Users Guide

• Select the number of disks to create a single spanned virtual disk list box — Enables you to create a single span virtual disk

with 22 or 26 physical drives for PERC controllers. This list box option is displayed only if you have selected RAID 10 in step 1 and

the system has 22 or more physical drives.

NOTE: Only physical disks that comply with the virtual disk parameters, selected in the Create Virtual Disk

Wizard page are displayed.

11. Select the required connector and the corresponding physical disk, and click Continue.

12. 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 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. If you have virtual disks with the same name, it is hard to differentiate the

generated alerts, Dell recommends that you specify a unique name for each virtual disk.

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

The virtual disk size must be within the minimum and maximum values displayed near 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.

NOTE:

• If a physical disk is receiving a SMART alert, it cannot be used in a virtual disk.

• For a controller that has more than one channel, it may be possible to configure a virtual disk that is channel-

redundant.

Depending on the RAID level you selected and the virtual disk size, this page displays the disks and connectors (channels or ports)

available for configuring the virtual disk.

NOTE:

The Size field displays the default size of the virtual disk depending upon the RAID configuration you

selected. However, you can also specify a different size based on your requirement. 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.

14. Select a stripe size from the Stripe Element Size drop-down list box. The stripe size refers to the amount of space that each stripe

consumes on a single disk.

15. Select the required read, write, and disk cache policy from the respective drop-down list box. These selections can vary depending on

the controller.

NOTE:

• There is limited support for write policy on controllers that do not have a battery. The cache policy is not

supported on controllers that do not have a battery.

• If you have selected the Create Encrypted Virtual Disk option in Create Virtual Disk Advanced Wizard, then in the

Summary of Virtual Disk Attributes, an Encrypted Virtual Disk attribute is displayed with a value Yes.

16. Click Span Edit to edit the spans created in Create Virtual Disk Advanced Wizard.

CAUTION: If you click Span Edit, Intelligent Mirroring that has already been applied becomes invalid.

NOTE: The Span Edit option is available in the following two cases:

• Only if the controller is a SAS controller with firmware 6.1 and later.

• If you selected RAID 10 while using Create virtual disk Advanced Wizard on page 64.

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

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

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

Troubleshooting hardware issues