A new LUN is offline and has no partition or file system when a Windows host first discovers it. You must bring the volume online and initialize it in Windows. Optionally, you can format the LUN with a file system.
Before you begin
The host must have discovered the LUN.
About this task
You can initialize the disk as a basic disk with a GPT or MBR partition table. Typically, you format the LUN with a file system such as New Technology File System (NTFS).
Steps
- From a Windows command prompt, enter the diskpart context.
Example
- View the list of available disks.
Example
- Select the disk to bring online.
Example
- Bring the disk online.
Example
- Create a partition.
Example
> create partition primary
Note: In Windows Server 2008 and later, you are prompted immediately after creating the partition to format the disk and give it a name. Select Cancel on the prompt to continue using these instructions for formatting and naming the partition.
- Assign a drive letter.
Example
- Format the disk.
Example
> format FS=NTFS LABEL=”New Volume” QUICK
- Exit the diskpart context.
Example