Copyright by Promise Technology, Inc. (“Promise”), 2001. No part of this
manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the
expressed, written permission of Promise.
Trademarks
All trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
Important data protection information
You should back up all data before installing any drive controller or storage
peripheral. Promise is not responsible for any loss of data resulting from the
use, disuse or misuse of this or any other Promise product.
Notice
Although Promise has attempted to ensure the accuracy of the content of
this manual, it is possible that this document may contain technical
inaccuracies, typographical, or other errors. Promise Technology, Inc.
assumes no liability for any error in this publication, and for damages,
whether direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or otherwise, that may
result from such error, including, but not limited to loss of data or profits.
Promise provides this publication “as is” without warranty of any kind,
either express or implied, including, but not limited to implied warranties of
merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
The published information in the manual is subject to change without notice.
Promise reserves the right to make changes in the product design, layout,
and driver revisions without notification to its users.
RETURNING PRODUCT FOR REPAIR........................................................................C-1
FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Introduction
The PC which you are using either already contains a Promise Technology
FastTrak100 TX4, TX2, or LP RAID card installed by a third-party or you have
acquired a FastTrak100 retail product for your existing PC and will be installing the
card yourself.
For PC owners wishing to install their Promise Technology FastTrak100 TX4/TX2/LP
card, proceed to the Quick Start section (see page 5).
For PCs with a Promise Technology FastTrak100 TX4/TX2/LP card already installed,
consult the Troubleshooting section of the manual (see page 76) if you are
experiencing any difficulties with the hard drive being recognized by the card. If your
operating system has crashed for some reason or you have downloaded updated
drivers from the Promise website (www.promise.com), you may wish to reinstall
software drivers for the FastTrak100 card. Use the Installing Drivers section (see
page 30).
In order to serve you better and provide information updates, please take a moment to
register your controller at http://www.promise.com/warranty .
What is the FastTrak100 TX/LP Series RAID Card?
Promise originally designed the FastTrak100 card as a cost-effective, high
performance RAID card that adds performance and/or reliability to PC desktops and/or
servers using Ultra ATA/100, Ultra ATA/66, or EIDE drives. The FastTrak100 TX/LP
Series models offer some major performance differences as described below.
The Fas tTrak100 TX/LP Series models all support newer motherboards that offer a
66MHz PCI bus (versus the traditional 33MHz bus) and the capability of transferring
data across the PCI bus at speeds up to 266MB per second (versus the previous
133MB per second). As Ultra ATA/100 drive performance continues to improve, the
use of the Promise ATA RAID card in a 66 MHz PCI slot will allow data transfers to
exceed the older 133MB. Of course, the FastTrak100 TX/LP series cards are
backward compatible with standard 33MHz PCI slots.
The FastTrak100 TX4 model offers four independent data channels to support a
maximum of four Ultra ATA drives. This multiplies the sustained data transfer rate of
attached drives that are striped together under RAID 0 or RAID 0+1 (up to 200MB per
second). The FastTrak100 TX2 offers two independent data channels to support a
maximum of four Ultra ATA drives -- though Promise recommends using just one drive
per channel for maximum performance. The FastTrak100 LP offers the same features
as the TX2 but in a low profile form factor designed for low profile PCs.
FastTrak100 supports striping (RAID 0), mirroring (RAID 1), striping/mirroring (RAID
0+1), or spanning (JBOD) operation, respectively. With striping, identical drives can
read and write data in parallel to increase performance. Mirroring increases read
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
performance through load balancing and elevator sorting while creating a complete
backup of your files. Striping with mirroring offers both high read/write performance
and fault tolerance. Spanning uses the full capacity of all attached drives without
requiring identical drive size, but offers no other RAID functionality.
A FastTrak100 striped array can double (TX2 and LP models using two drives) or
quadruple (TX4 model using four drives) the sustained data transfer rate of Ultra
ATA/100 drives. FastTrak100 fully supports Ultra ATA/100 specification of up to 100
MB/sec per drive, depending on individual drive specifications.
All FastTrak100 models also offer fault tolerant, data redundancy for entry-level
network file servers or simply for desktop PC users wanting to continually protect
valuable data on their PC. Each FastTrak100 model offers RAID 1 mirroring (for two
drives) and RAID 0+1 mirroring plus striping (for four drives) to protect data. Should a
drive that is part of a mirrored array fail, FastTrak100 uses the mirrored drive (which
contains identical data) to assume all data handling. When a new replacement drive
is later installed, FastTrak100 rebuilds data to the new drive from the mirrored drive to
restore fault tolerance.
