Asus AZCRB User manual

Zero-Channel RAID Board
(AZCRB)
E1369
Installation Guide
First Edition V1
August 2003

2 ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board
No part of this documentation, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed,
stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the
purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).
ASUS PROVIDES THIS DOCUMENTATION “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALLASUS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE
LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR
LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN
IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN
THIS DOCUMENTATION OR PRODUCT.
Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or altered, unless such repair, modification
of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or missing.
Products and corporate names appearing in this documentation may or may not be registered trademarks or copyrights of their
respective companies, and are used only for identification or explanation and to the owners’ benefit, without intent to infringe.
For documentation updates, visit the ASUS website at www.asus.com.tw.
The specifications and information contained in this documentation are furnished for informational use only, and are subject to
change at any time without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by ASUS. ASUS assumes no responsibility or
liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this documentation, including the products and the software described
in it.
Copyright © 2003 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.

ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board 3
Contents
Conventions ............................................................................................ 4
Symbols ............................................................................................ 4
Typography ....................................................................................... 4
Welcome! ................................................................................................ 5
1. Package contents ............................................................................. 5
2. Features ........................................................................................... 6
3. Board layout ..................................................................................... 8
4. Board installation .............................................................................. 9
5. RAID configuration ......................................................................... 13
5.1 Configuring arrays and logical drives .................................... 15
5.2 Easy Configuration ................................................................ 16
5.3 New Configuration ................................................................. 25
5.3 View/Add Configuration ......................................................... 28
ASUS Contact Information .................................................................... 32

4 ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board
Conventions
Symbols
Typography
<Enter> Indicates a keyboard key to press
<Ctrl><M> Indicates a key combination to press simultaneously or consecutively
text input Indicates text or command that you have to type on the screen
NOTE Tips and additional information.
CAUTION Information to prevent damage to the components.

ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board 5
1. Package contents
Check the following items in your ASUS Zero-Channel RAID board package. Contact
your retailer if any item is damaged or missing.
ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board
Screws ans standoffs
Support CD
Installation guide
Welcome!
Thank you for buying the ASUS Zero-Channel RAID board (AZCRB)! Now, you can
create and manage multiple disk arrays within your ASUS AP1600R 1U system with
PR-DSLR533 motherboard. With the convenient online management and configuration
utilities bundled, creating a RAID system has never been easier.
If any of the items is damaged or missing, contact your dealer immediately.

6 ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board
2. Features
The AZCRB is a proprietary daughterboard for the RAID connectors on the ASUS
PR-DLSR533 motherboard. The AZCRB includes the Intel
®
GC80303 integrated I/O
processor and 64MB ECC SDRAM cache, and 64MB ECC SDRAM.
RAID features
•RAID levels 0/1/5 support
•Background initialization for Quick RAID 5 setup
•40 logical drives per controller
•Auto-resume during array rebuild or reconstruction if the system shuts down
•Variable stripe size for all logical drives
•Supports multiple caching policies
- Write-back/Write-through
- Read Ahead: disable/enable/adaptive
- Cached direct I/O

ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board 7
Fault tolerance
•COD (Configuration on Disk) and NVRAM
•Auto-detection of failed drives
•Automatic and transparent rebuild of hot spare drives
•Hot-swapping of drives without shutting the system down
•SAF-TE enclosure management support
•SMART support
Utilities
•Power Console Plus for Windows
®
NT
®
/2000/XP/203
•MegaManager
•WebBIOS™

8 ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board
3. Board layout
The two connectors underneath the board fit the RAID connectors on the PR-
DLSR533 motherboard.
Make sure that your system motherboard is PR-DLSR533. Only the
proprietary RAID connectors on this motherboard will support the AZCRB.
PR-DLSR533
®
PR-DLSR533 AZCRB Connectors
AZCRB
RAID connectors
Standoff

ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board 9
4. Board installation
To install the board:
1. Make sure that the system is off.
2. Remove the system cover to access
the RAID connectors on the
motherboard. Refer to the AP1600R
system manual for instructions.
3. Remove the PCI riser card and
bracket assembly by pulling up the
metal lever to release and detach
the assembly from the chassis.
Before handling the board, touch a bare metal portion of the system to
discharge static electricity from your body. Wear a wrist strap grounded to the
system chassis when handling the board.
PCI Riser Card and Bracket Assembly
Metal Lever

10 ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board
4. Locate the proprietary RAID
connectors on the motherboard.
5. Remove the board from its anti-
static packaging.
RAID connectors on the motherboard

ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board 11
6. Position the board as shown, then
plug the RAID connectors to the
corresponding connectors on the
motherboard.
The two holes (with standoffs) on
the board should also align with the
holes beside the RAID connectors
on the motherboard.
7. Use a Phillips screwdriver to secure
the board with two screws through
the holes.

12 ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board
8. When the board is secure, replace
the riser card assembly into the
chassis.
9. Replace the chassis cover.
Install the hard disks following the instructions on your system manual.

ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board 13
5. RAID configuration
The MegaRAID BIOS on your AZCRB board includes the MegaRAID Configuration
Utillity. Use this utility to create and configure disk arrays and logical drives.
The MegaRAID Configuration Utility is independent of the operating system so you
have to start the utility during the Power-On Self-Tests (POST), prior to entering the
operating system.
To start the MegaRAID Configuration Utility:
Turn on the system. During POST, hold the <Ctrl> and press <M> when the following
message appears:
Press <Ctrl><M> to run MegaRAID BIOS Configuration Utility
The MegaRAID BIOS Configuration Utility menu appears. See the menu image on
the next page.
If you do not press <Ctrl><M> within a few seconds after the message, the
system continues with the normal boot procedure.

14 ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board
The initial menu of the MegaRAID BIOS Configuration Utility shows the Management
menu. Each option in the menu leads to different sub-menus that allow you to create
and configure RAID drives.
Management menu options
Configure
Select to configure physical arrays and logical
drives.
Initialize
Select to initialize one or more logical drives.
Objects
Select to access controllers, logical drives,
and physical drives individually.
Format
Select to format hard disk drives.
Rebuild
Select to rebuild failed hard disk drives.
Check Consistency
Select to verify the correctness of the redundancy data in logical drives configured as RAID
level 0, 1, or 5.
MegaRAID BIOS Config Utility(40-Ld) Ver5.40 Apr 21, 2003 Standard:Adapter-01
Use cursor keys to navigate between items and Press ENTER to select an option
Configure Logical Drive(s)
Management
Configure
Initialize
Objects
Format
Rebuild
Check Consistency

ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board 15
5.1 Configuring arrays and logical drives
Depending on your current drive configuration or number of existing drives, you may
create physical arrays and logical drives using either one of the following methods:
•Easy Configuration
•New Configuration
•View/Add Configuration
General procedure for configuring arrays and logical drives
The procedure for each configuration method varies on the level of user input.
The succeeding sections give specific instructions on the method that you
wish to use. Refer to the MegaRAID Configuration Software Guide in the
support CD for detailed information.
1. Select a configuration method.
2. Designate hot spares (optional).
3. Create arrays using the available
physical drives.
4. Define logical drive(s) using the
space in the arrays.
5. Save the configuration information.
6. Initialize the new logical drives.

