About pools

Dynamic Provisioning requires the use of pools. A pool consists of more than one pool-VOL. Pages in the pool are assigned to store user data and control information. Four pages on a DP-VOL are required for the control information.

A storage system supports up to 128 pools, each of which can contain up to 1024 pool-VOLs and 63,232 DP-VOLs per pool. The pool for Dynamic Provisioning cannot be used in conjunction with other pools.

The 128-pool maximum per storage system applies to the total number of Dynamic Provisioning pools and Dynamic Tiering pools. The pool for Dynamic Provisioning or Dynamic Tiering cannot be used in conjunction with other pools.

A pool number must be assigned to a pool. Multiple DP-VOLs can be related to one pool.

The total pool capacity combines the capacity of all the registered Dynamic Provisioning pool-VOLs assigned to the pool. Pool capacity is calculated using the following formulas:

capacity of the pool(MB) = total number of pages * 42 - 4200
4200 in the formula is the management area size of the pool-VOL with System Area.
total number of pages = Σ(floor(floor(pool-VOL number of blocks ÷ 512) ÷ 168)) for each pool-VOL

where

floor( ) means to truncate the part of the formula within the parentheses after the decimal point.

About pool-VOLs

Pool-VOLs are grouped together to create a pool. When a new pool is created, the available pool-VOLs are selected in the Select Pool VOLs window and added to the Selected Pool Volumes table. Every pool must have a pool-VOL with System Area.

When adding a volume to the pool for which Multi-Tier Pool is enabled, note the following:

Up to three different drives types/RPM are allowed between all the pool-VOLs to be added.
Volumes to be added to the same pool must have the same RAID level across all the same drive type/RPM pool-VOLs.
For example, you cannot add a volume whose drive type/RPM is SAS/15k and whose RAID level is 5 (3D+1P) when a volume whose drive type/RPM is also SAS/15k but whose RAID level is 5 (7D+1P) is already in the pool.
Up to three values are allowed for Drive Type/RPM for the volume.

If you increase the pool capacity by adding a pool-VOL, a portion of the existing data in the pool automatically migrates from an older pool-VOL to the newly added pool-VOL, balancing the usage levels of all the pool-VOLs. If you do not want to automate balancing of the usage levels of pool-VOLs, call customer support for assistance.

Dynamic Provisioning does not automatically balance the usage levels among pool-VOLs if the cache memory is not redundant or if the pool usage reaches up to the threshold.

The pool-VOLs contained in a pool can be added or deleted. Removing a pool-VOL does not delete the pool or any related DP-VOLs. You must delete all DP-VOLs related to the pool before the pool can be deleted. When the pool is deleted, all data in the pool is also deleted.

Protecting data during pool shortages

To protect data from reading and writing to the DP-VOL when the pool is full, you can apply access attributes to a volume. To do this, you need to enable the Hitachi Data Retention Utility by ensuring the license is installed and by using system option mode 729. This protection method applies the Protect attribute to the DP-VOL to protect volumes against write operations when the pool is full.

The Protect attribute is applied to the DP-VOL and is used in conjunction with other software products. When the Protect attribute is applied to the DP-VOL, Permitted appears in the S-VOL field and 0 day appears in the Validation field of the Hitachi Data Retention Utility window. However, when the Protect attribute is added to the DP-VOL with the S-VOL unacceptable attribute available in the Hitachi Data Retention Utility, Not Permitted appears in the S-VOL field in the Data Retention window.

DP-VOL protection function

The DP-VOL protection function enables you to protect the DP-VOLs in a pool from read and write requests when a pool is full or pool volumes are blocked .

You can use the Create Pools window or the Edit Pools window to set the following DP-VOL protection options:

Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Full Pool Enable this option to protect the DP-VOLs using the pool from read and write requests when the pool usage reaches the full size.
Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Blocked Pool VOL Enable this option to protect the DP-VOLs using the pool from read and write requests when the pool-VOL is blocked.

The requirements for using the DP-VOL protection function are:

Data Retention Utility (DRU) must be installed.
The pool type must be Dynamic Provisioning or Dynamic Tiering. The DP-VOL protection function cannot be set for Thin Image pools.

The behavior of the DP-VOL protection function depends on the settings of system option modes (SOMs) 729 and 803, as specified in the following tables.

SOM 729	Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Full Pool	Behavior
OFF	Disabled	DRU Protect attribute is not set
OFF	Enabled	DRU Protect attribute is set
ON	Disabled	DRU Protect attribute is not set
ON	Enabled	DRU Protect attribute is set

SOM 803	Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Blocked Pool VOL	Behavior
OFF	Disabled	DRU Protect attribute is not set
OFF	Enabled	DRU Protect attribute is set
ON	Disabled	DRU Protect attribute is not set
ON	Enabled	DRU Protect attribute is set

When the access attribute of a V-VOL was changed to Protect, if you change the access attribute to other than Protect, use the Data Retention window. The setting by the DP-VOL protection function has no connection to the access attribute status of DP-VOL. For example, even if you disabled the DP-VOL protection function to the pool while the Protect attribute was being enabled on the DP-VOL, the Protect attribute would still be enabled on the DP-VOL.

If you remove the Data Retention Utility feature, the V-VOL protection function settings remain set in the pool but are no longer active. In this case, if you reinstall Data Retention Utility, the protection function settings made before Data Retention Utility was removed are reactivated in the pool.

