Intel SRCU31A - Server RAID U3-1A Controller User manual

Intel®RAID Controller SRCU31
User’s Guide
Order Number: A78134-001

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Intel and i960 are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
†Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
Copyright © 2002, Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

iii
Contents
1Introduction and General Information
Intended Audience.............................................................................................................. 13
RAID Levels ....................................................................................................................... 13
RAID 0 - Data Striping............................................................................................... 13
RAID 1 - Disk Mirroring.............................................................................................. 14
RAID 4 - Data Striping with a Dedicated Parity Drive................................................. 15
RAID 5 - Data Striping with Striped Parity.................................................................. 16
RAID 10 - Combination of RAID 1 and RAID 0 .......................................................... 17
Chaining............................................................................................................................. 18
Configuring a Chaining Set Using StorCon................................................................ 18
Configuring a Chaining Set Using StorCon+.............................................................. 18
Levels of Drive Hierarchy Within the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 Firmware................... 19
Level 1....................................................................................................................... 19
Level 2....................................................................................................................... 19
Level 3....................................................................................................................... 19
Level 4....................................................................................................................... 20
Transparency of Host Drives.............................................................................................. 20
Using CD-ROMs, DATs, Tapes, etc........................................................................... 21
2Getting Started
What is the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 Firmware? ....................................................... 23
Standard Firmware.................................................................................................... 23
RAID Hardware Installation and Setup............................................................................... 24
Minimum Hardware Requirements............................................................................. 24
Install a High Profile Backplate to the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31........................ 24
Installing and Removing the SDRAM......................................................................... 24
Installing the SDRAM........................................................................................ 24
Removing the SDRAM...................................................................................... 24
Install the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 in the Intel Server Board............................ 24
Attach SCSI Cables................................................................................................... 25
Programming the FLASH Memory............................................................................. 25
Recover the Firmware in the FLASH Memory................................................... 26
SCSI Termination ...................................................................................................... 27
Termination....................................................................................................... 27
Choosing a Configuration .......................................................................................... 28
How Many Hard Disk Drives Should Be Integrated Into the Disk Array?............ 28
What Level of Redundancy is Needed? ............................................................ 28
Are Hot Fix Drives Needed?.............................................................................. 29
Intel RAID Controller Hardware Features................................................................... 29
Architecture Features (HW)............................................................................... 29
SCSI Technology.............................................................................................. 30
Electrical Characteristics................................................................................... 30
Environmental Specifications ............................................................................ 30

iv Intel RAID SRCU31 Users Guide
Hard Disk Drive Connectivity (SCSI Specifics)........................................................... 30
Supported Hard Disk Drive Technology ............................................................ 30
Single-Ended (SE) Support............................................................................... 30
Low Voltage Differential (LVD) Support............................................................. 31
SCSI Connectors....................................................................................................... 31
Support for Non-Hard Disk Drive SCSI Devices (Non-Direct Access Devices).. 32
Compatible Intel RAID Controllers...................................................................................... 32
Optional RAID Features Implemented in the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31...................... 33
Adapter Device Limitation Support............................................................................. 33
Operational States of an Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 Firmware Disk Array.................... 34
Operational States for RAID 4/5................................................................................. 34
Methods for Hard Disk Drive Replacement......................................................................... 36
Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 Quick Start......................................................................... 37
Make an OS Installation Diskette............................................................................... 37
Install the SDRAM ..................................................................................................... 38
Install the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 in the Intel Server Board............................ 38
Attach SCSI Cables................................................................................................... 38
Use StorCon to Create a RAID Volume..................................................................... 38
Set the BIOS Boot Order ........................................................................................... 41
Install the Operating System (choose from either
Windows 2000 or Red Hat Linux 7.1).................................................................. 42
Installing Windows 2000.................................................................................... 42
Installing Red Hat Linux 7.1 .............................................................................. 43
Alternative Method to Creating an Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 Installation Diskette....... 44
Windows NT.............................................................................................................. 44
Windows 2000........................................................................................................... 44
SCO UnixWare.......................................................................................................... 44
How to Use Auto Hot Plug with SAF-TE............................................................................. 45
Setting Up Auto Hot Plug........................................................................................... 45
3Installing Microsoft Windows NT or Windows 2000
Operating System Installation Procedures.......................................................................... 47
Pre-Installation Requirements Checklist .................................................................... 47
Minimum Hardware Requirements.................................................................... 47
Minimum Software Requirements ..................................................................... 48
Installing an Operating System onto a RAID Volume or Single Disk ......................... 48
Windows 2000 / NT 4.0 Installation Procedures................................................ 49
Installing the OS................................................................................................ 49
Installing an OS onto an IDE or SCSI Hard Disk Drive Not Attached to the
Intel RAID Controller SRCU31.................................................................... 50
Windows 2000 / NT 4.0 Installation Procedures................................................ 50
Upgrading an OS (Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000) that is Currently
Installed on a RAID Volume or Single Disk................................................. 52
Installation to an Existing OS............................................................................. 53
Installing Drivers for the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31...................................................... 54

