The Virtual Disk Service (VDS) provides a single interface to manage block storage virtualization, whether it is managed in the operating system software, the redundant array of independent disks (RAID) storage hardware subsystems, or other virtualization engines.

VDS provides a vendor-neutral and technology-neutral interface to manage logical volumes (software) and logical units (hardware). You can use this interface to manage bind operations, topology discovery and tracking, volume status, and fault tracking.

The service is started only when an application attempts to use VDS. When the service stops, VDS is no longer available.

This service is installed by default in Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7, and its startup type is Manual.

When VDS is started in its default configuration, it logs on by using the Local System account.

VDS is dependent upon the following system components:

• Plug and Play
• Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
• DCOM Server Process Launcher
• RPC Endpoint Mapper