Using This ProductDell OpenManage™ Array Manager 3.4
Support for Windows Server 2003
More on the Array Manager and Disk Management Relationship
Dell OpenManage™ Array Manager software provides a comprehensive storage management solution in an integrated graphical view. From a single interface, Array Manager enables you to configure and manage local and remote storage attached to a server while the server is online and continuing to process requests.
Array Manager obtains information about storage devices attached to the server. These devices include controllers and array disks, enclosures, channels, and other physical components. Array Manager also obtains information on the storage system's logical components, such as virtual disks and volumes. The Array Manager interface displays the connections among the logical and physical storage components. For example, Array Manager displays and provides management for the storage components (logical and physical) attached to each of the server's controllers.
Array Manager is designed to meet the needs of system administrators who implement hardware and software RAID solutions and understand corporate and small business storage environments. In addition to providing management of RAID controllers, Array Manager displays status information for non-RAID SCSI controllers.
Array Manager presents a consistent way to interact with storage systems. This is accomplished by providing a common interface that enables you to implement controller management functions without requiring access to the controller BIOS. In addition, you can view and manage storage systems from a central console that can access storage on local or remote systems.
Using Array Manager, you can accomplish the following basic storage tasks:
Array Manager's secured local and remote storage management uses the native security model of the host operating system.
Under Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003, you can use Array Manager's Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in instead of running the program from the Array Manager console. For more information on the MMC Snap-in, see "MMC Snap-in."
In Windows 2000, Array Manager is also available as one of the programs or utilities in the Computer Management window. To access the Computer Management window, use Start | Settings | Control Panel | Administrative Tools| Computer Management.
For Windows NT 4.0, Array Manager augments Microsoft's Disk Administrator by providing a more comprehensive set of features. For Windows 2000, Array Manager replaces Disk Management, the disk and volume manager that comes with Windows 2000. Disk Management does not have the capability of managing hardware RAID storage. Array Manager has the advantage of providing both hardware and software RAID management. On Windows Server 2003, installing Array Manager does not replace Disk Management.
For more information on Array Manager and Disk Management, see "More on the Array Manager and Disk Management Relationship."
For information on support for NetWare and Windows Server 2003, see NetWare Support and "Support for Windows Server 2003."
Array Manager consists of the following components.
The Array Manager console provides a common look-and-feel to manage and configure storage attached to local and remote servers. It communicates with the server framework to provide storage management functions.
The console provides:
For additional information, see:
The server, which is implemented as a system service and runs on a managed system, provides a common repository for storage objects. The Array Manager storage model represents the different components in a storage subsystem as either physical or logical storage objects. The console and server implement a distributed database that contains these storage objects.
For additional information, see:
The Array Manager Utilities can be launched from the Array Manager console or the Windows Start menu. The Array Manager Utilities enable you to view and modify the Array Manager configuration. For more information, see "Array Manager Utilities."
This release of Array Manager supports the following controllers:
For the most current information on system requirements and supported drivers and firmware, see the Readme file.
This release supports NetWare® version 4.2 through 6.x. Array Manager does not support NetWare volume management or clustering.
See the Dell PowerVault Systems Storage Area Network (SAN) documentation for information on supported NetWare configurations.
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Note Dell does not offer NetWare in Japan. |
Array Manager provides support for the Windows Server 2003 operating system. This support includes the following:
Array Manager does not support Windows disk or volume management on Windows Server 2003.
For information on Windows Server 2003 and connecting to a remote system, see "Remote Connection and Windows Server 2003."
For information on SNMP support, see "SNMP Support."
Disk Management is the built-in disk and volume manager that comes with Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003. It is the improved equivalent of the Windows NT Disk Administrator. Disk Management is also known as Logical Disk Manager, or LDM.
Disk Management and Array Manager are related products that come from the same development group. The Array Manager software is an upgrade to Disk Management. When you install Array Manager, it replaces Disk Management while providing enhanced functionality.
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Note Disk Management and Array Manager cannot run together on the same computer. During installation, the Array Manager program turns off the service for Disk Management. However, if you uninstall Array Manager, the service for Disk Management is turned back on, and the Disk Management program will function normally. The service for Disk Management is not turned off on a system that has a console-only installation of Array Manager. |
Because Array Manager and Disk Management are related products, Array Manager has the same disk and volume functions as Disk Management plus the added capability of managing RAID hardware controllers. If you created disks and volumes with Disk Management before installing Array Manager, those same disks and volumes can be managed by Array Manager without any adjustments. Both programs allow you to:
In addition, with Array Manager you can maintain (but not change) basic volumes originally created in Windows NT Disk Administrator.
In both Disk Management and Array Manager, commands are available by right-clicking the name of the storage object in one of the console views and bringing up a context menu. Array Manager has a larger number of commands accessible from its menus, which are organized differently from those in Disk Management.
In the Array Manager for Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 console, there is a tab for the DM view. This is a view from the Disk Management program. This tab is inactive (dimmed) for a computer that is running Array Manager. However, from an Array Manager client machine, you can connect to a remote server that is running Disk Management in order to view and manage its storage. When you are viewing a remote server that is running Disk Management, the DM View tab will be active.
Both Array Manager and Disk Management have a Disk View that is similar to the Disk View in Windows NT Disk Administrator. Array Manager has the added feature of a tree view that makes it easier to see the whole scope of your storage from a single computer.
The major advantage of Array Manager over Disk Management is its added capability of managing hardware RAID controllers in a single, easy-to-use interface.