Contents v
4Installing Linux
Before YouBegin................................................................................................................55
Available Drivers and Tools on the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 Software Suite
CD-ROM............................................................................................................. 55
Assumptions About Path Names ............................................................................... 55
General Installation Notes .................................................................................................. 56
Minimum Hardware Requirements............................................................................. 56
Minimum Software Requirements.............................................................................. 56
Installing Red Hat Linux 7.x on a RAID Volume (Host Drive)............................................. 56
Installing an Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 onto an Existing Linux Server......................... 57
Installation of Driver Sources from the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 CD-ROM ....... 57
GDT Driver Parameters...................................................................................................... 58
Reservation of SCSI Devices..................................................................................... 58
Further Driver Parameters......................................................................................... 59
Installation of Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 StorCon Monitoring Utility............................. 60
Installation of StorCon from the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 CD-ROM.................. 60
Using StorCon Monitoring Utility................................................................................ 60
Remote Monitoring with the Intel SRCD Remote Access Service....................................... 61
SRCD Installation Instructions from the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 CD-ROM...... 61
5Installing Novell Netware
Pre-Installation Requirements Checklist............................................................................. 63
Minimum Hardware Requirements............................................................................. 63
Minimum Software Requirements.............................................................................. 63
New Installation of NetWare 4.2 and 5.1............................................................................. 64
New Installation of NetWare 4.2 with the SRCRX.HAM Driver................................... 64
New Installation of NetWare 5.xx with the SRCRX.HAM Driver................................. 64
Adding Intel RAID SRCU31 Controller(s), Drivers, and/or StorCon to an Existing
NetWare Installation..................................................................................................... 65
Installing the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 Driver Package..................................... 65
Installing the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 Tools Kit Package................................. 66
Configuring Tools for Remote Access............................................................... 66
ASPI Support for NetWare 4.2 and 5.1............................................................................... 66
Tips and Tricks................................................................................................................... 67
Optimize Data Throughput......................................................................................... 67
“Cache Memory Allocator Out of Available Memory”in PCI-ISA Systems.................. 68
Installing NetWare 4.1 - Wrong Drive Name .............................................................. 68
NetWare Server Not Stable When Under High Utilization.......................................... 68
Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 and Non-ASPI Compatible Controllers....................... 69
Last Status Information.............................................................................................. 69
Adding Additional Capacity After an Online Capacity Expansion ............................... 69
Notes on ARCserve............................................................................................................ 70

