G-Technology G-RAID2 User manual

G-RAID2Product Guide
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G-RAID2™
Installation Guide
G-Technology Inc.
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[email protected]
P/N GR21207 RevA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
3. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
4. WHAT’S IN THE BOX
5. G-RAID2 OVERVIEW
6. INSTALLING G-RAID2
7. INITIALIZING G-RAID2
7.1 Mac OSX
7.2 Windows 2000/XP
7.3 Cross Platform use
8. UNMOUNTING/DISCONNECTING G-RAID2
8.1 Mac OSX
8.2 Windows 2000/XP
9. OPTIMIZING DATA TRANSFER RATES
10. TECHNICAL SUPPORT
11. LIMITED WARRANTY

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1. INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing G-RAID2™ from G-Technology, Inc.
The G-RAID2 is the second generation G-RAID that builds on
the original G-RAID design by incorporating the latest disk
storage technology currently available – 7200 RPM SATA II
hard drives each with up to 32MB of cache and the new
Oxford 924 bridge chipset. The use of these latest generation
components enables G-RAID2 to offer superior performance
and reliability for demanding content creation applications.
2. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
The disk drives contained in your G-RAID2 disk array are
delicate electronic instruments and are susceptible to damage
due to excessive physical shock. Place the unit in a vented
area away from moisture or liquids. Please handle the unit
with care. Do not open the case. Doing so will void the
warranty. If the product is returned with damage caused by
improper handling, the warranty will be void and liability will
rest with the user.
3. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
FireWire 800/ USB 2.0 operation
•Mac OS X 10.3.x or higher
•Windows 2000 / XP
FireWire 400 operation
•Mac OS 9.x or OS X
•Windows 2000 / XP
4. WHAT’S IN THE BOX
Take a moment to ensure that the following items are
included in the box. If anything is missing, please call G-Tech
at [phone]. Please keep the shipping container and
packing materials. In the unlikely event that you need to
return G-RAID2 to us for any reason, you must use the
G-Tech shipping container. If the product is returned
damaged caused by improper packaging, the warranty will be
void and liability will rest with the user.
Kit Contents:
• G-RAID2 disk array
• FireWire 800 (9-pin to 9-pin) cable
• Universal AC power supply
• Installation CD-ROM

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5. G-RAID2OVERVIEW
Attention Mac OS X Users
G-RAID2 is set up at the factory for use with Mac
OS X systems. If you are running Mac OS X,
G-RAID will mount on the OS X desktop right out of
the box. If it becomes necessary to re-format G-RAID2 for
Mac OS X, see section 7.1.
Attention Windows Users
G-RAID2 must be formatted for the Windows
Operating System before use on a PC. Please see
section 7.2 for more information.
Attention Cross Platform Users
G-RAID2 can be used on both MAC and PC
systems by formatting the drive “FAT32.”
There are some limitations when using FAT
32, see section 7.3 for details. Alternatively you can install
software on the Windows machine such as “MacDrive” which
will allow you to mount MAC formatted drives on your PC.
6. INSTALLING G-RAID2
1. Connect the 4 pin plug from the power supply “brick” to
the power connector on the rear of the G-RAID2 and plug the
AC cable in to a surge protector or wall outlet.
2. Connect the G-RAID2 to your system via the FireWire 400,
FireWire 800 or USB port. G-RAID2 ships with a FireWire 800
cable for connection to a high-performance FireWire 800 port.
For maximum performance we recommend using a FireWire
800 port on your system.
Power and Activity LED
FireWire 800 Ports
FireWire 400 Port
Fan
USB 2.0 Port
Power
Switch
Power
Connector

