Create Storage Spaces – Managing Data in a Hybrid Network

To create a storage space on a Windows client, perform the following:

1. Add or connect the drives that you want to group together with Storage Spaces.
2. Go to the taskbar, type Storage Spaces in the search box, and select Storage Spaces from the list of search results.
3. Select Create A New Pool And Storage Space, as shown in Figure 13.24.
4. Select the drives you want to add to the new storage space, and then click Create Pool.
5. Give the drive a name and letter, and then choose a layout. Two- Way Mirror, Three- Way Mirror, and Parity can help protect the files in the storage space from drive failure.
6. Enter the maximum size the storage space can reach, and then click Create Storage Space.

FIGURE 13.24 Create A New Pool And Storage Space option

To create a storage space on a stand- alone server, you’ll follow three steps:

■        Step 1: Create a storage pool: Group available physical disks into one or more storage pools.

Storage Spaces

■            Step 2: Create a virtual disk: Select how the data is laid out across the physical disks.

■         Step 3: Create a volume.

Step 1: To create a storage pool:

1. In the Server Manager navigation pane, select File And Storage Services.
2. Select the Storage Pools page from the navigation pane.
3. Under Storage Pools, select the Tasks list, and then select New Storage Pool. The New Storage Pool Wizard will open.
4. Click Next on the Before You Begin page.
5. On the Specify A Storage Pool Name And Subsystem page, enter a name for the storage pool and an optional description. Select the group of available physical disks you want to use, and then click Next.
6. On the Select Physical Disks For The Storage Pool page, select the check box next to each physical disk that you want to include in the storage pool. To designate one or more disks as hot spares, under Allocation, click the drop- down arrow, then choose Hot Spare. Click Next.
7. On the Confirm Selections page, verify that the settings are correct, and then click Create.
8. On the View Results page, verify that all tasks completed, and then click Close.
9. Finally, verify that your newly created storage pool is listed under Storage Pools. Step 2: To create a virtual disk:
10. If the New Virtual Disk Wizard is not already open, on the Storage Pools page in Server Manager, under Storage Pools, select the desired storage pool.
11. Under Virtual Disks, select the Tasks list, and then select New Virtual Disk. The New Virtual Disk Wizard will open.
12. On the Before You Begin page, click Next.
13. On the Select The Storage Pool page, select the desired storage pool, and then click Next.
14. On the Specify The Virtual Disk Name page, enter a name and optional description, then click Next.
15. On the Select The Storage Layout page, select the desired layout, then click Next.
16. If you chose Mirror as the storage layout, the Configure The Resiliency Settings page will appear. Select either Two- Way or Three- Way Mirror.
17. On the Specify The Provisioning Type page, select your desired provisioning type, then click Next.
18. On the Specify The Size Of The Virtual Disk page (depending on the provisioning type selected), enter the size required and then click Next.
19. On the Confirm Selections page, verify that the settings are correct, and then click Create.
20. On the View Results page, verify that all tasks completed, and then click Close. Step 3: To create a volume:

1. If the New Volume Wizard is not already open, in Server Manager, on the Storage Pools page under Virtual Disks, right-c lick the desired virtual disk, and then select New Volume. This will open the New Volume Wizard.
2. On the Before You Begin page, click Next.
3. On the Select The Server And Disk page, in the Server area, select the server where you want to provision the volume, and in the Disk area, select the virtual disk where you want to create the volume. Then, click Next.
4. Then, on the Specify The Size Of The Volume page, enter a volume size, specify the units (MB, GB, or TB), and then click Next.
5. On the Assign To A Drive Letter Or Folder page, configure the desired option, and then click Next.
6. On the Select File System Settings page, in the File System list, select either NTFS or ReFS. Then, in the Allocation Unit Size list, either leave the setting at Default or set the allocation unit size. You also have the option to assign a volume name, if you wish, by entering a name in the Volume Label box. Then, click Next.
7. On the Confirm Selections page, verify that the settings are correct, and then click Create.
8. On the View Results page, verify that all tasks completed, and then click Close.
9. You can now verify that the volume has been created. In Server Manager, select the Volumes page. The volume is listed under the server where it was created. You can also verify that the volume is in Windows Explorer.