vi Intel RAID SRCU31 Users Guide
6Installing UnixWare
General Installation Notes .................................................................................................. 71
Minimum Hardware Requirements............................................................................. 71
Minimum Software Requirements.............................................................................. 71
Installing the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 as an Additional Controller............................. 72
No Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 Has Yet Been Configured for UnixWare............... 72
An Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 Has Already Been Configured for UnixWare ........ 72
Installing an Operating System onto a Host Drive or Single Disk........................................ 73
Installation of the RAID Software Suite for UnixWare ......................................................... 73
Coordinates of SCSI Devices............................................................................................. 74
Host Adapter Number (HA)........................................................................................ 74
UnixWare Bus Number, Target ID and LUN............................................................... 74
Configuration Example...................................................................................... 74
Additional Information......................................................................................................... 75
7Storage Console
StorCon Features............................................................................................................... 77
StorCon Is.......................................................................................................................... 77
Loading StorCon ................................................................................................................ 78
Loading the StorCon Program Under NetWare.......................................................... 78
Loading StorCon on a Fileserver ............................................................................... 78
Loading StorCon on a Workstation............................................................................ 78
Loading the StorCon Program Under Windows NT/2000........................................... 79
Uninstalling the RAID Software Suite......................................................................... 81
Loading the StorCon Program Under Windows 95/98................................................ 82
Loading StorCon Under Linux.................................................................................... 82
Loading StorCon Under SCO UnixWare.................................................................... 83
The StorCon Program ........................................................................................................ 83
Select Interface.......................................................................................................... 84
Select Controller........................................................................................................ 85
Monitor and Express / Advanced Setup..................................................................... 86
Monitor Menu.................................................................................................... 86
Express Setup / Advanced Setup Menus.......................................................... 87
Monitor Menu ..................................................................................................................... 87
View Statistics ........................................................................................................... 87
View Events............................................................................................................... 89
View Hard Disk Drive Info.......................................................................................... 89
The Retries Counter.......................................................................................... 89
The Reassigns Counter..................................................................................... 90
The Grown Defects Counter.............................................................................. 90
Last Status........................................................................................................ 90
Save Information ....................................................................................................... 91
Express Setup.................................................................................................................... 92
Configure Host Drives................................................................................................ 92
Host Drive States.............................................................................................. 93
Configure New Host Drive................................................................................. 95
Host Drive Options............................................................................................ 96
Repair Array Drives ................................................................................................... 99

Contents vii
Advanced Setup............................................................................................................... 101
Configure Controller................................................................................................. 101
Controller Settings........................................................................................... 101
Firmware Update............................................................................................. 102
Intelligent Fault Bus......................................................................................... 102
Non-Intelligent Enclosures .............................................................................. 103
Advanced Settings.......................................................................................... 104
Clear Log Buffer.............................................................................................. 105
Configure Physical Devices..................................................................................... 105
Keyboard Commands...................................................................................... 106
SCSI Parameter / Initialize.............................................................................. 106
Check Surface ................................................................................................ 108
View Status/Defects........................................................................................ 108
De-Initialize Disk ............................................................................................. 108
Lock/Unlock Disk............................................................................................. 108
Enclosure Status............................................................................................. 109
Configure Logical Drives................................................................................. 111
Keyboard Commands...................................................................................... 111
Configure Array Drives ............................................................................................ 113
Keyboard Commands...................................................................................... 113
Change Drive Name........................................................................................ 114
Expand Array Drive......................................................................................... 114
Add RAID 1 Component.................................................................................. 115
Replace Array Component.............................................................................. 115
Remove RAID 1 Component........................................................................... 115
Remove Array Drive........................................................................................ 115
Add Hot Fix Drive............................................................................................ 116
In the Event of a Drive Failure ................................................................................. 116
Remove Hot Fix Drive..................................................................................... 117
Hot Fix Pool Access........................................................................................ 117
Parity Verify..................................................................................................... 117
Periodic Parity Verify....................................................................................... 117
Build/Rebuild Progress.................................................................................... 118
Create New Array Drive........................................................................................... 118
Notes on the Configuration of RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, and 10 Arrays Drives............... 120
Configure Host Drives.............................................................................................. 121
Change Drive Name........................................................................................ 121
Swap Host Drives............................................................................................ 121
Remove Host Drives....................................................................................... 122
Split Host Drive ............................................................................................... 122
Merge Host Drives .......................................................................................... 122
Partition Host Drives ....................................................................................... 122
Overwrite Master Boot Code........................................................................... 122

