I2O technology | Promise Technology 66 Pro specs

SuperTrak66™ User's Manual

Appendix A

I2O technology

I2O, which stands for Intelligent Input/Output, addresses one of the weakest links in turning today’s PCs into servers: degraded CPU performance due to heavy I/O processing. By offloading much of the I/O workload to the SuperTrak66 controller card processor, the I2O architecture frees the system CPU from the many low-level requests involved in RAID operations.

I2O is a forward-thinking approach to resolving the long-standing issue of platform interface independence. Since I2O drivers are supplied by the maker of each operating system, I2O product manufacturers can focus on product development rather than thinking about building specific drivers for each individual operating system. Theoretically, any product that is I2O compatible becomes cross-platform- compatible with all operating systems that support I2O.

At the time of this writing, only Windows NT 4.0 is officially supported by SuperTrak.

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Promise Technology 66 Pro user manual I2O technology

Contents

Version Important Data Protection Info Table of Contents Using SuperCheck SuperCheck Setup Console Functions Enclosure Functions88 RAID Setup Troubleshooting Vii Viii Key Common identifiersCommon expressions Page Promise Technology, Inc What is SuperTrak66? Key Features Operating System Support System RequirementsWindows NT Windows 95/98 Other Operating Systems Unpacking SuperTrak66 Getting Started Cables SuperTrak66 Controller Card Hardware Installation Quick Installation ChecklistSoftware Installation Hardware Installation Bios Utility Software InstallationNetwork Connections Firewall Chapter Driver Installed Screen in Existing NT Driver Installation for Existing Windows NT 4.0 System Driver Installed Screen in New NT Driver Installation During New Install of Windows NT SuperCheck Installation Chapter Setup Checklist Setup Task Quick ReferenceCommon Tasks Creating a disk array from the Auto Setup screen Entering the Bios SuperBuild utilitySetting the Halt On Error option Creating an array from the View / Define Array screen Mode SuperTrak Bios ReferenceSize Track-Mapping Functional StatusCritical Offline Auto Setup Options Menu Auto SetupRAID Level Mode Optimize Array for Spare Drive Auto Setup ConfigurationDrives Used In Array Array Disk Capacity Channel ID View Drive AssignmentsDrive Model Capacity MB Array No View / Define ArrayRAID Level Total Drv Define Array Definition Menu screen Define Array Definition Menu Changing Stripe Block Size Creating a RAID 0 ArrayAssigning Drives to a RAID 0 Array Creating a RAID 1 Array Creating a Mirroring Array with an Existing Data Drive Creating a RAID 3 Array Assigning Four Drives to a Mirroring ArrayChanging Stripe Block Size for RAID 3 Array Assigning Drives to a RAID 3 Array Changing Stripe Block Size for RAID 5 Array Creating a RAID 5 ArrayAssigning Drives to a RAID 5 Array Creating a Spanning Array Assigning Drives to a Spanning Array Setting a Disk Array As BootableHot Spare Drives Disk Array Recognition Order Delete ArraySaved Disk Array Information Delete Array Dialogue Box Controller Configuration Number of Channels Driver VersionProcessor Memory SuperCheck Setup Chapter Installation Scenarios SuperCheck InstallationTo access a SuperTrak system locally All Scenarios To access a SuperTrak system remotely on a WAN To access a SuperTrak system remotely across a LAN Common Component Installation Choose Destination Location window Select Program Folder window Chapter Chapter Setting Up a New Array SuperCheck AdministrationCreating Message Servers & Agents Adding/Deleting New Users Setting Up Email Notification Array Administration Identifying Problems To Create a New Message Server SuperCheck Quick ReferenceCreating a New User Deleting an Existing User Accessing Message AgentCreating a New Array Deleting an Existing Array Setting Up E-mail Alert NotificationAdding an User to an Email Receiver List Adding/Removing Events to/from Email Alert Notification Removing an User From an Email Receiver List Main Window Using SuperCheck Expanding/Collapsing Tree View Items Using Tree ViewHiding/Displaying Tree View Renaming Displayed Levels Refreshing SuperTrak Monitoring Using Information View Using Object View Using Pull-Down Menu Items Using Status BarSuperCheck Pull-Down Menu/Toolbar Using Connection Pull-Down Menu Using View Pull-Down MenuNew Server Connect Background FontAbout SuperCheck Viewing Autodemo Contents Find Using Help Find Window Using SuperCheck Toolbar Chapter Creating a New Message Server Console Functions Viewing Console Object icons Labeling New Message Server Message Server Functions Disconnecting a Message ServerDeleting a Message Server Connecting The Message Server Switching to Another Server Connecting Message Server pull -down Viewing Message Server Information Viewing Message Server Object iconsLabel Server Name IP Address Confirm / ResetVersion Information Message Agent Functions Chapter Setting Up E-mail Alert Notification Removing an User From an Email Receiver List Scheduling Array Synchronization Message Agent Information View Viewing Message Agent Object icons Email Alert on Error Save User PasswordDNS Name, IP Address & Version Info Email ID Smtp ServerAlert Recipients Email Address List Current Recipients List Schedule Array Synchronization Alert Events User Management Functions Viewing User/Admin Object icons Changing PasswordsAssigning User Rights Confirm Password PasswordArray Administration Rights User Information View Commit / Reset Adapter Maintenance RightsUser Account Rights Viewing I2O RAID Object icons I2O RAID FunctionsInformation View Labeling New Array window IOPx Functions Read/Clear Events pull-down Reading/Clearing Events from SuperTrak Memory Buffer Changing Flush Memory Timing Using The Event Viewer Changing Dirty Threshold Flush Stop Setting Changing Dirty Threshold Flush Start SettingViewing IOPx Object icons System Information IOPx Information View System Cache Policy Flush frequency timer secCache block size KB Total cache size MB Viewing Channel Object icons Channel chx Functions Hard Drive Functions Enabling Rebuild/Synchronization Beeper Enclosure FunctionsViewing Enclosure Object icons Enclosure Information View Array Functions Rebuilding An Array Rebuild Wizard Step Using Rebuild Wizard Step Array Rebuild Progress Bar Array Synchronization To Stop Rebuild Halting Synchronization Array Synchronization pull-down Turning Off Caching Turning On Read CacheTurning On/Off Write Back Cache Viewing Array Object icons Viewing Cache Memory Statistics Array Information View Name Cache Policy SettingsBlock Size KB Read cache Cache access write Cache access readRAID access read RAID access write 101 RAID Setup High Performance Desktop PCs Working With Large Files Application ScenariosCorporate Desktop PC Requiring Data Protection Windows NT File Server Mid-Sized Windows NT Application Server Largest Storage Capacity Required RAID ImplementationStriping RAID Striping/Mirroring RAID 0+1 Mirroring RAIDData striping with dedicated parity drive RAID Spanning Block and parity striping RAID RAID Management & Operation Rebuilding/Synchronizing Fault Tolerant ArraysCritical & Offline Arrays Partitioning & Formatting Arrays Fault Tolerance Configuration Ideas Buzzer Alarms Troubleshooting LED Display Codes Message Problem is detected with Array SuperTrak66 Bios Error MessagesMessage No Array is defined… Event SuperTrak66 Bios does not show up Installation & Runtime ProblemsEvent No LEDs on card light up Message RAID 0 Striping Technology Background RAID 0 Striping Mirroring RAID RAID 1 Mirroring Figure A3 RAID 0+1 striping and mirroring of two drive pairs Striping/Mirror RAID 0+1 Block Striping with Parity Drive RAID Appendix a Block and Parity Striping RAID Figure A6 Spanning uses full capacity of drives Spanning I2O technology Appendix a Data Protection Features Performance-Related FeaturesHost Interface Monitoring tools SupportPhysical & environmental Can I use Atapi devices on the SuperTrak66 controller? What kind of hard drives can I use for a SuperTrak66 array?Does the SuperTrak66 controller work with my system’s APM? Drive Issues Can I make an array on the SuperTrak66 bootable? Why doesn’t Windows NT see my SuperTrak66 controller? Post-Installation Why can’t I see the drives on the SuperTrak66 under FDISK? Appendix C USA Tech Support Center Contacting Technical Support Pacific Rim Sales Office European Tech SupportChina Office Appendix D Limited Warranty Appendix E Returning Product For Repair Your Responsibilities Bootstrap BootArray Bit Appendix G Flush FlashGeometry Hot spare Appendix G Partial read cache hit Appendix G Index Cmos Setup Hardware LED Indicators Assigning drives to C6101ST66000000