When attached drives are used with optional Promise SuperSwap(tm) "hot" swap
chassises, the FastTrak100 models allow replacing a failed drive without shutting
down the PC operation under RAID 1 mirroring. Because of its four independent data
channels, the FastTrak100 TX4 also supports "hot" swapping under RAID 0+1 using
four drives.
FastTrak100's bootable BIOS supports individual drives larger than 8.4GB. With
FAT32 and NTFS partitioning, the array can be addressed as one large single volume.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Keys Features and Benefits
The following information offers an overview of the major features of your new
Promise FastTrak100 TX4, TX2 or LP card. The table is divided into two areas:
Advanced Hardware Design, and Compatibility.
Advanced Hardware Design
Features Benefits
Supports 66MHz PCI bus
motherboards (automatically
backward compatible with 33MHz
PCI slots)
Supports data striping (RAID 0),
mirroring (RAID 1), and
striping/mirroring combination
(RAID 0+1)
Supports Ultra DMA 5/4/3/2/1/0,
DMA 2/1/0
Independent data channels Drives can multiply their data transfer
PCI Plug-n-Play, PCI Interrupt
sharing and coexists with
mainboard IDE controllers
Supports concurrent IDE channel
operation
Supports IDE bus master operation Allows multitasking during disk transfers that
Utilizes FastBuild
from the FastTrak100 onboard
BIOS
Displays status and error checking
messages during bootup
Employs the latest Promise PCI
Ultra ATA/100 ASIC technology
Mirroring supports automatic
background rebuilds
TM
automenu
Allows maximum data transfers of up to 200MB
per second (133 MB/s in 33 MHz slot) over the
bus to dramatically reduce the time to save and
retrieve large files.
Provides dramatic increase in drive performance
and/or fault tolerant options. Offers
performance customization and data rebuilds
from the BIOS menu.
Burst data transfer rates up to 100MB/sec from
Ultra ATA/100 drives to boost overall system
performance.
performance when striped together and each
drive uses a separate data channel.
Easy to install; support four ATA drives on the
FastTrak100 while still supporting 4 devices on
motherboard ATA controller.
Drive workload is distributed in parallel between
members of the array.
increase CPU efficiency. The CPU is free to
process tasks during IDE data transfers through
the PCI Bus to/from system memory.
Offers pre-set application specific settings that
can be optimized for Desktop, Server, or A/V
Editing. Has "Auto Setup" option for quick and
easy array builds.
Notifies user of possible errors and allows for
recovery of mirrored drive arrays directly from
FastBuild
Fully supports Ultra ATA/100 specifications with
100 MB/sec timing and CRC error-checking at
high speeds.
Fault tolerance can be restored automatically
without rebooting.
TM
.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Compatibility
Features Benefits
Complies with PCI v2.2 Local Bus
standard
Compliant with PCI IDE Bus Master
standard. PCI IDE Bus Master
support for Windows 98/95/ME,
Windows NT4/2000, Netware
3.12/4.1x/5.0, RedHat Linux 6.2/7.0
Tested compatibility to coexist with
mainboards that have integrated
IDE controllers
Compatible with Ultra ATA/100,
Ultra ATA/66, Ultra ATA/33, EIDE
and Fast ATA -2 drives supporting
multi-word DMA
Features LBA and Extended
Interrupt13 drive translation in
controller onboard BIOS
DMI NT compatibility FastTrak will appear as an instrumented
Provides highest level of hardware compatibility.
Provides 32-bit I/O, IDE Bus Master, and Ultra
ATA performance for optimal system
performance.
Improves system performance of new and
existing installations including mainboards with
Intel chipsets.
Works with newest and current IDE drive
specifications. Promise engineers experienced
with IDE devices perform verification testing
with major drive manufacturers and
development partners.
Breaks capacity barriers for support of drives
greater than 8.4GB in capacity. Offers flexible
storage options for space demanding
applications.
component under DMI (Desktop Management
Interface)
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Quick Start
This section is designed to quickly get your FastTrak100 TX/LP series controller up
and running using the default settings, which will be optimal for most users. If you
wish to modify any of the default settings, please refer to page 14, Using FastBuild™
Configuration Utility.
Unpacking Your FastTrak100
When you receive the FastTrak100, the package should contain the items listed below:
• FastTrak100 TX4, TX2, or LP Ultra ATA/100 RAID Card
• FastTrak100 TX/LP Series User’s Manual
• FastTrak100 Driver floppy diskette
• Two (TX2/LP models) or four (TX4) internal 80-wire/40-pin Ultra ATA/100 hard
drive cables (18” length)
If ANY of the contents are missing or appear to be damaged, please contact your
dealer or distributor immediately.