viii Intel RAID SRCU31 Users Guide
8Storage Console Plus
Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 123
Monitoring of the Whole Subsystem ........................................................................ 123
Remote Configuration and Maintenance.................................................................. 123
The StorCon+ Controls..................................................................................................... 124
The Toolbar............................................................................................................. 124
The Status Bar......................................................................................................... 125
Window Menu Commands....................................................................................... 125
Help Menu Commands............................................................................................ 125
File Menu Commands.............................................................................................. 126
View Menu Commands............................................................................................ 126
The Chart Menu....................................................................................................... 126
The Configuration Menu Commands....................................................................... 127
Select Controller............................................................................................................... 128
Physical Configuration Window................................................................................ 130
Controller Configuration Settings............................................................................. 132
Change Settings.............................................................................................. 132
Save Information............................................................................................. 132
Firmware Update..................................................................................................... 133
I/O Processors......................................................................................................... 134
Channel Settings............................................................................................. 136
Rescan ID(s)................................................................................................... 136
Hot Plug: Add Disk......................................................................................... 136
Direct Access Devices............................................................................................. 137
The SCSI Parameter/Initialize......................................................................... 139
Synchronous Transfer..................................................................................... 139
Disconnect...................................................................................................... 140
Tagged Queues .............................................................................................. 140
SCSI Read Cache / SCSI Write Cache........................................................... 140
De-Initialize a Physical Disk ............................................................................ 140
Lock / Unlock a Removable Disk..................................................................... 140
Non Direct Access Devices (Raw Devices).............................................................. 141
Logical Configuration Window.......................................................................................... 142
Host Drives.............................................................................................................. 142
Normal Host Drive........................................................................................... 142
Array Drives............................................................................................................. 142
Logical Drives.......................................................................................................... 144
Physical Drives........................................................................................................ 144
The Host Drive Information Window......................................................................... 145
The Array Drive Information Window....................................................................... 146
The Logical Drive Information Window..................................................................... 147
Change the Name of a Drive ................................................................................... 148
Remove a Host Drive............................................................................................... 148
Create a New Host Drive......................................................................................... 149
Parity Verify............................................................................................................. 150
Parity Recalculate.................................................................................................... 151
Progress Information ............................................................................................... 151
Expansion of an Array ............................................................................................. 152

Contents ix
Add a Hot Fix Drive.................................................................................................. 154
Remove a Hot Fix Drive........................................................................................... 155
Hot Fix Pool Access................................................................................................. 155
Add a RAID 1 Component (Mirror a Drive)............................................................... 155
Remove a RAID 1 Component (Remove a Mirror Drive).......................................... 156
Replace a Logical Drive........................................................................................... 157
The Different States of an Array Drive..................................................................... 157
The Ready State............................................................................................. 157
The Idle State.................................................................................................. 158
The Build / Rebuild State................................................................................. 158
The Fail State.................................................................................................. 159
The Error State ............................................................................................... 159
The Statistics Window...................................................................................................... 160
The Controller Events Window......................................................................................... 161
StorCon+ Help.................................................................................................................. 162
RAID Configuration Service and RAID Mail Utility ............................................................ 164
RAID Configuration Service..................................................................................... 164
RAID Mail Utility....................................................................................................... 167
9Getting Help
World Wide Web .............................................................................................................. 171
Telephone........................................................................................................................ 171
In U.S. and Canada:................................................................................................ 171
In Europe:................................................................................................................ 171
In Asia-Pacific Region:............................................................................................. 172
In Japan:.................................................................................................................. 172
In Latin America:...................................................................................................... 172
10 Regulatory and Certification Information
Product Regulatory Compliance....................................................................................... 173
Product Safety Compliance ..................................................................................... 173
Product EMC Compliance........................................................................................ 173
Product Regulatory Compliance Markings............................................................... 174
Electromagnetic Compatibility Notices.............................................................................. 175
FCC Verification Statement (USA)........................................................................... 175
ICES-003 (Canada)................................................................................................. 176
CE Declaration of Conformity (Europe).................................................................... 176
VCCI (Japan)........................................................................................................... 176
BSMI (Taiwan)......................................................................................................... 177
Warnings and Cautions.................................................................................................... 177
Warnings................................................................................................................. 177
Cautions.................................................................................................................. 177
11 Appendix
BIOS Information.............................................................................................................. 179
Background I/O’s..................................................................................................... 179
BIOS Boot Messages .............................................................................................. 179

