Creating a Converged Storage Pool

Context

• You have installed storage nodes.

• You are advised to configure no more than 32 nodes for each disk pool. If the number of nodes exceeds 32, divide them into multiple disk pools. In this case, it is recommended that the number of nodes in each disk pool be the same. For example, if there are 90 nodes, you are advised to divide them into three disk pools. Each disk pool contains 30 nodes.
• HDD 4KN disks cannot be added to the same disk pool as other types of disks.
• The total capacity of cache disks on a single storage node to be added to a storage pool must be greater than Max. Main Storage Media per Node x 40 GB.

Precautions

Currently, only one converged storage pool can be created.

Procedure

1. Choose Resources > Resources > Storage Pool.
2. Click Create.

   The Create Storage Pool page is displayed.

3. Configure basic information for the storage pool.

   Table 1 describes related parameters.

   Table 1 Storage pool parameters

   Parameter	Description
   Storage Pool Name	Name of the storage pool. NOTE: The name must be unique. The name can contain only letters, digits, underscores (_), and hyphens (-). The name contains 1 to 64 characters.
   Service Type	Service type of the storage pool. In this example, the value is Converged.
   Storage Pool Type	Type of the storage pool. Possible options are Common and Self-encrypting. You are advised to select Common. If you have high requirements on data security, select Self-encrypting. Common: This type of storage pools does not support data encryption. Self-encrypting: This type of storage pools supports data encryption. NOTE: A self-encrypting storage pool can be created only after an advanced license is imported.
   Key Service	When creating a self-encrypting storage pool, you need to select a key management service. Internal key service: The built-in key management function of the system is used. External key service: An external key management server is used. If you select this option, you need to configure the external key service first. For details, see Managing the External Key Service.
   Redundancy Policy	Redundancy policy of the storage pool. Possible options are EC and Data copy. Considering performance and reliability, EC is recommended. EC: Data redundancy protection is implemented by calculating parity fragments. Data copy: Multiple copies of the same data are stored on different nodes for data protection.
   Data Copies	Number of redundant data copies allowed by the storage pool. When Data Copies is set to 3, if the number of storage nodes is greater than 3, a maximum of two faulty nodes are allowed; if the number of storage nodes is 3, only one faulty node is allowed. NOTE: This parameter is available only when Redundancy Policy is set to Data copy. If Service Type is set to Intelligent video and image, three-copy storage pools cannot be created.
   Hot Spare Space (%)	Hot spare space is the space reserved in the system to take over data from faulty disks. This improves reliability and avoids system redundancy reduction. To support data rebuilding after single-disk failure at high capacity usage, the recommended value is (1/Number of disks on a single node) x 100%. NOTE: Reserving too much hot spare space will occupy excessive available system capacity, causing the available capacity obtained by users to decrease. Configure the hot spare space properly. [Value range] 0 to 25 [Default value] 0
   Storage Pool Mode	If EC redundancy level of the storage pool is +3:1 or higher, you need to set the storage pool mode. If the reliability mode is selected, write cache acceleration cannot be enabled.

4. Create a disk pool.
   

   For details about how to configure disk pools, see the plan in the BOQ.

   1. In the Disk Pool area, click Create.

      The Create Disk Pool page is displayed.

   2. Set basic parameters for the disk pool.
      Table 2 describes related parameters.

      Table 2 Disk pool parameters

      Parameter	Description
      Disk Pool Name	Name of the disk pool. NOTE: The name must be unique. The name can contain only letters, digits, underscores (_), and hyphens (-). The name contains 1 to 64 characters.
      Security Level	Security level of the disk pool. Node: N+M: N data fragments and M parity fragments are randomly stored on different nodes. (The number of storage nodes is greater than N + M. To ensure reliability, data fragments are stored on different nodes.) In this case, the disk pool can tolerate the failure of M disks or M nodes simultaneously. N+M:1 (folded): N data fragments and M parity fragments are randomly distributed on all nodes. Each node stores M fragments. In this case, the disk pool can tolerate the failure of M disks simultaneous or one node. vNode: A vNode is a logical area consisting of multiple disks on a node. N data fragments and M parity fragments are stored on different vNodes, and EC redundancy calculation is performed by vNode. A larger EC ratio indicates higher storage utilization. If a node is faulty, its disks can be taken over by the other node in the same chassis and main storage disks will not be degraded or rebuilt. NOTE: vNode is supported only when Redundancy Policy is set to EC.
      EC	EC redundancy policy of the disk pool. Select the EC redundancy ratio planned in the Bill of Quotation (BOQ). NOTE: This parameter is available only when Redundancy Policy is set to EC. When creating multiple disk pools, ensure that the settings of Parity Fragments for the disk pools are the same. The data fragment mode can be Self-adaptive or Custom. When you select Self-adaptive, the system automatically sets the number of data fragments based on the EC redundancy ratio tables and the selected nodes or cabinets and parity fragments. For details about the EC redundancy ratio tables, see Functions and Features > Key Features > File/Object/HDFS Service > Elastic EC in the Product Description. When you select Custom, the number of data fragments is an even number ranging from 4 to 22. The number of nodes that can be contained in a disk pool and the disk pool utilization vary depending on the number of data fragments selected. For details, refer to the actual page.
      Main Storage	Main storage type of the disk pool. When Storage Pool Type is set to Common, the value of this parameter can be SAS, Self-encrypting SAS, SATA, Self-encrypting SATA, SSD, and SSD card or NVMe SSD. In this case, self-encrypting drives function as common disks and do not use the encryption function. When Storage Pool Type is set to Self-encrypting, the value of this parameter can be Self-encrypting SAS, Self-encrypting SATA, Self-encrypting SSD card or NVMe SSD (with Chinese cryptographic algorithms), or Self-encrypting SSD card or NVMe SSD (with international cryptographic algorithms). Each node must be configured with at least four disks of the same type. NOTE: Meanings of the values are: SAS: SAS HDDs SATA: SATA HDDs SSD card or NVMe SSD: NVMe SSDs SSD: SAS SSDs
      Cache	Cache type of the disk pool. NOTE: This parameter is not required when Main Storage is set to SSD or SSD card or NVMe SSD. Meanings of the values are: SSD card or NVMe SSD: NVMe SSDs SSD: SAS SSDs
      Max. Main Storage Media per Node	Maximum number of main storage disks that can be used on a single storage node to store user data. The value of this parameter determines the allocation of cache and compute resources on the node. Set this parameter based on site requirements. To ensure that cache resources can be allocated to newly added main storage disks in the case of capacity expansion, you are advised to set this parameter based on the total number of main storage disks after capacity expansion. If the value is too small, newly added main storage disks cannot be allocated with cache resources. Cache resources can be allocated to newly-added main storage disks only after both main storage disks and cache disks are added. If the value is too large, extra cache resources are reserved. As a result, cache resources cannot be fully utilized to improve read/write performance. If you select Self-adaptive, the system automatically determines the value based on the number of selected main storage disks. Assume that the number of selected main storage disks is N: If 4 ≤ N ≤ 12, a single node supports a maximum of 12 main storage disks. If 12 < N ≤ 36, a single node supports a maximum of 36 main storage disks. If the type of nodes in the disk pool is high-density, a single node supports a maximum of 60 main storage disks. Ensure that the total capacity of the cache disks on selected storage nodes is greater than the maximum number of main storage disks on a single node multiplied by 40 GB. If you select Custom, set the value based on site requirements. The value ranges from 4 to 60.
      Tier Grade	Tier grade of the disk pool, which is defined based on the type of main storage disks in the disk pool. Possible values are Hot, Warm, Cold, and Self-adaptive. You can choose Resources > Tuning > SmartTier and set tiering policies to store different files to disk pools of different tier grades. NOTE: If you select Self-adaptive: When Main Storage is set to SSD or SSD card or NVMe SSD, Self-adaptive equals to tier grade Hot. When Main Storage is set to SAS, Self-adaptive equals to tier grade Warm. When Main Storage is set to SATA, Self-adaptive equals to tier grade Cold. If you select a tier grade, you are advised to configure the storage tiers based on the self-adaptive rules.

   3. In the Choose Node and Disk area, select the nodes and disks that are used to create the disk pool.
      

      • You can click Add and add nodes and disks in the cluster to the disk pool on the Choose Node and Disk page that is displayed.
      • You can select one or more added nodes or disks and click Remove to remove them.
   4. Click OK and confirm your operation as prompted.

5. Click Create.
6. Confirm your operation as prompted.