Compaq 166207-B21 - Smart Array 5302/32 RAID... User manual

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Writer: John Turner Project: Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide Comments: final draft
Part Number: 188270-xx1 File Name: a-frnt.doc Last Saved On: 1/9/01 3:32 PM
Advanced Data Guarding for the
Smart Array 5300 Controller
Reference Guide
First Edition (December 2000)
Part Number 188270-001
Compaq Computer Corporation

Compaq Confidential – Need to Know Required
Writer: John Turner Project: Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide Comments: final draft
Part Number: 188270-xx1 File Name: a-frnt.doc Last Saved On: 1/9/01 3:32 PM
Notice
© 2000 Compaq Computer Corporation
COMPAQ, the Compaq logo, SmartStart, registered United States Patent and Trademark Office.
SoftPaq is a trademark of Compaq Information Technologies Group, L.P.
Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
All other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their
respective companies.
Compaq shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. The
information in this document is subject to change without notice.
THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY
OF ANY KIND. THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS INFORMATION
REMAINS WITH RECIPIENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL COMPAQ BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT,
CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHER DAMAGES
WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS
PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION OR LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION), EVEN IF
COMPAQ HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES AND WHETHER
IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT OR TORT, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE.
The limited warranties for Compaq products are exclusively set forth in the documentation
accompanying such products. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting a further or
additional warranty.
Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide
First Edition (December 2000)
Part Number 188270-001

Compaq Confidential – Need to Know Required
Writer: John Turner Project: Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide Comments: final draft
Part Number: 188270-xx1 File Name: a-frnt.doc Last Saved On: 1/9/01 3:32 PM
Contents
About This Guide
Text Conventions ........................................................................................................ v
Symbols in Text ......................................................................................................... vi
Symbols on Equipment .............................................................................................. vi
Important Safety Information....................................................................................vii
Getting Help ..............................................................................................................vii
Compaq Technical Support................................................................................ vii
Compaq Website ...............................................................................................viii
Compaq Authorized Reseller ............................................................................viii
Chapter 1
Introduction: RAID ADG
Chapter 2
Installation
Preliminary Steps .....................................................................................................2-1
Locating the Connector ............................................................................................2-2
Installing the RAID ADG Enabler Module..............................................................2-3
Removing the Enabler Module.................................................................................2-4
Chapter 3
System Setup
Configuring a New System for RAID ADG ............................................................3-2
Windows NT and Windows 2000 .....................................................................3-2
NetWare ............................................................................................................3-3
Migrating an Existing Logical Drive to RAID ADG ...............................................3-4
Windows NT and Windows 2000 .....................................................................3-4
NetWare ............................................................................................................3-5
Assigning an Online Spare Drive.............................................................................3-5

iv Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide
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Writer: John Turner Project: Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide Comments: final draft
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System Setup
continued
Performance Tuning ................................................................................................ 3-7
Changing the Cache Read/Write Allocation..................................................... 3-7
Optimizing the Stripe Size................................................................................ 3-8
Changing the Fault Tolerance Mode .............................................................. 3-10
Appendix A
Regulatory Compliance Notices
Federal Communications Commission Notice ........................................................A-1
Class A Equipment...........................................................................................A-2
Class B Equipment ...........................................................................................A-2
Modifications....................................................................................................A-3
Cables ...............................................................................................................A-3
Canadian Notice (Avis Canadien) ...........................................................................A-3
Class A Equipment...........................................................................................A-3
Class B Equipment ...........................................................................................A-4
European Union Notice ...........................................................................................A-4
Japanese Notice .......................................................................................................A-4
Taiwanese Notice ....................................................................................................A-5
Appendix B
Electrostatic Discharge
Preventing Electrostatic Damage.............................................................................B-1
Grounding Methods.................................................................................................B-2
Appendix C
Reliability Data
Appendix D
Additional POST Error Messages
Appendix E
Questions and Answers
Index

Compaq Confidential – Need to Know Required
Writer: John Turner Project: Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide Comments: final draft
Part Number: 188270-xx1 File Name: a-frnt.doc Last Saved On: 1/9/01 3:32 PM
About This Guide
This guide describes the features of RAID ADG and the installation of the
RAID ADG Enabler Module onto the Smart Array 5300 controller board.
Text Conventions
This document uses the following conventions to distinguish elements of text:
Keys Keys appear in boldface. A plus sign (+) between
two keys indicates that they should be pressed
simultaneously.
USER INPUT User input appears in a different typeface and in
uppercase.
FILENAMES File names appear in uppercase italics.
Menu Options,
Command Names,
Dialog Box Names
These elements appear in initial capital letters.
COMMANDS,
DIRECTORY NAMES,
and DRIVE NAMES
These elements appear in uppercase.
Type When you are instructed to type information, type
the information without pressing the Enter key.
Enter When you are instructed to enter information, type
the information and then press the Enter key.

vi Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide
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Writer: John Turner Project: Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide Comments: final draft
Part Number: 188270-xx1 File Name: a-frnt.doc Last Saved On: 1/9/01 3:32 PM
Symbols in Text
These symbols may be found in the text of this guide. They have the following
meanings.
WARNING: Text set off in this manner indicates that failure to follow directions
in the warning could result in bodily harm or loss of life.
CAUTION: Text set off in this manner indicates that failure to follow directions
could result in damage to equipment or loss of information.
IMPORTANT: Text set off in this manner presents clarifying information or specific
instructions.
NOTE: Text set off in this manner presents commentary, sidelights, or interesting points
of information.
Symbols on Equipment
These icons may be located on equipment in areas where hazardous conditions
may exist.
Any surface or area of the equipment marked with these symbols
indicates the presence of electrical shock hazards. Enclosed area
contains no operator serviceable parts.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of injury from electrical shock hazards,
do not open this enclosure.
Any RJ-45 receptacle marked with these symbols indicates a Network
Interface Connection.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of electrical shock, fire, or damage to
the equipment, do not plug telephone or telecommunications
connectors into this receptacle.