WARNING: Before installing the adapter into an existing system,
backup any necessary data. Failure to follow this accepted PC
practice could result in data loss.
NOTE: FastTrak100, like every other valuable part of your system, is subject to
static electricity. Be sure that you’re properly grounded (Promise recommends that
you wear an anti-static strap, or touch a grounded object), and that your system is
unplugged before installing FastTrak100.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Installing The Card
Installing the FastTrak100 TX/LP Series controller card in a system is a simple process.
The card fits into any available 32-bit PCI slot (must be PCI 2.1 or 2.2 compliant), or the
32-bit portion of a 64-bit PCI slot, on the system’s motherboard (see figure below).
1. Remove the cover of your system.
2. Remove the inside slot cover of an available 32-bit PCI slot on the
motherboard.
3. Install the FastTrak100 controller card into the open slot (see Figure 1
below).
4. Attach your system case’s 2- or 4-pin LED cable to the LED connector on
the FastTrak100 controller card (see figure next page). Make sure that pin 1
on the connector is aligned with pin 1 of the cable.
5. Fasten the controller card bracket to the system case (see below).
Figure 1
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Installing The Hard Drives
WARNING: If you wish to include your current bootable drive
using the Windows NT 4.x or Windows 2000 operating system as
part of a bootable Mirrored (RAID 1) array on your FastTrak100,
do NOT connect the hard drive to the FastTrak100 controller yet.
You MUST install the Windows NT4 or 2000 driver software first
(see page 30) to this drive while it is still attached to your existing hard drive
controller.
Hard drives must be Ultra ATA/100, Ultra ATA/66, Ultra ATA/33, EIDE and/or Fast
ATA-2 compatible to operate with the FastTrak100 RAID Adapter. For optimal
performance, install all identical drives of the same model and capacity. The drives’
matched performance allows the array to function better as a single drive.
1. Promise recommends using identical drives as part of a FastTrak100 array.
If striping for performance, use up to four new drives. If mirroring for
protection, you can use two new drives OR use an existing drive and a
new drive (the new drive must be the same size or larger than the existing
drive).
a. For TX4 model users, set the jumpers of each hard drive to
"Master" only. Attach 1 drive only to each of the TX4’s data
channels (do not use a Master/Slave configuration).
b. For TX2 or LP model users, configure the jumpers of the hard
drive you’re preparing to connect to the FastTrak100 TX2 or LP
models using the correct “Master” or “Cable -Select” settings in the
positions described in the table below.
NOTE: Sometimes the Master drive with no slave attached is called “Single.”
The master slave setting differentiates two drives chained on the same
connector.
Jumper Settings
# of Drives IDE Channel 1 IDE Channel 2
1 M ---2 M M
3 M & S M
4 M & S M & S
M = Master, S = Slave
2. Install the hard drives into the hard drive bays of your system, including the
power cables.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
WARNING: Use of removable hard drive enclosures other than
Promise SuperSwap is not supported and may result in
performance loss or other undesired results.
3. Attach one Ultra ATA cable to each hard drive. Then attach one cable to
each of the IDE connectors on the FastTrak100 controller card. The colored
edge of the cable(s) indicates pin 1 (see below), and the blue cable
connector must be attached to the FastTrak100 connector.
NOTE: The TX4 model houses four data channel connectors.
Attach only one drive per connector.
IDE 2 IDE 1
NOTE: You must use an 80-wire, 40-pin cable when connecting
an Ultra ATA/100 hard drive to the FastTrak100 controller card.
The FastTrak100 TX2 and LP package contains two 80-wire, 40pin cables. FastTrak100 TX4 contains four of these cables.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Checking CMOS Settings
No changes are necessary in the Motherboard CMOS Setup for resources or drive
types. Since FastTrak100 is a PCI Plug-n-Play (PnP) device, the Interrupt and Port
address resources are automatically assigned by the Motherboard's PCI
PnP BIOS.
The FastTrak100 system resources including port address, interrupt, and BIOS
address are automatically determined by the system PnP BIOS. To customize
IRQ settings, enter the Motherboard BIOS's Advanced PCI setup and follow the
manufacturer's procedures. If the system has limited IRQ resources, the FastTrak100
card can be set for the same IRQ as other PCI cards if those cards support PCI
interrupt sharing.
If you wish to boot from a FastTrak100 drive array AND continue to use hard drives
attached to your motherboard's IDE controller, refer to your motherboard manual for
the specific BIOS settings to use in order to establish their proper boot order.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Creating Your Disk Array
You will now use the onboard FastBuild BIOS utility to create your array using the
attached drives. There are three different scenarios in creating this array. You can
create an array for performance, you can create a Security array using new hard
drives (recommended), or you can create a Security array using an existing hard
drive and a new hard drive.
