Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Server Manager Storage Page

The Storage folder in the Server Manager has two tools to support storage in Windows 2008. These pages allow the administrator to see the status of storage and the backups of the storage.

Windows Server Backup

The Windows Server Backup page shows a summary of the backup state of the server. This includes information on the status of backups, how much disk space the backups are using, and what the oldest and newest backups are. This allows an administrator to understand how recoverable the server is at a glance. The backup subsystem in Windows 2008 has fundamentally changed from a backup-to-tape job paradigm to a backup-to-disk state paradigm, requiring a different understanding of where backup stands. It is not enough to know that the latest backup job completed, but rather the span of the backups and how much space they take up.

For the Windows Server Backup folder to be active, you need to install the Windows Server Backup feature. To do this, perform the following steps:

1. Open the Server Manager console.
2. Select the Features folder.
3. Click on the Add Features link.
4. Select the Windows Server Backup Features check box.
5. Click Next and then click Install to install the new features.
6. Click Close to close the wizard.

Now the Server Manager Windows Server Backup folder will be active. Selecting the folder shows the Windows Server Backup summary page. The latest active backup messages, status, scheduled backup, and disk usage page shown. From this page, the administrator can also click on links to set the backup schedules, do an immediate backup, start a recovery, or perform other backup-related tasks.

The Messages section shows the active messages.

The Status section shows a summary of the backups, including the last backup, the next scheduled backup, and for all backups. For each of these categories, you can click on the View Details link to get additional information. This helps the administrator quickly understand what backups are available for recovery.

The Scheduled Backup section shows a summary of the scheduled backups for the server and the disk usage of the backups. The Settings box shows what is being backed up (backup item), where it is being backed up to (the target disk), and when it is being backed up (the backup time). The backup time can be modified using the Action, Backup Schedule option.

The Disk Usage box shows the capacity, the used space, and the number of backups that are available on the target. You can click on the View Details link to see the disk usage and details of the backups.

Disk Management

The Disk Management snap-in is used to conduct storage disk-related tasks. The Disk Management snap-in has not changed substantially from previous versions and most administrators will find it quite familiar. The snap-in allows administrators to manage disks by doing the following:

• Creating and formatting partitions
• Creating and formatting volumes
• Extending, shrinking, and mirroring volumes
• Assigning drive letters
• Viewing the status of disks, partitions, and volumes

The snap-in shows volumes in the top window with capacity, free space, and status information. This is a logical representation and is independent of the physical media. The bottom window shows the physical disks as recognized by Windows 2008 and the position of the partitions and volumes within the disks, that is, the layout of the partitions and volumes. The bottom window also shows the status and the type of disks.

NOTE: In should be stated that the physical disks shown in the Disk Management snap-in are the disk configurations as recognized by Windows 2008. The actual hardware configuration of the disks might be very different, as it is abstracted by the hardware controller. For example, what the operating system recognizes as Disk 0 with 32.00 GB might actually be a fault-tolerant RAID-1 configuration of two 32-GB physical disks that the hard drive controller presents as one disk to the operating system.