SFW and Virtual Disk Service (VDS)

Virtual Disk Service (VDS) provides a standard way to manage multi-vendor storage devices through a common storage interface. VDS focuses on the management of logical volumes through both software and hardware RAID. VDS supports the Disk Management user interface and two scriptable command line interfaces, DISKPART and DISKRAID.

DISKPART implements software RAID procedures. It deals with the creation, extension, and deletion of logical volumes or partitions on both basic disks and dynamic disks. DISKPART is the command-line version of Disk Management.

DISKRAID implements hardware RAID procedures. It is used with vendor-specific hardware arrays to configure virtual disks (logical disks that span two or more independent physical disks).

In order for the common storage interface to work, participating hardware and software vendors must prepare their providers for the VDS software. Each hardware or software provider translates VDS standard APIs into instructions specific to the related storage device or software RAID procedures.

Storage administrators can use the scriptable command line utilities to create scripts to automate storage procedures across multi-vendor devices. The administrator creates the scripts using standard commands from the CLI, and therefore does not have to spend extra time to learn the specific management utilities that come with each hardware device or software RAID program. Once the script is set up, it can automate time-consuming procedures that had been done manually, such as adding storage to the network.

For Windows Server operating systems, the native disk and volume manager is Microsoft Disk Management. On a Windows Server OS, SFW does not take the place of Microsoft Disk Management. SFW provides all the functionality as if it were installed on a Windows Server OS with the added benefit that Microsoft Disk Management is still available. Uninstalling SFW components does not affect Microsoft Disk Management.

On a Windows Server operating system, SFW can be accessed with the Microsoft Disk Management GUI.

Note:

On Windows Server operating systems, Microsoft Disk Management does not support objects that SFW creates, such as dynamic disks or dynamic volumes.

At this time, the advanced functionality of Storage Foundation is not available through the Microsoft CLI VDS interfaces.