selected. If you selected RAID Level 3 or RAID Level 5, you must add a minimum of three disk drives to create the array. If you selected RAID Level 6, you must add a minimum of five disk drives to create the array. If you do not choose the appropriate number of disk drives for the chosen RAID level, the Add button remains unavailable. Change your disk drive selections, and click Add again.

    To remove selected disk drives, highlight the disk drives in the Selected disk drives list, and click Remove. The disk drives reappear in the Unselected disk drives list.

  4. Click Calculate Capacity.The capacity for the array, the total number of disk drives in the array, and whether enclosure loss protection has been achieved are shown.


    Note:

    The Next button is unavailable until you click Calculate Capacity to update the array capacity that is being configured.

  5. Click Next.

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