CautionIf you use the DP-VOL protection function, you cannot simultaneously use the following host mode options. You cannot use the DP-VOL protection function for V-VOLs associated with the host group for which one or both of the following host mode options are enabled:

Host mode option 63 ((VAAI) Support Option for vStorage APIs based on T10 standards)
Host mode option 73 (Support Option for Windows Server 2012)

Creating pools

When you create a pool, you select the pool volumes (pool-VOLs) for the pool (manually or automatically) and set options such as the warning and depletion thresholds for the pool. You can also enable options such as V-VOL protection and data deduplication.

The following procedures describe how to create pools for Dynamic Provisioning and Dynamic Tiering.

Prerequisites for creating pools

Before you can create pools, the proper amount of shared memory must be installed, and you must have a V-VOL management area in shared memory. When shared memory is added, the V-VOL management area is automatically created. To add shared memory, contact your service representative.
One pool-VOL with system area is defined for a pool. The priority of the pool-VOL with system area is assigned according to the drive type. The available capacity of the pool-VOL with system area is deducted from the management area capacity. The management area capacity stores the management information of software that uses the pool. If Dynamic Provisioning, Dynamic Tiering, or Thin Image is used on an open system, 4.2 GB is used as the management area in the pool-VOL with system area.

When a pool is created, a pool-VOL with system area is assigned the priority shown in the following table. If multiple pool-VOLs of the same drive type exist, the priority of each is determined by the internal index of the storage system.

Priority	Drive type
1	SAS 7.2K
2	SAS 10K
3	SAS 15K
4	SSD
5	External volume

Create Pools window

Use this window to create new pools for Dynamic Provisioning and Thin Image.

When selecting pool-VOL manually

When selecting pool-VOL automatically

Item	Description
*Pool Type	Select the pool type. For Thin Image, select Thin Image. For the following software, select Dynamic Provisioning. Dynamic Provisioning Dynamic Tiering active flash
*Multi-Tier Pool	If Dynamic Tiering is enabled, Auto or Manual for performance monitoring and tier relocation is displayed. If Dynamic Tiering is disabled, a hyphen (-) is displayed.
Active Flash	When the following conditions are satisfied, this check box can be selected: Multi-Tier Pool is enabled. Pool volumes whose drive type is SSD are installed. If this check box is selected, active flash can be used.
Data Direct Mapping	Select Enable or Disable for the data direct mapping attribute. This item can be selected if following are specified: Pool Type: Dynamic Provisioning Multi-Tier Pool: Disable
*Pool Volume Selection	Select the mode of the pool-VOL setting from Auto or Manual. If Enable is selected in Data Direct Mapping, Manual is selected automatically.
*Drive Type/RPM	Select the data drive type and RPM of the pool-VOL. When the volume is created by Dynamic Provisioning, Dynamic Tiering, or active flash, `Mixable` appears. When the volume is the external volume, Drive Type displays External Storage. This item is displayed when you select Manual as your Pool Volume Selection.
*RAID Level	Select the RAID level of the pool-VOL. This item is displayed when you select Manual as your Pool Volume Selection. `Mixable` appears in the case of Dynamic Provisioning, Dynamic Tiering, or active flash. A hyphen (-) appears when External Storage is selected in the Drive Type/RPM list.
*Select Pool VOLs	Opens the Select Pool VOLs window. Selecting a pool-VOL is mandatory. This item is displayed when you select Manual as your Pool Volume Selection.
Total Selected Pool Volumes	Displays the total number of the selected pool-VOLs. This item is displayed when you select Manual as your Pool Volume Selection.
Total Selected Capacity	Displays the total capacity of the selected pool-VOLs. This item is displayed when you select Manual as your Pool Volume Selection.
Resource Group	This item is displayed when you select Auto as your Pool Volume Selection. Select the resource group name of the pool.
Performance	This item is displayed when you select Auto as your Pool Volume Selection. Select the performance of the pool.
Total Capacity	This item is displayed when you select Auto as your Pool Volume Selection. Specify the total capacity of the pool.
Change Pool Configuration	This item is displayed when you select Auto as your Pool Volume Selection. Opens the Change Pool Configuration Pattern window. You can change the pool configuration that is automatically selected. For details, see GUID-FD4A2648-EBE4-4538-857F-F67DB339063D#GUID-FD4A2648-EBE4-4538-857F-F67DB339063D.
Total Pool Volumes	This item is displayed when you select Auto as your Pool Volume Selection. Displays the total number of pool-VOLs.
Total Capacity	This item is displayed when you select Auto as your Pool Volume Selection. Displays the capacity of the pool created by the selected pool configuration.
