GPT partition support

SnapDrive supports the GUID partition table (GPT) partitioning style on new LUNs created by SnapDrive when you have Data ONTAP 7.2.6 or later installed on your storage system.

GPT shared LUNs are supported with Windows Server 2008 and with Windows Server 2003 when Microsoft hotfix 919117 is installed.

Neither SnapDrive nor Data ONTAP support MBR LUNs that are converted to GPT-style LUNs. If you have an existing MBR-style LUN, rather than converting, you must create a new GPT LUN using SnapDrive, then copy all the data from the MBR LUN to the GPT LUN.

Note: GPT LUNS have a Microsoft reserved partition (MSR), which is invisible to applications like Disk Management and the Windows Explorer. When you create a LUN that has the GPT partition style, the LUN size appears smaller than the size you specified when you created it. This is due to the space used by the MSR. To create a GPT LUN that is less than 16 GB, you must have at least 32 MB of space available for the MSR. For GPT LUNs greater than or equal to 16 GB, you must have at least 128 MBs for MSR space.