Creating an SED Secure Storage Pool

  1. Go to Storage & Snapshots > Storage > Storage/Snapshots.
  2. Perform one of the following actions.

    NAS State

    Action

    No volumes or storage pools

    Click New Storage Pool.

    One or more volumes or storage pools

    Click Create, and then select New Storage Pool.

    The Create Storage Pool Wizard window opens.

  3. Click Next.
  4. Optional: Select an expansion unit from the Enclosure Unit list.
    Important:
    • You cannot select disks from multiple expansion units.

    • If the expansion unit is disconnected from the NAS, the storage pool becomes inaccessible until it is reconnected.

  5. Select Create SED secure storage pool.

    The list of disks only displays SED disks.

  6. Select one or more disks.
    Warning:

    All data on the selected disks will be deleted.

  7. Select a RAID type.

    QTS displays all available RAID types and automatically selects the most optimized RAID type.

    Number of disks

    Supported RAID Types

    Default RAID Type

    One

    Single

    Single

    Two

    JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1

    RAID 1

    Three

    JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 5

    RAID 5

    Four

    JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10

    RAID 5

    Five

    JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 5, RAID 6

    RAID 6

    Six or more

    JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10, RAID 50

    Note:

    RAID 10 requires an even number of disks.

    RAID 6

    Eight or more

    JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10, RAID 50, RAID 60

    RAID 6

    Tip:

    Use the default RAID type if you are unsure of which option to choose.

    For details, see RAID Types.

  8. Optional: Select the disk that will be used as a hot spare for this RAID group.

    The designated hot spare automatically replaces any disk in the RAID group that fails.

    For RAID 50 or RAID 60, a spare disk must be configured later. You should configure a global spare disk so that all subgroups share the same spare disk.

  9. Optional: Select the number of RAID 50 or RAID 60 subgroups.

    The selected disks are divided evenly into the specified number of RAID 5 or 6 groups.

    • A higher number of subgroups results in faster RAID rebuilding, increased disk failure tolerance, and better performance if all the disks are SSDs.

    • A lower number of subgroups results in more storage capacity, and better performance if all the disks are HDDs.

    Warning:

    If a RAID group is divided unevenly, the excess space becomes unavailable. For example, 10 disks divided into 3 subgroups of 3 disks, 3 disks, and 4 disks will provide only 9 disks of storage capacity.

  10. Click Next.
  11. Optional: Configure SSD over-provisioning.

    Over-provisioning reserves a percentage of SSD storage space on each disk in the RAID group to improve write performance and extend the disk's lifespan. You can decrease the amount of space reserved for over-provisioning after QTS has created the RAID group.

    Tip:

    To determine the optimal amount of over-provisioning for your SSDs, download and run SSD Profiling Tool from App Center.

  12. Optional: Configure the alert threshold.

    QTS issues a warning notification when the percentage of used pool space is equal to or above the specified threshold.

  13. Specify the SED password.

    The SED password must consist of 8 to 32 characters from any of the following groups:

    • Letters: A to Z, a to z

    • Numbers: 0 to 9

    • Special characters: Any except for space ( )

    Warning:

    Remember this password. If you forget the password, the pool will become inaccessible and all data will be unrecoverable.

  14. Optional: Save the encryption key to the local NAS

    Saving the encryption key enables QTS to automatically unlock and mount the SED pool when the NAS starts up. If the encryption key is not saved, you must specify the encryption password every time the NAS restarts.

    Warning:

    Saving the encryption key can result in unauthorized data access if unauthorized personnel are able to physically access the NAS.

  15. Click Next.
  16. Click Create.

    A confirmation message appears.

  17. Click OK.

QTS creates the storage pool and then displays the information on the Storage/Snapshots screen.