At which stage of configuring a virtual volume on VPLEX is the RAID level defined?

The RAID level for a virtual volume on VPLEX is defined at the device stage. Here’s the explanation:

Claimed Volume: This is the initial stage where a physical volume from a storage array is claimed by VPLEX. At this point, no RAID configuration is applied.

Extent: After claiming the volume, VPLEX divides it into extents, which are logical subdivisions of the claimed volume. Extents still do not have RAID configurations.

Device: This is the stage where RAID is applied. A VPLEX device is created from one or more extents, and it is at this point that the RAID level is defined.The device can be configured with various RAID levels, depending on the desired performance and redundancy requirements1.

Storage Volume: The term ‘storage volume’ typically refers to the physical storage on the array before it is claimed by VPLEX. It does not have a RAID level associated with it until it is claimed and turned into a VPLEX device.

By defining the RAID level at the device stage, VPLEX allows for flexibility and resilience in how data is stored and protected across the storage infrastructure.