Planning the storage configuration
Proper planning of the system storage and its subsequent performance is critical to a successful
deployment of the drive enclosure. Improper planning or implementation can result in wasted storage
space, degraded performance, or inability to expand the system to meet growing storage needs.
Storage planning considerations include:
•
System and performance expectations
on page 18
•
RAID configuration
on page 18
•
Disk drive sizes and types
on page 19
•
Spare disks
on page 19
•
Storage system sizing
on page 19
NOTE:
For the minimum supported configuration, and other configuration information, see the QuickSpecs
for the drive enclosure.
System and performance expectations
To help determine the best way to configure your storage, rank the following three storage characteristics
in order of importance:
• Fault tolerance (high availability)
• I/O performance
• Storage efficiency
With these priorities established, you can determine which striping method and RAID level to use. Some
configuration methods offer greater fault tolerance, while other configuration methods offer better I/O
performance or storage efficiency. During the initial configuration process, your system will be evaluated,
and you will be presented with a recommended RAID configuration. If other valid configurations are
available, you will be able to view and choose one of them if you prefer.
RAID configuration
Default RAID settings by drive type
• LFF drives default to RAID 6 but can be configured with RAID 10. RAID 5 is not allowed.
• SSD drives default to RAID 5 but RAID 10 and RAID 6 can be configured.
• SFF HDDs default to RAID 6 but RAID 5 and RAID 10 can be configured.
If there are not a sufficient number of drives to configure a default RAID mode of RAID 5 or RAID 6, then
RAID 10 will be used since it requires fewer drives.
NOTE:
Hewlett Packard Enterprise recommends tier 1 (15K SAS, 10K SAS) drives, which default to RAID
6. To avoid mixed RAID groups, you might have to change the default from RAID 6 to RAID 5.
18
Planning the storage configuration
