Initialize a Virtual Disk

This topic describes how to initialize a disk and create a volume.

Before you begin

Create a Virtual Disk.

About this task

You need to perform the following tasks only once on any of the iSCSI initiator nodes and it applies to the other nodes in a cluster. Suppose there are two nodes in a cluster, Node1 and Node2. If you initialize a virtual disk on the Node1 server, then you don't need to do it again on the Node2 server.

Procedure

  1. Log in to any of the server nodes in a cluster (Node1 or Node2).
  2. Go to Control Panel > Administrator Tools > Computer Management > Storage > Disk Management.
  3. Look for the unknown disk, right-click and select Online.
    If the unknown disk is offline, you must bring it online.
  4. Right-click the unknown disk again and select Initialize disk.
    The Initialize Disk screen appears.
  5. Select OK.
  6. Right-click the unallocated space on the disk, and select New Simple Volume.
    The New Simple Volume Wizard screen appears.
  7. Complete the steps in the wizard to create a new volume.
    You need to:
    • Specify the size of the volume you want to create in megabytes (MB).
    • Assign a drive letter to identify the partition.
    • Format the volume with default settings.

Results

The newly created volume should appear under This PC on the logged-in machine.