xIntel RAID SRCU31 Users Guide
Figures
1. RAID 0 –Data Striping............................................................................................... 13
2. RAID 1 –Disk Mirroring............................................................................................. 14
3. RAID 4.......................................................................................................................15
4. RAID 5.......................................................................................................................16
5. RAID 10..................................................................................................................... 17
6. Jumper Positions for FLASH Update and Recovery................................................... 26
7. Operational State Diagram for RAID 4/5.................................................................... 35
8. Controller Settings..................................................................................................... 49
9. Component Selection (Windows NT)......................................................................... 80
10. Component Selection (Windows 2000)...................................................................... 80
11. Add/Remove Programs (Windows 2000 Example) .................................................... 81
12. Select Interface.......................................................................................................... 84
13. Remote Machine........................................................................................................ 85
14. Select Controller........................................................................................................ 85
15. Monitor and Express Setup / Advanced Setup Menu................................................. 86
16. View Statistics Menu.................................................................................................. 87
17. Physical Drive Statistics............................................................................................. 88
18. Logfile Name ............................................................................................................. 88
19. Controller Events....................................................................................................... 89
20. Hard Disk Drive Information....................................................................................... 89
21. Hard Disk Drive Last Status....................................................................................... 90
22. Save Information........................................................................................................ 91
23. Screen Service Messages and Async. Events........................................................... 92
24. Select Host Drive....................................................................................................... 93
25. Choose Type ............................................................................................................. 95
26. Create Host Drive Confirmation................................................................................. 95
27. Hard Disk Drive Capacity........................................................................................... 96
28. Drive Status............................................................................................................... 96
29. Host Drive Options..................................................................................................... 96
30. Array Drive Summary................................................................................................. 99
31. Failed Hard Disk Drive............................................................................................... 99
32. Select Drive to Repair.............................................................................................. 100
33. Replace Hard Disk Drive Prompt............................................................................. 100
34. Add Disk to Array Confirmation................................................................................ 100
35. Array Drive Summary............................................................................................... 100
36. Array Drive Error State Dialog.................................................................................. 100
37. Controller Settings Dialog........................................................................................ 101
38. Select Enclosure...................................................................................................... 103
39. Enclosure Slots........................................................................................................ 104
40. Advanced Settings Dialog........................................................................................ 104
41. Select Physical Drive............................................................................................... 105
42. Initialize Disk............................................................................................................ 106
43. Disk Initialization Confirmation................................................................................. 107
44. View Status/Defects................................................................................................. 108
45. Enclosure Status...................................................................................................... 109
46. Enclosure Slots........................................................................................................ 109
47. Block Diagram of a SAF-TE Subsystem................................................................... 110

