Virtual Disk Service Tools and Settings

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

In this section

  • Virtual Disk Service Tools

  • Virtual Disk Service Registry Entries

Virtual Disk Service Tools

The following tools are associated with Virtual Disk Service (VDS).

DiskPart.exe: DiskPart

Category

Windows Server 2003 operating system tool

Version compatibility

All versions of DiskPart in the Windows Server 2003 family are identical. DiskPart includes a few 64-bit parameters that are only available on Itanium-based computers.

DiskPart is a text-mode command interpreter that you can use to manage objects (disks, partitions, or volumes) by using automated scripts or commands from a command prompt.

DiskRAID.exe: RAID configuration tool

Category

Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit tool

Version compatibility

DiskRAID is not included in the Windows Server 2003 operating system. DiskRAID is included with the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit tools.

DiskRAID is a text-mode command interpreter. You can use DiskRAID to manage hardware devices that have VDS hardware providers by using automated scripts or commands from a command prompt. You can use DiskRAID to configure and manage redundant array of independent disks (RAID) storage subsystems.

To find more information about DiskRAID, see Resource Kit Tools in Tools and Settings Collection.

Dskmgmt.msc: Disk Management

Category

Windows Server 2003 operating system tool

Version compatibility

All versions of the Disk Management snap-in in the Windows Server 2003 family are identical.

You can use the Disk Management snap-in to remotely manage disks and volumes on other computers running Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003.

Mountvol.exe: Mountvol

Category

Windows Server 2003 operating system tool

Version compatibility

All versions of the Mountvol command-line tool in the Windows Server 2003 family are identical. Mountvol includes a few 64-bit parameters that are only available on Itanium-based computers.

Mountvol creates, deletes, or lists volume mount points. You can use Mountvol to link volumes without using drive letters.

Virtual Disk Service Registry Entries

The following registry entries are associated with VDS. For more information about the registry, see the Registry Reference in Tools and Settings Collection.

The information here is provided as a reference for use in troubleshooting or verifying that the required settings are applied. It is recommended that you do not directly edit the registry unless there is no other alternative. Modifications to the registry are not validated by the registry editor or by Windows before they are applied, and as a result, incorrect values can be stored. This can result in unrecoverable errors in the system. When possible, use Group Policy or other Windows tools, such as Microsoft Management Console (MMC), to accomplish tasks rather than editing the registry directly. If you must edit the registry, use extreme caution.

The following sections describe the VDS registry entries that are listed below \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Vds. The headings represent the next level in the path after \Vds. For example, Debuglog is equal to \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Vds\Debuglog.

Debuglog

Level
Registry path

\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Vds\Debuglog\Level

Version

Windows Server 2003 family

Sets the level of logging for VDS.

Use Registry Editor to add a decimal value named Level. Stop and restart the service after changing.

VDS Log Options

Item Logged Bitmask Number

Errors

1

Warnings

2

Trace

4

Information

8

Set the value by adding the bitmask numbers of the values you want to log. For example, decimal 3 logs errors (1) and warnings (2). Decimal 9 logs errors (1) and information (8). The range for this value is 0-15. Set the value to 0xF (decimal 15) to log all items.

SoftwareProviders

Registry path

\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Vds\SoftwareProviders

Version

Windows Server 2003 family

Stores the globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) and attributes of the software providers that are registered with VDS.

VDS supplies a class identifier (Clsid) for the service loader and service objects, but only the service loader Clsid is public. The service is initialized when the providers, a calling application, and the service perform the following tasks:

  • Each new provider invokes the IVdsAdmin::RegisterProvider method during installation to register with VDS. The call creates a registry key under either the SoftwareProviders or the HardwareProviders key (depending on the provider type), which is identified by the object GUID of the provider. The Clsid of the provider object is contained under this key. It includes the provider's name, version, and version GUID.

Note

  • Object GUIDs of the provider are persistent. Software and hardware object GUIDs are not.

  • An application calls the CoCreateInstance function and passes the service loader Clsid as an argument. With a pointer to the service loader object, the application can start VDS locally or remotely by passing the desired computer name as a parameter to the IVdsServiceLoader::LoadService method.

  • When the initial application attaches to the service, VDS first calls CoCreateInstance on each Clsid found under the SoftwareProviders and HardwareProviders registry keys, and then calls the IVdsProviderPrivate::OnLoad method on each provider to start the programs.

HardwareProviders

Registry path

\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Vds\HardwareProviders

Version

Windows Server 2003 family

Stores the globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) and attributes of the non-Microsoft hardware providers that are registered with VDS. VDS requires these GUIDs to be able to connect to and manage the storage hardware. When VDS starts, it loads all registered hardware providers.

VDS supplies a class identifier (Clsid) for the service loader and service objects, but only the service loader Clsid is public. The service is initialized when the providers, a calling application, and the service perform the following tasks:

  • Each new provider invokes the IVdsAdmin::RegisterProvider method during installation to register with VDS. The call creates a registry key under either the SoftwareProviders or the HardwareProviders key (depending on the provider type), which is identified by the object GUID of the provider. The Clsid of the provider object is contained under this key. It includes the provider's name, version, and version GUID.

Note

  • Object GUIDs of the provider are persistent; software and hardware object GUIDs are not.

  • An application calls the CoCreateInstance function, and passes the service loader Clsid as an argument. With a pointer to the service loader object, the application can start VDS locally or remotely by passing the desired computer name as a parameter to the IVdsServiceLoader::LoadService method.

  • When the initial application attaches to the service, VDS first calls CoCreateInstance on each Clsid found under the SoftwareProviders and HardwareProviders registry keys, and then calls the IVdsProviderPrivate::OnLoad method on each provider to start the programs.