> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.glesys.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.glesys.com/products/storage/block-storage/quickstart.md).
# Quickstart
Create, attach and mount your first block storage volume.
***
You create, manage, and delete block storage volumes independently of your virtual machines under **Storage → Block storage**. From here, you can also attach and detach the block storage volumes to and from your VMs. While a block storage volume is attached, it's also possible to resize it. You can only increase a block storage volume, not decrease it.
## Create a block storage volume
1. Click **Block Storage** under **Storage** in the left-hand menu.
2. Click **Create**.
3. Choose a name, data center location, tier, and size for the volume.
4. Click **Create volume**.
5. Once the volume is ready, note down the WWN identification string. You'll need it later when creating a filesystem and mounting it.
## Attach the volume to a KVM virtual machine
From the overview page of the newly created volume, click **Attach** and select the correct virtual machine. Then, click **Attach**.
## Create a filesystem on the volume
{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Linux" %}
Start by verifying that the volume is in fact attached to the virtual machine. List the files in `/dev/disk/by-id/` and look for the WWN that matches the WWN from the control panel. For example, if the WWN in the control panel is `3fa0d41402141ef7`, then the file in `/dev/disk/by-id/` will be `wwn-0x3fa0d41402141ef7`.
First, create a partition table and a partition on the new volume. Double-check the WWN to avoid wiping the wrong disk or volume! When using the `print` command in `parted` below, also make sure that the model says `GLESYS REMOTE DISK`.
sudo parted /dev/disk/by-id/wwn-0x3fa0d41402141ef7
GNU Parted 3.6
Using /dev/sdb
Welcome to GNU Parted! Type 'help' to view a list of commands.
(parted) print
Error: /dev/sdb: unrecognised disk label
Model: GLESYS REMOTE DISK (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 10.7GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 4096B/4096B
Partition Table: unknown
Disk Flags:
(parted) mklabel gpt
(parted) mkpart primary 1MiB 100%
(parted) quit
Information: You may need to update /etc/fstab.
You should now have a partition on the volume; verify it by listing all files related to the WWN.
ls /dev/disk/by-id/wwn-0x3fa0d41402141ef7*
/dev/disk/by-id/wwn-0x3fa0d41402141ef7
/dev/disk/by-id/wwn-0x3fa0d41402141ef7-part1
Now, let's create a filesystem on the partition, `part1`. To not reserve any space on the partition for root, include the `-m 0` option as shown here.
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Windows Server" %}
Start by verifying which disk corresponds to the WWN in the virtual machine with the WWN in the control panel. This prevents you from operating on the wrong disk.
Start a PowerShell terminal and run the following command. Look for the WWN from the control panel and match it to a disk.
Get-Disk | Select-Object Number, FriendlyName, UniqueId
Number FriendlyName UniqueId
------ ------------ --------
0 GLESYS LOCAL DISK 34CE12CC9399D6F5
1 GLESYS REMOTE DISK 3DD0446B90C484F1
In this case, disk number 1 matches the WWN from the control panel.
Open **Computer Management** by searching for it in the Start menu.
Once inside Computer Management, select **Disk Management** under **Storage**. Right-click on the disk number that corresponds to the WWN from the previous step (in this case, **Disk 1**). Select **Online**.
Right-click the same disk again, but this time select **Initialize Disk**.
Leave the defaults as-is in the dialog box (**Disk 1** and **GPT**). Click **OK**.
Right-click on the unallocated disk space and select **New Simple Volume...**
Click **Next** to start the guide. Leave the default value for the volume size to use the entire volume. Click **Next**.
Select a desired drive letter for the new volume, or leave it at the default. Click **Next**.
Leave all the default settings as-is (Filesystem: NTFS, Allocation unit size: Default), but give the volume a label so you can identify it later. Here, we've given it the name *Block Storage 1*.
Make sure **Perform a quick format** is checked.
Click **Next**.
If everything looks okay in the summary, click **Finish**.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}
## Mount the volume
{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Linux" %}
Start by creating a mount point for the volume, for example, under `/mnt`.
sudo mkdir /mnt/lab-volume1
Mount the volume in the newly created directory.
sudo mount /dev/disk/by-id/wwn-0x3fa0d41402141ef7-part1 /mnt/lab-volume1
To automatically mount the volume on server boot, add it to `/etc/fstab`. For more information about the `nofail` option (whether to include it or not), see [Format and mount a volume](/products/storage/block-storage/how-tos/format-and-mount-a-volume.md).
Remember to change the WWN and the mount point to match your system and volume.
{% code title="New line in /etc/fstab." %}
```
/dev/disk/by-id/wwn-0x3fa0d41402141ef7-part1 /mnt/lab-volume1 ext4 defaults,nofail 0 0
```
{% endcode %}
Reload the `systemd` daemon so it recognizes the new mount.
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
To make sure you typed everything correctly, unmount the volume and mount it again by using only the mount point.
sudo umount /mnt/lab-volume1
sudo mount /mnt/lab-volume1
If no error messages are shown, the line is correct.
Remember to remove the line from `/etc/fstab` if you detach the block storage volume from the VM.
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Windows Server" %}
Windows automatically mounts the volume once it's formatted using the above steps. You should be able to see the new block storage volume in **This PC**.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}