*Pool Name	Set the pool name. You can enter up to 32 case-sensitive and alphanumeric characters.
Initial Pool ID	The smallest available number is entered in the text box as a default. No number appears in the text box if no available pool ID exists. If you specify the pool ID which is used already, the minimum pool ID after that the specified pool ID is automatically set.
Warning Threshold	Set the threshold between 1 and 100%. The default value is 70%. For Thin Image: Set the threshold between 20% and 95%. The default value is 80%. If Enable is selected in Data Direct Mapping, 100% is specified automatically.
Depletion Threshold	Set the threshold between 1% and 100%. The default value is 80%. When creating a Thin Image pool, this setting is not necessary. If Enable is selected in Data Direct Mapping, 100% is specified automatically.
Suspend TI pairs when depletion threshold is exceeded	For a Dynamic Provisioning pool that contains Thin Image pairs and snapshot data, specify whether SIM code 62Exxx is output when the pool used capacity exceeds the depletion threshold (default = yes). If you attempt to split a Thin Image pair in the pool after SIM code 62Exxx is output, the operation fails and the pair is suspended by error. Yes (default): When the pool used capacity exceeds the depletion threshold, SIM code 62Exxx is output, and Thin Image pairs in the pool cannot be split. If Multi-Tier Pool or Data Direct Mapping is enabled for the pool, Yes cannot be selected. No: When the pool used capacity exceeds the depletion threshold, SIM code 62Exxx is not output, and Thin Image pairs in the pool can be split.
Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Blocked Pool VOL	You can set this item if the following conditions are satisfied: Dynamic Provisioning is selected in Pool Type. Data Retention Utility is installed. Select Yes or No in the protect function for DP-VOL. If this function is enabled, when the pool-VOL is blocked, DP-VOL is protected from reading and writing requests, and, at the same time, the access attribute of the DP-VOL is changed to the Protect attribute.
Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Full Pool	You can set this item if the following conditions are satisfied: Dynamic Provisioning is selected in Pool Type. Data Retention Utility is installed. Select Yes or No in the protect function for DP-VOL. If this function is enabled, when the pool usage reaches the full size, DP-VOL is protected from reading and writing requests, and, at the same time, the access attribute of the DP-VOL is changed to the Protect attribute.
Tier Management	Select Auto or Manual of performance monitoring and tier relocation. Cycle Time Select the cycle of performance monitoring and tier relocation. Monitoring Period When 24 Hours is selected in the Cycle Time list, specify the time zone from 00:00 to 23:59 (default value), in which performance monitoring is to be performed. Take one or more hours between the starting time and the ending time. If you specify the starting time later than the ending time, the performance monitoring continues until the time when you specify as the ending time on the next day. This function can be set when the multi-tier pool is enabled.
Monitoring Mode	Specifies the monitoring mode, If you perform the tier relocation weighted to the past period monitoring result, select Continuous Mode. If you perform the tier relocation on the specified cycle, select Period Mode. You can specify this function when the multi-tier pool feature is enabled.
Relocation speed	Specifies the page relocation speed. You can set the speed to: 1(Slowest), 2(Slower), 3(Standard), 4(Faster), or 5(Fastest). The default is 3(Standard). If the speed specified is slower than 3(Standard), the data drive load is low when tier relocation is performed.
Buffer Space for New page assignment	You can set this function when the multi-tier pool feature is enabled. Tier 1: Enter an integer value from 0 to 50 as the percentage (%) to set for tier 1. A default value depends on the data drive type of pool-VOL in tier 1. The default value of SSD is 0%. The default value other than SSD is 8%. Tier 2: Enter an integer value from 0 to 50 as the percentage (%) to set for tier 2. A default value depends on the data drive type of pool-VOL in tier 2. Tier 3: Enter an integer value from 0 to 50 as the percentage (%) to set for tier 3. A default value depends on the data drive type of pool-VOL in tier 3.
Buffer Space for Tier relocation	You can set this function when the multi-tier pool feature is enabled. Tier 1: Enter an integer value from 2 to 40 as the percentage (%) to set for tier 1. A default value is 2%. Tier 2: Enter an integer value from 2 to 40 as the percentage (%) to set for tier 2. A default value is 2%. Tier 3: Enter an integer value from 2 to 40 as the percentage (%) to set for tier 3. A default value is 2%.
Add	When you click Add, the configured information is added to the right side of the Selected Pools table.
*Items with asterisks require configuration.

