HighPoint RocketRAID 600L User manual

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RocketRAID 600L/600LS
SATA 6Gb/s PCI-Express 2.0 RAID Host Adapters
User’s Guide
Revision: 1.20
Dec. 20, 2015
HighPoint Technologies, Inc.

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Table of Contents
HighPoint RocketRAID 600L/600LS Series.............................................................. 3
1Features and Specifications ................................................................................ 4
2Physical Specifications ........................................................................................ 5
3Kit Contents ........................................................................................................ 6
4Hardware Description and Installation ............................................................... 6
4.1 RocketRAID 600L/600LS Host Adapter board layout .............................. 6
4.2 Connector and Jumper Description........................................................ 7
4.3 Installing the RocketRAID 600L/600LS Host Adapter.............................. 7
4.4 Verifying Installation............................................................................... 8
5. Using the RocketRAID 600L Series HBA.............................................................. 8
5.1 RocketRAID 600L HBA BIOS mode .......................................................... 8
5.2 BIOS configuration.................................................................................. 8
5.3 RocketRAID 600L/600LS BIOS Setting Utility ........................................ 10
5.3.1 BIOS Settings Overview................................................................. 10
5.3.2 Using the BIOS Utility.................................................................... 11
5.3.3 BIOS Commands ........................................................................... 11
5.3.4 Creating RAID Arrays..................................................................... 12
5.3.5 Delete Arrays ................................................................................ 16
5.3.6 Add/Remove Spare Disks.............................................................. 16
5.3.7 Settings ......................................................................................... 17
5.3.8 View.............................................................................................. 17
6RocketRAID 600L/600LS Driver Installation ...................................................... 18
6.1 Driver installation - Microsoft Windows............................................... 18
6.2 Driver installation -Linux and FreeBSD.................................................. 21
7HighPoint Web RAID Management Software.................................................... 21
7.1 Installing / Uninstall the Web RAID Management Software - Microsoft
Windows..................................................................................................... 21
7.2 Installing / Uninstalling the Web RAID Management Software –
Linux/FreeBSD............................................................................................ 22
7.3 Using the Web RAID Management Software........................................ 22
8Customer Support............................................................................................. 22

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HighPoint RocketRAID 600L/600LS Series
HighPoint 2nd Generation SATA 6Gb/s PCI-E 2.0 RAID HBA’s
HighPoint’s RocketRAID 600L/600LS Series HBA’s are the Industry’s
most affordable, high-performance, SATA 6Gb/s RAID HBA’s, and are
ideal for desktop PC’s and workstations. These Second Generation
SATA 6Gb/s host controllers utilize a PCI-Express 2.0 host bus
interface, HighPoint's Industry-proven RAID engine, and support a
wide-range of single-disk and RAID configurations including 0, 1, 5, 10
and JBOD.
RocketRAID 600L/600LS HBA’s are fully backwards compatible with
SATA 3Gb/s devices, PCI-Express 1.0 and 2.0 motherboards, and are
compliant with major PC operating systems including Windows 8, and
7. Each RocketRAID 600L/600LS Series HBA’s directly supports up to 4
SATA devices, and up to 20 when used in conjunction with port
multiplier storage devices. For maximum performance, attach SATA
hard drives and SSD’s directly to the RocketRAID 600L/600LS’s SATA
and eSATA ports. To maximize storage capacity, use the RocketRAID
600L/600LS with port multiplier storage chassis and external disk
enclosures. The HighPoint RAID Management Software provides a
user friendly interface to create, manage and maintain your storage
solutions.
RocketRAID 600L Series HBA Family:
⚫RocketRAID 640L - 4 SATA ports
⚫RocketRAID 642L - 2 SATA ports and 2 eSATA ports
⚫RocketRAID 644L - 4 eSATA ports
⚫RocketRAID 644LS - 1 Mini-SAS port

