Promise Technology FastTRAK66, User Manual

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APPENDIX
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Drive Issues
Q: Can I add a drive to a FastTrak66 RAID array via hot-swap and
dynamically adjust the array size/configuration?
A: No. The FastTrak66 system does not support dynamically adjustable
RAID size/configurations.
Q: Do the HDDs on the FastT rak/66 have to be the same size?
A: The HDDs that you use with the FastTrak/66 do not have to be the
same size. If the sizes dif fer, the FastT rak/66 will “adjust” the HDDs
so that they are compatible. Basically , it will truncate the bigger HDD
so the sizes match. Any unused space that results from this is
unusable, so don’t use HDDs that differ too much. It’ll work, but it’s a
waste.
Q: Can I take a set of drives which make up an array created on
one FastTrak66 server and move it to another FastTrak66 server?
A: Yes. All FastTrak66 controllers 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 a FastT rak66 array and access it
dir ectly with a different controller, such as the one integrated on
the motherboard?
A: Yes, but only under certain configurations. The following array configu-
rations will allow the drive(s) to be accessed individually on another
controller: mirror (RAID 0), single drive striped (RAID 1), or single drive
spanned (JBOD). Multiple drives striped or spanned will not work.
Also, the controller must address the drives as LBA, not CHS.
Q: If I have a problem with one of the drives on the FastT rak66,
how can I low level format it to correct the problem?
A: Do NOT do this. Low-level formatting IDE drives is unnecessary and
generally does not correct problems which might be experienced
during use. Errors such as bad sectors or ECC/CRC failure are best
remedied by completely replacing the drive. For this reason, drives
attached to the FastTrak66 controller should NOT be low level format-
ted.
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