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2.1
Setting up RAID
The RAID card supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 set(s).
2.1.1
RAID definitions
RAID 0 (Data striping) optimizes two identical hard disk drives to read and write
data in parallel, interleaved stacks. Two hard disks perform the same work as a
single drive but at a sustained data transfer rate, double that of a single disk alone,
thus improving data access and storage. Use of two new identical hard disk drives
is required for this setup.
RAID 1 (Data mirroring) copies and maintains an identical image of data from
one drive to a second drive. If one drive fails, the disk array management software
directs all applications to the surviving drive as it contains a complete copy of
the data in the other drive. This RAID configuration provides data protection and
increases fault tolerance to the entire system. Use two new drives or use an
existing drive and a new drive for this setup. The new drive must be of the same
size or larger than the existing drive.
RAID 5 stripes both data and parity information across three or more hard
disk drives. Among the advantages of RAID 5 configuration include better
HDD performance, fault tolerance, and higher storage capacity. The RAID
5 configuration is best suited for transaction processing, relational database
applications, enterprise resource planning, and other business systems. Use a
minimum of three identical hard disk drives for this setup.
RAID 10 is data striping and data mirroring combined without parity (redundancy
data) having to be calculated and written. With the RAID 10* configuration you get
all the benefits of both RAID 0 and RAID 1 configurations. Use four new hard disk
drives or use an existing drive and three new drives for this setup.
If you want to boot the system from a hard disk drive included in a created RAID
set, copy first the RAID driver from the support CD to a floppy disk before you
install an operating system to the selected hard disk drive.
2.1.2
Installing hard disk drives
The RAID card supports SAS hard disk drives for RAID set configuration. For
optimal performance, install identical drives of the same model and capacity when
creating a disk array.
To install SAS hard disk drives for RAID configuration
1.
Install the SAS drives into the drive bays following the instructions in the
system user guide.
2.
Connect a SAS signal cable to the signal connector at the SAS backplane or
on the back of the SAS drive.
3.
Connect a power cable to the power connector at the SAS backplane or on
the back of the SAS drive.
2-2
Chapter 2: RAID configuration
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