Manage block devices
Block devices are logical storage volumes created in the storage cluster. A block device does not have any file systems and is similar to a logical storage volume created on an IP SAN or FC SAN.
A block device can be mounted to a host as a shared file system. The shared file system allows simultaneous access from multiple hosts. You can create files as VM disks on the shared file system.
A block device also can be mounted to a host through iSCSI and then mapped to a VM for use. The operating system can identify block devices, and use the devices after partitioning and formatting.
Restrictions and guidelines
The total capacity of all block devices in a thick-provisioned disk pool cannot be higher than the available capacity of the disk pool.
The total capacity of all block devices in a thin-provisioned disk pool can be higher than the available capacity of the disk pool. However, over-allocation might cause service interruption, data loss, and even cluster crash.
Deleting a block device deletes all data on the block device, and the deleted data cannot be restored. Before deleting a storage volume, make sure the storage volume is no longer needed.
When you expand a block device, the shared file system will also be expanded if the block device has been mounted as a shared file system.
Add a block device
On the top navigation bar, click Cloud Resources, and then select Storage > Distributed > Block Devices from the navigation pane.
Click Add.
Configure the parameters as described in "Parameters."
Click OK.
Edit a block device
On the top navigation bar, click Cloud Resources, and then select Storage > Distributed > Block Devices from the navigation pane.
Select a block device, and then click Edit.
Edit the parameters as described in "Parameters."
Click OK.
Delete a block device
On the top navigation bar, click Cloud Resources, and then select Storage > Distributed > Block Devices from the navigation pane.
Select a block device, and then click Delete.
In the dialog box that opens, click OK.
Mount a block device as a shared file system
On the top navigation bar, click Cloud Resources, and then select Storage > Distributed > Block Devices from the navigation pane.
Click the
icon for a block device.
Configure the parameters as described in "Parameters."
Click OK.
View block devices using the specified disk pool
On the top navigation bar, click Cloud Resources, and then select Storage > Distributed > Block Devices from the navigation pane.
Select a disk pool on the top right of the page.
View block devices using the specified data pool
On the top navigation bar, click Cloud Resources, and then select Storage > Distributed > Block Devices from the navigation pane.
Select a data pool on the top right of the page.
Parameters
Add a block device:
Data Pool: Select a data pool for the block device.
Available Capacity: Available capacity of the data pool.
Capacity: Set the capacity of the block device.
If the disk pool of a block device uses the thin provisioning mode, the system allocates storage space to the block device on demand. The capacity of the block device can be larger than the available capacity of the data pool.
If the disk pool of a block device uses the thick provisioning mode, the system assigns a fixed amount of storage space to the block device. The capacity of the block device cannot be larger than the available capacity of the data pool.
Mount a shared file system:
Service Storage: Enable this option to allow the shared file system to be used for storing files of the VMs automatically deployed by the system. As a best practice, turn on this option.
NAA: NAA of the block device.