Administrator Guide

When a volume uses the Recommended profile, all new data is written to Tier 1 RAID level 10 storage. Data progression moves
less active data to Tier 1 RAID 5/ RAID 6 or a slower tier based on how frequently the data is accessed. In this way, the
most active blocks of data remain on high-performance drives, while less active blocks automatically move to lower-cost,
high-capacity SAS drives.
Because SSDs are automatically assigned to Storage Tier 1, profiles that include Storage Tier 1 allow volumes to use SSD
storage. If you have volumes that contain data that is not accessed frequently, and do not require the performance of Tier 1
SSDs, use a Medium or Low Priority profile or create and apply a new profile that does not include Storage Tier 1.
High Priority (Tier 1)
The High Priority storage profile provides the highest performance by storing data on Tier 1. It is efficient in terms of using RAID
5 or 6, but it uses more expensive media to store the data. A volume created using the High Priority profile stores written data
on Tier 1 RAID 10. Snapshot data is stored on Tier 1 RAID 5/RAID 6. Storage Center does not migrate data to lower storage tiers
unless Tier 1 storage becomes full.
If data progression is not licensed, the default storage profile is High Priority. Without data progression, you must configure
volumes to use a specific tier of storage, because data will not migrate between tiers.
Medium Priority (Tier 2)
The Medium Priority storage profile provides a balance between performance and cost efficiency. A volume created using the
Medium Priority profile stores written data on Tier 2 RAID 10. Snapshot data is stored on Tier 2 RAID 5/RAID 6. Storage Center
does not migrate data to other storage tiers unless Tier 2 storage becomes full.
Low Priority (Tier 3)
The Low Priority profile provides the most cost efficient storage. Creating a volume using the Low Priority profile stores written
data on Tier 3 RAID 10. Snapshot data is stored on Tier 3 RAID 5/6. Storage Center does not migrate data to higher tiers of
storage unless Tier 3 storage becomes full.
Storage Profiles for Flash-Optimized Storage
The table below summarizes storage profiles available for flash-optimized storage types. Each profile is described in more detail
following the table.
Name
Initial Write Tier Tier (T) and RAID Levels Progression
Low Priority (Tier 3) 3 Writes: T3 RAID 10 snapshots:
T3 RAID 5/6
No
Flash Optimized with
Progression (Tier 1 to All
Tiers)
1 Writes: T1 RAID 10 snapshots:
T2/T3 RAID 5/6
Yes to all tiers
Write Intensive (Tier 1) 1 Writes: T1 RAID 10 snapshots:
T1 RAID 10
No
Flash Only with Progression
(Tier 1 to Tier 2)
1 Writes: T1 RAID 10 snapshots:
T2 RAID 5
Yes to Tier 2 only
Low Priority with Progression
(Tier 3 to Tier 2)
3 Writes: T3 RAID 10 snapshots:
T3 RAID 5/6 or T2 RAID 5
Yes to Tier 2 only
Low Priority (Tier 3)
The Low Priority profile provides the most cost efficient storage. Creating a volume using the Low Priority profile stores written
data on Tier 3 RAID 10. Snapshot data is stored on Tier 3 RAID 5/6. Storage Center does not migrate data to higher tiers of
storage unless Tier 3 storage becomes full.
Storage Center Overview
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