Appendix C: Intel HostRAID Setup Guidelines

C-1

Appendix C Intel HostRAID Setup Guidelines
After all the hardware has been installed, you must fi rst confi gure the Intel ICH9R
SATA RAID* Settings before you install the Windows Operating System and other
software drivers.
Note: If you do not wish to confi gure onboard SATA RAID functions, please go
directly to Section C-2 and Appendix E for the Operating System & Other Software
Installation.

C-1 Introduction to Serial ATA and Parallel ATA

To confi gure the SATA RAID functions, you must fi rst use the Intel ICH9 R SATA
RAID Utility program to confi gure the RAID Level that you desire before installing
the Windows XP/20 00/2003 operating system and oth er software dri vers. (The
necessary drivers are all included on the Supermicro CD that came packaged with
your motherboard.) Note: the cur rent version of the ICH 9R SATA RAID Utility
can only support W indows XP/20 00/20 03 Operating Systems.

Serial ATA (SATA)

Serial ATA (SATA) is a physical storage interface that uses a single c able with
a minimum of four wires to create a p oint-to-point c onnection betwe en devices.
It is a serial link, which su pports transfer r ates up to 3Gbps. Because t he serial
cables used in SATA are thinner than the traditional cables used in Parallel ATA
(PATA), SATA systems have better ai rfl ow and can be installed in smaller chass is
than Parallel ATA. In addition, the cables used in PATA are limited to a length of
40cm, while Seria l ATA cables can be up to one meter in length. Overall, S ATA
provides better functionality than PATA.

Introduction to the Intel ICH9R Serial RAID Setup

Located in the South Bridge of the Intel 3210 Chipset, the I/O Controller Hub
(ICH9R) provi des the I/O subsys tem with access to th e rest of the system. It
supports six Ser ial ATA (SATA) port s. The ICH9R suppo rts the followi ng SATA
device confi gurations: Legacy mode and Native mode.