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Quick Access Window

Dell OpenManage™ Array Manager 3.4

  Quick Access Window Components

  Create a Virtual Disk

  Create a New Volume

  Create a Partition

  Create a Dynamic Volume

  Upgrade a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk

  Connect to a Remote Computer

  View a Configuration

  View Events

  Show the Quick Access Window at Startup

  Rescan at Startup

  Hide Unknown Windows Disks at Startup

You can reach the most commonly used features of Array Manager through the Quick Access window. Clicking an icon in this window takes you directly to that feature.

To use Array Manager, you should already be familiar with storage management terms and concepts. If you are not, you should read the Storage Management Concepts chapter before using Array Manager.

• To understand RAID concepts and applications, see the RAID section in the Storage Management Concepts chapter.
  
  
• For information about basic and dynamic disks, see the Working with Basic Disks and Working with Dynamic Disks sections in the Disk Management chapter.
  
  
• For information about controller management, see the sections on virtual disks in the following chapters: PERC Subsystem 1 Controllers: PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, 3/QC, 4/SC, 4/DC, 4/Di, 4/IM, and CERC ATA100/4ch, PERC Subsystem 2 Controllers: PERC 2, 2/Si, 3/Si, and 3/Di, and The Dell PowerVault 660F Storage System.
  
  
• For definitions, see the Glossary.
  
  

Quick Access Window Components

The Quick Access window appears when you start Array Manager. You can also reach this window from the View menu.

In addition to the mouse, you can also use the Tab and Enter keys and the <Shift><X> key combination when selecting options on the Quick Access Window.

Note When using the PowerVault 660F storage system, some options on the Quick Access Window may not function properly. In this case, highlight the appropriate object in the tree view hierarchy and select the option from the Task pull-down menu.

The Quick Access Window

Create a Virtual Disk

The Create Virtual Disk Icon

The Create Virtual Disk wizard has an Express Mode and an Advanced Mode. The Express Mode enables you to quickly create a virtual disk using the available RAID levels and array disks. Depending on the available disk space and on controller considerations, the Express Mode calculates an appropriate virtual disk layout for you.

The Advanced Mode provides additional selections for creating the virtual disk. These selections include read, write, and cache policies. Advanced Mode also enables you to select the array disks and the controller channel that you want to use. When using Express Mode, these selections are made for you. Advanced Mode allows for a more detailed configuration and should be used by experienced administrators with a good knowledge of RAID levels and hardware.

Because of differences in controller features, the Create Virtual Disk wizard options may vary depending on the controller. Depending on the controller you have, see one of the following sections for creating a virtual disk:

• Creating Virtual Disks for PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, 3/QC, 4/SC, 4/DC, 4/Di, 4/IM, and CERC ATA100/4ch controllers.
  
  
• Creating Virtual Disks for PERC 2, 2/Si, 3/Si, and 3/Di controllers.
  
  
• Create Virtual Disk for the Dell PowerVault 660F storage system.
  
  

Create a New Volume

The Create Volume Icon

The Create Volume wizard contains information about creating both partitions and dynamic volumes. To create a partition, use the instructions in the Create a Partition topic in this chapter. To create a dynamic volume, use the instructions in the Create a Dynamic Volume topic later in this chapter.

Create a Partition

The Create Volume Icon

You can create partitions only on basic disks. To check the disk type, click the disk and look at the Type column in the right pane.

1. If the Quick Access window is not already displayed, display this window by selecting the Quick Access Window option from the View pull-down menu.
   
   
2. Click the Create Volume button on the Quick Access window. The Create Volume wizard appears. You can read information about partitions and volumes and then click Next to continue.
   
   
3. You are asked to select whether to create a partition or a volume. Click Next.
   
   

If the disk you have selected is a basic disk, the partition radio button is highlighted. You can create a partition only on a basic disk. To upgrade to a dynamic disk, see Upgrade a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk later in this chapter.

4. Select a disk for the partition.
   
   
5. The Create Volume wizard asks you to select a type and size of the partition. Select Primary or Extended. Click Next to continue.
   
