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Policy-Based Storage Management

Dell OpenManage Array Manager 2.7 User's Guide

  Overview

  Using Standard RAID Policies

  Using Custom RAID Policies

Today's storage management tools used for configuring and managing storage subsystems require the system administrator to have a great deal of knowledge about RAID technology. To simplify storage management, Array Manager contains RAID Policies, which are automated RAID configuration methods that are application-based.

Overview

RAID Policies provide the following functions:

• A set of standard RAID Policies based on commonly used server applications, such as mail servers and database servers.
  
  
• A means to create, save, and edit a custom RAID Policy.
  
  
• A set of generic RAID Policies based on redundancy and performance.
  
  
• A means to execute a given RAID Policy on different array groups.
  
  

If RAID-based server hardware is used to set up an application server (Exchange, Notes, SQL, or Oracle), then Array Manager's RAID Policies make this task simple.

Using Standard RAID Policies

Most common mail server and database server applications require a specialized storage configuration. Some of the application server software components require a highly redundant storage configuration; others require a high-performance storage configuration. Array Manager standard RAID Policies are designed to meet the storage configuration needs of the following software:

• Microsoft® Exchange
  
  
• Lotus Notes
  
  
• Microsoft SQL Server
  
  
• Oracle
  
  

To use a standard RAID Policy:

1. Right-click on an array group and click RAID Policy.
   
   
2. Click Apply RAID Policy to launch the RAID Policy wizard.
   
   
3. Click Next to continue. You can cancel the operation by clicking Cancel.
   
   
4. Select a RAID Policy by highlighting an option under Mail Server Policies, Database Server, or Generic Policies.
   
   
5. Review the storage configuration for the selected RAID Policy and click Next to continue. You can modify the policy attributes in the right window or use the defaults.
   
   
6. The Select Disks window appears and displays the disks selected. You can modify the disk selection by using the Add Disk, Remove Disk, or Remove All buttons. Click Next to continue.
   
   
7. Click Finish to execute the selected RAID Policy.
   
   

Since processing a RAID Policy involves several steps, such as in the example of creating virtual disks, it might take several minutes to complete the task. The RAID Policy wizard automatically creates the appropriate virtual disks.

Using Custom RAID Policies

To create a custom RAID Policy:

1. Right-click on an array group and click RAID Policy.
   
   
2. Click Edit RAID Policy to launch the RAID Policy wizard.
   
   
3. Read the welcome screen and click Next to continue. You can cancel the operation by clicking Cancel button.
   
   
4. Click the New Policy button to create a new policy.
   
   
5. Enter the required information in the Create New Policy dialog box and click the OK button. Use the Add Disk and Remove Disk buttons to add and remove disks.
   
   
6. After creating a custom RAID Policy, use Apply RAID Policy to execute the policy.
   
   

To modify a custom RAID Policy:

1. Right-click on an array group and click RAID Policy.
   
   
2. Click Edit RAID Policy to launch the Raid Policy wizard.
   
   
3. Click Next to continue. You can cancel the operation by clicking the Cancel button.
   
   
4. Click the Modify Policy button to modify an existing custom policy.
   
   

To delete a custom RAID Policy:

1. Right-click on an array group and click RAID Policy.
   
   
2. Click Edit RAID Policy to launch the Raid Policy wizard.
   
   
3. Click Next to continue. You can cancel the operation by clicking Cancel button.
   
   
4. Click the Delete button to delete an existing custom policy.
   
   

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