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KB ID: 4904

Adding Multiple TeraStations to a Windows Storage Pool Using iSCSI

Last Updated: 10/14/2024


Buffalo iSCSI solution

This article will explain how to combine multiple TeraStations into a single volume using Windows Storage Spaces, available in all Windows Server versions 2012 and above.

Prior to beginning the procedure covered here you will need to create the iSCSI volumes on the TeraStations and connect the Windows Server to each volume.

This article will not cover creating iSCSI volumes on a TeraStation. For that please refer to this KB article. To accomplish the goal outlined in this document it is recommended to use all available space on the TeraStation in a single iSCSI volume.

This article will also not cover connecting a Windows system to the iSCSI volume. For that please refer to this KB article.

 

  1. Open Server Manager. Click on “File and Storage Services”, Then click on “Storage Pools”. Select the “Primordial Pool” at the top. The iSCSI volumes should be listed in the lower right under “Physical Disks”. If they are not, please refer to the two prior KB articles listed at the beginning of this article.

  1. Right-click on the “Primordial Pool” and select “New Storage Pool”. This will launch the New Storage Pool Wizard.

  1. Follow the steps in the wizard.

  1. Give the new pool a name and assign it to the current server if more than one option is shown.

  1. Select all the iSCSI volumes you wish to include in this pool.

  1. Verify that the information shown is correct and click “Create”.

  1. The creation process time may vary based on the size of the pool.

  1. The new pool should now be listed under “Storage Pools”.

  1. Right-Click the new pool and select “New Virtual Disk”.

  1. Select the new storage pool.

  1. Follow the “New Virtual Disk Wizard”.

  1. Name the new virtual disk.

  1. Do NOT enable enclosure awareness. This feature assumes that you are using direct attached enclosures configured as JBOD.

  1. We recommend using the “Simple” layout rather than layering another RAID layout on top of the existing RAID.
    Important:  Simple layout storage space will write data in a stripe across all disks without parity. Data corruption and data loss will occur when one of these iSCSI volumes fails.

  1. We recommend using fixed provisioning.

  1. Choose the maximum size for the disk.

  1. Verify that the information is correct and click “Create”.

  1. The creation process time may vary based on the size of the virtual disk. Note that the “Create a volume when this wizard closes” option is selected by default. Click “Close” when complete.

  1. The “New Volume” wizard will begin. Follow the wizard.

  1. Select the local server and click “Next.

  1. The maximum size will be selected by default.

  1. Assign a drive letter as desired.

  1. The file system will default to NTFS. Bear in mind that NTFS is limited to a 256TB volume size. If have or plan to have a volume larger than 256TB it is recommended to use ReFS. For more information on the ReFS file system please refer to Microsoft’s documentation.

  1. Select other options as desired.

  1. Verify that the information shown is correct and click “Create”.

  1. The time for the creation process may vary based on volume size. Click “Close” when complete.

  1. The new volume should now be listed in File Explorer.

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