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NOTE: There is a delay to I/O operations when a configured disk is being spun up.
Types Of Virtual Disk Initialization
You can initialize the virtual disks as described in the following sections:
CAUTION: The initializing virtual disks task erases the files and file systems while keeping the virtual disk
configuration intact. Initializing a virtual disk destroys all data on the virtual disk.
NOTE: The initialization operations mentioned here are not applicable for Non-RAID disks.
Background Initialization Of Virtual Disks
Background Initialization (BGI) is an automated process that writes the parity or mirror data on newly created virtual
disks. BGI does not run on RAID 0 virtual disks. You can control the BGI rate in the Dell OpenManage storage
management application. Any change in the BGI rate does not take effect until the next BGI run.
NOTE: You cannot disable BGI permanently. If you cancel BGI, it automatically restarts within five minutes. For
information on stopping BGI, see the topic Stopping Background Initialization.
NOTE: Unlike full or fast initialization of virtual disks, background initialization does not clear data from the physical
disks.
NOTE: CC/BGI typically causes some loss in performance until the operation completes.
Consistency Check (CC) and BGI perform similar functions in that they both correct parity errors. However, CC reports
data inconsistencies through an event notification, but BGI does not. You can start CC manually, but not BGI.
Full Initialization Of Virtual Disks
Performing a full initialization on a virtual disk overwrites all blocks and destroys any data that previously existed on the
virtual disk. Full initialization of a virtual disk eliminates the need for the virtual disk to undergo a BGI. Full initialization
can be performed after the creation of a virtual disk.
During full initialization, the host is not able to access the virtual disk. You can start a full initialization on a virtual disk by
using the Slow Initialize option in the Dell OpenManage storage management application. For more information on using
the BIOS Configuration Utility to perform a full initialization, see the topic Initializing Virtual Disks.
NOTE: If the system reboots during a full initialization, the operation aborts and a BGI begins on the virtual disk.
Fast Initialization Of Virtual Disks
A fast initialization on a virtual disk overwrites the first and last 8 MB of the virtual disk, clearing any boot records or
partition information. The operation takes only 2–3 seconds to complete and is recommended when you are recreating
virtual disks. To perform a fast initialization using the BIOS Configuration Utility, see the topic Initializing Virtual Disks
Consistency Checks
Consistency Check (CC) is a background operation that verifies and corrects the mirror or parity data for fault tolerant
virtual disks. It is recommended that you periodically run a consistency check on virtual disks.
You can manually start a CC using the BIOS Configuration Utility or the Dell OpenManage storage management
application. You can schedule CC to run on virtual disks using a Dell OpenManage storage management application. To
start a CC using the BIOS Configuration Utility, see the topic Checking Data Consistency.
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