Compaq Smart Array 5300 Controller User Guide
7-1
COMPAQ CONFIDENTIAL
Writer: John Turner File Name: h-ch7 configuring an array.doc
Codename: SilverHammer Part Number: 135606-004 Last Saved On: 7/22/02 10:58 AM
7
Configuring an Array
Compaq provides four utilities for configuring an array:
•
Option ROM Configuration for Arrays (ORCA)
—a simple ROM-based
configuration utility that runs on all operating systems
•
Array Configuration Utility (ACU)
—a versatile configuration utility that
provides maximum control over configuration parameters
•
Array Configuration Utility XE (ACU-XE)
—a browser-based version of ACU
•
NetWare Online Array Configuration Utility (CPQONLIN)
—a menu-driven
utility for NetWare
The following limitations apply to all configuration methods:
•
For the most efficient use of drive space, do not mix drives of different capacity
within the same array. Each configuration utility treats all physical drives in an
array as if they have the same capacity as the smallest drive in the array. Excess
capacity of larger drives is wasted because it is unavailable for data storage.
•
The probability that an array will experience a hard drive failure increases with
the number of hard drives in the array (for more detailed information, refer to
Appendix F). If you configure an array with RAID 5, keep the probability of
failure acceptably low by using no more than 14 drives.
This chapter describes how to use ORCA, ACU, and CPQONLIN. For detailed
information about using ACU-XE, refer to the
Compaq Array Configuration Utility
XE User Guide.
For background information about drive arrays and fault-tolerance
(RAID) methods, refer to Appendix D.
