# Creating Advanced Configuration

The advanced configuration procedure provides an easy way to create a new storage configuration. Advanced configuration gives you greater flexibility than simple configuration because you can select the drives and the virtual drive parameters when you create a virtual drive. In addition, you can use the advanced configuration procedure to create spanned drive groups. Perform the following steps to create an advanced storage configuration.

1. In the Server dashboard or the Controller dashboard, select Configure > Advanced Configuration.
   The Advanced Configuration window opens.
2. Select the RAID level desired for the drive group from the drop-down menu. To make a spanned volume, select RAID 10 in the RAID Level Setting field.
   Note: Click Compare and Select to view the detailed information on each RAID level.
   Note:

   You can add a hot spare to all of the RAID levels except RAID 0. Also, you can create a secured virtual drive only when the security capable drives are present. This check box is disabled when there are no secured drives.

3. Select the Data Protection check box. Selecting this check box detects data corruption on media and prevents the system errors caused by silent data corruption (SDC).
   Note: To create a virtual drive with data protection, you must have the PI Drive. The Data Protection check box is disabled when there are no secured drives.
4. Click Next.
5. Click Add Physical Drives to add physical drives to the drive group.
   The Available Unconfigured Drives window appears.

   For information on adding the unconfigured drives to the drive group, see Adding Hot Spares to the Existing Drive Group.

6. Select the span depth using the slider bar.
7. Click Add Virtual Drives to add virtual drives to the drive group.
   The Virtual Drive Settings window appears.

   Depending on your controller, specify the virtual drive settings.

8. Click Add Virtual Drives.

   The newly created virtual drive appears in the Advanced Configuration section just below the Virtual Drives section.

   You may lose some drive capacity if you choose drives with uneven and large capacity while creating a virtual drive.

   If you want to modify the virtual drive settings before finishing the configuration, click the Back button and modify the virtual drive settings accordingly.

9. Click Finish.

   A message appears stating that the configuration is complete.