HP StoreEasy 1000 Storage Administrator Guide

7 File server management

This chapter describes the tasks and utilities that play a role in file server management.

File services management

Information about the storage system in a SAN environment is provided in the SAN Design Reference

Guide, located on the HP web site at www.hp.com/go/SDGManuals .

Storage management utilities

The storage management utilities preinstalled on the storage system include the HP SSA (Smart

Storage Administrator) . Initially, you can use the Provision Storage tasks to configure storage. For more information, see

“Storage Configuration” (page 33)

Array management utilities

Storage devices for RAID arrays and LUNs are created and managed using the array management utilities mentioned previously. For HP Smart Arrays, use HP SSA.

NOTE: The HP SSA is used to configure and manage array-based storage. Software RAID-based storage systems use Microsoft Disk Manager to manage storage. You need administrator or root privileges to run the HP SSA.

Smart Storage Administrator

The HP SSA supports the Smart Array controllers and hard drives installed on the storage system.

To open HP SSA from the storage system desktop:

NOTE: If this is the first time you are running HP SSA, you will be prompted to select the Execution

Mode for SSA. Selecting Local Application Mode allows you to run the HP SSA from a Remote

Desktop, remote console, or storage system web access mode. Remote service mode allows you to access the HP SSA from a remote browser.

1.

Click Start and then click

↓. Select HP System Tools→HP Smart Storage Administrator.

2.

If the Execution Mode for HP SSA is set to Remote Mode, log on to the HP System Management

Homepage. The default user name is Administrator and the password is the Windows

Storage Server 2012 R2 administrator password that is set by the storage system administrator.

The password is case-sensitive.

To open the HP SSA in browser mode:

NOTE: Confirm that the HP SSA Execution Mode is set to remote service.

1.

Open a browser and enter the server name or IP address of the destination server. For example, http://servername:2301 or http://192.0.0.1:2301.

2.

Log on to the HP System Management Homepage.

3.

Click Smart Storage Administrator on the left side of the window. The HP SSA opens and identifies the controllers that are connected to the system.

Some SSA guidelines to consider:

•

Do not modify the single logical drive of the storage system; it is configured for the storage system operating system.

•

Spanning more than 14 disks with a RAID 5 volume is not recommended.

•

Designate spares for RAID sets to provide greater protection against failures.

•

RAID sets cannot span controllers.

78 File server management

•

A single array can contain multiple logical drives of varying RAID settings.

•

Extending and expanding arrays and logical drives is supported.

The HP Smart Storage Administrator User Guide is available for download at http://www.hp.com/ support/manuals .

Disk Management utility

The Disk Management tool is a system utility for managing hard disks and the volumes, or partitions, that they contain. Disk Management is used to initialize disks, create volumes, format volumes with the FAT, FAT32, or NTFS file systems, and create fault-tolerant disk systems. Most disk-related tasks can be performed in Disk Management without restarting the system or interrupting users. Most configuration changes take effect immediately. A complete online help facility is provided with the

Disk Management utility for assistance in using the product.

NOTE:

•

When the Disk Management utility is accessed through a Remote Desktop connection, this connection can only be used to manage disks and volumes on the server. Using the Remote

Desktop connection for other operations during an open session closes the session.

•

When closing Disk Management through a Remote Desktop connection, it may take a few moments for the remote session to log off.

Guidelines for managing disks and volumes

•

The single logical drive is configured for the storage system operating system and should not be altered in any manner. If this logical drive is altered, the system recovery process may not function properly when using the System Recovery DVD. Do not tamper with the local C: volume. This is a reserved volume and must be maintained as it exists.

•

HP does not recommend spanning array controllers with dynamic volumes. The use of software

RAID-based dynamic volumes is not recommended. Use the array controller instead; it is more efficient.

•

Use meaningful volume labels with the intended drive letter embedded in the volume label, if possible. (For example, volume e: might be named “Disk E:.”) Volume labels often serve as the only means of identification.

•

Record all volume labels and drive letters in case the system needs to be restored.

•

When managing basic 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, but cannot be converted back to basic without deleting all data on the disk.

•

Basic 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.

•

NTFS formatted drives are recommended because they provide the greatest level of support for shadow copies, encryption, and compression.

•

Only basic disks can be formatted as FAT or FAT32.

•

Read the online Disk Management help found in the utility.

Scheduling defragmentation

Defragmentation is the process of analyzing local volumes and consolidating fragmented files and folders so that each occupies a single, contiguous space on the volume. This improves file system

File services management 79

performance. Because defragmentation consolidates files and folders, it also consolidates the free space on a volume. This reduces the likelihood that new files will be fragmented.

Defragmentation for a volume can be scheduled to occur automatically at convenient times.

Defragmentation can also be done once, or on a recurring basis.

NOTE: Scheduling defragmentation to run no later than a specific time prevents the defragmentation process from running later than that time. If the defragmentation process is running when the time is reached, the process is stopped. This setting is useful to ensure that the defragmentation process ends before the demand for server access is likely to increase.

If defragmenting volumes on which shadow copies are enabled, use a cluster (or allocation unit) size of 16 KB or larger during the format. Otherwise defragmentation registers as a change by the Shadow Copy process. This increase in the number of changes forces Shadow Copy to delete snapshots as the limit for the cache file is reached.

CAUTION: Allocation unit size cannot be altered without reformatting the drive. Data on a reformatted drive cannot be recovered.

For more information about disk defragmentation, read the online help.

Disk quotas

Disk quotas track and control disk space use in volumes.

NOTE: To limit the size of a folder or share, see

“Quota management” (page 101) .

Configure the volumes on the server to perform the following tasks:

•

Prevent further disk space use and log an event when a user exceeds a specified disk space limit.

•

Log an event when a user exceeds a specified disk space warning level.

When enabling disk quotas, it is possible to set both the disk quota limit and the disk quota warning level. The disk quota limit specifies the amount of disk space a user is allowed to use. The warning level specifies the point at which a user is nearing his or her quota limit. For example, a user's disk quota limit can be set to 50 megabytes (MB), and the disk quota warning level to 45 MB. In this case, the user can store no more than 50 MB on the volume. If the user stores more than 45 MB on the volume, the disk quota system logs a system event.

In addition, it is possible to specify that users can exceed their quota limit. Enabling quotas and not limiting disk space use is useful to still allow users access to a volume, but track disk space use on a per-user basis. It is also possible to specify whether or not to log an event when users exceed either their quota warning level or their quota limit.

When enabling disk quotas for a volume, volume usage is automatically tracked from that point forward, but existing volume users have no disk quotas applied to them. Apply disk quotas to existing volume users by adding new quota entries on the Quota Entries page.

NOTE: When enabling disk quotas on a volume, any users with write access to the volume who have not exceeded their quota limit can store data on the volume. The first time a user writes data to a quota-enabled volume, default values for disk space limit and warning level are automatically assigned by the quota system.

For more information about disk quotas, read the online help.

Adding storage

Expansion is the process of adding physical disks to an array that has already been configured.

Extension is the process of adding new storage space to an existing logical drive on the same array, usually after the array has been expanded.

80 File server management