Using the ARC Utility to Create and Manage Arrays
To use the ARC utility to create and manage arrays, start the ARC utility (see
Running the ARC Utility
on
page 82), select your controller (if you have more than one), then press
Enter
. Select Logical Device
Configuration from the ARC main menu, then press
Enter
.
Follow the on-screen instructions to create and manage arrays, and initialize, rescan, and erase disk
drives.
Creating a New Array
To begin creating an array, select Create Arrays from the Logical Device Configuration menu.
Only disk drives that can be used in a new array are available for selection. (Disk drives must be initialized
before they can be used in an array. See
Initializing Disk Drives
on page 85 for more information.)
Note:
• To create a hybrid array that leverages the performance benefits of the SSDs in
your system, you must select an equal number SSDs and HDDs. You can create a
hybrid RAID1 or hybrid RAID10 only.
• When you create an all SSD array, we recommend disabling all caching, including
maxCache caching. If any caching is enabled when you create the array, you will
be prompted to turn caching off.
Use the Array Properties menu to modify the array's RAID level, size, name, stripe size, cache settings,
and maxCache settings.
Note: For more information about RAID levels and using disk drives to create arrays,
see
Choosing a RAID Level
on page 31. For more information about maxCache, see
Modifying Cache Settings
on page 84.
Managing Existing Arrays
To view or modify existing arrays, select Manage Arrays from the Logical Device Configuration menu.
From the Manage Arrays menu, you can:
• View the properties of an array.
Note: Failed drives are displayed in a different text color.
• Make an array bootable (see
Creating Bootable Arrays
on page 83).
• Assign or remove hot spares.
• Modify power management settings.
• Change the cache settings for an array.
• Delete an array.
Caution: Before deleting an array, back up the data to avoid permanently losing
it.
Creating Bootable Arrays
Note: You may need to change the system BIOS to modify the boot order. For more
information, refer to your computer documentation.
The controller always uses the lowest numbered array as its bootable array.
To make an array bootable:
1. Select Manage Arrays from the Logical Device Configuration menu.
2. Select the array that you want to make bootable, then press
Ctrl+B
.
Note: You cannot make an array bootable while it's building, verifying, or
rebuilding.
The array's number changes to Array 00, which makes this array the controller's boot array.
3. Restart your computer.
83
Proprietary and Confidential to PMC-Sierra, Inc.
Document No.: CDP-00277-02-A Rev. A, Issue:
Serial Attached SCSI RAID Controllers Installation and User's Guide