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7. INITIALIZING G-RAID2
G-RAID2 is set up at the factory for use with
Mac OS X systems. If you are running Mac
OS X, G-RAID2 will mount on the desktop
right out of the box. If it becomes necessary
to re-format G-RAID2, follow the
instructions below.
•For Mac OS X installations, proceed to Section 7.1
•For Windows 2000/XP installations, proceed to Section 7.2
•For Cross-Platform use see section 7.3
7.1 Mac OS X
1. Open the Apple Disk Utility. The Apple Disk Utility is in
the Utilities Folder located in the Applications Folder on
the Macintosh HD. Select G-RAID2 by clicking on the entry
in the left-hand column as shown below. Information about
G-RAID2 will be displayed at the bottom.
3. Select the Partition tab to view the partition options as
shown below.
4. Set the Volume Scheme: to 1 Partition.
Enter a Volume Name under Volume Information
(in this example “G-RAID2”) and set Format to
Mac OS Extended as shown below.
Note: Alternatively, G-RAID2 can be set up in multiple volumes
by selecting the desired number of partitions from the Volume
Scheme pull-down menu.
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5. Click on the <Partition> button. The dialog box shown
below will appear. Click on the <Partition> button to
continue.
6. When partitioning is complete, G-RAID2 will be
displayed in the left-hand panel as shown below.
7. Exit the Apple Disk Utility.
8. G-RAID2 will be displayed on the desktop as shown.
G-RAID2 is now set up for use!!
7.2 Windows 2000/XP
1. Power on G-RAID2, wait 10 seconds, then power on your
computer.
2. Open the Disk Management utility by right-clicking on
the My Computer icon on the desktop and selecting
“Manage” from the drop down menu as shown below.
3. The Computer Management console will appear as shown
below. Click on “Disk Management” in the left-hand panel.
G-RAID2 is identified as Disk 1 in this example.
Right click on Disk 1 and select Initialize Disk from the
pull-down menu as shown. The window shown on the next
page will appear.

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4. Click on the <OK> button to continue.
5. The following window will appear. G-RAID2 (Disk 1) is
now identified as Basic and Online.
6. Right-click on the Disk 1 “Unallocated” bar entry and
select New Partition… from the pull-down menu as shown
below.
7. The window shown below will appear. Click on the
<Next> button to continue.

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8. The following window will appear. Click on the <Next>
button to continue.
9. The window shown below will appear. Click on the
<Next> button to continue. This will create one large
volume using all of the available space on G-RAID2.
Note: Multiple partitions can be created on G-RAID2. Consult your
Windows documentation for instructions on setting up multiple partitions.
10. Windows will automatically assign a drive letter, in this
example “D”. Accept this assignment and click on the
<Next> button to continue.
11. Enter a Volume Label: (in this example, G-RAID2),
check the Perform a quick format box and click on the
<Next> button to continue.
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12. The following window will appear. Click on the <Finish>
button to continue.
13. Windows will format the volume and then display the
following window. Disk 1 is now identified as G-RAID2 (E:).
Exit the Computer Management console
14. G-RAID2 will now be displayed as an available hard
disk drive under My Computer as shown below.
G-RAID2 is now set up for use!!
7.3. Cross Platform Use
To setup your G-RAID2 for use on both Windows and
Macintosh systems, use the Apple Disk utility and format G-
RAID2 FAT32.
1. Open the Apple Disk Utility. (The Apple Disk Utility is in
the Utilities Folder located in the Applications Folder
on your system drive). A window like the one below will
appear.
2. Select the G-RAID2 from the left-hand column, then
select the “Erase” button at the top as shown. Select
MS-DOS File System from the drop down menu and
Enter “G-RAID2” in the Name field.
3. Click on the erase button and the screen on the next
page will appear.
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4. Click “Erase” and your drive will be formatted to its full
capacity as FAT32. With this format, you will be able to
READ/WRITE on both windows (2000/XP) and MAC OS
machines. (NOTE: You could format your drive on a
Windows machine FAT32, however Windows currently
limits FAT32 partitions to 32GB in size)
WARNING:
THIS WILL ERASE ALL DATA ON YOUR DRIVE.
NOTE: The 'MS-DOS File System' cannot write
files over 4 GB. If you are working with files over
4 GB, you may want to choose a software option
like MacDrive. MacDrive is Windows software that
enables the Windows OS to mount MAC formatted
drives. (www.macdrive.com)
8. UNMOUNTING/DISCONNECTING G-RAID2
A great feature of G-RAID2 is its ability to be connected and
disconnected while your computer is running. To prevent
failures and/or data loss it is important to follow the steps
below when unmounting/disconnecting G-RAID2 from your
computer.
8.1 Mac OS X Computers
1. Before powering down and disconnecting G-RAID2, you
must unmount it from the system by dragging the G-RAID2
icon to the trash located in the dock, or by selecting the
icon and pressing apple+E on the keyboard.
2. It is now safe to power off and remove G-RAID2 from
your system.
8.2 Windows Computers
1. Before powering down and disconnecting G-RAID2,
left-click on the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon shown below.
2. A box like the following will appear. Click on the entry.
3. A balloon like the following will appear.
4. It is now safe to power off and remove G-RAID2 from
your system.

