Dell XPS 420 owner manual Configuring Your Computer for RAID

book.book Page 32 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

serial ATA RAID configured for RAID level 1

segment 1

segment 2

segment 3

segment 4

segment 5

segment 6

hard drive 1

segment 1 duplicated

segment 2 duplicated

segment 3 duplicated

segment 4 duplicated

segment 5 duplicated

segment 6 duplicated

hard drive 2

If a drive failure occurs, subsequent read and write operations are directed to the surviving drive. A replacement drive can then be rebuilt using the data from the surviving drive.

NOTE: In a RAID level 1 configuration, the size of the configuration is equal to the size of the smallest drive in the configuration.

Configuring Your Computer for RAID

Your computer can be configured for RAID, even if you did not select a RAID configuration when the computer was purchased. You must have at least two hard drives installed in your computer to set up a RAID configuration. For an explanation of RAID levels, see "About Your RAID Configuration" on page 30. For instructions on how to install a hard drive, see "Installing a Hard Drive" on page 130.

You can use one of two methods to configure RAID hard drive volumes. The first method uses the Intel® RAID Option ROM utility and is performed before you install the operating system onto the hard drive. The second method uses the Intel® Application Accelerator and is performed after you have installed the operating system.

Both methods require that you set your computer to RAID-enabled mode before beginning any of the RAID configuration procedures in this document.

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Setting Up and Using Your Computer