With DPM 2007, you can assign a custom volume to store replicas and recovery points. This can maximize performance in DPM if you choose to keep certain volumes on separate LUNs (Logical Unit Numbers) to enable parallel replication onto these volumes.

After you have created and assigned a custom volume, DPM does not increase the size of this volume as it fills—the administrator must use Disk Management to perform this task. Custom volumes can be assigned only when you create a new protection group or when you add a new member to a protection group.

Important
You cannot create a custom volume from DPM. You must create the volume by using Disk Management.

To assign a custom volume when creating a new protection group

  1. Use Disk Management to create a volume of the desired size and name.

  2. In DPM Administration Console, on the navigation bar, click Protection.

  3. In the display pane, select the protection group you want to modify.

  4. On the Actions menu, select Create protection group. This starts the Create New Protection Group Wizard.

  5. On the Create New Protection Group page, click Next.

    Note
    If you do not want DPM to display the Welcome page, select the Do not show the Welcome page again box.

  6. Select group members for the protection group, and click Next.

  7. Select the data protection method, and click Next.

  8. Select your short-term protection objectives, and click Next.

  9. On the Review Disk Allocation page, in the Disk space allocation for new members pane, click Modify.

  10. On the DPM Server tab, in the Storage Type column, select Custom Volume from the pull-down menu.

    Important
    You can specify a custom volume only for the new members of the protection group.

  11. In the Replica Volume column, from the pull-down menu, select the volume that DPM will use to store the replica volume for the protection group member.

  12. In the Recovery Point column, from the pull-down menu, select the volume that DPM will use to store the recovery point volume for the protection group member.

  13. In the Custom Volume column, select whether to format the disk from the drop-down menu.

    Note
    Select Do not format when the custom volume is used in a storage area network.

  14. Click OK, and then click Next.

  15. Complete the Create New Protection Group Wizard. On the Summary page, click Create Group.

To assign a custom volume when modifying a protection group

  1. Use Disk Management to create a volume of the desired size and name.

  2. In DPM Administration Console, on the navigation bar, click Protection.

  3. In the Actions menu, select Modify protection group to start the Modify Protection Group Wizard.

  4. Select group members for the protection group, and click Next.

  5. Select the data protection method, and click Next.

  6. Select your short-term protection objectives, and click Next.

  7. On the Review Disk Allocation page, in the Disk space allocation for new members pane, click Modify.

  8. On the DPM Server tab, in the Storage Type column, select Custom Volume from the pull-down menu.

  9. In the Replica Volume column, from the pull-down menu, select the volume that DPM will use to store the replica volume for the protection group member.

  10. In the Recovery Point column, from the pull-down menu, select the volume that DPM will use to store the recovery point volume for the protection group member.

  11. In the Custom Volume column, select whether to format the disk from the drop-down menu.

    Note
    Select Do not format when the custom volume is used in a storage area network.

  12. Click OK, and then click Next.

  13. Complete the Modify Protection Group Wizard. On the Summary page, click Update Group.

See Also