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Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) is Microsoft’s software-defined storage feature for Windows Server and Azure Local. It combines drives installed in clustered servers into a shared storage pool, then uses that pool to create resilient volumes. Unlike a traditional external storage area network (SAN), S2D builds shared storage from the servers’ own drives.
How Storage Spaces Direct works
S2D makes drives physically attached to cluster nodes available as a pool that the cluster can use. Administrators create volumes from that pool; Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVs) make those volumes accessible across the cluster. The volumes can hold virtual machine files or other supported workloads.
Several Windows technologies work together in the S2D storage stack:
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- Failover Clustering coordinates the servers as a cluster.
- Software Storage Bus makes each node’s local drives available across the cluster.
- Storage Spaces creates virtual disks and provides resiliency layouts.
- Cluster Shared Volumes provide cluster-wide access to volumes.
- SMB 3 supports the file-serving path used in converged deployments.
- ReFS is part of the described storage stack.
The result is shared, software-defined storage built from local drives, rather than storage supplied by a separate traditional SAN. Microsoft describes S2D as a way to create a highly available storage pool for Windows Server scenarios without deploying and maintaining a separate traditional SAN (Microsoft Learn training module).
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How S2D protects data
Storage Spaces can arrange data using mirroring, erasure coding, or a combination of the two. These layouts provide resiliency across drives and servers, but the protection level depends on the chosen configuration. The term “resilient” alone does not specify how many drive or server failures a particular deployment can tolerate; that depends on its layout and design.
Hyperconverged and converged deployments
S2D supports two broad cluster layouts. The main difference is whether the same cluster runs workloads and provides storage, or whether a dedicated storage cluster serves a separate compute cluster.
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| Deployment pattern | Cluster layout | How storage is presented | Operational consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyperconverged | Compute and storage run on the same cluster. | Workloads such as Hyper-V virtual machines use volumes on that cluster. | Compute and storage capacity are managed and expanded together. |
| Converged | A dedicated storage cluster is separate from the compute cluster. | The storage cluster typically serves file shares over SMB 3. | Compute and storage can be scaled separately, but the design depends on the file-serving layer and network path. |
Windows Server documentation describes both patterns; Azure Local supports the hyperconverged pattern. Choose between them based on workload placement, how storage should be presented, and whether separate compute and storage scaling justify the additional cluster and network path (Microsoft’s S2D overview).
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For a Windows Server deployment, Microsoft’s deployment guide identifies Datacenter Edition as a requirement. It calls for high-bandwidth, low-latency networking, specifies a minimum of 10-GbE, and recommends RDMA. RoCE deployments may require switch configuration; Microsoft notes that iWARP is easier to set up. Check the current Windows Server deployment guide for the supported configuration and steps.
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Hardware compatibility is also configuration-specific. Microsoft requires systems, components, devices, and drivers to be certified for the operating system in use, and the fully configured cluster must pass cluster validation. Its hardware guidance recommends validated partner hardware and software solutions for Azure Local. Consult the current S2D hardware requirements before selecting equipment; compatibility should not be assumed from a server or drive’s general specifications alone.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When S2D may fit
S2D is relevant when an organization wants cluster-based shared storage assembled from drives in its servers rather than a separate traditional SAN. A hyperconverged design places storage and workloads together; a converged design keeps them in separate clusters and commonly presents storage through SMB 3. Either way, the deployment depends on a supported Windows Server or Azure Local configuration, resilient storage design, and suitable networking and validated hardware.
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