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1Features and Specifications
Hardware Specifications
⚫PCI Express 2.0 x4
⚫4x SATA 6Gb/s Ports
⚫Industry standard SATA/eSATA/Mini-SAS connectors
⚫Directly supports 4 SATA devices / Up to 20 with port multiplier
capable enclosure
⚫Backwards compatible with HighPoint SATA RAID HBA’s
⚫Low Profile (RocketRAID 640L, RocketRAID 642L and RocketRAID
644LS) / Full Height (RocketRAID 644L)
Monitor, Alerts and LED Indicators
⚫Hard Drive LED Indicators (Activity and Failed)
⚫SMTP email notification for events and error reporting
⚫Alarm/Buzzer alerts for drive/array failure
Advanced RAID Features
⚫RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, 50, JBOD
⚫Redundant RAID Configuration for Array availability
⚫RAID Initialization Types - Background, Foreground, Quick
Initialization and Keep Old Data
⚫Spin Down Idle Disk
⚫S.M.A.R.T Support
⚫Auto Rebuild on spare drive
⚫Hot-Plug and Hot-Swap support
⚫Larger than 2 TB drive support
⚫Bootable RAID Array support
⚫Write Back or Write Through Cache support
⚫User friendly Browser-based Management Interface
⚫Easy to use BIOS configuration Tool
⚫Linux Command Line Interface (CLI)-Scriptable configuration tool
⚫Hot key (Ctrl+H) boot-up RAID manager via BIOS
⚫Web browser-based RAID management software (Web GUI)
⚫Command Line Interface (CLI)

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Operating System Support
⚫Windows Server 2012, 2008, 2003
⚫Windows 8, 7, Vista
⚫Major Linux Distributions
⚫FreeBSD
⚫Mac OS X
2Physical Specifications
Dimensions:
RocketRAID 640L: 79mm x 65mm x 1.5mm (3.12” x 2.56” x 0.06”)
RocketRAID 642L: 79mm x 67mm x 1.5mm (3.12” x 2.68” x 0.06”)
RocketRAID 644L: 106mm x 79mm x 1.5mm (4.17” x 3.12” x 0.06”)
RocketRAID 644LS: 79mm x 68mm x 1.5mm (3.12” x 2.68” x 0.06”)
EMI:
FCC Part 15 Class B and CE
Thermal and Atmospheric Characteristics:
Work Temperature Range: +5°C ~ + 55°C
Relative Humidity Range: 5% ~ 60% non-condensing
Storage Temperature: -20°C ~ +80°C
MTBF: 920,585 Hours
Electrical Characteristics:
PCI-E
3.3V
12V
Power
4W Max
1W Max

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3Kit Contents
⚫RocketRAID 644L / 644LS / 642L / 640L HBA
⚫Quick Installation Guide
⚫Low Profile Bracket (RocketRAID 644LS, 642L and 640L)
⚫Two SATA 6Gb/s cables (RocketRAID 642L only), four SATA 6Gb/s
cables (RocketRAID 640L only)
4Hardware Description and Installation
4.1 RocketRAID 600L/600LS Host Adapter board layout

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4.2 Connector and Jumper Description
Connector
RocketRAID
640L
RocketRAID
642L
RocketRAID
644L
RocketRAID
644LS
A1
Active LED PIN
N/A
F1
Fail LED PIN
N/A
J1
I2C Connector
N/A
Beep 1
Alarm Buzzer
Port
Connector
SATA
SATA and
eSATA
eSATA
Mini-SAS
Active/FAIL LED PIN connector:
A 1-Pin connection from the HBA to an LED on the chassis. For
detailed LED connection requirements and display information,
please refer to the FAQ:
https://filedn.com/lG3WBCwKGHT7yNuTsFCwXy0/HighPoint-
Download/Document/Support/HighPoint_LED_PIN_Connector
_Standard.pdf
4.3 Installing the RocketRAID 600L/600LS Host Adapter
Note: Make sure the system is powered-off before installing the
RocketRAID host adapter.
The RocketRAID 600L/600LS series HBA may include both standard
and low-profile brackets. It may be necessary to attach the
low-profile bracket in place of the standard bracket, depending upon
the chassis design.
1. Open the system chassis and locate an unused PCI-E 2.0/1.0 (x4,
x8, x16) slot (or 3.0, x16) slot.
2. Remove the PCI-E slot cover.
3. Gently insert the RocketRAID 600L/600LS HBA into the PCI-E slot,
and secure the bracket to the system chassis.
4. After installing the adapter, attach the hard disks or backplane
enclosure to the host adapter using the appropriate cables.
5. Close and secure the system chassis.