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9. OPTIMIZING DATA TRANSFER RATES
G-RAID2 can be connected to any Mac or PC equipped with a
FireWire 400, FireWire 800 or USB port. For optimal
performance, G-RAID2 should be connected via a FireWire
800 port.
For maximum performance on Mac and PC computers that do
not support FireWire 800, it is recommended to install a
FireWire 800 PCI card (for desktops) or the FireWire 800
CardBus adapter (for laptops)
Note: If you wish to use G-RAID2 in conjunction with
AJA’s Io, Avid’s Mojo or any other video editing system
that utilizes a FireWire connection, you must connect
G-RAID2 to either a FireWire 800 PCI adapter or FireWire
800 CardBus adapter for proper operation.
10. TECHNICAL SUPPORT
If you encounter any difficulties while installing G-RAID2
mini, please contact G-Tech Technical Support via one of the
following ways:
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Internet: http://www.g-technology.com
When contacting Technical Support, make sure to be in front
of your computer and have the following information readily
available:
•Your G-RAID2 serial number (on bottom of unit)
•Operating system and version
•Computer brand and model
•Amount of memory installed
•Other devices attached to your computer
Thank you for purchasing G-RAID2 mini. If you have any
comments or questions about this manual or the product,
please call [phone], or send an email to info@g-
technology.com.
11. LIMITED WARRANTY
G-Technology Inc. (G-Tech) warrants your product against any
defect in material and workmanship, under normal use, for
the designated warranty period. If the product should
become defective within the warranty period, G-Tech, will at
its discretion, repair or replace the product. Repair or
replacement parts or products will be furnished on an
exchange basis and will be either new or reconditioned. All
replaced parts or products shall become the property of G-
Tech. This warranty shall not apply if the product has been
damaged by accident, misuse, abuse or as a result of
unauthorized service or parts. Warranty service is available to
the purchaser by obtaining a Return Material Authorization
number (RMA) and by delivering the product during the
warranty period to an authorized G-Tech service facility or to
G-Tech. The purchaser shall bear all shipping, packing and
insurance costs and all other costs, excluding parts and labor,
necessary to effectuate repair, replacement or refund under
this warranty. All returned product must be shipped to
G-Tech in the original shipping container.
For more information on how to obtain warranty service, an
RMA number or to acquire shipping materials, contact G-Tech
at 1629 Stanford Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404, (310) 449-
4599 or [e-mail].
IN THE EVENT A PRODUCT BECOMES DEFECTIVE DURING
THE WARRANTY PERIOD, THE PURCHASER’S EXCLUSIVE
REMEDY SHALL BE REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT AS PROVIDED
ABOVE. INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTAL DAMAGES,
INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION LOSS OF DATA, ARISING
FROM BREACH OF ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY ARE
NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF G-TECH AND, TO THE EXTENT
PERMITTED BY LAW, ARE HEREBY EXCLUDED BOTH FOR
PROPERTY DAMAGE, AND TO THE EXTENT NOT
UNCONSCIONABLE, FOR PERSONAL INJURY DAMAGE.