Selected Pools table

Item	Description
Pool Name (ID)	Displays the pool name and pool ID.
RAID Level	Displays RAID level of the pool. If multiple RAID levels exist in a pool, this field indicates that RAID levels are mixed. If all pool-VOLs are external volumes, a hyphen (-) is displayed.
Capacity	Displays the total capacity of the created pool. For open systems, the displayed capacity is approximately 4.1 GB (capacity of the management area) less than the total capacity of the selected pool volumes. As for a pool comprised of pool volumes assigned to accelerated compression-enabled parity groups, the writable capacity might be smaller than the displayed capacity.
Pool Type	Displays the pool type. For a Dynamic Provisioning pool, DP is displayed. For a Dynamic Tiering pool, DT is displayed. For a pool being used for active flash, DT(Active Flash) is displayed. For a pool with data direct mapping enabled, DP (data direct mapping) is displayed. For a Thin Image pool, TI is displayed.
Drive Type/RPM	Displays the data drive type and RPM. If multiple drive types or RPMs exist in a pool, this field indicates Mixed. When the volume is the external volume, Drive Type displays External Storage and the value of the external LDEV tier rank.
Encryption	Encryption: The encryption information of the pool. Enabled: Pool which is created by pool-VOLs whose encryption settings are enabled. Disable: Pool which is created by pool-VOLs whose encryption settings are disabled. Mixed: This status is displayed when two or more of the following are specified as pool-VOLs: Volume encryption setting is enabled. Volume encryption setting is disabled. External volume Caution: The data encryption is not ensured in the pool that has the Mixed encryption setting. To manage the data encryption securely, use the pool with an encryption setting of Enabled or Disabled. Hyphen(-): Pool which is created by external volumes.
User-Defined Threshold (%)	Displays the pool threshold. Warning: Warning threshold is displayed. Depletion: Depletion threshold is displayed. For a Thin Image pool, a hyphen (-) is displayed for Depletion.
Suspend TI pairs when depletion threshold is exceeded	Displays the setting for outputting SIM code 62Exxx when the pool used capacity exceeds the depletion threshold. Yes: When the pool used capacity exceeds the depletion threshold, SIM code 62Exxx is output. No: When the pool used capacity exceeds the depletion threshold, SIM code 62Exxx is not output.
Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Blocked Pool VOL	Displays whether the protect function for DP-VOL is being enabled or disabled. If the setting is enabled, when the pool-VOL is blocked, DP-VOL is protected from reading and writing requests. And at the same instant, the access attribute of the DP-VOL is changed to the Protect attribute. A hyphen appears if the pool corresponds with one of following: Data Retention Utility is not installed. Pool type is the type other than DP or DT.
Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Full Pool	Displays whether the protect function for DP-VOL is being enabled or disabled. If the setting is enabled, when the pool usage reaches the full size, DP-VOL is protected from reading and writing requests. And at the same instant, the access attribute of the DP-VOL is changed to the Protect attribute. A hyphen appears if the pool corresponds with one of following: Data Retention Utility is not installed. Pool type is the type other than DP or DT.
Number of Pool VOLs	Displays the number of pool-VOLs.
Tier Management	If Dynamic Tiering is enabled, Auto or Manual for performance monitoring and tier relocation is displayed. If Dynamic Tiering is disabled, a hyphen (-) is displayed.
Cycle Time	Displays the cycle of performance monitoring and tier relocation. If Dynamic Tiering is disabled, a hyphen (-) is displayed.
Monitoring Period	Displays the time zone of performance monitoring when 24 Hours is selected as the Cycle Time. If Dynamic Tiering is disabled, a hyphen (-) is displayed.
Monitoring Mode	If the continuous mode is enabled, Continuous Mode is displayed. If the period mode is enabled, Period Mode is displayed.
Relocation speed	Displays the page relocation speed: 1(Slowest), 2(Slower), 3(Standard), 4(Faster), or 5(Fastest). If Dynamic Tiering is disabled, a hyphen (-) is displayed.
Buffer Space for New page assignment (%)	Displays the information of the buffer space for new page assignment to each tier. Tier 1: If you make the Dynamic Tiering function available, the buffer space for new page assignment to tier 1 is displayed. If you make the Dynamic Tiering function unavailable, a hyphen (-) is displayed. Tier 2: If you make the Dynamic Tiering function available, and tier 2 exists, the buffer space for new page assignment to tier 2 is displayed. If you make the Dynamic Tiering function unavailable, or tier 2 does not exist, a hyphen (-) is displayed. Tier 3: If you make the Dynamic Tiering function available, and tier 3 exists, the buffer space for new page assignment to tier 3 is displayed. If you make the Dynamic Tiering function unavailable, or tier 3 does not exist, a hyphen (-) is displayed.
Buffer Space for Tier relocation (%)	Displays the information of the buffer space for tier relocation to each tier. Tier 1: If you make the Dynamic Tiering function available, the buffer space for tier relocation to tier 1 is displayed. If you make the Dynamic Tiering function unavailable, a hyphen (-) is displayed. Tier 2: If you make the Dynamic Tiering function available, and tier 2 exists, the buffer space for tier relocation to tier 2 is displayed. If you make the Dynamic Tiering function unavailable, or tier 2 does not exist, a hyphen (-) is displayed. Tier 3: If you make the Dynamic Tiering function available, and tier 3 exists, the buffer space for tier relocation to tier 3 is displayed. If you make the Dynamic Tiering function unavailable, or tier 3 does not exist, a hyphen (-) is displayed.
Detail	Displays the Pool Properties window when a row is selected, and shows the error window when a row is not selected or multiple rows are selected.
Remove	Deletes the pool selected in the Selected Pools window. Displays the error window when a row is not selected.

Next Task Option

Click Next to go to the task setting window.

Creating Dynamic Provisioning pools by selecting pool-VOLs manually

You can use Storage Navigator to create a Dynamic Provisioning pool with manually selected pool-VOLs.

Before you begin

The Storage Administrator (Provisioning) role is required to perform this task.

