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NVIDIA RAID User’s Guide
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NVIDIA RAID Frequently Asked Questions
• What is the difference between a bootable and a non-bootable RAID array?
A system with a non-bootable RAID array includes a separate hard disk that contains
the OS and is not part of the RAID array.
See
“Non-Bootable RAID Array” on page 9
for more information.
In a bootable RAID array, the OS is installed on the RAID array disks.
See
“Bootable RAID Array” on page 9
for more information.
• I just configured a RAID 1 array—why is the array size one-half the total cumulative
size of the drives?
RAID 1 uses one-half the total disk space for data redundancy.
See
“RAID 1” on page 4
for more information on RAID1 arrays.
• What is the optimal hard drive configuration for RAID 1 (mirror)?
In a mirrored array, a mirror is created using the maximum drive size of the smaller of
the two drives. Ideal configuration is achieved using drives of identical size.
• How do I configure a multiple array system?
Two different arrays can be configured and active at the same time. For example, a
mirrored array with two hard drives, as well as a striped array using three hard drives
can exist at the same time. You need to configure each array separately in the RAID
BIOS as well as initialize the arrays in Windows as described in
“Setting Up Your RAID
Configuration” on page 9
.
• Why is the cumulative size of a RAID 0 (Stripe) or RAID 0+1 (Stripe-Mirror) not equal
to the sum of the drives?
The drive size is controlled by stripe blocks. If you have mis-matched drive sizes, the
size of the array is approximately the size of the smaller drive multiplied by two. This is
done because there must be corresponding data locations between the drives in the
array. Any space beyond the corresponding points is not usable.
• Why can I not get into Windows after adding a non-bootable array?
Possible cause would be adding the boot drive to the array and then clearing the array.
