Arrays — Main page

Introduction

An array is an arrangement of related hard disk drive modules that have been assigned to a group. A disk array is a group of disk drive modules (DDMs) that are arranged in a relationship (for example, a RAID 5 or a RAID 10 array).

Menu path

Fields

Select storage unit

Specifies the storage unit that is being configured. You must have a storage unit that is configured to perform storage configuration tasks. This field is required.

Refresh button

Refreshes the information in the summary table. The last refresh date and time are also updated.

Last refresh

The most recent date and time of the information that is displayed in the summary table.

Select

Allows you to select an array to perform additional actions.

Number

A unique identifier that consists of a storage unit identifier and an array number (for example, A44).

Data State (Real-time only)

The data state indicates the current operational status of the array. The links take you to the status page.

• Normal — The array is in the Normal state if the array is unassigned and none of the other data states apply.
• Attention — The data state is set to one of the following: Degraded, Read-only, or Repairing.
  • Degraded — The array is in the Degraded state when one or more array members must be rebuilt. This occurs when a storage device has an array that is rebuilding or when a storage device has failed and would be rebuilding if there was an available spare.
  • Read-only — The array is in the Read-only state if one or more storage devices have failed, if there are insufficient spares to supported all rebuild operations, and if continued write operation without redundancy might result in data loss.
  • Repairing — The array is in the Repairing state if the array was previously in the failed state and if initialization of the storage devices in the array is now in progress. The data state transitions to the Normal state after the array initialization completes successfully. The data state transitions to the Failed state if the action completes unsuccessfully and there are no other available storage devices to replace those that can not be initialized.
• Failed — The array is in the Failed state if the array is not accessible. Any data on the array is lost. If all storage devices that are associated with the array are accessible and operational, then the array data state automatically transitions to the Repairing state.
• Inaccessible — The array is in the Inaccessible state if the storage unit cannot access a set of storage devices that are sufficient to access all the data on the array. If a sufficient set of storage devices becomes available to access all data on the array, the state automatically returns to the Normal, Degraded, or Read-only state.

RAID

The RAID type of the array (for example, RAID 5 or RAID 10) and the array site configuration (for example, 6+P+S, 7+P, 3x2+2S, 4x2). The array site configuration indicates the configuration of the disks within the array sites that are associated with this array. This information determines which storage devices in the array sites are used for which position of the array or which are used as spares. The following array site configurations are defined:

• 4 DDM Configurations:
  • RAID 1 - 1x2+2S
  • RAID 5- 2+P+S, 3+P
  • RAID 10 – 2x2
• 8 DDM Configurations:
  • RAID 5 – 6+P+S – 7+P
  • RAID 10 – 3x2+2S – 4x2

Status

The status of the array is set to one of the following values:

• Assigned — The array is assigned to a rank.
• Unassigned — The array is not assigned to a rank and all of the storage devices that are indicated by the disk serial numbers are in the Normal state.
• Unavailable — The array is not assigned to a rank and one or more of the disk drive modules are not in the Normal state.

Rank

The unique number that identifies the rank that the array is assigned to (for example, R67). If the array is not assigned to a rank, then the rank is not displayed.

DA Pair

The device adapter (DA) pair number identifies which DA pair is associated with the array (for example, 12).

DDM GB

The disk capacity in gigabytes (for example, 300).

DDM RPM (K)

The disk revolutions in thousands per minute (for example, 15).

DDM Class

The disk class, either enterprise or near-line. Enterprise is a high end disk drive and has the highest reliability. Near-line is a lower end disk drive and has lower reliability than enterprise disk drives. Near-line storage is a compromise between online storage (constant, very rapid access to data) and offline storage (infrequent access for backup purposes or long-term storage). Near-line storage is for applications that require quicker random access, but do not require the continuous, instantaneous access that is provided by online storage.

Actions

Create

Allows you to create an array.

Delete

Allows you to delete the selected arrays. If the selected arrays currently have volumes using storage on the array, those volumes are deleted when you delete the arrays.

Status

Displays the status of the selected arrays.

Add Array to Rank

Allows you to add the selected array to a rank.

Array DDMs

Displays DDM information for the selected arrays.