Configuring Your System 3-21Configuring the RAID ControllerRAID (Redundant Array of Independent Devices) options are available for yoursystem, providing added security and high availability.If you order a system with a RAID controller, the system is pre-configured atthe factory according to Table 3-2 below.Table 3-2. RAID ConfigurationsNumber ofHard DrivesRAID LevelConfiguredHard Drives inArray Description1 7 1 JBOD (RAID 7) Known as Just a Bunch of Drives,JBOD allows the controller to access the drivesindependently. This configuration has no redundancyand does not use striping.2 1 2 Mirroring (RAID 1) Drives are paired and mirrored.All data is 100% duplicated on an equivalent drive(fully redundant).3 5 3 Striping with Parity (RAID 5) Data is striped acrossseveral physical drives. Parity protection is used fordata redundancy.4 or more 5 4 (one standbydrive)Striping with Parity (RAID 5) with a standby driveThe array consists of three ON-LINE drives and oneSTANDBY drive. The standby replacement drive, orhot spare, is one of the most important features RAIDprovides to achieve automatic, non-stop service with ahigh degree of fault-tolerance.If you want to change the RAID level or add additional hard disks to the array,use the RAID configuration utility. The RAID configuration utility is includedwith the RAID controller.If you are adding the RAID controller to an existing system, the RAIDconfiguration utility allows you to configure your disk array before reinstallingyour network operating system. The RAID controllers support various versionsof RAID technology (referred to as RAID levels). To use any RAID level, youmust configure the RAID controller using the RAID configuration utility priorto installing your Network Operating System. For an explanation of this utility,refer to the documentation that was shipped with the RAID controller. Itdescribes RAID technology and provides tips on making your array performwell in your specific application. It also covers array hardware preparation,configuration, and initialization. After completing the steps in the manual, youcan install your Network Operating System.If you want to remotely configure the array (from a PC client); increase arraycapacity online; or monitor statistics on disk and controller activity, you mustinstall the array manager provided with your RAID subsystem. Increasing arraycapacity is covered in the user's guide shipped with the option.
