Chapter 3: Building Your Storage Space ● 34Creating Logical DrivesAdaptec Storage Manager has a wizard to help you create (or configure) logical drives, andoffers two configuration methods to choose from, depending on your needs:● Express configuration (basic)—Automatically creates logical drives by grouping togethersame-sized physical drives, and assigns RAID levels based on the number of physical diskdrives in the logical drive.Use the express method when you want to use all available disk drives in the most efficientmanner. For instructions, see page 34.● Custom configuration (advanced)—Helps you group disk drives, set RAID levels,determine logical drive size, and configure advanced settings manually.Use the custom method when you want to create specific logical drives with any or allavailable disk drives. For instructions, see page 37.Note: Adaptec recommends that you not combine SAS and SATA disk drives within the samelogical drive. Adaptec Storage Manager generates a warning if you try to create a logical drive usinga combination of SAS and SATA disk drives.Express Configuration: The Easy WayWhen you use express configuration, Adaptec Storage Manager automatically creates logicaldrives by grouping together same-sized physical disk drives, and assigns RAID levels based onthe number of physical disk drives in a logical drive:● A logical drive with three or more physical disk drives is assigned RAID 5.● A logical drive with two physical disk drives is assigned RAID 1.● A logical drive with only a single physical disk drive becomes a simple volume, which doesnot offer redundancy.Note: To create a logical drive with any other RAID level, you must use the custom method, asdescribed on page 37. See Selecting the Best RAID Level on page 152 for more information aboutRAID levels.By default, logical drive size is set by Adaptec Storage Manager and automatically maximizesthe capacity of the disk drives. However, you can choose to specify a size for a logical drive, ifrequired.To build your storage space with the express method:1 In the Enterprise View, select the system you want, then select the controller you want.2 On the toolbar, click Create.
