
Understanding arrays
Understanding arrays
You can create an array at any time. The table below describes the drive requirements for each RAID level.
RAID Level |
| Minimum No. of Drives | Maximum No. of Drives |
|
|
|
|
0 | 1 | 12 | |
|
|
|
|
1 | 2 | 12 | |
|
|
|
|
5 | 3 | 12 | |
|
|
|
|
50 | 6 | 12 | |
|
|
|
|
10 (Mirrored) | 4 | 12 | |
|
|
| |
Important |
| Before you create more than one array, you must be sure | |
| |||
|
| that your host operating system supports multiple Logical | |
|
| Unit Numbers (LUNs). Most operating systems do support | |
|
| multiple LUNs, or have an option for it. If your operating | |
|
| system does not support multiple LUNs, the host will only | |
|
| be able to see one array at the first disk LUN. | |
|
|
|
|
Terminology
The following describes the terminology used when creating and managing arrays.
Term | Description |
|
|
Array | A group of drives that are combined together to create a |
| single large storage area. Up to 64 arrays are supported, |
| each containing up to 12 drives per array. There is no limit |
| for the drive size in the arrays. |
|
|
Chunk Size | This is the amount of data that is written on a single drive |
| before the controller moves to the next drive in the stripe. |
|
|
Stripe Size | This is the number of data drives multiplied by the chunk |
| size. |
|
|
Cache Flush Array | This is the array that is used to automatically flush cache |
| data in the situation where power has failed to some of the |
| drives. |
|
|
www.gateway.com | 19 |