SUPER MICRO Computer P8SC8, P8SCI Configuring Intel ICH6R Sata RAID Function, Serial ATA Sata

Appendix C: Software Installation

Appendix C

Installing Software Programs and Drivers

(*Note: if you do not wish to configure onboard SATA RAID functions, please go directly to Section C-5 on Page C-22 for Operating System & Other Software

Installation.)

After all the hardware has been installed, you must first configure Intel's ICH6R SATA RAID (*Note) before you install the Windows Operating System, and other software drivers. The necessary drivers are all included on the Supermicro CDs that came packaged with your motherboard.

C-1 Configuring Intel ICH6R SATA RAID Function

To configure SATARAID functions, you must first configure the RAID Level that you desire in the Intel ICH6R SATA RAID Utility program before you install the Windows XP/2000 operating system, and other software drivers. The necessary drivers are all included on the Supermicro CDs that came packaged with your motherboard. (*Note: the current version of ICH6R SATA RAID Utility can only support Windows XP/2000 Operating System.)

Serial ATA (SATA)

Serial ATA(SATA) is a physical storage interface. It uses a single cable with a minimum of four wires to create a point-to-point connection between devices. It is a serial link which supports SATA Transfer rates up to 150MBps. Because the serial cables used in SATA are thinner than the traditional cables used in Parallel ATA(PATA), SATA systems have better airflow and can be installed in smaller chassis than Parallel ATA. In addition, the cables used in PATA can only extend to 40cm long, while Serial ATA cables can extend up to one meter. Overall, Serial ATA provides better functionality than Parallel ATA.

Introduction to Intel ICH6R SerialRAID

Located in the South Bridge of the E7221 Copper River Chipset, the I/O Control- ler Hub (ICH6R) provides the I/O subsystem with access to the rest of the system. It supports one-channel Ultra ATA/100 Bus Master IDE controller (PATA) and Serial ATA (SATA) Host Controller, which supports up to four Serial ATA ports and up to two sets of RAID drives. The ICH6R supports the following Parallel ATA (PATA) and Serial (SATA) device configurations:

ATA Operation Modes

You can select from the following two modes: Legacy mode and Native mode.

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