   
6. Choose a free space for the partition. Click Next to continue.
   
   
7. Assign a drive letter to this volume, if you wish. Click Next to continue.
   
   
8. Format the volume using either NTFS, FAT or FAT32. File and folder compression is supported only on NTFS volumes. Leave the Allocation Unit Size as Default.
   
   

Note It is strongly recommended that you leave the allocation unit size as Default. Selecting any other value requires an advanced knowledge of Windows file systems. You should thoroughly review the Microsoft Windows documentation before selecting any value other than Default.

9. Choose a file system and formatting option:
   
   
   • Quick format — Formats the disk without checking for bad sectors.
     
     
   • Enable file and folder compression — Can be used only if you choose NTFS format.
     
     
10. Click Next to continue, then Finish.
    
    

If there is no free space on the selected disk, the free space selection is shaded. A message appears on the wizard that indicates a lack of available disk space.

Create a Dynamic Volume

The Create Volume Icon

You can create dynamic volumes only on dynamic disks. To check the disk type, click the disk and look at the Type column in the right pane.

There are particular considerations regarding dynamic disks and volumes on NetWare, Windows Server 2003, and Linux. See Dynamic Disk and Volume Support on NetWare, Windows Server 2003, and Linux for more information.

1. If the Quick Access window is not already displayed, display this window by selecting the Quick Access Window option from the View pull-down menu.
   
   
2. Click the Create Volume button on the Quick Access window. The Create Volume wizard appears. You can read information about partitions and volumes and then click Next to continue.
   
   
3. You are asked to select whether to create a partition or a volume. Make sure that the Dynamic volume button is highlighted.
   
   

If you have selected a dynamic disk, the Dynamic volume button will already be highlighted. Click Next to continue.

4. You are asked to select the volume size, and the type of volume to create. Name the volume and provide a size in megabytes or gigabytes.
   
   

If you are creating the volume on a Windows 2000 system, you will see a Query Max Size button. This button is not available on NT 4.0 systems. The Query Max Size button works differently, depending on whether you had a disk selected when you choose the Create Volume command.

• If no disk was selected, clicking the Query Max Size button will display the maximum for all available disks in the Total volume size entry box.
  
  
• If a disk was selected, clicking the Query Max Size button will display the maximum size for the selected disk. However, if you click the button a second time, the size will be the maximum for all available disks.
  
  

Select one of the following volume types:

Check Box	Description
Concatenated	Simple or spanned volume (selected by default).
Striped	You must have unallocated space on at least two dynamic disks to create a striped volume. The number of columns is automatically selected as 2.
RAID-5	You must have at least three dynamic disks with sufficient unallocated space to create a RAID-5 volume. Note that you cannot create a RAID-5 volume if you are using a Windows NT® Workstation or a Windows 2000 Professional machine. For information on dynamic disks and volumes on a Windows Server 2003, Linux, or NetWare system, see Dynamic Disk and Volume Support on NetWare, Windows Server 2003, and Linux.
Mirrored	You must have two dynamic disks with sufficient unallocated space to create a mirror. You can mirror only a simple or spanned volume. Any other selection will cause the mirror option on the menu to be inactive (dimmed). You cannot mirror a volume if you are using a Windows NT Workstation or Windows 2000 Professional machine. For information on dynamic disks and volumes on a Windows Server 2003, Linux, or NetWare system, see Dynamic Disk and Volume Support on NetWare, Windows Server 2003, and Linux.

5. Click Next to continue, Modify to change, or Back to alter your selections.
   
   
6. After all selections are made, verify your settings and click Next to continue.
   
   
7. Do one of the following:
   
   
   • Choose a drive letter. Click Next to continue. Your next step will be to format the volume.
     
     
   • If you do not want to assign a drive letter, check the appropriate box. This finishes the volume creation process. Click Next to continue, then Finish. The volume will appear without a drive letter and will need to be formatted.
     
     
   • If you are using a Windows 2000 machine, you can also mount the volume at an empty NTFS folder and click Next to continue.
     
     
8. Format the volume, using either NTFS or FAT. File and folder compression is supported only on NTFS volumes. FAT32 is also available under Windows 2000. You can also choose a label, which will appear in the left pane of the Array Manager console.
   