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4.4 Verifying Installation
Once the host adapter and hard drives have been installed into the
chassis, boot-up the system to verify that the hardware is properly
recognized.
1. Power on the system. If the system detects the presence of
the adapter, the RocketRAID BIOS Utility will be displayed
during boot up.
2. Press “Ctrl+H” key combination to access the RocketRAID
600L/600LS adapter’s BIOS Utility.
5. Using the RocketRAID 600L Series HBA
5.1 RocketRAID 600L HBA BIOS mode
The RocketRAID 600L HBA has two BIOS modes:
⚫Bootable BIOS:
This is the default BIOS mode, and is required in order to
boot from a drive or array hosted by the HBA.
⚫Non-Bootable:
This mode is used for pure data storage. The system’s boot
drive cannot be hosted by the HBA.
5.2 BIOS configuration
1. Bootable BIOS Configuration:
▪The HBA needs to have the bootable BIOS installed
▪When booting up the system, press CTRL + H during the
HighPoint RocketRAID splash screen to enter the BIOS RAID
creation utility.
▪Navigate to Settings using arrow keys.
▪Press Enter.
▪Press Enter again.
▪Select the desired RAID array.
▪You will return to the main screen once the boot flag is set

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2. Non-Bootable BIOS Configuration:
The HBA must be updated using the Quick BIOS download. This
mode is only suitable for Windows and Linux PC’s. To update the
BIOS:
▪Install the HBA (no drives attached) and boot the operating
system.
▪Download the Quick BIOS and extract the compressed file to
a directory of your choice.
▪Open the WebGUI.
▪Click the Physical page tab –there is a Firmware update
check box towards the bottom of the page.
▪Input the Quick BIOS file name and click Submit to start the
firmware update.
Note: Do not cancel the update process, or power
down/restart the system until the update is complete. Doing
so may damage the HBA.
▪Shutdown and reboot the system. The HBA BIOS display
should now be disabled, and the system should boot directly
into the OS.
▪If you are unable to use the WebGUI to update the Quick
BIOS, please submit a support inquiry using our Online Web
Support Portal. Support representatives will provide other
methods to update the BIOS:
http://www.highpoint-tech.com/websupport
To get the Quick BIOS file associated with your card, please
visit the product download page:
http://www.highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/series_rr600-do
wnload.htm
For any other BIOS boot related issues, please refer to the
FAQ:
http://www.highpoint-tech.com/websupport/kb_view_arti
cle_noauth.php?id=161

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5.3 RocketRAID 600L/600LS BIOS Setting Utility
The RocketRAID 600L/600LS controller will display its BIOS screen
during the system's boot process. The BIOS Utility will display
information about hard drives attached to the adapter. Make sure all
attached drives are detected by this utility. If any of the hard drive is
not detected, power down the system and check the power and
cable connections.
Press “Ctrl+H” key combination to access the RocketRAID 600L/600LS
adapter’s BIOS Utility.
5.3.1 BIOS Settings Overview
The RocketRAID 600L/600LS controller BIOS utility is an interface that
provides management commands and controller related settings.
Note: The following screenshots depict the RocketRAID 642L BIOS
utility. However, all RocketRAID 600L/600LS models utilize the same
interface.