Procedure

Click Storage Systems, expand the Storage Systems tree, and select Pools.
In the Pools window, click Create Pools.
From the Pool Type list, select Dynamic Provisioning.
For Multi-Tier Pool, select Disable.
If you plan to add external volumes larger than 4 TB to this pool, select Enable for Data Direct Mapping.
For Pool Volume Selection, select Manual.
Select pool-VOLs as follows:
1. From the Drive Type/RPM list, select the desired data drive type and RPM.
2. From the RAID Level list, select the desired RAID level.
  If you selected External Storage for Drive Type/RPM, a hyphen (-) is displayed and you cannot select the RAID level.
3. Click Select Pool VOLs.
  The Select Pool VOLs window opens.
4. In the Available Pool Volumes table, select the pool-VOLs to be associated with the pool, and then click Add. You can add up to 1,024 volumes to a pool.
  To set another tier rank for an external volume, select the desired tier rank from External LDEV Tier Rank and click Add.
  Note
  - LDEVs that belong to a parity group with accelerated compression enabled can be assigned to only one pool.
  - We recommend that LDEVs that belong to parity groups with accelerated compression enabled and LDEVs that belong to parity groups with accelerated compression disabled do not coexist in the same pool.
  Tip
  - To apply filter conditions to the table, click Filter, specify the desired conditions, and then click Apply.
  - To select all pool-VOLs in the table, click Select All Pages. To cancel the selection, click Select All Pages again.
  - To change the capacity unit or the number of rows to view, click Options.
5. In the Select Pool VOLs window, if the selected pool-VOLs have no issues, click OK.
  The information in the Selected Pool Volumes table is applied to Total Selected Pool Volumes and Total Selected Capacity in the Create Pools window.
In Pool Name, enter the desired name for the pool.
Click Options.
In Initial Pool ID, type the number of the initial pool ID (from 0 to 127).
If you specify a pool ID that is already used, the smallest available ID is displayed by default instead of the ID you specified. If a pool ID is unavailable, no number is displayed.
In Warning Threshold, enter the desired Warning Threshold (%) for the pool (integer value from 1 to 100, default = 70%).
If the pool used-capacity is equal to or greater than the Warning Threshold, a service information message (SIM) is issued by the storage system.
In Depletion Threshold, enter the desired Depletion Threshold (%) for the pool (integer value from 1 to 100, default = 80%). Enter a value that is equal to or greater than the Warning Threshold.
If the pool used-capacity is equal to or greater than the Depletion Threshold, a SIM is issued by the storage system.
In Suspend TI pairs when depletion threshold is exceeded, select Yes or No.
This option enables you to stop the Thin Image pair split process and prioritize the writing process to DP-VOLs when the free capacity of a Dynamic Provisioning pool that contains Thin Image pairs and snapshot data is depleted. If you select Yes, SIM code 62Exxx is output when the pool used capacity exceeds the depletion threshold. After this SIM code is output, if you split a Thin Image pair in the depleted pool, the operation fails and the pair is suspended by error (PSUE).
In Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Blocked Pool VOL, select Yes or No. If Yes is selected, when the pool-VOL is blocked, DP-VOL is protected from reading and writing requests. And at the same instant, the access attribute of the DP-VOL is changed to the Protect attribute.
This option applies only to DP-VOLs. It does not apply to V-VOLs used by Thin Image pairs.
CautionIf you create a DP pool of which the NAS-Unified-Firmware is to be installed, select No in this option.
In Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Full Pool, select Yes or No. If Yes is selected, when the pool usage reaches the full size, DP-VOL is protected from reading and writing requests. And at the same instant, the access attribute of the DP-VOL is changed to the Protect attribute.
This option applies only to DP-VOLs. It does not apply to V-VOLs used by Thin Image pairs.
CautionIf you create a DP pool of which the NAS-Unified-Firmware is to be installed, select No in this option.
Click Add.
The specified pool is added to the Selected Pools table. If invalid values are set, an error message is displayed.
The Pool Type, Pool Volume Selection, and Pool Name must be set. If these required items are not entered or selected, you cannot click Add.

To view the detailed properties of a pool in the Selected Pools table, select the pool and click Detail.

To remove a pool from the Selected Pools table, select the pool, click Remove, and then click OK.
If you want to create DP-VOLs in the new pool at this time, click Next to go to the Create LDEVs window.
If you do not want to create DP-VOLs in the new pool at this time, click Finish to go to the Confirmation window.
Click Finish.
Check the settings in the Confirmation window, and then enter the task name in Task Name.
To view the detailed properties of a pool, select the pool and then click Details.
Click Apply.
The create pool task is registered. If Go to tasks window for status is selected, the Tasks window opens automatically.

Creating Dynamic Provisioning pools by selecting pool-VOLs automatically

Use this procedure to create a Dynamic Provisioning pool by selecting pool-VOLs automatically.

Before you begin

The Storage Administrator (Provisioning) role is required to perform this task.

Procedure

Click Storage Systems, expand the Storage Systems tree, and click Pools.
Click Create Pools.
In the Create Pools window, select Dynamic Provisioning for the Pool Type.
For Multi-Tier Pool, select Disable.
For Pool Volume Selection, select Auto.
Select pool-VOLs as follows:
1. For Resource Group, select the resource group name of the pool-VOL.
2. For Performance, select the performance of the pool.
3. In Total Capacity, specify the capacity of the pool.
  Values are displayed in Total Pool Volumes and Total Capacity. These values are greater than the specified value of the pool capacity.
4. If you want to change the pool configuration that is automatically selected, click Change Pool Configuration to open the Change Pool Configuration Pattern window.
  In the Pool Configuration Patterns table, select the desired pool configuration, click Select, and then click OK.
  Note
  - You can select the pool configuration on a parity group basis.
  - The priority of the pool configuration is determined by these conditions:
    Priority 1: There is no free space in the parity group and one LDEV exists in the group.
    
    Priority 2: There is no free space in the parity group and multiple LDEVs exist in the group.
    
    Priority 3: There is free space in the parity group and multiple LDEVs exist in the group.
  - The following items are not displayed in the Pool Configuration Patterns table:
    Parity groups with LDEVs that cannot be used as pool-VOLs.
    
    Pool configuration patterns that contain more than 1,024 LDEVs.
  The information in the Pool Configuration Patterns table is applied to Total Pool Volumes and Total Capacity in the Create Pools window.
In Pool Name, enter the desired name for the pool.
Click Options.
In Initial Pool ID, type the number of the initial pool ID (from 0 to 127).
If you specify a pool ID that is already used, the smallest available ID is displayed by default instead of the ID you specified. If a pool ID is unavailable, no number is displayed.
In Warning Threshold, enter the desired Warning Threshold (%) for the pool (integer value from 1 to 100, default = 70%).
If the pool used-capacity is equal to or greater than the Warning Threshold, a service information message (SIM) is issued by the storage system.
In Depletion Threshold, enter the desired Depletion Threshold (%) for the pool (integer value from 1 to 100, default = 80%). Enter a value that is equal to or greater than the Warning Threshold.
If the pool used-capacity is equal to or greater than the Depletion Threshold, a SIM is issued by the storage system.
In Suspend TI pairs when depletion threshold is exceeded, select Yes or No.
This option enables you to stop the Thin Image pair split process and prioritize the writing process to DP-VOLs when the free capacity of a Dynamic Provisioning pool that contains Thin Image pairs and snapshot data is depleted. If you select Yes, SIM code 62Exxx is output when the pool used capacity exceeds the depletion threshold. After this SIM code is output, if you attempt to split a Thin Image pair, the operation fails and the pair is suspended by error (PSUE).
In Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Blocked Pool VOL, select Yes or No. If Yes is selected, when the pool-VOL is blocked, DP-VOL is protected from reading and writing requests. At the same instant, the access attribute of the DP-VOL is changed to the Protect attribute.
This option applies only to DP-VOLs. It does not apply to V-VOLs used by Thin Image pairs.
CautionIf you create a DP pool of which the NAS-Unified-Firmware is to be installed, select No in this option.
In Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Full Pool, select Yes or No. If Yes is selected, when the pool usage reaches the full size, DP-VOL is protected from reading and writing requests. At the same instant, the access attribute of the DP-VOL is changed to the Protect attribute.
This option applies only to DP-VOLs. It does not apply to V-VOLs used by Thin Image pairs.
CautionIf you create a DP pool of which the NAS-Unified-Firmware is to be installed, select No in this option.
Click Add.
The specified pool is added to the Selected Pools table. If invalid values are set, an error message appears.
If an item that must be set is not entered or selected, you cannot click Add.