Contents xi
48. Select Logical Drive................................................................................................. 111
49. Select Physical Drive............................................................................................... 111
50. Create Single Drive.................................................................................................. 112
51. Drive Size................................................................................................................ 112
52. Select Array Drive.................................................................................................... 113
53. Array Drive Menu..................................................................................................... 113
54. Expand Array Dialog................................................................................................ 114
55. Remove Drive Confirmation..................................................................................... 115
56. Progress Information................................................................................................ 117
57. Create New Array Drive........................................................................................... 118
58. Choose Type........................................................................................................... 119
59. Strip Size................................................................................................................. 119
60. Choose Build Type .................................................................................................. 119
61. Create Array Drive Confirmation.............................................................................. 119
62. Drive Size Dialog..................................................................................................... 120
63. Array Drive Status.................................................................................................... 120
64. Host Drive Configuration.......................................................................................... 121
65. StorCon+ Plus Toolbar ............................................................................................ 124
66. Status Bar................................................................................................................ 125
67. Window Menu.......................................................................................................... 125
68. Help Menu............................................................................................................... 125
69. File Menu................................................................................................................. 126
70. View Menu............................................................................................................... 126
71. Chart Menu.............................................................................................................. 126
72. Physical Configuration Menu ................................................................................... 127
73. Logical Configuration Menu ..................................................................................... 127
74. Refresh Rate Settings Dialog................................................................................... 127
75. Logical Configuration Menu ..................................................................................... 128
76. Select Controller...................................................................................................... 129
77. Sockets.................................................................................................................... 129
78. Physical Configuration Icon...................................................................................... 130
79. Example of a Physical Configuration and the Controller Settings............................. 130
80. Controller Icon......................................................................................................... 131
81. Controller Settings Dialogs....................................................................................... 131
82. Processor Information.............................................................................................. 135
83. Physical Drive Information....................................................................................... 138
84. Logical Configuration............................................................................................... 142
85. Host Drive Information Window................................................................................ 145
86. Array Drive Information Window .............................................................................. 146
87. Logical Drive Information Window............................................................................ 147
88. Create a New Host Drive......................................................................................... 149
89. Array Build Information Dialog ................................................................................. 150
90. Parity Verify............................................................................................................. 150
91. Parity Verify Progress Information............................................................................ 151
92. Logical Configuration............................................................................................... 153
93. Add Hot Fix Drive..................................................................................................... 154
94. Add RAID 1 Component .......................................................................................... 156
95. The Ready State...................................................................................................... 157
96. The Idle State.......................................................................................................... 158

xii Intel RAID SRCU31 Users Guide
97. The Build / Rebuild State......................................................................................... 158
98. The Fail State.......................................................................................................... 159
99. The Error State........................................................................................................ 159
100. Statistics Window Icon............................................................................................. 160
101. Statistics Window .................................................................................................... 160
102. Controller Events Window Icon................................................................................ 161
103. Controller Events..................................................................................................... 162
104. StorCon+ Help......................................................................................................... 163
105. RAID Configuration Services................................................................................... 165
106. RAID Configuration Service Add/Remove Users ..................................................... 166
107. RAID Mail................................................................................................................ 167
108. Log File Name......................................................................................................... 168
109. Workstation Names ................................................................................................. 168
110. RAID Mail Utility....................................................................................................... 169
111. BIOS Boot Message................................................................................................ 179
Tables
1. RAID Level, Array Type, and Hard Disk Drive Requirements..................................... 28
2. RAID Level, Hard Disk Drives, and Usable Storage Capacity.................................... 29
3. Hardware Architecture............................................................................................... 29
4. SCSI Controller Technology....................................................................................... 30
5. Electrical Specifications............................................................................................. 30
6. Environmental Specifications..................................................................................... 30
7. Supported SCSI Hard Disk Drive Standards.............................................................. 31
8. Disk, Volume, and Array Limitations .......................................................................... 33
9. Operational States for RAID 4/5................................................................................. 34
10. Additional Operational States..................................................................................... 36
11. Hard Disk Drive Replacement Options....................................................................... 36
12. Linux Path Names ..................................................................................................... 55
13. UnixWare Bus Number, Target ID, and LUN.............................................................. 75
14. Host Drive Types....................................................................................................... 84
15. Controller Settings................................................................................................... 101
16. Advanced Settings................................................................................................... 105
17. View Status/Defects................................................................................................. 108
18. Toolbar Icons........................................................................................................... 124
19. Configuration Menu Refresh Settings ...................................................................... 128
20. Controller Settings................................................................................................... 132
21. I/O Processor Icons................................................................................................. 134
22. Direct Access Device Icons...................................................................................... 137
23. Data Transfer Rates................................................................................................. 139
24. Non Direct Access Devices...................................................................................... 141
25. Host Drive Icons ...................................................................................................... 142
26. Array Drive Icons..................................................................................................... 143
27. Logical Drive Icons .................................................................................................. 144
28. Physical Drive Icon.................................................................................................. 144
29. Event Window Icons ................................................................................................ 161

