HP XP P9500 Storage - Manual (Page 69)

5 Configuring thin provisioning
Thin provisioning technology allows you to allocate virtual storage capacity based on anticipated
future capacity needs, using virtual volumes instead of physical disks.
Thin provisioning is an optional provisioning strategy for both open and mainframe systems. Thin
provisioning is implemented with Thin Provisioning by creating one or more Thin Provisioning pools
(THP pools) of physical storage space using multiple storage system LDEVs. Then, you can establish
virtual storage system THP volumes (THP V-VOLs) and connect them to the individual THP pools. In
this way, physical capacity will be randomly assigned on demand anywhere in the pool.
Thin Provisioning overview
Thin Provisioning is an advanced thin-provisioning software product that allows you to save money
on storage purchases and reduce storage management expenses.
You can operate Thin Provisioning using both Remote Web Console software and the RAID
Manager.
Smart Tiers overview
Smart Tiers is a software product that helps you reduce storage costs and increase storage
performance by supporting a volume configured with different storage media of different cost and
performance capabilities. This support allows you to allocate data areas with heavy I/O loads to
higher-speed media and to allocate data areas with low I/O loads to lower-speed media. In this
way, you can make the best use of the capabilities of installed storage media. Up to three storage
tiers consisting of different types of data drives are supported in a single pool of storage.
Thin provisioning requirements
License requirements
Before you operate Thin Provisioning, the Thin Provisioning program product must have been
installed on the PC on which Remote Web Console has been installed. For this, you will need to
purchase the Hitachi Basic Operating System Software (BOS) license.
Before you operate Smart Tiers, the Thin Provisioning and the Smart Tiers program products must
have been installed. For this, you will need to purchase the Smart Tiers license as well as the Hitachi
Basic Operating System Software (BOS) license.
You will need the Smart Tiers sized license for the total capacity of the pool for which the tier
function is enabled.
If the THP-VOLs of Thin Provisioning or Smart Tiers are used for the P-VOLs and S-VOLs of Business
Copy, Continuous Access Synchronous, Continuous Access Journal, or External Storage Access
Manager, you will need the Business Copy, Continuous Access Synchronous, Continuous Access
Journal, and External Storage Access Manager license for the total consumed pool capacity in use
by the P-VOL/S-V-VOL THP-VOLs.
If you exceed the licensed capacity, you will be able to use the additional unlicensed capacity for
30 days. After 30 days, you will not be able to perform Business Copy operations except for
deleting pairs. After 30 days, you will not be able to perform Continuous Access Synchronous,
Continuous Access Journal, and External Storage Access Manager operations except for suspending
copy operations or deleting pairs. For more information about temporary license capacity, see the
HP P9000 Remote Web Console User Guide.
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