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Appendix C: Frequently Asked Questions
XX102-00-00 Rev 203 KOL-RAID3 RAID Storage Systemd
Appendix C: Frequently Asked Questions
This section lists frequently asked questions involving pre-installation, drive issues, installation, and post-installation.
Q.
What kind of hard drives can I use for the array?
A.
You can use any Ultra ATA/133/100/66/33 hard drive(s) to create arrays. You
should use matching drives for multiple-drive arrays to maximize capacity
usage as well as performance. (NOTE: Ultra ATA/133 hard drives can be
used. However, they will run at Ultra ATA/100 speed)
Q.
Can I add a drive to a RAID array via hot-swap and dynamically adjust
the array size/configuration?
A.
No. The unit does not support dynamically adjustable RAID
size/configurations.
Q.
Can I take a set of drives that make up an array created on one unit and
move it to another?
A.
Yes. All units read the arrays the same way. Once the drives are all
connected, you must restart the system for it to recognize the newly-inserted
array configuration.
Q.
Can I take a drive used in an array and access it directly with a different
controller, such as the one integrated on the motherboard?
A.
Yes, but only under certain configurations. The following array configurations
will allow the drive(s) to be accessed individually on another controller: mirror
(RAID 1), or single drive striped (RAID 0). Multiple drives striped will not
work.
Q.
How can I be sure that write-back cache has flushed before I reboot
after partitioning and formatting an array?
A.
A cache flush is always triggered immediately following any write from the int
13h BIOS. This level of array support is what FDISK and FORMAT use to
access the drive from MSDOS. With no delay in the write operation, there is
no cached data waiting to be written. If you are running from Windows
NT/2000 or other operating systems, as usual, make sure to shut down
Windows properly so that the operating system can trigger and flush the
cache as necessary. NOTE: powering off before a proper shutdown is
complete may result in the loss of unwritten data in the cache, possibly
causing problems in a subsequent boot or access to the data that was
unwritten.
Q.
Why can’t I see the drives under FDISK?
A.
If you have not created an array, the physical drive(s) attached will not be
recognized by the operating system. The controller is dedicated to RAID
array management and does not provide any means of addressing individual
hard drives through the int 13h interface used by FDISK. In order to access
drives from MSDOS at all, you must first create a RAID array.
Q.
Why can’t I see the array I just created in the Windows NT/2000/XP Disk
Administrator?
A.
Since Windows NT/2000/XP does not yet support any method of dynamically
adding and/or removing logical devices to/from the system, you must restart
Windows. The next boot will show the new array under Disk Administrator.