Deleting an LDEV (converting to free space)

The Storage Administrator (Provisioning) role is required to perform this task.

You can convert one or more of the LDEVs on a selected parity group into free space by deleting the LDEVs. That free space can be used to either create one or more variable-sized volumes (CVs) using the Create LDEVs function, or left as free space for future use.

 Deleting LDEVs will erase your data. Back up your data before deleting LDEVs.

An LDEV cannot be deleted successfully if it is:

• In the defined path (including the pair volumes of TrueCopy, global-active device, and Universal Replicator).

• A pool-VOL.

• A journal volume.

• A remote command device.

• A volume security volume.

• A quorum disk used by global-active device.

• An LDEV that has the Read/Write access attribute.

When you delete an LDEV, the alias information contained in the LDEV is also deleted. Therefore, if you delete an LDEV related to an alias device, do one of the following:

• Allocate another LDEV to the alias device, then delete the LDEV.

• Delete the LDEV first, then allocate another LDEV to the alias device.

For information about how to delete a registered external volume, see the Universal Volume Manager User Guide.

To delete an LDEV:

1. Perform one of the following to display the Delete LDEVs window.

For Command Suite:

• On the Resource tab, expand the Storage Systems tree. Right-click Parity Groups of the target storage system, then select System GUI. On the LDEVs tab, select Delete LDEVs.

For the Parity Groups window in Storage Navigator:

 If you delete the LDEV from the accelerated compression-enabled parity group, format LDEVs in advance. By formatting LDEVs, the pool capacity reserved for writing is released from data written in the formatted LDEVs. If only deleting LDEVs, the used capacity reserved for writing is not decreased. Formatting LDEVs decreases the used capacity.

• Expand the Storage Systems tree and select Parity Groups. Select Internal or External, select the parity group of the target. On the LDEVs tab, select the LDEV to be deleted, click More Actions, then Delete LDEVs.

• Expand the Storage Systems tree and select Parity Groups. Select Internal or External, select the parity group of the target. On the LDEVs tab, select the LDEV to be deleted, click Actions > Logical Device > Delete LDEVs to open the window.

For the Logical Devices window in Storage Navigator:

• Expand the Storage Systems tree and select Logical Devices. On the LDEVs tab, select the LDEV to be deleted, click More Actions, then Delete LDEVs.

• Expand the Storage Systems tree and select Logical Devices. Click Actions > Logical Device > Delete LDEVs to open the window.

For the Pools window in Storage Navigator:

• Expand the Storage Systems tree and select Pools. On the Virtual Volumes tab, select the LDEV to be deleted, click More Actions, then Delete LDEVs.

• Expand the Storage Systems tree and select Pools. On the Virtual Volumes tab, click Actions > Logical Device > Delete LDEVs to open the window.

2. In the Confirm window, confirm the settings, in Task Name type a unique name for this task or accept the default, then click Apply.

The LDEV is deleted.

If Go to tasks window for status is checked, the Tasks window opens.