About This Guide vii
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Writer: John Turner Project: Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide Comments: final draft
Part Number: 188270-xx1 File Name: a-frnt.doc Last Saved On: 1/9/01 3:32 PM
Any surface or area of the equipment marked with these symbols
indicates the presence of a hot surface or hot component. If this
surface is contacted, the potential for injury exists.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of injury from a hot component, allow
the surface to cool before touching.
Power Supplies or Systems marked with these symbols
indicate the equipment is supplied by multiple sources of
power.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of injury from electrical shock,
remove all power cords to completely disconnect power from
the system.
Important Safety Information
Before installing this product, read the Important Safety Information document
provided.
Getting Help
If you have a problem and have exhausted the information in this guide, you
can get further information and other help in the following locations.
Compaq Technical Support
You are entitled to free hardware technical telephone support for your product
for as long you own the product. A technical support specialist will help you
diagnose the problem or guide you to the next step in the warranty process.
In North America, call the Compaq Technical Phone Support Center at
1-800-OK-COMPAQ1. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Outside North America, call the nearest Compaq Technical Support Phone
Center. Telephone numbers for world wide Technical Support Centers are
listed on the Compaq website. Access the Compaq website by logging on to
the Internet at www.compaq.com.
1For continuous quality improvement, calls may be recorded or monitored.

viii Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide
Compaq Confidential – Need to Know Required
Writer: John Turner Project: Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide Comments: final draft
Part Number: 188270-xx1 File Name: a-frnt.doc Last Saved On: 1/9/01 3:32 PM
Be sure to have the following information available before you call Compaq:
■Technical support registration number (if applicable)
■Product serial number (s)
■Product model name(s) and numbers(s)
■Applicable error messages
■Add-on boards or hardware
■Third-party hardware or software
■Operating system type and revision level
■Detailed, specific questions
Compaq Website
The Compaq website has information on this product as well as the latest
drivers and Flash ROM images. You can access the Compaq website by
logging on to the Internet at www.compaq.com.
Compaq Authorized Reseller
For the name of your nearest Compaq Authorized Reseller:
■In the United States, call 1-800-345-1518.
■In Canada, call 1-800-263-5868.
■Elsewhere, see the Compaq website for locations and telephone
numbers.

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Writer: John Turner Project: Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide Comments: final draft
Part Number: 188270-xx1 File Name: b-ch1 RAID ADG.doc Last Saved On: 12/11/00 12:04 PM
Chapter 1
Introduction: RAID ADG
RAID ADG is similar to RAID 5 in that data protection is achieved by writing
parity information to the physical drives in the array. With RAID ADG,
however, two sets of parity data are used (Figure 1-1). These two sets are
different, and each set occupies a capacity equivalent to that of one of the
constituent drives. (For further information about other RAID levels, refer to
the Compaq Smart Array 5300 Controller User Guide.)
B1
B3
P5,6
P7,8
P3,4
P5,6
B2
B7
P3,4
P1,2 P1,2
P7,8
B8
B5 B6
B4
Figure 1-1. RAID ADG, showing data blocks (B) and two sets of parity data (P)
RAID ADG is most useful when data loss cannot be accepted, but low cost of
implementation is also desirable. The probability that a system will suffer data
loss when configured with RAID ADG is less than when configured with
either RAID 1 or RAID 5 (see Appendix C for reliability data).

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Writer: John Turner Project: Advanced Data Guarding for the Smart Array 5300 Controller Reference Guide Comments: final draft
Part Number: 188270-xx1 File Name: b-ch1 RAID ADG.doc Last Saved On: 12/11/00 12:04 PM
The main advantages of RAID ADG are:
■High read performance
■High data availability – any two drives can fail without loss of critical
data
The only significant disadvantage is a relatively low write performance (lower
than RAID 5), due to the need for two sets of parity data.
The following table summarizes the most important features of the different
varieties of RAID available. The decision chart in Figure 1-2 may help you
determine which RAID option is best for your situation.
Table 1-1
Summary of RAID Features
RAID 0 RAID 1 / RAID 0+1 RAID 5 RAID ADG
Alternative name Striping (no
fault tolerance)
Mirroring Distributed
Data Guarding
Advanced Data
Guarding
Usable drive space* 100% 50% 67% to 93% 50% to 96%
Usable drive space
formula
n n/2 (n-1)/n (n-2)/n
Minimum number
of hard drives
12 34
Tolerant of single
hard drive failure?
No Yes Yes Yes
Tolerant of multiple
simultaneous hard
drive failure?
No In RAID 0+1, only
when the failed
drives are not
mirrored to each
other
No Yes
Read performance High High High High
Write performance High Medium Low Low
Relative cost Low High Medium Medium
*Note: The value for usable drive space is calculated assuming a maximum of 14 hard drives of the same
capacity (or a maximum of 56 for RAID ADG) with no online spares. Compaq recommends that these
maximum figures (excluding any allowable online spares) are not exceeded when configuring a drive array,
due to the increased likelihood of logical drive failure with more hard drives.