Appendix C: Software Installation
C-1
Appendix CSoftware Installation
After all the hardware has been installed, you must first configure Intel's ICH6R
SATA RAID before installing the Windows Operating System and other
software drivers. The necessary drivers are all included on the Supermicro
CDs that came packaged with your motherboard. (If you do not wish to
configure onboard SATA RAID functions, please go directly to Section C-5 to
install the Operating System & software.)

C-1 Configuring Intel ICH6R SATA RAID Function

To configure SATA RAID functions, you must first configure the desired
RAID Level in the Intel ICH6R SATA RAID Utility program. Note that the
current version of the ICH6R SATA RAID Utility can only support Windows
XP/2000 Operating Systems.

Serial ATA (SATA)

Serial ATA (SATA) is a physical storage interface. It uses a single cable with
a minimum of four wires to create a point-to-point connection between de-
vices. SATA is a serial link which supports transfer rates from 150 MBps.
Because the serial cables used in SATA are thinner than the traditional cables
used in Parallel ATA (PATA), SATA systems have better airflow and can be
installed in smaller chassis than Parallel ATA. In addition, the cables used in
PATA can only extend to 40cm long, while SATA cables can extend up to one
meter. Overall, SATA provides better functionality than PATA.
Intel's ICH6R Serial RAID
Located in the South Bridge of the E7221 Chipset, the I/O Controller Hub
(ICH6R) provides the I/O subsystem with access to the rest of the system. It
supports a one-channel Ultra ATA/100 Bus Master IDE controller (PATA) and a
Serial ATA (SATA) Host Controller that supports up to four Serial ATA ports
and up to two sets of RAID drives. The ICH6R supports the following Parallel
ATA and Serial ATA device configurations: