Chapter 5

Configuring Physical Drives,

Arrays, and Logical Drives

This chapter explains how to configure SCSI physical drives, arrays, and logical drives connected to the MegaRAID SCSI 320-2 controller. It contains the following sections:

•Section 5.1, “Configuring SCSI Physical Drives”

•Section 5.2, “Configuring Arrays”

•Section 5.3, “Creating Logical Drives”

•Section 5.4, “Configuring Logical Drives”

•Section 5.5, “Planning the Array Configuration”

5.1Configuring SCSI Physical Drives

SCSI physical drives must be organized into logical drives. The arrays and logical drives that you construct must be able to support the RAID level that you select. The MegaRAID SCSI 320-2 controller has two SCSI channels.

5.1.1Distributing Drives

Distribute the disk drives across all channels for optimal performance. It is best to stripe across channels instead of down channels. Performance is most affected for sequential reads and writes. The MegaRAID SCSI 320-2 controller supports SCSI CD-ROM drives, SCSI tape drives, and other SCSI devices as well as SCSI hard disk drives. For optimal performance, all non-disk SCSI devices should be attached to one SCSI channel.

MegaRAID SCSI 320-2 Hardware Guide

5-1

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