Accusys ExaRAID GUI - Manual (Page 33)

Introduction
1-8
or definitions of parameters between GUI and CLI, you can study the
GUI chapter to know how a CLI command works.
• Chapter 5 (Advanced Functions) provides in-depth information about
the advanced functions of the RAID system to enrich your knowledge
and elaborate your management tasks.
• Chapter 6 (TroubleShooting) provides extensive information about how
you can help yourself when encoutering any troubles.
• Appendices describe supporting information for your references.
If you are an experienced user, you may quickly go through the key
features to know the capabilities of the RAID system, and then read only
the chapters for the user interfaces you need. Because this RAID system is
designed to follow the commonly-seen conventions in the industry, you
will feel comfortable when dealing with the setup and maintenance
tasks. However, there are unique features offered only by the RAID
system, and the RAID systems may be shipped with new features. Fully
understanding these features will help you do a better job.
If you are not familiar with RAID systems, you are advised to read all the
chapters to know not only how to use this RAID system but also useful
information about the technologies and best practices. A better starting
point for your management tasks is to get familiar with the GUI because
of its online help and structured menu and web pages. You also need to
know the LCD console because it is the best way for you to have a quick
view of the system’s health conditions. If you live in an UNIX world, you
probably like to use the CLI to get things done more quickly.
To avoid having an ill-configured RAID system, please pay attentions to
the warning messages and tips in the manual and the GUI. If you find
mismatch between the manual and your RAID system, or if you are unsure
of anything, please contact your suppliers.
1.4 RAID Structure Overview
The storage resources are
managed as storage objects in
a hierarchical structure. The
hard disks, the only physical
storage objects in the structure,
are the essence of all other
storage objects. A hard disk can
be a JBOD disk, a data disk of a
disk group, or a local spare disk
of a disk group. It can also be an
unused disk or a global spare
disk. The capacity of a disk
group is partitioned to form
logical disks with different RAID
configurations, and multiple
Hard Disks
Volumes
Logical Disks
Disk Groups
Local
Spare
Logical Units
Unused
Disks
Global
Spare
JBOD
Disks
Figure 1-1 Layered storage objects