Adaptec ATA II 1420SA What You Need to Know Before You Begin, Terminology Used in this Guide

Chapter 1: About This Guide ● 11

What You Need to Know Before You Begin

You should be familiar with computer hardware, data storage, Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) technology, and the input/output (I/O) technology—SATA—used by your HostRAID controller.

You should also be familiar with Direct Attached Storage (DAS) and Storage Area Network (SAN) concepts and technology.

Terminology Used in this Guide

Because you can use your HostRAID controller to manage data storage in a variety of configurations from DAS to SAN, the generic term “storage space” is used to refer to controller(s) and disk drives being managed with Adaptec Storage ManagerTM or the other utilities described in this Guide.

Many of the terms and concepts referred to in this Guide are known to computer users by multiple names. This Guide uses these terms:

●Controller (also known as adapter, board, or card)

●Disk drive (also known as hard disk, hard drive, or hard disk drive)

●Array (also known as a container or logical drive)

Note: The Adaptec Storage Manager User’s Guide refers to arrays as logical drives. Why? Your HostRAID controller creates arrays, which your operating system (and Adaptec Storage Manager) recognizes as logical drives.

How to Find More Information

You can find more information about your HostRAID controller and the software and utilities included with it by referring to these documents:

●Readme.txt—Includes updated product information and known issues; located on the HostRAID Installation CD.

●Adaptec Storage Manager User’s Guide—Describes how to install and use the Adaptec Storage Manager software (see page 36); located on the Adaptec Storage Manager Installation CD.

●Adaptec Storage Manager online Help—Describes how to use the Adaptec Storage Manager software; accessible from the main window of Adaptec Storage Manager.