Users Guide

Steps

1. On the upper-left corner of the Server Administrator page, expand Storage .

2. Click PERC Controller.

3. Click Virtual Disks.

The Virtual Disk(s) on Controller <Controller Name> page is displayed.

4. Click Go to the Create Virtual Disk Wizard.

The Create Virtual Disk Wizard <Controller Name> page is displayed.

5. Select the Express Wizard option and the RAID level from the drop-down menu.

6. Click Continue.

The Create Virtual Disk Express Wizard - <Controller Name> page displays the summary of attributes of the selected RAID level.

The attributes include Bus Protocol, Stripe Element Size, Read Policy, and the selected physical disk. The default values of the

virtual disk attributes excluding the RAID level are recommended for the selected RAID level.

7. In the Name field, type a name for the virtual disk.

The virtual disk name can contain only alphanumeric characters, spaces, dashes, and underscores. The maximum length of the virtual

disk name depends on the controller. In most cases, the maximum length is 15 characters. The name cannot start with a space or end

with a space.

NOTE: Dell recommends that you specify a unique name for each virtual disk. If you have virtual disks with the same

name, it is difficult to differentiate the generated alerts.

8. In the Size field, type the size of the virtual disk.

The virtual disk size must be within the minimum and maximum values displayed against the Size field.

In some cases, the virtual disk is slightly larger than the size you specify. The Create Virtual Disk Wizard adjusts the size of the

virtual disk to avoid rendering a portion of the physical disk space unusable.

9. If you want to change your selections, click Go Back To Previous Page to return to Create Virtual Disk Express Wizard page.

10. Click Finish to complete the virtual disk creation or click Exit Wizard to cancel the virtual disk creation.

For PERC H700 and PERC H800 controllers, if any of the drives you selected is in the spun down state, the following message is

displayed:

The below listed physical drive(s) are in the Spun Down state. Executing this task on

these drive(s) takes additional time, because the drive(s) need to spun up.

The message displays the ID(s) of the spun down drive(s).

NOTE: When the hard drive is in the spun down state, the drive is not in active use.

The virtual disk is displayed on the Virtual Disk(s) on Controller <Controller Name> page.

Create virtual disk Advanced Wizard

The Create Virtual Disk Advanced Wizard allows you to specify the read, write, cache policy, and parameters such as RAID level, bus

protocol, media type, and encrypted disk for the virtual disk. You can also select the physical disks and the controller connector. You must

have a good knowledge of RAID levels and hardware to use the Advanced Wizard. If you want the wizard to recommend a virtual disk

configuration for you, select the Express Wizard option.

About this task

NOTE: This task is not supported on PERC hardware controllers running in HBA mode.

To create a virtual disk using the Create Virtual Disk Advanced Wizard:

Steps

1. On the upper-right corner of the Server Administrator page, click Storage.

2. Click <PERC Controller>.

3. Click Virtual Disks.

The Virtual Disk(s) on Controller <Controller Name> page is displayed.

4. Click Go to the Create Virtual Disk Wizard.

The Create Virtual Disk Wizard <Controller Name> page is displayed.

Troubleshooting hardware issues