Partilhar via

Storage Management Overview

  • Artigo

 

Applies To: Windows Server 2012

This topic discusses the unified interface for storage management in Windows Server 2012, including requirements and an overview of the technology.

Did you know that Microsoft Azure provides similar functionality in the cloud? Learn more about Microsoft Azure storage solutions.

Create a hybrid storage solution in Microsoft Azure:
- Learn about StorSimple Hybrid Cloud Storage

Did you mean…

Technology description

Windows Server 2012 enables storage management that is comprehensive and fully scriptable, and administrators can manage it remotely. A WMI-based interface provides a single mechanism through which to manage all storage, including non-Microsoft intelligent storage subsystems and virtualized local storage (known as Storage Spaces). Additionally, management applications can use a single Windows API to manage different storage types by using standards-based protocols such as Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S).

Requirements

Your storage infrastructure should support the Storage Management Provider interface or support an appropriate version of SMI-S.

Technical overview

The unified interface for storage management in Windows Server 2012 provides not only a core set of defined WMI and Windows PowerShell interfaces, but also features for more advanced management, as shown in the following figure.

Figure 1  Unified storage management architecture

This design offers specific advantages for the following users:

  • Enterprise system administrators. Uniform, scriptable management by using Windows PowerShell with a comprehensive set of cmdlets that can be used for discovery; thin provisioning support; snapshot management; replication; masking and unmasking; enumerating HBA ports; and creating pools, logical units, and volumes. As an example, an administrator can use a single script to configure host resources and to configure and present the storage to Windows.

  • ISVs. Flexibility to administer any type of storage that is connected to a Windows system.

  • Storage manufacturers. Seamless integration of devices with any storage management client, which ensures consistent experience for users.

The unified storage management interface requires the use of a storage management provider that is based on SMI-S or WMI. If you install the Windows Standards-Based Storage Management feature, the interface integrates seamlessly with services offered by SMI-S providers, which enables administrators to manage non-Microsoft intelligent storage subsystems that have SMI-S providers. For WMI-based services, the interface includes a rich set of built-in storage management features that ISVs will find particularly helpful.

For more information about SMI-S and Windows Server 2012, see Introduction to SMI-S.

See also

For additional related information, see the following resources.

Content type

References

Evaluation

Introduction to SMI-S

Deployment

Understand and Troubleshoot Storage Spaces and Pools in Windows Server "8" Beta

Tools and settings

N:Storage (Windows PowerShell cmdlets) | Storage Management API Classes

Community resources

The File Services and Storage TechNet Forum | Windows Storage Team Blog | Storage Team at Microsoft File Cabinet Blog | Jose Barreto's Blog | Windows Server Information Experience on Twitter

Related technologies

Data Deduplication Overview | High-Performance, Continuously Available File Share Storage for Server Applications Technical Preview | iSCSI Target Server Overview | Windows Offloaded Data Transfers Overview | Resilient File System Overview | Storage Spaces Overview | Supporting Information Workers with Reliable File Services and Storage | Thin Provisioning and Trim Storage Overview