Creating Array

This section describes the procedure for creating an array.

To create an array

1.    Select Adapter in the list of system devices, as shown in Figure 1.

2.    Rollover the Operation tab and select Create Array, as shown in Figure 1.

The Create New Array page appears as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1  Create Array

 

Figure 2  Create New Array

 

3.    Select the RAID Level suitable for your application, as shown in Figure 2.

For information on RAID levels, see Selecting a RAID Level.

Figure 3  Select RAID Level

Note: Marvell Storage controllers support different sets of RAID levels depending on the hardware model and OEM software package. Some software packages, depending on OEM selections, support limited RAID levels by design. Check with the OEM vendor for information specific to your controller.

 

4.    Table 1 lists the minimum number of physical disks required for different RAID levels.

Table 1  Minimum Number of Physical Disks

Controller

Minimum Number of Physical Disks Required for RAID Level

 

0

1

1E

5

6

10

50

60

RAID-On-Chip (ROC) Controller

2

2

3

3

4

4

6

8

Add the required number of physical disks for the selected RAID level from the list of available physical disks, as shown in Figure 3. When selected, a check-mark appears to the right of the physical disk, as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4  Select Physical Disks

 

5.    After selecting physical disks, select Stripe Size for the array.

As shown in Figure 5, the RAID controller in this example has seven options for Stripe Size, with the default being 64K.

Note: Availability of Stripe Sizes varies with controllers. For information on Stripe Size, see Glossary.

Figure 5  Select Stripe Size

 

6.    After selecting Stripe Size, enable/disable Disk Write Cache for the array by selecting Disk Cache.

As shown in Figure 6, Disk Cache is enabled by default.

Figure 6  Disk Cache

 

7.    After selecting Disk Cache, type a name for the Array in the Name field.

As shown in Figure 7, MSU assigns a default name to the array which you can change.

Figure 7  Name

 

8.    Click Submit at the bottom of the screen, as shown in Figure 7.

If the chosen RAID level does not support the selected combination of drives, the Submit button remains grayed out.

A new array link appears in your left navigation panel, displaying the new array properties, as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8  Array Created