All Storage Spaces to be detached prior to reconfiguring Storage hardware

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Overview

This article explains how to detach storage spaces prior to reconfiguring storage hardware.

Storage Spaces is a new feature in Windows Server 2012 designed to provide cost efficient, highly available, and resilient storage using just-a-bunch-of-disks (JBOD) arrays. It is designed to provide a variety of features like fault resiliency, better data integrity, and high availability (through integration with Failover Clustering).

When you intend to reconfigure your storage hardware without first deleting your storage spaces, meaning you intend to use the same storage spaces after reconfiguring your storage hardware, you need to first detach your storage spaces. Examples of storage hardware reconfiguration include removing of drives from their arrays en masse, and, disconnecting internal array wiring, again, en masse.

If you do not detach your storage spaces prior to reconfiguring your storage hardware, you may experience periods of slow IO responsiveness and you might not be able to move clustered spaces to different cluster nodes. If you have inadvertently left your storage spaces attached while reconfiguring storage hardware and have not yet completed the reconfiguration, you should detach your storage spaces prior to continuing to reconfigure the hardware.

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More Information

How to detach a storage space:

The steps for detaching a storage space depends on whether it is clustered or not.

Detach a non-clustered storage space through PowerShell:

Use the Disconnect-VirtualDisk cmdlet to detach a virtual disk.

PS C:\>Disconnect-VirtualDisk –FriendlyName <Virtual_Disk_name>

To verify if the storage space has been detached, run the Get-VirtualDisk cmdlet. The Operational Status column should now reflect the storage space as "Detached".

PS C:\>Get-VirtualDisk –FriendlyName <space_name>

Friend1yName   ResiliencySettingName      OperationaiStatus    HealthStatus  IsManualAttach
------------   ----------------------     -----------------    ------------  --------------
<space_name>   Mirror                     Detached             Unknown       True

Detach a non-clustered storage space through the GUI:

Right-click the storage space that you would like to detach and choose "Detach Virtual Disk".
You will be prompted to confirm if the storage space can be detached. Choose yes to proceed detaching the storage space.
Once the storage space is detached it will not be available to users and applications. Server Manager will show an exclamation mark next to the storage space in the "Virtual Disks" pane.
Once hardware reconfiguration is complete, refresh Server Manager and right-click on the storage space again and choose "Attach Virtual Disk".

Detach a clustered storage space through PowerShell:

PS C:\>Get-VirtualDisk –FriendlyName <space_name> | Get-ClusterResource | Stop-ClusterResource Name                  State         Node -----                 ------        ---- Cluster Disk #        Offline       Node_Name

Bring the clustered storage space online through PowerShell:

PS C:\>Get-VirtualDisk –FriendlyName <space_name> | Get-ClusterResource | Start-ClusterResource Name            State    Node -----           ------   ---- Cluster Disk #  Online   Node_Name

Detach a clustered storage space through the GUI

From the Failover Cluster Manager, in the console tree, expand the name of the cluster, and then expand Storage.
Under Storage select Pools.
From the middle pane, right-click the storage space that you would like to detach and choose Take Offline.

Bring the clustered storage space online through the GUI

From the Failover Cluster Manager, in the console tree, expand the name of the cluster, and then expand Storage.
Under Storage select Pools.
From the middle pane, right-click the storage space that you would like to get it online and choose Bring Online.

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