SUPER MICRO Computer 5015M-UR Intel HostRAID, Introduction to Serial ATA and Parallel ATA

Appendix C: Intel HostRAID

Appendix C

Intel HostRAID

After the hardware has been installed, you must fi rst confi gure Intel's ICH7R SATA RAID before you install Windows and software drivers.

Important Notes to the User

Note: If you do not wish to confi gure onboard SATA RAID functions, please go directly to Section C-2 for Operating System & Other Software Installation.

This chapter describes RAID confi guration instructions for the Intel ICH RAID Controller designed for Windows OS. For Linux OS, please use the Adaptec HostRAID Utility.

To use the Adaptec HostRAID, please enable Adaptec's RAID Controller in BIOS and refer to the Adaptec HostRAID Utility and documentation included in the CD that came with your motherboard for instructions.

C-1 Introduction to Serial ATA and Parallel ATA

To confi gure the SATA RAID functions, you must fi rst use the Intel ICH7R SATA RAID Utility program to confi gure the RAID level that you desire before installing Windows XP/2000/2003 and software drivers. (The necessary drivers are all included on the Super Micro CD that came with your motherboard.) Note that the current version of the ICH7R SATA RAID Utility can only support Windows XP/2000/2003.

Serial ATA (SATA)

Serial ATA (SATA) is a physical storage interface that uses a single cable with a minimum of four wires to create a point-to-point connection between devices. It is a serial link, which supports transfer rates up to 3Gbps. Because the serial cables used in SATA are thinner than the traditional cables used in Parallel ATA (PATA), SATA systems have better airfl ow and can be installed in smaller chassis than Parallel ATA. In addition, the cables used in PATA are limited to a length of 40cm, while Serial ATA cables can be up to one meter in length. Overall, SATA provides better functionality than PATA.

Introduction to Intel ICH7R Serial RAID

Located in the South Bridge of the Intel 3010 chipset, the I/O Controller Hub (ICH7R) provides the I/O subsystem with access to the rest of the system. It supports a 2- channel UltraATA/100 Bus Master IDE controller (PATA) and four Serial ATA (SATA) ports. The ICH7R supports the following PATA and SATA device confi gurations: Legacy mode and Native mode.

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