A method and system for automating the creation of a managed data storage system.
Specifically the present invention describes an automated method for building,
evaluating and repairing a managed set of disk storage devices utilizing a rule
based expert system operating on a host computer. The system allocates available
disks and controllers according to a predetermined size requirement and a set of
rules. The set of rules designates a layout that provides optimum performance.
The system also evaluates the layout by utilizing a set of rules to test reliability
and comparative analysis to test performance. The system performs self-repairs
in the event of a component failure and generates a notification of the failure
and an analysis of the degradation of the system resulting from the failure so
replacement components might be obtained.