RAID arrays

View the information that is shown about RAID arrays in block storage systems.

The following information is shown for each RAID array:
Acknowledged
Shows whether a user marked the status of a RAID array as acknowledged. An acknowledged status indicates that the status was reviewed and is either resolved or can be ignored. An acknowledged status is not used when the status of related, higher-level resources is determined.
For example, if a RAID array has an error status, the related storage system also shows an error condition. If the error status of the RAID array is acknowledged, it changes to Error-Acknowledged. This acknowledged status is then treated as normal, and is used in evaluating the overall condition of the storage system. In this case, if the other internal resources of the storage system are also normal, the storage system condition is considered normal.
Available Capacity (%)
The percentage of physical storage space that is unused on all the disk drive modules (DDMs) in the RAID array.
Available Capacity (GiB)
The total amount of physical storage space that is unused on all the DDMs in the RAID array.
Available Written Capacity (GiB)
For uncompressed RAID arrays, the available written capacity is the same as the available capacity (available capacity here refers to available physical capacity) and represents the total amount of unused storage capacity on all the DDMs in the RAID array.

For compressed RAID arrays, the available written capacity represents the amount of uncompressed data that is left unused in the array, of which can be written to the same array.

Available for: RAID arrays with DDMs that use inline data compression, such as RAID arrays on IBM Storage FlashSystem 9100, Storwize V7000 Gen3, and IBM Storage FlashSystem 900.
Capacity (GiB)
(Previously known as Physical Capacity) The total amount of data that can be stored at array. For compressed RAID arrays, after inline data compression takes place the capacity (capacity here refers to physical capacity) is smaller than the written capacity limit of the array because drive compression is used to reduce the size of the data.
Compressed
Shows whether the DDMs in the RAID array contain a built-in compression function that automatically compresses the data that is written to the drives.
Compression Savings (%)
For compressed RAID arrays, the amount and percentage of capacity that is saved by using drive compression.
The following formula is used to calculate the amount of storage space that is saved:
Written Capacity Limit − Available Written Capacity − (Capacity − Available Space)
The following formula is used to calculate the percentage of capacity that is saved:
[(Written Capacity Limit − Available Written Capacity − (Capacity − Available Space)] ÷ (Written Capacity Limit − Available Written Capacity)] × 100
Available for: RAID arrays with DDMs that use inline data compression, such as RAID arrays on DS8000 R10, IBM Storage FlashSystem 9100 and IBM Storage FlashSystem 900.
DDM Capacity (GB), DDM Capacity (GiB)
The storage capacity of each disk drive module (DDM) in a RAID array, which is measured in GiB (gibibyte) and GB (gigabyte). 1 GiB is equal to approximately 1.074 GB. For example, if the capacity of a DDM is 135 GiBs, its value in GB is 146.
DDM Class
The technology type of the disk drives in the array, such as Solid-State Drive, NVMe SSD, Storage Class Memory, Flash, Fibre Channel (FC), SATA, and other types.
DDM Speed (RPM)
The revolutions per minute (RPM) of the DDMs in a RAID array. Examples: 5600, 7200, 10000, or 15000.
Device Adapter Pair
The device adapter (DA) pair that is associated with a RAID array. Available for DS8000 arrays only.
Encryption
Shows whether the DDMs in the RAID array are encrypted.
Available for: RAID arrays on DS8000 and storage systems that run IBM Storage Virtualize.
Encryption Group
The encryption group of a rank.
Format
The format of a RAID array. Examples: FB (fixed block), CKD (count key data). Available for DS8000 arrays only.
Node
For DS4000, DS5000, DS6000, and ESS storage systems, the name of the disk controller that is associated with the RAID array. For all other storage systems, the node to which a RAID array is associated.
Pool
The name of the pool in which a RAID array is a member.
RAID Level
The RAID level of an array, such as RAID 5, or RAID 10, or for distributed arrays, the RAID level is prefixed with “D”, such as DRAID 5.
RAID State
The state of a RAID array, based on the CLI value for the array. States include Online, Offline, Degraded, Expanding, Synchronizing, Initializing, No Spare, and Unknown. Use the state to determine the condition of the array, and if any actions must be taken. For example, a RAID array might have one of the following states:
Degraded
A drive failed in the array and no spare is available. This state is a critical situation because if a second drive fails before the first one is replaced and rebuilt, all data on the RAID array is lost.
Expanding
A new drive is being added to the RAID array. When the expansion is complete, the capacity columns show the updated capacity of the array.
No Spare
A drive failed and was replaced automatically by the spare drive. Now, no spares are available for the array. Replace the failed drive as soon as possible, but the RAID array can sustain another drive failure without data loss.
Synchronizing
A drive failed in the array and is being replaced by the spare drive. The data that was on the failed drive is being rebuilt and is being written to the new drive, which used to be the spare drive. This state is a temporary critical situation because if a second drive fails before the data is rebuilt, data on the RAID array is lost.
Rank
The rank of which a RAID array is a member. A rank is a logically contiguous storage space. Typically, the relationship between arrays and ranks is a one-to-one relationship. Available for DS8000 arrays only.
Status
The status of a RAID array. Statuses include Normal, Warning, Error, and Unknown. Use the status to determine the condition of an array, and if any actions must be taken. For example, if an array has an Error status, take immediate action to correct the problem.
Rank Group
The rank group that is associated with a RAID array.
Site
The identifier of the array site for a RAID array. Available for DS8000 arrays only.
Tier
In Easy Tier, the performance capability of a tier is determined by the type of disks that the pool uses. Tier values might include Enterprise Tier, Nearline Tier, Tier 0 Flash, Tier 1 Flash, or Tier 2 Flash.
Width
The rank width of a RAID array. Available for DS8000 arrays only.
Written Capacity Limit (GiB)
(Previously known as Total Capacity) For uncompressed RAID arrays, the written capacity limit is same as the capacity (capacity here refers to physical capacity) and represents the total storage capacity of all the DDMs in the array.

For compressed RAID arrays, the written capacity limit is the maximum amount of uncompressed data that can be written to the array. This value is larger than the capacity (capacity here refers to physical capacity) as the drive compression is used to reduce the size of the data.