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Storage Manager for SANs

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008

Introduced with the Windows Server® 2003 R2 operating system, Storage Manager for SANs is an optional feature in Windows Server® 2008. It helps you create and manage logical unit numbers (LUNs) on Fibre Channel and Internet SCSI (iSCSI) disk drive subsystems that support Virtual Disk Service (VDS) in your storage area network (SAN).

What does Storage Manager for SANs do?

With the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in for Storage Manager for SANs, you can perform the following tasks in your SAN:

  • Manage storage allocation in the SAN by creating LUNs on Fibre Channel and iSCSI disk drive storage subsystems.

  • Manage the connections between computers in your SAN that are running Windows Server 2008 and the storage subsystems.

  • Create volumes on LUNs, and assign LUNs to servers or clusters in your SAN.

  • Monitor the status of LUNs and disk drives in your storage subsystems.

Who will be interested in this feature?

The following groups will especially benefit from using Storage Manager for SANs:

  • IT administrators who want to easily manage storage allocation on disk drive storage subsystems in their SAN that are compatible with VDS.

  • IT administrators who manage iSCSI storage subsystems and are seeking a single tool to create, configure, and manage iSCSI targets.

Are there any special considerations?

The following are some software and hardware prerequisites to use Storage Manager for SANs:

  • You must belong to the Administrators group of the computer running Storage Manager for SANs.

  • To create and manage LUNs with Storage Manager for SANs, your disk drive storage subsystem must support VDS 1.1, and the VDS hardware provider must be installed on the computer that is running Windows Server 2008. Storage Manager for SANs works with VDS-compatible subsystems that support either the Fibre Channel or iSCSI network storage protocol.

  • If you plan to use Storage Manager for SANs to manage storage resources on a remote server, that server must be running Windows Server 2008 with the appropriate VDS hardware provider.

  • To provide LUN access to a server cluster using Storage Manager for SANs, Failover Clustering must be installed on each server running Windows Server 2008 that will be part of the cluster.

What functionality does this feature provide?

You can use Storage Manager for SANs in Windows Server 2008 to perform the following tasks:

  • View details of supported storage subsystems.

    • Display the status and technical details of Fibre Channel and iSCSI storage subsystems that are automatically discovered.

    • Use information about available capacity and supported LUN types to plan storage allocation in your SAN.

  • Create and manage LUNs on the storage subsystems.

    • Create a new LUN on a storage subsystem and easily assign the LUN to a server.

    • Display all LUNs on the storage subsystems, including details such as online status, size, and type.

    • Assign a LUN to a cluster of servers running Windows Server 2008 to make the storage highly available.

  • Configure server connections on the SAN.

    • Enable which host bus adaptor (HBA) ports or iSCSI initiator adaptors on servers in your SAN will have access to LUNs that are created on the storage subsystems.

  • Create and manage iSCSI targets.

    • Create and configure security settings for iSCSI storage subsystems and start logon sessions with targets on the subsystems.

  • List physical drives on the storage subsystems.

    • Display the status of disk drives on the storage subsystems.

    • Make a light blink on a drive to assist in maintaining your storage system hardware.

Is Storage Manager for SANs available in all editions of Windows Server 2008?

Storage Manager for SANs is not available in Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems.

Additional references

For information about other features in File Services, see the File Services Role topic.