Dell About RAID Configurations

About RAID Configurations
This section provides an overview of the RAID configuration that you may have selected when you purchased your computer. A number of RAID configurations
are available in the computer industry for different types of uses. The Dell mini tower and desktop models of your OptiPlex computer support RAID level 0 and
RAID level 1. (RAID support is not available for the small form factor model.) A RAID level 0 configuration is recommended for high-performance programs, while
RAID level 1 is recommended for users that desire a high level of data integrity.
The NVIDIA RAID controller on your computer can only create a RAID level configuration using two physical drives. The drives should be the same size to
ensure that the larger drive does not contain unallocated (and therefore unusable) space.
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Verifying That RAID Is Working
Your computer displays information pertaining to your RAID configuration at start-up, before loading the operating system. If RAID is not configured, the
message none defined appears under RAID Volumes, followed by a list of the physical drives installed in your computer. If a RAID volume is identified, you can
then check the Status field to determine the current state of your RAID configuration. The Status field contains information about the following conditions:
lNormal — Your RAID configuration is functioning properly.
lDegraded — One of your hard drives has failed. The computer is still bootable; however, RAID is not functioning and data is not being copied to the
other drive.
lRebuild — Following a degraded condition, the computer has detected the replacement/connection of a secondary hard drive and will automatically
restore the RAID configuration the next time the operating system loads.
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RAID Level 0 Configuration
RAID level 0 uses a storage technique known as data striping to provide a high data-access rate. Data striping is a method of writing consecutive segments, or
stripes, of data sequentially across the physical drive(s) to create a large virtual drive. Data striping allows one of the drives to read data while the other drive
is searching for and reading the next block.
Another advantage of a RAID level 0 configuration is that it utilizes the full storage capacities of the drives. For example, two 120-GB hard drives combine to
provide 240 GB of hard drive space on which to store data.
Sleep Mode
Wake-Up Methods (Windows XP)
Standby
lPress the power button
lAuto power on
lMove or click the mouse
lType on the keyboard
lUSB device activity
lPower management event
Hibernate
lPress the power button
lAuto power on
lPower management event
Shutdown
lPress the power button
lAuto power on
lPower management event
NOTE: For more information on power management, see your operating system documentation.
NOTICE: In order to use the migrating option to convert a RAID configuration without losing data, your hard drive must initially be set up as a single
driveRAID0arraybeforetheoperatingsystemisloadedontothedrive(seeUsing the NVIDIA MediaShield ROM Utility for instructions).
NOTE: RAID levels do not represent a hierarchy. A RAID level 1 configuration is not inherently better or worse than a RAID level 0 configuration.
NOTE: If you purchased your Dell computer with RAID, your computer has been configured with two hard drives that are the same size.
NOTICE: Because a RAID level 0 configuration provides no data redundancy, a failure of one drive results in the loss of all data. To protect your data
when using a RAID level 0 configuration, perform regular backups.