SUPER MICRO Computer X6DH8-G2 The Adaptec Embedded Serial ATA with HostRAID Con- troller Driver

X6DH8-G2/X6DHE-G2 User's Manual

The Adaptec Embedded Serial ATA with HostRAID Con- troller Driver

Adaptec's Embedded Serial ATA RAID with HostRAID controller adds RAID functionality to the Serial ATA I/O controller by supporting RAID 0 (Striping) or RAID 1 (Mirroring) to enhance the industry's pioneer PCI-to-e host controller products. RAID striping (RAID 0) can greatly improve hard disk I/O performance because of its capability in striping data across multiple drives. RAID mirroring (RAID 1) allows the data to be simulta- neously written to two drives, so critical data is always available even if

asingle hard disk fails. Due to the built-in functionality, the X6DH8-G2/ X6DHE-G2 is specially designed to keep pace with the increasing performance demands of computer systems by improving disk I/O throughput and providing data accessibility regardless of a single disk failure. By incorporating the Adaptec Embedded Serial ATA into the motherboard design, Supermicro's X6DH8-G2/X6DHE-G2 offers the user with the benefits of SATARAID without the high costs associated with hardware RAID applications.

(*Note: For Adaptec's RAID Driver Installation Instructions, please refer to

the Adaptec RAID Controller User's Guide: "Emb_SA_RAID_UG.pdf" in the CD that came with this motherboard. You can also download a copy of Adaptec's User's Guide from our web site at www.supermicro.com.)

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility (ARC)

The Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility is an embedded BIOS Utility, including:

*Array Configuration Utility: Use this utility when you want to create, configure and manage arrays.

* Disk Utilities: Use this option to format or verify disks.

To run the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility, you will need to enable the RAID function in the system BIOS (refer to Chapter 4 for System BIOS Configurations), and then, press the <Ctrl> and <A> keys simultaneously when prompted to do so during the system startup. (Refer to the previ- ous page for detailed instructions.)

(*Note: To select an option, use the arrow keys to highlight the item and then press the <Enter> key to select it. To return to the previous menu, press the <ESC> key.)

A. Using the Array Configuration Utility (ACU)

The Array Configuration Utility (ACU) enables you to create, manage, and delete arrays from the controller’s BIOS, add and delete spare drives, and initialize drives. During the system startup, press <Ctrl> and <A> key simultaneously, and the main menu will appear.

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