Glossary Term

DASD (Direct Access Storage Device)

The internal disk storage drives attached to an IBM i partition, forming the physical basis of its disk pools.

Definition

DASD refers to the physical disk drives, historically and still commonly used as the term for IBM i storage, whether housed internally in the server or in an attached expansion enclosure. DASD performance and capacity directly shape ASP disk pool behavior and overall system responsiveness.

Storage sizing conversations usually start with DASD busy percentage and available headroom before buyers compare expansion, external SAN attachment, or flash storage options.

Example

A performance review showing high DASD busy percentage during batch windows often points to a storage capacity or throughput upgrade need.