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5.3.2 Using the BIOS Utility
The following keys are utilized by the RocketRAID 600L/600LS BIOSutility:
Arrow keys –Use these to move between different menu items.
Enter –Open the selected toolbar command/execute the selected
command.
Esc –Move back to the previous menu, cancel the selected operation,
or exit the BIOS Utility.
5.3.3 BIOS Commands
Create: This command is used to open the RAID Creation menu.
Delete: This command will delete the selected RAID array.
Add/Remove Spare: This command is used to assign hard disks to
function as spare disks. The controller is capable of using spare disks
to automatically rebuild broken or faulted RAID arrays.

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Settings: This command opens the settings menu (To selecting the
boot disk/array, staggered drive spin up etc.)
View: This command is used to view hard disk and RAID
information.
Initialize: This command is used to prepare disks for use with RAID
arrays. Disks must be initialized before they can be used
to create arrays.
5.3.4 Creating RAID Arrays
Initializing Disks:
Before creating a RAID array, the disks must be initialized. Disk
initialization writes necessary RAID configuration information to the
hard disks. Select the Initialize command from the toolbar, and press
Enter key.
Highlight the target disks using the arrow keys, and then press the
Enter key. A numeral will be displayed before each selected disk.
Once all target disks have been selected, press ESC key. The utility will
display a warning, and ask you to press Y (yes) to initialize, or N (no)
to cancel. Once initialized, these disks can be used to create RAID
arrays. These disks will be displayed as “Initialized” (under Status).
Warning: Initialization will destroy all pre- existing data on the
selected hard disks. Only initialize disks that do not contain critical
data.

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Create Arrays:
Select Create from the toolbar and press Enter key.
1. Use the arrow keys to select the RAID level and press Enter key.
2. Use the arrow keys to highlight the Array Name option and press
Enter key. The array name dialogue box will appear. Use the
keyboard to input a new Array Name, and press the Enter key.
Note: The Array Name command is optional –it is not necessary to
name the array. The array can be named at a later time, and the
name of the array can be changed at any time.
3. On the Create menu, use the arrow keys to highlight the Select
Devices item and press Enter key. A device list will appear, and
display all available hard disk drives.

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4. Highlight the target disks that you want to use, and press Enter
key to select them. A numeral will be displayed before each
selected disk. This number designates disk order. After all of the
disks have been selected and press the ESC key to return to the
Create Menu.
5. Next, Use the↓arrow key to highlight the Capacity(GB) option
and press Enter key. The total available capacity will be displayed.
Press Enter key if you wish to use all available space. If you wish
to reserve disk space for additional arrays/single disks, use the
keyboard to input the amount of space (in GB) you wish to set
aside for this particular array, and press Enter key.
Note: Multiple arrays can be created using the same set of hard disk
drives. The Capacity option allows you to set aside disk space that be
used to create another array, set as a spare disk, or partitioned to act
as a single disk (by the operating system).
6. For redundant RAID arrays (RAID 5, 50), select the Cache Policy:
Write Back –Provides higher write performance for redundant
RAID arrays. Data is at risk when there is a power failure, system
kernel panic and un-responding abnormal conditions.
Write Through –Writes directly to the disks (may reduce the risk
of data loss during a critical failure, but at the cost of lower
performance).

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7. Sector Size –Also known as “Variable Sector Size”. Use this
option if you are using an older 32-bit Windows operating
system. This allows older operating systems to support volumes
over 2TB in size. Do not use if the operating system already
supports large volumes (such as GPT).
8. To complete the creation procedure, use the arrow key to
highlight the Start Creation item and press Enter key.
The Window will show 2 options if create RAID 5: Background
Initialize and No initialization.
Background initialization:
The RAID array is accessible while disk initialization is being
performed.
A. This option will delete all content on the disks.
B. The initialization time will be longer when compared to
"Foreground" but the logical drives can be used during the
initialization process.
No initialization:
When you select the option, it will pop up the following warning
window. Press the Y (yes) key to create the array, or N (no) key
to cancel the creation process. If you press the Y, the BIOS will
show the following window.

