Windows Server 2012 Feature: Storage Spaces
There has always been a need to consolidate disks into a single large disk in order to store more data than any single drive can contain. In the past we used hardware or software RAID to accomplish this. Hardware RAID can be expensive due to the extra controller needed. Software RAID is slow, and requires all disks to be identical.
In Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 there is a new feature called Storage Spaces which allows for several disks to be joined together to create a single virtual drive or pool. Storage Spaces does not require that all disks be the same size, or even the
same type (eSATA, USB, etc).
Storage Spaces has options for redundancies as well. So if you were to lose one of the physical disks, you would not lose your data.
Creating Storage Spaces Pool (click to enlarge)
Disk Pools in Storage Spaces can also be enlarged afterwards by adding additional disks to an existing Storage Spaces pool. This is something that cannot be done using RAID disk arrays.
One really nice feature of Storage Spaces is that these arrays are portable. This means that if you have a Storage Spaces pool consisting of three physical disks, and you move those disks to another Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 machine, the new machine will see the Storage Spaces array and assign a drive letter.
To create a New Storage Pool using Storage Spaces:
- From the Start screen type: Storage Spaces, then select Manage Storage Spaces from the Control Panel section of the Search results.
- In the Manage Storage Spaces screen click on the link to Create a new pool and storage space.
- Select the physical disks to include in the Storage Spaces pool then click on the Create Pool button.
- On the next screen type a name for the new Storage Space, select a drive letter to assign, and select the level of redundancy you desire. When done click on the Create Storage Space button.
The new storage space will now appear as a single drive using the drive letter you specified in step #4.
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Robert Borges
About Robert...
I have been in the IT industry since 1993 focusing mainly on networking. Though I got an early start as an amateur computer enthusiast and wrote my first database app at age 12, I started my professional career working in the MIS department of one of the largest liquor distributors in the northeast. I started out there as a systems operator on the company’s two mainframe systems. From there I moved into PC support, and help design and implement the company’s first client-server network… This was back in the days of Win NT 3.51 when I worked on my first migration to Windows NT 4.0 server.
From there I went on to work with Novell 3.x and 4.x along with Windows domains and Microsft's brand new Active Directory. Working my way up from technician to specialist, to an administrator, and eventually all the way up to Sr. Engineer. I spent many years working for MSPs/consulting firms, 9 of which I owned and operated my own firm.
Over the years, I have worked with (at an expert level) various versions of Windows client and server operating systems (including Windows 11 and Windows Server 2019); various virtualization technologies (Hyper-V, VMware, etc.); MS-SQL server 6.5- 2014 R2; Exchange 4-2019, and much more. Over the years I have built a lot of experience around the Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 cloud environments.
I am now CTO at Infused Innovations where our team is focusing on helping clients build a Secure Intelligent Workplace through InfoSec (Zero Trusts Framework), Modern Workplace, and Business Intelligence.
I have been heavily involved in the IT user group community, including serving as president of the board of Boston User Groups, Inc., and president of IT-Pro User Group. In 2017/2018 Microsoft awarded me the Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) Award, with a focus of Microsoft Azure cloud, for my efforts in the IT community.
I am in a constant state of learning about new products, and new versions of products. Many of which we end up implementing in lab environments and sometimes for our clients. I have a very broad range of expertise and experience. It is my goal to share some of this experience on this blog to help enrich the IT community.
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