Mapping of MSA2012sa to windows server 2003

[Xavier85]

Hello all,

I think this must be a very simple question hopefully. I finished reading and completing the steps in the manual to create a new Vdisk but am not getting the expected result on the host server running windows server 2003.

I deleted and added a Vdisk to an MSA2012sa. The disk is currently initializing and I chose the "online" mode which presumable should allow me to use the Vdisk during initialization but it does not appear in the hard disk drives list in windows.

I added a volume (with the same name as the previous volume I deleted) and checked that the default mapping to all hosts has not changed (it is set to r/w to all hosts). I didnt change any of the SMU configs. I am wondering why the disk doesn't appear in windows. Is there another step I need to complete on the SMU or on windows before being able to use it?

Thanks!

Xavier 

[AnkitM]

1. Did you try rescan from the Disk Manager?

2. Did you reboot the Host? (At times, it does the trick)

3. How many paths are mapped to the Host? More than 1? If yes, can you install MPIO DSM? 

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=5155995&swItemId=MTX_d150b62e84aa4f7fa0aaee97b4&swEnvOid=1005 

Let us know if it works, if it doesn't we will need to check the mapping. I am assuming you have connected the Host Directly to the Storage and there's no SAS Switch in between.

[Xavier85]

Thanks Ankit! I had tried #2 but not #1 which I just tried. I think this is going the right direction.

Original listing of the disks did not include the MSA but after rescan it is included.

I should be able to create a volume now but as I was starting to do so, it asked me if I wanted a RAID, SIMPLE, or STRIPE volume. I assume I should select simple since the MSA is already taking care of all the RAID logic and to the host this is invisible?

[AnkitM · Accepted solution]

Yes, RAID Levels are taken care by Shared Storage (MSA) Controllers.

You can create a new simple volume by completing the steps below:

1. Open Disk Management.
2. Right click unallocated space on the dynamic disk and click New Simple Volume.
3. Click Next.
4. Type in the size of the volume and click Next.
5. Assign a drive letter to the volume and click Next.
6. Specify the formatting options. If you choose to format the partition, type in a name for the volume in the Volume Label field and select the file system you want to use.
7. Click Next.
8. Review your selections and click Finish.

[Xavier85]

This worked! (I'm accepting as solution, thanks:))

Two comments tho:

- Right clicking only shoed "Create new partition" which I chose to proceed. 

- The Disk is split into 2 partitions, one primary and one unallocated. Trying to extend the partition through diskpart returns that diskpart cannot extend partitions beyond 2TB. How can I consolidate the two?

Thanks!

[Xavier85]

ACtually, I just had to convert the disk to gpt which I did through "diskpart" and then that was all good. Still no option to create volume, it only offers to create partition. That's fine I think! 

[AnkitM]

That was correct. MBR parition style doesn't allow Partition Size more than 2TB while GPT does.

I meant Partition in those steps with Volumes. :)