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5.3.5 Delete Arrays
Highlight the Delete command from the toolbar, and press Enter key.
The BIOS utility will display a list of available RAID arrays. Select the
array you wish to delete, and press the Enter key.
The utility will display a warning message. Press Y (yes) to delete the
array, or select N (no) to cancel.
Warning: All data stored on the array will be lost –do not delete if the
array contains critical data.
5.3.6 Add/Remove Spare Disks
This Add/Remove Spare command is used to assign a hard disk to act
as a Spare Disk. Spare Disks are used to automatically rebuild
Redundant RAID arrays (RAID 1, 5, 10) in the case of disk failure. As
with creating RAID arrays, disks must be initialized before they can be
used as spares. To set a hard disk to act as a Spare Disk, use the arrow
keys to select the target disk from the list of initialized disks, and
press Enter key. To remove the Spare Disk setting from a hard disk,
highlight the spare disk, and press Enter key. Generally, single disks
are designated to act as spares (disks that are not configured into
RAID arrays). However, in some instances, disks that are members of
RAID arrays may also be designated to act as a spare. If the disks in
question are part of a RAID array that did not utilize the full available
capacity at the time of creation, these disks may be used as spares.

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5.3.7 Settings
To access the Settings menu, highlight the Settings command from
the toolbar, and press Enter key. There are Select Boot Device and
Parameter Setting options in the menu.
Select Boot Device:
Select which disk or array will act as the boot disk, if the
motherboard BIOS instructs the card to act as the boot device.
Staggered Spin up:
The default value of this option is disabled. Enabling this setting will
instruct the card to power up the hard disks, sequentially (one disk
approximately every 2 seconds). Not all disk support this setting –
consult the disk documentation for more information.
5.3.8 View
The View menu provides two options:
Devices –This option will display information for each disk hosted by
the HBA.

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RAID Array –This option will display information about each RAID
array hosted by the HBA. Highlight the target device and press Enter
to view details about the configuration.
6RocketRAID 600L/600LS Driver Installation
6.1 Driver installation - Microsoft Windows
Installing the driver for an existing Windows operating system
1. Install the RocketRAID 600L/600LS host adapter into the PC,
then boot up the Windows operating system.
2. Windows will detect the RocketRAID 600L/600LS HBA and
automatically search for the driver.
3. If Windows is unable to locate the driver, the following message
will be displayed:
4. Device Manager will display the RocketRAID 600L/600LS HBA
under “Other” devices, with a yellow “!” mark before the “RAID
Controller” entry.
5. Download the driver from the HighPoint Website and using
Windows Device Manager to install the driver.
6. Right-click the “RAID Controller” entry and select “Update Driver
Software”.

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7. Select “Browse my computer for driver software” in the popup
window.
8. Select the driver option that matches your operating system.
9. Follow the Installation Wizard’s prompts to install the
RocketRAID 600/600LS driver. Click “Close” to exit the Wizard
and reboot once the driver has been successfully installed.
10. Once complete, the interface will notify you that the driver has
been successfully installed. Click “OK” to reboot the system.
11. After rebooting the system, the RocketRAID 600L/600LS HBA will
be recognized by Device Manager, and listed under “Storage
Controllers”.
Installing the driver during a fresh Windows OS installation
Please prepare a USB flash drive with the RocketRAID 600L Windows
driver. The driver can be download from the HighPoint Website:
http://highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/series_rr600-download.htm
1. Boot from the Windows Installation DVD.
2. When the following window is displayed, please insert the USB
flash drive with the RocketRAID 600L Windows driver.

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3. Select “Load Driver”.
4. Browse to the driver folder.
5. Select x32 or x64 according with your windows OS such as:
\RR64xL\Windows\x64
6. Follow the Installation Wizard’s prompts to continue the
installation process.
7. Windows should display the following entry after locating the
driver. Click “Next” to install the RocketRAID 600L/600LS driver.