how to add a diskbridge (aka a physicaldrive) via powershell

[erwan.l]

Hi,

Is there anyway to add a diskbridge thru powershell?

I have retrieved all possible methods and cannot see how to add a physicaldrive thru PS.

Get-Module starwindx -ListAvailable | % { $_.ExportedCommands.Values }

Code: Select all

CommandType     Name                                               ModuleName  
-----------     ----                                               ----------  
Function        Add-DDDevice                                       StarWindX   
Function        Add-HADevice                                       StarWindX   
Function        Add-HAPartner                                      StarWindX   
Function        Add-IBVDevice                                      StarWindX   
Function        Add-ImageDevice                                    StarWindX   
Function        Add-RamDevice                                      StarWindX   
Function        Add-VirtualTape                                    StarWindX   
Function        Add-VirtualTapeLibrary                             StarWindX   
Function        Enable-SWXLog                                      StarWindX   
Function        Get-Device                                         StarWindX   
Function        Get-DeviceID                                       StarWindX   
Function        Get-DevicePerf                                     StarWindX   
Function        Get-ServerPerf                                     StarWindX   
Function        Get-SWLicense                                      StarWindX   
Function        Get-SWXInstance                                    StarWindX   
Function        Get-TargetPerf                                     StarWindX   
Function        New-HAImageFile                                    StarWindX   
Function        New-IBVFile                                        StarWindX   
Function        New-ImageFile                                      StarWindX   
Function        New-Snapshot                                       StarWindX   
Function        New-Storage                                        StarWindX   
Function        New-SWServer                                       StarWindX   
Function        New-Target                                         StarWindX   
Function        Remove-Device                                      StarWindX   
Function        Remove-HAPartner                                   StarWindX   
Function        Remove-Snapshot                                    StarWindX   
Function        Remove-SWLicense                                   StarWindX   
Function        Remove-Target                                      StarWindX   
Function        Set-SWLicense                                      StarWindX   

Regards,
Erwan

[erwan.l]

Replying to myself
Seems this is not possible/implemented : see here https://forums.starwindsoftware.com/vie ... dge#p27777 .

Too bad as accessing a file or physical device is more or less the same thing from a programming pov IHMO.

[Boris (staff)]

Currently this feature is not yet implemented to be used via PowerShell.

[erwan.l]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Idea is to have multiple diskless computers boot over iscsi using differencing disks, in a lab environement.
This currently works nicely : i have documented it here http://labalec.fr/erwan/?p=1862 (create parent/master ... create child/differencing disks ... boot over iscsi).
Added to that, I wanted to stretch it further by automatizing the process (thru scripting) : each new disklesss computer would get a new target/device on first connection.

But i can live without the scripting part (since there is no support yet for the diskbridge device in the powershell interface).

Also, one extra note, not being able to use VHD in Starwind is a bit of pity.
I know I can use Starwind converter (or rename my fixed vhd to img) but I dont want to deal with monolithic/flat images : I want to use my host virtual disk capabilities (namely the differencing feature here) like I would in Windows server Iscsi target.
Currently, to work around that, I mount my differencing disks as physicaldrives and then use these physicaldrives as diskbridges in Starwind VSF ... hence my original question.

The above is a purely positive feedback and sugestion for the future : Starwind Virtual San Free is a great product already.

May be open the software to external plugins where one could develop its own libraries to handle new file formats?
I can see a set of exported functions in imagefile.dll : if these were documented, a developper could easily come with extra plugins to handle extra file formats.

[Boris (staff)]

Thank you for appreciation of StarWind VSAN.
At this point, there has not been any information available regarding opening the software to external plugins. If there is any move towards this in the future, you will definitely see it in the Release Notes at https://www.starwindsoftware.com/release-notes-build