The Pool Type, Pool Volume Selection, and Pool Name must be set. If these required items are not entered or selected, you cannot click Add.

To view the detailed properties of a pool in the Selected Pools table, select the pool and click Detail.

To remove a pool from the Selected Pools table, select the pool, click Remove, and then click OK.
If you want to create DP-VOLs in the new pool at this time, click Next to go to the Create LDEVs window.
If you do not want to create DP-VOLs in the new pool at this time, click Finish to go to the Confirmation window.
Check the settings in the Confirmation window, and then enter the task name in Task Name.
To view the detailed properties of a pool, select the pool and then click Details.
Click Apply.
The create pools task is registered. If the Go to tasks window for status check box is selected, the Tasks window appears.

Creating Dynamic Tiering or active flash pools by selecting pool-VOLs manually

Use this procedure to create pool-VOLs manually. These pools can be used by Dynamic Tiering and by active flash.

Before you begin

The Storage Administrator (Provisioning) role is required to perform this task.
If you are creating a pool for active flash, LDEVs whose drive type is SSD must be created in advance.

Procedure

Click Storage Systems, expand the Storage Systems tree, and select Pools.
In the Pools window, click Create Pools.
In the Create Pools window, select Dynamic Provisioning from the Pool Type list.
From the Multi-Tier Pool field, select Enable.
If the storage system has only external volumes with the Cache Mode set to Disable, you cannot select Enable.
If the pool is to be used by active flash, select Active Flash.

Note
To use active flash, pool volumes whose drive type is SSD must be installed in advance. If there are no pool volumes whose drive type is SSD, this check box cannot be selected.
From the Pool Volume Selection field, select Manual.
Select pool-VOLs as follows:
1. In the Drive Type/RPM list, select Mixable.
2. In the RAID Level list, select Mixable.
3. Click Select Pool VOLs.
  The Select Pool VOLs window opens.
4. In the Available Pool Volumes table, select the pool-VOLs to be associated with the pool, and then click Add. You can add up to 1,024 volumes to a pool.
  
  You can add volumes with the same drive type/RPM and different RAID levels to the pool. For example, you can add volumes from a SAS/15K RAID5(3D+1P) parity group and volumes from a SAS/15K RAID5(7D+1P) parity group to the same pool.
  
  To set another tier rank for an external volume, select the desired tier rank from External LDEV Tier Rank and click Add.
  Note
  - LDEVs that belong to a parity group with accelerated compression enabled can be assigned to only one pool.
  - We recommend that LDEVs that belong to parity groups with accelerated compression enabled and LDEVs that belong to parity groups with accelerated compression disabled do not coexist in the same pool.
  Caution
  For details about adding LDEVs that belong to parity groups with accelerated compression enabled, see GUID-E3D4AB72-202B-4969-AC7C-829F7EFDDB4A.
  Tip
  - To apply filter conditions to the table, click Filter, specify the desired conditions, and then click Apply.
  - To select all pool-VOLs in the table, click Select All Pages. To cancel the selection, click Select All Pages again.
  - To change the capacity unit or the number of rows to view, click Options.
5. In the Select Pool VOLs window, if the selected pool-VOLs have no issues, click OK.
  The information in the Selected Pool Volumes table is applied to Total Selected Pool Volumes and Total Selected Capacity in the Create Pools window.
In Pool Name, enter the desired name for the pool.
Click Options.
In Initial Pool ID, type the number of the initial pool ID (from 0 to 127).
If you specify a pool ID that is already used, the smallest available ID is displayed by default instead of the ID you specified. If a pool ID is unavailable, no number is displayed.
In Warning Threshold, enter the desired Warning Threshold (%) for the pool (integer value from 1 to 100, default = 70%).
If the pool used-capacity is equal to or greater than the Warning Threshold, a service information message (SIM) is issued by the storage system.
In Depletion Threshold, enter the desired Depletion Threshold (%) for the pool (integer value from 1 to 100, default = 80%). Enter a value that is equal to or greater than the Warning Threshold.
If the pool used-capacity is equal to or greater than the Depletion Threshold, a SIM is issued by the storage system.
Configure Dynamic Tiering as follows:
1. For Tier Management, select Auto or Manual. The selection is usually Auto which allows performance monitoring and tier relocation to be performed automatically.
  If you select Manual, use the Command Control Interface or Hitachi Device Manager - Storage Navigator to manually perform performance monitoring and tier relocation.
2. For Cycle Time, select the cycle for performance monitoring and tier relocation.
  
