HP Modular Smart Array FC VDS Hardware Provider administration guide (T1634-96072, May 2006)

Third party m
anagement applications
Third par ty m
anagement applications control the Microsoft VDS service to manage array disks and
volumes.
Microsoft command line interfaces
Microsoft offers two command line utilities: DiskPar t and DiskRaid. These interfaces enable you to script
disk manag em ent tasks so you can automate configuration of multiple storage disks.
The DiskPart utilit y, which comes standard with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, manages disks,
volumes, and partitions. Using DiskPa r t, you can use the command line to manage the disk array.
The DiskRaid utilit y which is an application used to configure hardware RAID storage systems, works
with any storage hardware that includes a VDS provider, including H P arrays using the HP MSA FC VDS
Provider. DiskRaid comes with the Windows 2003 Server Resource Kit (SP1, VDS 1.0) or with the SAN
Manager (R2, VDS 1.1). DiskRaid has a command syntax similar to DiskPart.
Windows software providers
The Microsoft software providers (called Basic Disk Provider and Dynamic Disk Provider) interface
between the Windows OS, Windows applications, and disks, drives, and disk arrays. Through these
Software Providers and VDS, Windows sees the disks, drives, and disk array volumes and performs
actions s
uch as partitioning, mounting, and managing the file system.
An HP Hard
ware Provider is not required in order for the Microsoft or third party software providers
to per form the tasks described above on the HP disk arrays. However, the HP Provider extends the
capabilities of various Windows providers and applications to d o additional LUN and port management
tasks that normally require the HP array management software.
HP Modular Smart Array FC VDS Hardware Provider administration guide
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