Storage¶
This domain explains how storage is assembled, presented, and operating inside the Azure Local environment.
What Ranger Collects¶
The storage domain should document:
- Storage Spaces Direct posture where applicable
- pool composition, health, and media layout
- cache and capacity relationships
- virtual disks, resiliency, and allocation posture
- CSV layout and ownership
- Storage Replica, QoS, and related storage features when configured
- repair jobs, faults, and health signals
Manifest Sub-Domains¶
The v1 collector writes to these named sections of the storage manifest domain:
| Sub-domain | Content |
|---|---|
pools |
Storage pool inventory — health, operational status, size, and allocation |
physicalDisks |
Physical disk inventory — media type, serial number, health, and usage classification |
virtualDisks |
Virtual disk inventory — resiliency setting, health, size, and pool footprint |
volumes |
Volume inventory — drive letter, label, file system, health, and size |
csvs |
Cluster Shared Volume inventory — name, state, and owning node |
qos |
Storage QoS policy definitions and IOPS limits |
replica |
Storage Replica group replication state and sync signals |
summary |
Aggregate counts — pools, disks, virtual disks, volumes, CSVs, total capacity, and disk media types |
Current Collector Depth¶
Current v1 collection also covers:
- Health-fault inventory for active storage issues.
- QoS policy and QoS flow detail when those features are enabled.
- Scrub, cache, and dedup posture for the S2D storage stack.
- Storage Replica group and partnership detail when replication is configured.
Why It Matters¶
Storage is one of the most important parts of an Azure Local as-built package because it explains capacity, resiliency, and operational risk.
Connectivity and Credentials¶
| Requirement | Purpose |
|---|---|
| WinRM / PowerShell remoting | Primary storage discovery path |
| Cluster credential | Required |
Default Behavior¶
This is a core domain. If the cluster credential is present, Ranger should run it by default.
Variant Behavior¶
Hyperconverged¶
Storage discovery is S2D-centric and should document pools, cache, virtual disks, and CSVs.
Switchless¶
Storage-network interpretation changes because the storage fabric is point-to-point rather than switch-based.
Rack-Aware¶
Ranger should surface fault-domain implications in how storage is described.
Disconnected Operations¶
Disconnected control-plane mode does not remove the need for local storage discovery, but Azure-side storage integrations may differ.
Multi-Rack Preview¶
Multi-rack preview is not the same as standard S2D hyperconverged storage. Ranger should preserve SAN-backed or shared-storage characteristics separately rather than forcing them into an S2D-only interpretation.
Evidence Boundaries¶
- Direct discovery: storage facts from cluster and Windows storage tooling
- Host-side validation: validation of access and posture from the node perspective
- Manual/imported evidence: optional storage-design artifacts when external arrays or shared services need additional context
v1 and Future Boundaries¶
v1 should cover the local storage view required for current-state and as-built reporting.
Future work can deepen external-array, multi-rack preview, or continuity-specific storage collectors where required.