About Your Storage Array; Access Virtual Disk - Dell PowerVault MD3000i User Manual

About Your Storage Array

This chapter covers basic information about how to manage storage arrays
from MD Storage Manager, including adding and removing arrays from the
software, performing initial setup tasks, setting passwords on an array, and
configuring alert notifications. For information on planning your storage
array, see the Installation Guide.
Following is a list of terms that are used throughout this chapter:
• Physical Disk — Non-volatile, randomly-addressable device for storing
data.
• Host — System that accesses a storage array and is mapped to virtual
disks.
• Host Group — Hosts that are logically associated and share access to the
same virtual disks.
• Host-Agent Software — Software installed on the host that provides in-
band management and topology discovery.
• Logical Unit Number (LUN) — Address that identifies individual virtual
disks within a storage array.
• Event Monitor — A feature that, when enabled, monitors activity on
managed storage arrays and notifies a host or remote system when
critical problems occur.
• SNMP Alert — Alert (SNMP trap) that is sent from the event monitor to
an SNMP-enabled host.

Access Virtual Disk

Each RAID controller in an MD Storage Array maintains an access virtual
disk. The host-agent software uses the access virtual disk to communicate
management requests and event information between the storage
management station and the RAID controller module in an in-band–managed
storage array. The access virtual disk is not available for application data storage.
The default LUN is 31.
2
Storage Array
15