Dell PowerFlex 4.5.x Administration Guide

Add storage devices

Add storage devices to the PowerFlex system one by one, or in bulk operations. By default, performance tests are performed on the added devices and the results are saved in the system.

1. On the menu bar, click Block > SDSs.
2. Select the relevant SDS from the SDS list.
3. Click Add Device > Storage Device.
4. In the Add Storage Device to SDS dialog box, enter the following required parameters for the storage device:
   1. Device path
      The length of the device path must not exceed 63 characters.
      For example, this path for an NVMe drive is not supported because it is too long:
      /dev/disk/by-id/Dell_Express_Flash_NVMe_PM1725_1.6TB_SFF_______S2JPNA0J500141
      Alternatively, this equivalent name is supported: /dev/disk/by-id/nvme-eui.002538957100082e
   2. Name of the device
      Assigning a name to a storage device can be particularly helpful for identifying devices in the future because the name remains constant, even if the path changes. Device names must meet the following requirements:

      • Contains less than 32 characters
      • Contains only alphanumeric and punctuation characters
      • Is unique within the object type
   3. Select the storage pool.
   4. Select the media type of the device: HDD or SSD.
   5. Click Add Device.
      The device is added to the Devices list.
5. Repeat the process for each additional storage device you wish to add.
6. Expand Advanced for more options; recommended for advanced users only.
7. Under Device tests, select the test option:
   • Test and activate device — Read and write test will be run on the device before it is capacity is used.
   • Test only — Devices will be tested, but not used.
   • Activate without test — The device capacity will be used without any device testing.
   By default, PowerFlex tests the performance of the device being added before its capacity can be used, and saves the results. Two tests are performed: random writes and random reads. When the tests are complete, the device capacity is added automatically to the storage pool used by the MDM. To modify this behavior, specify one of the test options.
8. Define the device test timeout.
   This value is the maximum test run time in seconds. The test stops when it reaches either this limit, or the time it takes to complete 128 MB of data read/write, whichever is first. When Activate without test is selected, this timeout is ignored.
9. Select whether to force device takeover.
   When devices are added to an SDS, PowerFlex checks that the device is clear before adding it. If the device is not clear, an error message is returned, and the command fails for that device. If you would like to overwrite existing data on the device by forcing the command, set Force device takeover to YES.

   CAUTION:Select YES with caution, because all data on the device will be destroyed.
10. Click Add Devices.
11. Verify that the operation has finished and was successful, and click Dismiss.