Storage Management

Vapor provides comprehensive storage management capabilities including disk management, LVM support, RAID configuration, iSCSI, multipath, and BTRFS management.

Navigating to Storage Management

1. From the main menu, click on Storage.

Storage Sections

The storage interface is organized into multiple sections:

Disks

The Disks section displays all storage devices on the system.

Viewing Disk Information

For each disk, you can see:

• Device name (e.g., /dev/sda)
• Vendor and model
• Size
• Partition table type
• Mount status
• Serial number

Disk Actions

For each disk, you can:

• Format: Create a new filesystem on the disk
• Partition: Manage disk partitions
• Mount/Unmount: Mount or unmount filesystems
• Check Health: View SMART data and disk health status

LVM (Logical Volume Manager)

LVM provides flexible disk management by abstracting physical storage.

Volume Groups

View and manage volume groups:

• Create new volume groups
• Extend existing volume groups
• View usage and available space

Logical Volumes

Manage logical volumes:

• Create new logical volumes
• Resize existing volumes
• Delete unused volumes
• Format and mount logical volumes

Physical Volumes

Manage physical volumes:

• Initialize disks for LVM use
• Add physical volumes to volume groups
• Remove physical volumes

RAID Management

Configure and manage software RAID arrays.

Creating a RAID Array

1. Click Create RAID button
2. Select RAID level (0, 1, 5, 6, 10)
3. Choose disks to include in the array
4. Set array name and options
5. Click Create

Managing RAID Arrays

For existing arrays, you can:

• View array status and health
• Add or remove disks
• Rebuild degraded arrays
• Monitor synchronization progress

iSCSI

Connect to remote storage using iSCSI protocol.

Discovering iSCSI Targets

1. Click Discover Targets
2. Enter the IP address of the iSCSI server
3. Optional: Enter authentication credentials
4. Click Discover

Connecting to iSCSI Targets

1. Select a discovered target
2. Click Connect
3. Configure authentication if required
4. The iSCSI disk will appear in the Disks section

Multipath

Manage multipath devices for redundant storage connections.

Viewing Multipath Devices

The multipath section shows:

• Device mapper name
• WWN identifier
• Number of paths
• Active/failed paths
• Path status

BTRFS

Manage BTRFS filesystems and features.

Subvolumes

• Create new subvolumes
• Delete existing subvolumes
• Set default subvolume
• View subvolume quotas

Snapshots

• Create filesystem snapshots
• Restore from snapshots
• Delete old snapshots
• Schedule automatic snapshots

Best Practices

1. Regular Backups: Always backup important data before making storage changes
2. Monitor Disk Health: Regularly check SMART data for early failure detection
3. Plan LVM Layout: Design your volume group and logical volume structure before implementation
4. RAID Considerations: Choose appropriate RAID levels based on performance and redundancy needs
5. iSCSI Security: Use CHAP authentication for iSCSI connections
6. Multipath Configuration: Ensure proper multipath configuration for high availability

Troubleshooting

Disk Not Visible

• Check if the disk is properly connected
• Rescan SCSI bus: Click Rescan Devices
• Check system logs for hardware errors

LVM Issues

• Volume group not activating: Check if all physical volumes are available
• Cannot extend volume: Ensure sufficient free space in volume group

RAID Problems

• Degraded array: Replace failed disk and rebuild
• Slow performance: Check for ongoing resync operations

iSCSI Connection Failed

• Verify network connectivity to iSCSI target
• Check authentication credentials
• Ensure iSCSI initiator service is running