How to implement Microsoft Storage Pools and VHDs
I am trying to set up a lab that implements Windows Server 2012 R2 as a means to provide multiple services to a business.
I have successfully deployed instances of Active Directory running on Windows Server 2012 R2 with two instances of Domain Controllers. In both instances, the DCs run on stand alone hardware.
I have introduced another Windows Server 2012 R2 with the HyperV role (aka "parent"). I use the Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage Pool functionality to create a virtual shared drive on this server. It has a volume, and appears in Windows Explorer as (Y:). I can also implement a virtual machine using the HyperV Manager application.
But I am stuck on the process to create a shared drive on the virtual machine that uses the same Storage Pool that I created on the parent HyperV server. I want to use three SATA drives in the existing storage pool (created above) as the source of the virtual machine's virtual hard drive. In effect, I want the three SATA drives to be in the same storage pool that the parent also uses. And I want to be able to use this existing storage pool as the source of any other VM/VHDs that run on this parent.
Can this be done? If so, how?
I have successfully deployed instances of Active Directory running on Windows Server 2012 R2 with two instances of Domain Controllers. In both instances, the DCs run on stand alone hardware.
I have introduced another Windows Server 2012 R2 with the HyperV role (aka "parent"). I use the Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage Pool functionality to create a virtual shared drive on this server. It has a volume, and appears in Windows Explorer as (Y:). I can also implement a virtual machine using the HyperV Manager application.
But I am stuck on the process to create a shared drive on the virtual machine that uses the same Storage Pool that I created on the parent HyperV server. I want to use three SATA drives in the existing storage pool (created above) as the source of the virtual machine's virtual hard drive. In effect, I want the three SATA drives to be in the same storage pool that the parent also uses. And I want to be able to use this existing storage pool as the source of any other VM/VHDs that run on this parent.
Can this be done? If so, how?
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Please bear with me, as I am trying to understand what happens when I do as you suggest:
1. I tried this, and it appears to work. I interpret this to mean that the Virtual Machine (VM) gets created on the Virtual Hard Drive (VHD) specified verses the C: drive. Is this correct?
2. I initially rejected doing this because it appears to contradict the things that I have read regarding the set up of VHDs on the VM. For example, when I set up a storage facility on the parent HyperV machine, I created the storage pool, attached the physical drives, and then created a VHD. This VHD became the Y: drive on the machine. I had to select the type of configuration for this VHD including the mirroring specification. I read somewhere that the choices (no striping, mirroring, and parity) were actually the Microsoft versions of RAID. Any way, I had to then create a second VHD in the storage pool, that I referenced on the VM. I also selected mirroring when I created this VHD. I then referenced this drive when I followed the steps to create the VM. Then I had to create VHDs on the VM via Computer Manager, and I selected mirroring for each drive I created. I then was able to create a storage pool on the VM and included the created drives. I interpreted these steps as creating a VHD on the VM and on the VHD created in the parent HyperV machine on which the VM exists. In doing these steps, I interpret the process as imposing mirroring on mirroring, which seemed to be an incorrect approach. Perhaps Microsoft in its design of storage pools and HyperV has taken this into account and doesn't allow this?