Administrator Guide

NOTE: For best security, Sign out when you are ready to end your session. Do not close the browser window unless you
are certain that it is the only browser instance.
Sign in
1. In the web browser address field, type https://<IP address of a controller network port> and press Enter.
The Sign In page opens. If the Sign In page is not displayed, verify that you have typed the correct IP address.
NOTE: HTTPS is enabled by default. To enable HTTP, see Enable or disable system-management settings.
2. Type the username of a PowerVault Manager user in the User name field.
3. Type the password of the PowerVault Manager user in the Password field.
4. To display the interface in a language different than the one configured for the user, select the language from the language drop-down
menu.
Language preferences can be configured for the system and for individual users. The default language is English.
5. Click Sign In.
The Home page or the Welcome panel is displayed.
Sign out
1. Click Sign Out, located in the upper right of the PowerVault Manager window.
2. In the confirmation panel, click Sign Out.
System concepts
About virtual and linear storage
This product uses two different storage technologies that share a common user interface. One uses the virtual method while the other
one uses the linear method.
Virtual storage is a method of mapping logical storage requests to physical storage (disks). It inserts a layer of virtualization such that
logical host I/O requests are mapped onto pages of storage. Each page is then mapped onto physical storage. Within each page the
mapping is linear, but there is no direct relationship between adjacent logical pages and their physical storage.
A page is a range of contiguous Logical Block Addresses (LBAs) in a disk group, which is one of up to 16 RAID sets that are grouped into a
pool. Thus, a virtual volume as seen by a host represents a portion of storage in a pool. Multiple virtual volumes can be created in a pool,
sharing its resources. This allows for a high level of flexibility, and the most efficient use of available physical resources.
Some advantages of using virtual storage are:
• It allows performance to scale as the number of disks in the pool increases.
• It virtualizes physical storage, allowing volumes to share available resources in a highly efficient way.
• It allows a volume to be comprised of more than 16 disks.
Virtual storage provides the foundation for data-management features such as thin provisioning, automated tiered storage, SSD read
cache, and the quick rebuild feature.
The linear method maps logical host requests directly to physical storage. In some cases the mapping is one-to-one, while in most cases
the mapping is across groups of physical storage devices, or slices of them. This linear method of mapping is highly efficient. The negative
side of linear mapping is lack of flexibility. This makes it difficult to alter the physical layout after it is established.
About disk groups
A disk group is an aggregation of disks of the same type, using a specific RAID level that is incorporated as a component of a pool, for the
purpose of storing volume data. Disk groups are used in both virtual and linear storage environments. You can add virtual, linear, or read-
cache disk groups to a pool.
NOTE:
After you create a disk group using one storage type, the system will use that storage type for additional disk
groups. To switch to the other storage type, you must first remove all disk groups. For more information, see Removing
disk groups on page 83.
14 Getting started