Hardware Controller Grow RAID Unit
In QuantaStor, the "Hardware Controller Grow RAID Unit" feature serves the purpose of expanding the capacity or size of a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) unit managed by a hardware RAID controller. RAID units are logical storage volumes or arrays created by aggregating multiple physical disks for data storage and redundancy. RAID controllers will do a full re-layout of the data which can impact performance until it completes. Once the re-layout is done you can then do a Storage Pool Expand to expand the storage pool to use the additional disk space.
The purpose of the "Hardware Controller Grow RAID Unit" feature includes:
- Capacity Expansion: The feature enables administrators to increase the storage capacity of a RAID unit by adding additional physical disks to the existing RAID array. This allows organizations to accommodate growing storage demands, add more data, or extend the storage capacity of the RAID unit without disrupting data availability or integrity.
- Data Protection: Capacity expansion of a RAID unit is typically performed using RAID expansion techniques supported by the hardware RAID controller, such as RAID level migration or capacity expansion. These techniques ensure that data redundancy and protection mechanisms provided by the RAID configuration are maintained during the expansion process, preserving data integrity and availability.
- Performance Optimization: Growing a RAID unit may also improve storage performance by distributing data across a larger number of disks, reducing disk contention, and increasing I/O throughput. By adding additional disks to the RAID array, administrators can enhance storage performance and accommodate higher workloads or data access demands more effectively.
- Storage Flexibility: The feature provides storage flexibility by allowing administrators to adjust the storage capacity of RAID units dynamically as storage requirements evolve over time. This flexibility enables organizations to adapt their storage infrastructure to changing business needs, application requirements, or data growth trends without requiring extensive manual intervention or downtime.
- Minimized Downtime: Capacity expansion of a RAID unit can often be performed online or with minimal downtime, depending on the capabilities of the hardware RAID controller and the RAID level being used. This allows organizations to expand storage capacity without disrupting ongoing operations or affecting data availability, ensuring continuous access to critical data and applications.
- Cost-Efficiency: By expanding the capacity of existing RAID units, organizations can leverage their existing storage infrastructure more efficiently and cost-effectively. Capacity expansion of RAID units eliminates the need to invest in additional storage hardware or infrastructure, reducing capital expenditures and optimizing resource utilization within the storage environment.
Overall, the purpose of the "Hardware Controller Grow RAID Unit" feature in QuantaStor is to provide administrators with a seamless and efficient method for expanding the storage capacity of RAID units managed by hardware RAID controllers. This feature enables organizations to accommodate growing storage requirements, improve data protection and performance, enhance storage flexibility, minimize downtime, and optimize cost-effectiveness within the storage infrastructure.
Navigation: Storage Management --> Physical Disks --> (target RAID unit) --> Grow (rightclick)
