Thin Provisioning offers two key advantages:
- Dynamic Space Allocation:
Unlike traditional full provisioning, where allocated storage is locked and cannot be returned to the pool, thin provisioning provides a more flexible approach. Storage volumes are allocated based on actual usage or demand, reducing wasted space and improving resource efficiency. This dynamic allocation allows storage to scale as needed, without requiring upfront overallocation. - Over-Provisioning Capabilities:
Thin provisioning also enables the presentation of virtual volumes larger than the currently available physical storage. This allows systems to scale more easily by adding additional logical drives (such as RAID arrays) when needed, instead of allocating excessive space in advance.
However, there is a risk with thin provisioning that volumes may not receive additional space when needed if the storage pool is exhausted due to other rapidly growing volumes. To mitigate this, Infortrend includes a feature that allows administrators to reserve a minimum amount of space for specific thin-provisioned volumes, ensuring critical volumes can continue to operate without disruption.
See the sample screenshot below for creating a volume: