3Configuring A Storage ArrayThis chapter explains how to run script commands from the command line to create a virtual disk from agroup of physical disks and how to configure a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) storage array.This chapter assumes that you understand basic RAID concepts and terminology. Before configuring thestorage array, become familiar with the concepts of physical disks, disk groups, virtual disks, host groups,hosts, and RAID controller modules. Additional information about configuring a storage array and relateddefinitions is in the online help, the Deployment Guide, the MD Storage Manager online help, and theOwner’s Manual.Configuring a RAID storage array requires caution and planning to ensure that you define the correctRAID level and configuration for your storage array. The main purpose in configuring a storage array is tocreate virtual disks addressable by the hosts from a collection of physical disks. The commands describedin this chapter enable you to set up and run a RAID storage array. Additional commands are also availableto provide more control and flexibility. Many of these commands, however, require a deeperunderstanding of the firmware as well as various structures that need to be mapped. Use all of thecommand line interface (CLI) commands and script commands with caution.The following sections in this chapter show some, but not all, of the CLI and script commands. Thepurpose of showing these commands is to explain how you can use the commands to configure astorage array. The presentation in this chapter does not explain all possible usage and syntax for thecommands. (For complete definitions of the commands, including syntax, parameters, and usage notes,see Script Commands.)This chapter contains examples of CLI and script command usage. The command syntax used in theexamples is for a host running a Microsoft Windows operating system. As part of the examples, thecomplete C:\ prompt and DOS path for the commands are shown. Depending on your operatingsystem, the prompt and path construct varies.For most commands, the syntax is the same for all Windows and Linux operating systems, as well as for ascript file. Windows operating systems, however, have an additional requirement when entering names ina command. On Windows, you must enclose the name between two backslashes (\) in addition to otherdelimiters. For example, the following name is used in a command that runs under Windows:[\"Engineering\"]For a Linux system when used in a script file, the name appears as:["Engineering"]Configuring A Storage ArrayWhen you configure a storage array, you can maximize data availability by ensuring that data is quicklyaccessible while maintaining the highest level of data protection possible. The speed at which a host canaccess data is affected by the disk group RAID level and the segment size settings. Data protection isdetermined by the RAID level, hardware redundancy (such as global hot spares), and softwareredundancy (such as the Snapshot feature).In general, you configure a storage array by defining the following entities:37