13
1 Introduction and General Information
Intended Audience
To use this product you should have experience in configuring computer equipment. For example,
you should be able to install and configure the operating system (OS) to recognize peripherals and
you should be able to use software utilities to configure and troubleshoot those installed
components. Be sure that you are familiar with the installation and setup of the OS that you are
installing. For detailed OS installation procedures, consult the documentation that came with
the OS.
Read and adhere to all warnings, cautions, and notices in this guide and the other documents in the
user documentation set supplied with this product. Read and adhere to the computer system safety
installation instructions.
RAID Levels
RAID 0 - Data Striping
Data blocks are split into stripes based on the adjusted stripe size (for example, 128 KB) and the
number of hard disk drives. Each stripe is stored on a separate hard disk drive. Significant
improvement of the data throughput is achieved using this RAID level, especially with sequential
read and write. RAID 0 (Figure 1) includes no redundancy. When one hard disk drive fails, all
data is lost. RAID 0 requires a minimum of two disks.
Figure 1. RAID 0 – Data Striping

14 Intel RAID SRCU31 Users Guide
RAID 1 - Disk Mirroring
All data is stored twice on two identical hard disk drives. When one hard disk drive fails, all data is
immediately available on the other without any impact on performance and data integrity.
With Disk Mirroring (Figure 2) two hard disk drives are mirrored on one I/O channel.
RAID 1 represents an easy and highly efficient solution for data security and system availability. It
is especially suitable for installations that are not too large (the available capacity is only half of the
installed capacity). RAID 1 requires a minimum of two disks.
Figure 2. RAID 1 –Disk Mirroring

Introduction and General Information 15
RAID 4 - Data Striping with a Dedicated Parity Drive
RAID 4 (Figure 3) works in the same way as RAID 0. The data is striped across the hard disk
drives and the controller calculates redundancy data (parity information) that is stored on a separate
hard disk drive (P1, P2). Should one hard disk drive fail, all data remains fully available. Missing
data is recalculated from existing data and parity information.
Unlike in RAID 1 only the capacity of one hard disk drive is needed for redundancy. For example,
in a RAID 4 disk array with five hard disk drives, 80% of the installed hard disk drive capacity is
available as user capacity, only 20% is used for redundancy. In systems with many small data
blocks, the parity hard disk drive becomes a throughput bottleneck. With large data blocks,
RAID 4 shows significantly improved performance. RAID 4 requires a minimum of three disks.
Figure 3. RAID 4

16 Intel RAID SRCU31 Users Guide
RAID 5 - Data Striping with Striped Parity
Unlike RAID 4, the parity data in a RAID 5 disk array are striped across all hard disk drives
(Figure 4). The RAID 5 disk array delivers a balanced throughput. Even with small data blocks,
which are very likely in a multi-tasking and multi-user environment, the response time is very
good. RAID 5 offers the same level of security as RAID 4. When one hard disk drive fails, all data
is still fully available. Missing data is recalculated from the existing data and parity information.
RAID 4 and RAID 5 are particularly suitable for systems with medium to large capacity
requirements, due to their efficient ratio of installed and available capacity. RAID 5 requires a
minimum of three disks.
Figure 4. RAID 5

Introduction and General Information 17
RAID 10 - Combination of RAID 1 and RAID 0
RAID 10 is a combination of RAID 0 (Performance) and RAID 1 (Data Security). Unlike RAID 4
and RAID 5, there is no need to calculate parity information. RAID 10 disk arrays offer good
performance and data security (Figure 5). As in RAID 0, optimum performance is achieved in
highly sequential load situations. Identical to RAID 1, 50% of the installed capacity is lost through
redundancy. RAID 10 requires a minimum of four disks.
Figure 5. RAID 10