16 ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board
5.2 Easy Configuration
The Easy Configuration method allows you to create a basic logical drive
configuration where every physical array you define is automatically associated with
one logical drive.
If you have an existing logical drive configuration, using this method does not erase
the current configuration information.
This method allows you to change the RAID level, stripe size, write policy, read
policy, and cache policy parameters.
To use Easy Configuration:
1. From the Management menu, use
the arrow keys to highlight
Configure, then press <Enter>.
2. Select Easy Configuration, then
press <Enter>.
MegaRAID BIOS Config Utility(40-Ld) Ver5.40 Apr 21, 2003 Standard:Adapter-01
Use cursor keys to navigate between items and Press ENTER to select an option
Defines Physical Arrays. An array will automatically become a logical drive
Management
Configure
Initialize
Objects
Format
Rebuild
Check Consistency
Configure
Easy Configuration
New Configuration
View/Add Configuration
Clear Configuration
Specify Bootable Logical Drive

ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board 17
The Easy Configuration-ARRAY
SELECTION MENU appears. Use
the command bar hot keys to
perform the configuration functions.
Press:
<F2> to display the manufacturer
data and error count for the
selected drive
<F3> to display the logical drives
that have been configured
<F4> to designate the selected
drive as a hot spare
The command bar hot keys change depending on the active configuration
window.
Command bar hot keys
MegaRAID BIOS Config Utility(40-Ld) Ver5.40 Apr 21, 2003 Standard:Adapter-01
SPACE-Array,ENTER-Configure,F2-Drive Information,F3-Logical Drives,F4-HotSpare
Ch-1 ID-0 DISK 17521MB FUJITSU MAN3184MC 0109
Management
Configure
Initialize
Objects
Format
Rebuild
Check Consistency
Easy Configuration - ARRAY SELECTION MENU
ID
Channel-1
READY
READY
READY
READY
0
1
6
5
4
3
2
ID
Channel-2
0
1
6
5
4
3
2

18 ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board
MegaRAID BIOS Config Utility(40-Ld) Ver5.40 Apr 21, 2003 Standard:Adapter-01
SPACE-Array,ENTER-Configure,F2-Drive Information,F3-Logical Drives,F4-HotSpare
Ch-1 ID-0 DISK 17521MB FUJITSU MAN3184MC 0109
Management
Configure
Initialize
Objects
Format
Rebuild
Check Consistency
Easy Configuration - ARRAY SELECTION MENU
ID
Channel-1
ONLIN A01-01
ONLIN A01-02
ONLIN A01-03
ONLIN A01-04
0
1
6
5
4
3
2
ID
Channel-2
0
1
6
5
4
3
2
3. Use the arrow keys to select a
specific physical drive, then press
the <Space bar> to associate the
selected drive with the current array.
The indicator for the selected drive
changes from READY to ONLIN
Axx-xx.
>> where Axx-xx means:
A[array number]-[drive number]
For example, ONLIN A01-01 means
disk drive 1 in array 1.
If possible, use identical drives (with the same type and capacity) in one array.
If you use drives of different capacities in one array, all the drives are treated
as if they have the capacity of the smallest drive in the array.

ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board 19
The number of physical drives in an array determines the RAID levels that can be
implemented with the array.
RAID 0 requires one or more physical drives
RAID 1 requires exactly two physical drives
RAID 3 requires at least three physical drives
RAID 5 requires at least three physical drives
The ASUS AP1600R system with PR-DLSR533 motherboard supports four (4)
hard disk drives (HDDs) that may be configured to RAID 0 or RAID 5 using
the AZCRB. If you wish to configure more HDDs into multiple physical arrays
(spanning of arrays), you may opt to connect a storage system to the
AP1600R. Refer to the MegaRAID Configuration Software Guide in the
support CD for detailed information on this feature.

20 ASUS Zero-Channel RAID Board
Logical Drive Configured
LD RAID Size #Stripes StrpSz Drive-State
1 5 52563MB 4 64KB OPTIMAL
4. When finished creating the array,
press <Enter> to start the
configuration. The Logical Drive
Configured screen appears
showing the logical drive being
configured and the existing logical
drives, if any.
5. Set the RAID level for the logical
drive. Highlight RAID then press
<Enter> to display the available
RAID levels.
6. Select your desired RAID level,
e.g. RAID 5, and press <Enter> to
confirm.
RAID = 5
Size = 52563MB
Advanced Menu
Accept
Logical Drive 1
RAID = 0
RAID = 5
RAID Level