Storage systems allow for highly flexible configuration options: an installation can choose from a vast range of configuration alternatives. Depending on the storage system, you can select among supported disk drive capacities and rotational speed, drives, RAID levels, and other supported characteristics relevant to that particular storage system.

With all the possible configurations, it becomes a challenge to calculate the physical and effective storage capacity of various storage systems. The user would need an in-depth technical understanding of how spare and parity disks are assigned, taking into consideration the simultaneous use of disks with different capacities and configurations that deploy any supported traditional or distributed RAID arrangement.

The Storage Modeller capacity function offers a web-based graphical interface that allows you to enter the drive configuration, required capacity and other characteristics. With these parameters, the capacity function automatically calculates and displays physical and effective storage capacity. The capacity function is there to do the physical-to-effective capacity conversion automatically, taking into consideration all applicable rules.

You enter the information only once and can share it across other system functions (such as performance). Furthermore, the user interface itself remains consistent and generally similar for the different storage systems supported. This consistency makes it easier for the user to gain experience with the tool and to model various storage system types.