4-1-4 Serial ATA BIOS Setting Utility Introduction

RAID Levels

RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a method of combining two hard disk drives into one logical unit. The advantage of an Array is to provide better performance or data fault tolerance. Fault tolerance is achieved through data redundant operation, where if one drives fails, a mirrored copy of the data can be found on another drive. This can prevent data loss if the operating system fails or hangs. The individual disk drives in an array are called members. The configuration information of each member is recorded in the reserved sector that identifies the drive as a member. All disk members in a formed disk array are recognized as a single physical drive to the operating system.

Hard disk drives can be combined together through a few different methods. The different methods are referred to as different RAID levels. Different RAID levels represent different performance levels, security levels and implementation costs. The RAID levels which the Intel® ICH7R chipset supports are RAID 0 , RAID 1, RAID 0+1, and RAID 5.

RAID 0 (Striping)

RAID 0 reads and writes sectors of data interleaved between multiple drives. If any disk member fails, it affects the entire array. The disk array data capacity is equal to the number of drive members times the capacity of the smallest member. The Intel RAID striping block size can be set from 4KB to 64KB. RAID 0 does not support fault tolerance.

RAID 1 (Mirroring)

RAID 1 writes duplicate data onto a pair of drives and reads both sets of data in parallel. If one of the mirrored drives suffers a mechanical failure or does not respond, the remaining drive will continue to function. Due to redundancy, the drive capacity of the array is the capacity of the smallest drive. Under a RAID 1 setup, an extra drive called the spare drive can be attached. Such a drive will be activated to replace a failed drive that is part of a mirrored array. Due to the fault tolerance, if any RAID 1 drive fails, data access will not be affected as long as there are other working drives in the array.

RAID 0+1 (Striping + Mirroring)

RAID 0+1 combines the performance of data striping (RAID 0) and the fault tolerance of disk mirroring (RAID 1). Data is striped across multiple drives and duplicated on another set of drives.

RAID 5 (Striping with Parity)

RAID 5 provides good fault tolerance and allows for overlapped I/O operations. Under a RAID 5 setup, data and parity information are equally distributed to each disk member in the array. If any one of the drives fails, the remaining drive will continue to function. After replacing the failed drive, you can rebuild the data from the remaining data and parity. Only one drive can be safely crash without any data loss.

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Appendix

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Intel GA-8I955X PRO, GA-8I955X ROYAL user manual Serial ATA Bios Setting Utility Introduction, RAID Levels
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GA-8I955X PRO, GA-8I955X ROYAL specifications

The Intel GA-8I955X ROYAL and GA-8I955X PRO motherboards were popular choices in the mid-2000s, built for users seeking robust performance and reliability. These motherboards were designed to support the Intel Pentium 4 processors and featured the Intel 955X chipset, which enhanced overall performance and enabled advanced technologies.

One of the main features of both board models was their support for dual-core and hyper-threading technologies, maximizing the processing capabilities for multitasking and resource-hungry applications. This made them suitable for gaming, multimedia editing, and other demanding applications. Additionally, the GA-8I955X boards supported front-side bus speeds of up to 800 MHz, providing a fast data transfer rate between the CPU and memory.

With support for DDR2 memory, these motherboards accommodated memory speeds ranging from 533 to 800 MHz, facilitating improved bandwidth and performance compared to previous DDR technology. The boards also featured four DIMM slots, allowing for substantial RAM configurations, which was advantageous for users aiming for high performance in gameplay and resource-intensive tasks.

The GA-8I955X ROYAL provided additional high-end features such as integrated 7.1-channel HD audio and Gigabit LAN connectivity, enriching user experiences with superior audio and fast internet connections. The PRO variant offered similar functionalities but differed slightly in its integrated components.

Both models were equipped with multiple PCI Express slots, enabling users to enhance their systems with high-performance graphics cards and expansion cards. The user-oriented design included features such as easy BIOS updates and a user-friendly interface, ensuring that both novice and seasoned builders could navigate the setup process with ease.

Storage options were plentiful, as these motherboards supported SATA ports for connecting modern hard drives and SSDs. The RAID capabilities allowed users to implement data redundancy or performance improvements, enhancing data security and access speeds.

Overall, the Intel GA-8I955X ROYAL and GA-8I955X PRO motherboards represented a blend of performance, advanced technology, and user-friendly features, catering to the needs of gamers and power users in their day. As part of the Intel legacy, they laid the groundwork for advancements in computing technologies that have continued to evolve in subsequent years.
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