   
9. You can choose a formatting option, if desired. Click the appropriate check box if you want to select the following. By default, neither box is checked.
   
   
   • Quick format — Formats the disk without checking for bad sectors.
     
     
   • Enable file and folder compression — Can be used only if you choose NTFS format.
     
     
10. Click Next to continue, then Finish.
    
    

Upgrade a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk

The Upgrade Dynamic Disk Icon

Use the following procedure to upgrade a basic disk to a dynamic disk.

There are particular considerations regarding dynamic disks and volumes on NetWare, Windows Server 2003, and Linux. See Dynamic Disk and Volume Support on NetWare, Windows Server 2003, and Linux for more information.

1. If the Quick Access window is not already displayed, display this window by selecting the Quick Access Window option from the View pull-down menu.
   
   
2. Click the Upgrade Disk button on the Quick Access window.
   
   
3. The Upgrade to Dynamic Disk wizard explains information about upgrading. Click Next to continue.
   
   
4. You are asked to select disks to upgrade. Add the basic disks you want to upgrade to the list of dynamic disks and click Next to continue, then Finish.
   
   

Note For more information on upgrading a basic disk to dynamic, see Upgrading a Basic Disk to Dynamic in the chapter on Disk Management.

Connect to a Remote Computer

The Remote Management Icon

From the Array Manager console, you can use the Computer pull-down menu or My Network Places to connect to a remote system. For more information on remote connection, see Connecting to a Remote System from the Console.

For information on the logon requirements for remote connection, see Understanding the Conditions for Remote Connection.

View a Configuration

The View Configuration Icon

From the Quick Access window, use this button to move directly to the View Configuration dialog box. You can view the following information about hardware configuration:

• Controllers
  
  
• Enclosures
  
  
• Array groups
  
  

View Events

The View Events Icon

Array Manager generates alerts that are added to the Windows application event log. You can view these alerts in the Array Manager Events tab or in the Microsoft Event Viewer.

From the Quick Access window, use this button to move directly to the Events tab in the console. (You will need to close the Quick Access window to see the events in the right pane of the Array Manager console.)

Note For more information on the Event Log and the Events tab, see the chapter on Event Monitoring.

Show the Quick Access Window at Startup

At the bottom of the Quick Access window is a Show this window at startup check box. This check box is checked (selected) by default. When checked, the Show this window at startup check box indicates that the Quick Access window is automatically displayed when the Array Manager console is launched.

If you do not want the Quick Access window to be displayed when the Array Manager console is launched, uncheck (deselect) the Show this window at startup check box. The Quick Access window can be displayed at any time by selecting Quick Access Window from the View pull-down menu.

Rescan at Startup

At the bottom of the Quick Access window is a Rescan at startup check box. This check box is unchecked (deselected) by default. When checked (selected) the Rescan at startup check box indicates that Array Manager will perform a rescan when the Array Manager Console is launched. Only the first computer system in the Array Manager tree view is rescanned.

You can initiate a rescan on any computer system in the tree view by doing the following:

1. Select the computer system you want to rescan.
   
   
2. Select Rescan from the View pull-down menu.
   
   

Note When Array Manager is used to manage controllers that support Microsoft Cluster Server, it is possible that a resource change may have occurred while the Array Manager console was not running. It is therefore suggested that you check (select) the Rescan at startup check box on systems with cluster-enabled array controllers.

Hide Unknown Windows Disks at Startup

At the bottom of the Quick Access window is a Hide unknown Windows disks at startup check box. This check box is checked (selected) by default.

The array manager console displays the disks available to the Windows operating system for read and write purposes under the Disks object in the tree view. These disks can be both array disks and virtual disks. When a disk is in an unknown state, it is no longer available to the operating system.

By default, disks that are in an unknown state are not displayed in the console. If you wish the offline disks to be displayed in the console, deselect the Hide unknown Windows disks at startup check box.

When selecting or deselecting the Hide unknown Windows disks at startup check box, you need to restart the console in order for the new setting to take effect.

Note The Hide unknown Windows disks at startup feature is not available on NetWare and Windows Server 2003.

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