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# Create storage groups

Storage groups are a collection of devices that are stored on the storage system, and an application, a server, or a collection of servers use them.

## About this task

You can also create a storage group using the Provision Storage wizard, as described in The Provision Storage wizard.

Before you begin:

- The maximum number of storage groups that are supported on a storage system is 16,384.
- The maximum number of child storage groups that are supported in a cascaded configuration is 64.
- A storage group can contain up to 4,096 volumes.
- A volume can belong to multiple storage groups when only one of the groups is has an SRP.
- You cannot create a storage group containing CKD volumes and FBA volumes.

To create a storage group:

## Steps

1. Select the storage system.
2. Select Storage > Volumes.
3. Select one or more volumes, click , and select Create SG.
4. Type a Storage Group Name.
   Storage group names must be unique from other storage groups on the system and cannot exceed 64 characters. Only alphanumeric characters, underscores ( _ ), and (-) are allowed. Storage group names are case-insensitive.
5. To create the storage group without an SRP, set Storage Resource Pool to None; otherwise, leave this field set to the default.
6. Select the Service Level to set on the SG.
   Service level policies specify the characteristics of the provisioned storage, including maximum response time, workload type, and priority. This field defaults to None if you set the Storage Resource Pool to None. Possible values are:

   Service level | Performance type | Use case
   --- | --- | ---
   Diamond (Default) | Ultra high | HPC, latency sensitive
   Platinum | Very high | Mission critical, high rate OLTP
   Gold | High | Very heavy I/O, database logs, datasets
   Silver | Price/Performance | Database datasets, virtual applications
   Bronze | Cost optimized | Backup, archive, file
   Optimized |  | Places the most active data on the highest performing storage and the least active on the most cost-effective storage.
   None |  |

7. Refine the service level by selecting the Workload Type to assign it.

   | NOTE: Workload type is not supported for CKD storage groups.

   | NOTE: Workloads are supported on storage systems running HYPERMAX OS 5977.

   Possible values for the Workload Type are:
   - OLTP
   - OLTP+REP
   - DSS
   - DSS+REP

   The workload type does not apply when the service level is Optimized or None.

8. Click OK to create the storage group now, or click Advanced Options to continue setting the advanced options, as described in the remaining steps.
9. Data reduction is enabled by default on All Flash systems running the HYPERMAX OS 5977 Q3 2016 Service Release or later when you are creating a storage group or storage container. To disable it, clear the Enable Data Reduction check box. For more information, see Understanding data reduction.
10. Optional: Click the Enable Mobility ID checkbox to assign Mobility IDs to the volumes in the storage group. If you leave the checkbox cleared, Compatibility IDs are assigned to the volumes instead.
11. Optional: Click Enable Eff Encrypt Capability checkbox (supported on storage systems running PowerMaxOS 5978 with specific hardware).
12. Optional: Select Allocate Full Volume capacity.
13. Optional: Click Persist preallocated capacity through reclaim or copy checkbox.
14. If you selected to allocate capacity in the previous step, you can mark the allocation as persistent by selecting Persist preallocated capacity through reclaim or copy.
    Persistent allocations are unaffected by standard reclaim operations and any TimeFinder/Clone, TimeFinder/Snap, or SRDF copy operations.
15. Do one of the following:
    - Click Run Now to perform the operation now.
    - Expand Run Now and click Add to Job List to add this task to the job list, from which you can schedule or run the task at your convenience. For more information, see Schedule jobs and Preview jobs.