18 Intel RAID SRCU31 Users Guide
Chaining
The Intel®RAID Controller SRCU31 firmware supports Drive Chaining (also referred to as Disk
Spanning). Drive Chaining is the process of linking several individual drives to form a large single
drive. Chaining is only available after having selected two or more drives in the Storage Console
(StorCon) or Storage Console Plus (StorCon+). Chaining is an inexpensive method to obtain a
large logical unit from many smaller hard disk drives.
WARNING
Using logical drives of the type chain as components of array drives is not recommended.
WARNING
Disk Chaining does not offer any form of data protection.
Configuring a Chaining Set Using StorCon
1. Select “Create New Host Drive.”
2. Select two or more drives.
3. Select “Chaining.”
Configuring a Chaining Set Using StorCon+
1. Click the “New host drive” icon.
2. Select “Configuration,” “Host Drive,” and “Create New.” A new host drive window appears.
3. Select a drive(s) using <Shift> and arrow keys. Chaining is grayed out before selecting two
drives and is available after selecting two drives.
4. Select “Chaining” and press <Enter>.
The System will configure the chain set that is now a logical drive.

Introduction and General Information 19
Levels of Drive Hierarchy Within the Intel®RAID
Controller SRCU31 Firmware
The Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 firmware is based on four fundamental levels of hierarchy.
Each level has its own drives (components). The basic rule is to build up a drive on a given level of
hierarchy. The drives of the next lower level of hierarchy are used as components.
Level 1
Physical drives are hard disk drives and removable hard disk drives. Some Magneto Optical (MO)
drives are located on the lowest level. Physical drives are the basic components of all “drive
constructions.”However, before they can be used by the firmware, these hard disk drives must be
“prepared”through a procedure called initialization. During this initialization each hard disk drive
receives information, which allows an unequivocal identification even if the SCSI ID or the
controller is changed. For reasons of data coherency, this information is extremely important for
any drive construction consisting of more than one physical drive.
Level 2
On the next higher level are the logical drives. Logical drives are introduced to obtain full
independence of the physical coordinates of a physical device. This is necessary to easily change
the Intel RAID Controller SRCU31 and the channels, IDs, without loosing the data and the
information on a specific disk array.
Level 3
On this level of hierarchy, the firmware forms the array drives. Depending on the firmware
installed an array drive can be:
• Single Disks: one disk or a JBOD (just a bunch of drives)
• Chaining sets (concatenation of several hard disk drives)
• RAID 0 array drives
• RAID 1 array drives, RAID 1 array drives plus a hot fix drive
• RAID 4 array drives, RAID 4 array drives plus a hot fix drive
• RAID 5 array drives, RAID 5 array drives plus a hot fix drive
• RAID 10 array drives, RAID 10 array drives plus a hot fix drive

20 Intel RAID SRCU31 Users Guide
Level 4
On level 4, the firmware forms the host drives. Only these drives can be accessed by the host
operating system of the computer. The firmware automatically transforms each newly installed
logical drive and array drive into a host drive. This host drive is then assigned a host drive number
which is identical to its logical drive or array drive number.
The firmware is capable of running several kinds of host drives at the same time. For example, in
Windows†2000, drive C is a RAID 5 type host drive (consisting of five SCSI hard disk drives) and
drive D is a single hard disk drive. On this level the user may split an existing array drive into
several host drives.
After a capacity expansion of a given array drive the added capacity appears as a new host drive on
this level. It can be either used as a separate host drive, or merged with the first host drive of the
array drive. Within StorCon, each level of hierarchy has its own menu:
Level 1 - Configure Physical Devices
Level 2 - Configure Logical Drives
Level 3 - Configure Array Drives
Level 4 - Configure Host Drives
Generally, each installation procedure passes through these four menus, starting with level 1.
Installation includes the initializing the physical drives, configuring the logical drives, configuring
the array drives (for example, RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, and 10) and configuring the host drives.
Transparency of Host Drives
The structure of the host drives installed with StorCon (see Chapter 7, Storage Console) is not
known to the operating system. For example, the operating system does not recognize that a given
host drive consists of a number of hard disk drives forming a disk array.
To the operating system this host drive simply appears as one single hard disk drive with the
capacity of the disk array. This complete transparency represents the easiest way to operate disk
arrays under the operating system. Neither operating system nor the PCI computer need to be
involved in the administration of these complex disk array configurations.