Promise Technology 150TX2 user manual RAID 0 Stripe, RAID 1 Mirror, RAID 0+1 Stripe + Mirror

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FastTrak S150 TX2plus User Manual

Q:How does the FastTrak S150 TX2plus RAID controller provide storage and/or data protection with their arrays?

A:FastTrak S150 TX2plus implements three different types of RAID levels as follows:

RAID 0 (Stripe)

For capacity – The FastTrak S150 TX2plus array will be as big as the smallest HDD in the array times however many HDDs are in the array. Any larger HDDs will simply be truncated. The truncated space on the bigger HDDs will then be unusable.

For sustained data transfers – Using FastTrak S150 TX2plus, a RAID 0 array consisting of two HDDs will transfer at about twice the speed of the slowest HDD in the array. A RAID 0 array consisting of four HDDs will transfer at about three times the speed of the slowest HDD in the array.

RAID 1 (Mirror)

For capacity – The FastTrak S150 TX2plus array will be as big as the smallest HDD in the array. The larger HDD will simply be truncated. The truncated space on the bigger HDD will then be unusable.

For sustained data transfers – The FastTrak S150 TX2plus array will write data at the rate of the slowest HDD in the array. The FastTrak S150 TX2plus array will read data at twice the rate of the slowest HDD in the array.

RAID 0+1 (Stripe + Mirror)

For capacity – The FastTrak S150 TX2plus array will be twice as big as the smallest HDD in the array. The larger HDD will be truncated. The truncated space on the larger HDD will then be unusable.

For sustained data transfers – The FastTrak S150 TX2plus array will write data at twice the rate of the slowest HDD in the array. The FastTrak S150 TX2plus array will read data at twice the rate of the slowest HDD in the array.

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Contents Fasttrak S150 TX2PLUS Copyright TrademarksImportant Data Protection Information Contents Page Introduction FastTrak S150 TX2plusPromise Array Management Utility PAM Key Features and Benefits Features BenefitsCompatibility Installation Unpacking Your FastTrak CardInstalling the FastTrak Card Insert the FastTrak card into an open PCI slotInstalling the Hard Drives FastTrak S150 TX2plus card Creating Your Disk Array Creating a Performance Array Creating a Security Array with New Drives Page Creating a Security Array with an Existing Data Drive Seagate S380023AS Installation Creating a Security Array with Quick Initialization Installation Page Using FastBuild Configuration Utility Viewing FastTrak S150 TX2plus Bios ScreenNavigating the FastBuild Setup Menu Using the Main MenuCreating Arrays Automatically Optimize Array forPerformance Security Security and PerformanceUsing a Hot Spare Drive Viewing Drive Assignments Creating Multiple ArraysManually Creating an Array Selecting Array Type Selecting Stripe BlockGigabyte Boundary Assigning Drives to Array Creating a Striped ArrayCreating a Mirrored Array Using New Drives Adding Fault Tolerance to an Existing Drive Drive Model Capacity MB Page Creating a Hot Spare Drive for Mirrored Arrays How FastTrak S150 TX2plus Orders ArraysHow FastTrak S150 TX2plus Saves Array Information Deleting an Array Array Stripe 160048 Rebuilding a Mirrored Array 80024 Page Installing Software Drivers Procedure NumberWindows XP Installation Existing Windows XP Installation Confirming Windows XP Driver InstallationNew Windows 2000 Installation Existing Windows 2000 Installation Confirming Windows 2000 Driver InstallationNew Windows ME Installation Existing Windows ME Installation Confirming Windows ME Driver InstallationNew Windows NT4.0 Installation Existing Windows NT4.0 Installation Removing Driver from Windows NT4.0New Windows 98 Installation Existing Windows 98 Installation Confirming Windows 98 Driver InstallationPage About Adapter Bios FastBuild Auto Menu SetupAbout FastTrak S150 TX2plus Reserve SectorRAID Level Performance Fault Capacity No. Tolerance Drives Disk Array TermsDisk Array Description Disk Array MemberAbout RAID Levels Striping RAIDMirroring RAID Data Mirror Disk DrivesDisk Array Concepts Striping / Mirroring RAID 0+1 Motherboard Issues Configuring PCI IRQ resourcesIntermittent data problems Freeing additional IRQ resourcesSystem Cmos Issues Using an Onboard IDE Card with FastTrak S150 TX2plusDrive-Related Errors Critical Array Status Error Reported during BootDrive cannot be formed into an array System Cmos displays C or D drive failure during StartupUnable to Partition or Format Array Cannot Rebuild Mirrored RAID 1 Array Operating System-Related Issues Promise Windows driver does not appear in Device ManagerTroubleshooting & Tips Performance Tips Optimize Array for PerformanceChange Setting of PCI Bus Utilization Page Appendix a Frequently Asked Questions Pre-InstallationRAID 0 Stripe RAID 1 MirrorRAID 0+1 Stripe + Mirror Drive Issues Page Installation Issues Post-InstallationPage Technical Support Services USA Tech Support CenterEuropean Tech Support Pacific Rim Sales Office China OfficeLimited Warranty Disclaimer of other warrantiesYour Responsibilities Returning Product for Repair