HP ProLiant ML310 G3 Storage Server Administration Guide (WSS R2 version, March 2006)
Guidelines for managing disks and volumes
Storage servers with configurable storage
When managing disks and volumes:
• Do not alter the operating system disk labele d Local Disk C:.
• Do not alter the disk labeled “DON’T ERASE.”
• The use of software RAID-based dynamic volumes is not recommended. Use the array controller
instead; it is more efficient.
• The largest disk that Windows Storage Server 2003 can accommodate from a storage system is
2TB.
• HP does not recommend spanning array controllers with dynamic volumes.
• Use meaningful volume labels with the intended drive letter embedded in the volume label, if
possible.(Forexample,volumee:mightbenamed“DiskE:.”)Volumelabelsoftenserveasthe
only means of identification.
• Record all volume labels and drive letters in case the system needs to be restored.
• When managing b asic disks, only the last partition on the disk can be extended unless the
disk is changed to dynamic.
• Basic disks can be converted to dynamic without bringing the system offline or loss of data, but
thevolumeisunavailableduringtheconversion.
• Basic disks can contain up to four primary par titions (or three primary par titions and one
extended partition).
• Format drives with a 16 K allocation size for best support of shadow copies, performance,
and defragmentation.
• NTFS formatted drives are recommended, because they provide the greatest level of support for
shadow c opies, encryption, and compression.
• O nly basic disks ca n be formatted as FAT or FAT32. Dynamic disks are not supported, nor
can they be configured in a cluster.
Storage servers with pre-configured storage
When man
aging disks and volumes:
• Read the online Disk M anagem ent help found in the utility.
• Do not alter the operating system disk labeled Primary OS C :.
• Use mea
ningful volume labels with the intended drive let ter embedded in the volume label, if
possib
le. (For example, volume F: m ight be named “Disk F:.”) Volu m e labels often serve as the
only m
eans of identification.
• Record all volume labels and drive letters in case the system needs to be restored.
• When managing b asic disks, only the last partition on the disk can be extended unless the
disk i
s changed to dynamic.
• Basic disks can be converted to dynamic without bringing the system offline or loss of data, but
thevolumeisunavailableduringtheconversion.
• Basi
c disks can contain up to four primary partitions (or three primary partitions and one
extended partition).
• Format drives with a 16 K allocation size for best support of shadow copies, performance,
and
defragmentation.
• N T FS formatted drives are recommended because they provide the g reatest level of support for
shadow c opies, encryption, and compression.
• Onl
y basic disks can be formatted as FAT or FAT32.
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File server management