  When you select 24 Hours (default), performance monitoring and tier relocation is performed once a day. In Monitoring Period, set the times to start and end performance monitoring (default is 00:00 to 23:59). Set one or more hours between the starting and ending times. If you specify a starting time that is later than the ending time, the performance monitoring continues until the ending time on the next day.
  
  When you select 0.5 Hours, 1 Hour, 2 Hours, 4 Hours, 8 Hours, performance monitoring is performed every hour that is selected, starting at 00:00. You cannot set a specific time to start performance monitoring.
CautionWhen Auto is set, all of the V-VOL pages might not be completely migrated in one cycle. In the next cycle, migration starts by updating information for the last processed V-VOL. At that point, the collection of performance monitoring information is switched to the current cycle.
For Monitoring Mode, select Period Mode or Continuous Mode.
If you perform tier relocation in a specified cycle, Continuous Mode is selected by default. If you perform tier relocation weighted to the monitoring result of the past period, select Continuous Mode.
For Relocation Speed, select the desired page relocation speed for the pool: 1(Slowest), 2(Slower), 3(Standard) (default), 4(Faster), or 5(Fastest).
- If you want tier relocation to be performed at high speed, select 5(Fastest).
- If you want to minimize the data drive load when tier relocation is performed, select 1(Slowest) or 2(Slower).
In Buffer Space for New page assignment, enter the percentage (%) for each tier (integer value from 0 to 50).
The default value depends on the data drive type of the pool-VOLs in each tier: default for SSD = 0%, default for other than SSD = 8%.
In Buffer Space for Tier relocation, enter the percentage (%) to set for each tier (integer value from 2 to 40, default = 2%).
Click Add.
The specified pool is added to the Selected Pools table. If invalid values are set, an error message is displayed.
The Pool Type, Multi-Tier Pool, Pool Volume Selection, and Pool Name must be set. If the required items are not registered, you cannot click Add.

To view the detailed properties of a pool in the Selected Pools table, select the pool and click Detail.

To remove a pool from the Selected Pools table, select the pool, click Remove, and then click OK.
If you want to create DP-VOLs in the new pool at this time, click Next to go to the Create LDEVs window.
If you do not want to create DP-VOLs in the new pool at this time, click Finish to go to the Confirmation window.
Check the settings in the Confirmation window, and then enter the task name in Task Name.
To view the detailed properties of a pool, select the pool and then click Details.
Click Apply.
The create pools task is registered. If Go to tasks window for status is selected, the Tasks window opens automatically.

Creating a Dynamic Tiering or active flash pool by automatically selecting pool-VOLs

Use this procedure to create pool-VOLs automatically. These pools can be used by Dynamic Tiering and by active flash.

Before you begin

The Storage Administrator (Provisioning) role is required to perform this task.
If you are creating a pool for active flash, LDEVs whose drive type is SSD must be created in advance.

Procedure

Click Storage Systems, expand the Storage Systems tree, and click Pools.
Click Create Pools.
From the Pool Type list, select Dynamic Provisioning.
For Multi-Tier Pool, select Enable.
If the pool will be used by active flash, select Active Flash.
If there are no pool volumes whose drive type is SSD, Active Flash cannot be selected.
For Pool Volume Selection, select Auto.

NoteIf you are creating a pool that will contain LDEVs in a parity group with accelerated compression enabled, you must select Manual.
Select pool-VOLs as follows:
1. For Resource Group, select the resource group name of the pool.
2. For Performance, select the performance of the pool.
3. In Total Capacity, specify the capacity of the pool.
  Values are displayed in Total Pool Volumes and Total Capacity. These values are greater than the specified value of the pool capacity.
4. If you want to change the pool configuration that is automatically selected, click Change Pool Configuration to open the Change Pool Configuration Pattern window.
  In the Pool Configuration Patterns table, select the desired pool configuration, click Select, and then click OK.
  Note
  - You can select the pool configuration on a parity group basis.
  - The priority of the pool configuration is determined by these conditions:
    Priority 1: There is no free space in the parity group and one LDEV exists in the group.
    
    Priority 2: There is no free space in the parity group and multiple LDEVs exist in the group.
    
    Priority 3: There is free space in the parity group and multiple LDEVs exist in the group.
  - If Active Flash is selected, only the pool configurations that contain LDEVs created by SSD are displayed.
  - The following items are not displayed in the Pool Configuration Patterns table:
    Parity groups with LDEVs that cannot be used as pool-VOLs.
    
    Pool configuration patterns that contain more than 1,024 LDEVs.
  The information in the Pool Configuration Patterns table is applied to Total Pool Volumes and Total Capacity in the Create Pools window.
In Pool Name, enter the desired name for the pool.
Click Options.
In Initial Pool ID, type the number of the initial pool ID (from 0 to 127).
If you specify a pool ID that is already used, the smallest available ID is displayed by default instead of the ID you specified. If a pool ID is unavailable, no number is displayed.
In Warning Threshold, enter the desired Warning Threshold (%) for the pool (integer value from 1 to 100, default = 70%).
If the pool used-capacity is equal to or greater than the Warning Threshold, a service information message (SIM) is issued by the storage system.
In Depletion Threshold, enter the desired Depletion Threshold (%) for the pool (integer value from 1 to 100, default = 80%). Enter a value that is equal to or greater than the Warning Threshold.
If the pool used-capacity is equal to or greater than the Depletion Threshold, a SIM is issued by the storage system.
In Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Blocked Pool VOL, select Yes or No. If Yes is selected, when the pool-VOL is blocked, DP-VOL is protected from reading and writing requests. And at the same instant, the access attribute of the DP-VOLis changed to the Protect attribute.
In Protect V-VOLs when I/O fails to Full Pool, select Yes or No. If Yes is selected, when the pool usage reaches the full size, DP-VOL is protected from reading and writing requests. And at the same instant, the access attribute of the DP-VOL is changed to the Protect attribute.
Configure Dynamic Tiering as follows:
1. For Tier Management, select Auto or Manual. The selection is usually Auto which allows performance monitoring and tier relocation to be performed automatically.
  If you select Manual, use the Command Control Interface or Hitachi Device Manager - Storage Navigator to manually perform performance monitoring and tier relocation.
2. For Cycle Time, select the cycle for performance monitoring and tier relocation.
  
  When you select 24 Hours (default), performance monitoring and tier relocation is performed once a day. In Monitoring Period, set the times to start and end performance monitoring (default is 00:00 to 23:59). Set one or more hours between the starting and ending times. If you specify a starting time that is later than the ending time, the performance monitoring continues until the ending time on the next day.
  
  When you select 0.5 Hours, 1 Hour, 2 Hours, 4 Hours, 8 Hours, performance monitoring is performed every hour that is selected, starting at 00:00. You cannot set a specific time to start performance monitoring.
CautionWhen Auto is set, all of the V-VOL pages might not be completely migrated in one cycle. In the next cycle, migration starts by updating information for the last processed V-VOL. At that point, the collection of performance monitoring information is switched to the current cycle.
For Monitoring Mode, select Period Mode or Continuous Mode.
If you perform tier relocation in a specified cycle or you do not need to specify the Monitoring Mode option, select Continuous Mode. If you perform tier relocation weighted to the monitoring result of the past period, select Continuous Mode.
For Relocation Speed, select the desired page relocation speed for the pool: 1(Slowest), 2(Slower), 3(Standard) (default), 4(Faster), or 5(Fastest).
- If you want tier relocation to be performed at high speed, select 5(Fastest).
- If you want to minimize the data drive load when tier relocation is performed, select 1(Slowest) or 2(Slower).
In Buffer Space for New page assignment, enter an integer value from 0 to 50 as the percentage (%) for each tier.
The default value depends on the data drive type of the pool-VOL in each tier. The default value of SSD is 0%. The default value of a type other than SSD is 8%.
In the Buffer Space for Tier relocation text box, enter the percentage (%) to set for each tier (integer value from 2 to 40, default = 2%).
Click Add.
The specified pool is added to the Selected Pools table. If invalid values are set, an error message is displayed.
If an item that must be set is not entered or selected, you cannot click Add.

The Pool Type, Multi-Tier Pool, Pool Volume Selection, and Pool Name must be set. If these required items are not entered or selected, you cannot click Add.

To view the detailed properties of a pool in the Selected Pools table, select the pool and click Detail.

To remove a pool from the Selected Pools table, select the pool, click Remove, and then click OK.
If you want to create DP-VOLs in the new pool at this time, click Next to go to the Create LDEVs window.
If you do not want to create DP-VOLs in the new pool at this time, click Finish to go to the Confirmation window.
Check the settings in the Confirmation window, and then enter the task name in Task Name.
To view the detailed properties of a pool, select the pool and then click Details.
Click Apply.
The create pools task is registered. If Go to tasks window for status is selected, the Tasks window opens automatically.

Deleting a pool

Use this procedure to delete a pool.

For a pool that contains a DP-VOL with a disabled data direct mapping attribute, if pool-VOLs are released after the pool shrinking, the released pool-VOLs (LDEVs) will be blocked.

You can delete a pool only after all of the DP-VOLs have been deleted.

CautionWhen you delete a pool, its pool-VOLs (LDEVs) are blocked. Blocked volumes must be formatted before use. If a blocked pool-VOL is an external volume, select Normal Format when formatting the volume.

If you use Storage Navigator to decrease the pool capacity of a pool that is comprised of pool volumes that are assigned by parity groups with accelerated compression enabled, then you must delete any pool volumes that do not comprise the pool.

Before you begin

The Storage Administrator (Provisioning) role is required to perform this task.
No DP-VOLs must be associated with the target pool.

Procedure

Click Storage Systems, and then expand the Storage Systems tree.
Click Pools.
From the Pools table, select the pool to be deleted.
Click More Actions, and then select Delete Pools.
The Delete Pools window opens.
Click Finish.
The Confirm window opens. To continue with the shredding operation and delete volume data, click Next. For details about the shredding operation, see the Hitachi Volume Shredder User Guide. If the pool is blocked, you might not be able to perform shredding operations.
In the Task Name text box, type a unique name for the task or accept the default.
You can enter up to 32 ASCII characters and symbols, with the exception of: \ / : , ; * ? " < > |. The value "date-window name" is entered by default.
Click Apply.
If the Go to tasks window for status check box is selected, the Tasks window appears.
NoteWhen the pool-VOLs of a pool are empty, the appropriate tier is deleted.

Next steps

Add volumes to the pool

Quick Links

About pools

About pool-VOLs

Protecting data during pool shortages

DP-VOL protection function

Creating pools

Create Pools window

Creating Dynamic Provisioning pools by selecting pool-VOLs manually

Creating Dynamic Provisioning pools by selecting pool-VOLs automatically

Creating Dynamic Tiering or active flash pools by selecting pool-VOLs manually

Creating a Dynamic Tiering or active flash pool by automatically selecting pool-VOLs

Deleting a pool

Next steps