WARNING: If creating a Security array using an existing hard
drive, backup any necessary data. Failure to follow this accepted
PC practice could result in data loss.
1. Boot your system. If this is the first time you have booted with the
FastTrak100 card and drives installed, the Promise onboard BIOS will
display the following screen.
FastTrak100 (tm) BIOS Version 1.xx (Build xxxx)
(c) 1995-2001 Promise Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
No array defined . . .
Press <Ctrl-F> to enter FastBuild (tm) Utility
Or press <ESC> key to continue booting the system.
2. Press <Ctrl-F> keys to display the FastBuild (tm) Utility Main Menu
3. Press “1” to display the Auto Setup Menu below. This is the fastest and
easiest method to creating your first array.
FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 1995-2001 Promise Technology, Inc.
Drives used in Array................................2
Array Disk Capacity.........................16126
[ Keys Available ]
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
[↑] Up [↓] Down [←, →, Space] Change Option [ESC] Exit [Ctrl-Y] Save
NOTE: If you wish to customize certain settings at a later time, you may do so by
manually creating your array (see page 19 in Using FastBuild Configuration Utility).
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Creating an Array for Performance
NOTE: FastTrak100 allows users to create striped arrays with 1, 2, 3, or 4 drives.
To create an array for best performance, follow these steps:
1. Using the Spacebar, choose “Performance” under the Optimize Array for
section.
2. Select how you will use your PC most under the Typical Application usage
section. The choices are A/V Editing, Server, and Desktop (the default).
3. Press <Ctrl-Y> keys to Save and create the array.
4. Reboot your system.
5. Once the array has been created, you will need to FDISK and format the
array as if it were a new single hard drive.
6. Proceed to Installing Drivers section of the manual (see page 30).
Creating a Security Array With New Drives
NOTE: Under the Security setting, FastTrak100 permits two drives to be used for a
single Mirrored array or four drives to be used for a Mirrored/Striped array in Auto
Setup.
NOTE: When creating a Security array with new drives, a feature called Gigabyte
Boundary will automatically be set to ON. For a description of the Gigabyte Boundary feature, see page 20.
To create an array for data protection using new hard drives, follow these steps:
1. Using the Spacebar, choose “Security” under the Optimize Array for
section.
2. Press <Ctrl-Y> keys to Save your selection.
3. The window below will appear.
Do you want the disk image to be duplicated to another? (Yes/No)
Y - Create and Duplicate
N - Create Only
4. Press “N” for the Create Only option.
5. A window will appear almost immediately confirming that your Security
array has been created. Press any key to reboot the system.
Array has been created.
<Press Any Key to Reboot>
6. Proceed with normal FDISK and format procedures as if you had just
installed a new hard drive.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
7. Once the arrayed drives have been formatted, proceed to the Installing Driver chapter on page 30 to install your operating system and/or
FastTrak100 driver.
Creating a Security Array With An Existing Data Drive
NOTE: Under the Security setting, FastTrak100 permits two drives to be used for a
single Mirrored array or four drives to be used for a Mirrored/Striped array in Auto
Setup.
You would use this method if you wish to use a drive that already contains data
and/or is the bootable system drive in your system. You will need another drive of
identical or larger storage capacity.
WARNING: Backup any necessary data before proceeding. Failure to
follow this accepted PC practice could result in data loss.
WARNING: If you wish to include your current bootable drive using
the Windows NT 4.x or Windows 2000 operating system as part of a
bootable Mirrored (RAID 1) array on your FastTrak100, do NOT
connect the hard drive to the FastTrak100 controller yet. You MUST
install the Windows NT4 or 2000 driver software first (see page 30) to
this drive while it is still attached to your existing hard drive controller.
Follow these steps:
1. Using the Spacebar, choose “Security” under the Optimize Array for
section.
2. Press <Ctrl-Y> keys to Save your selection. The window below will appear.
Do you want the disk image to be duplicated to another? (Yes/No)
Y - Create and Duplicate
N - Create Only
3. Press “Y” for the Create and Duplicate option. The window below will
appear asking you to select the Source drive to use. FastBuild will
copy all data from the Source drive to the Target drive.
4. Use the arrow keys to choose which drive contains the existing data to be
copied.
5. Press [Ctrl-Y] keys to Save selection and start duplication. The following
progress screen will appear.
Start to duplicate the image . . .
Do you want to continue? (Yes/No)
Y – Continue N - Abort
6. Select “Y” to continue. If you choose “N”, you will be returned to step 1.
7. Once complete, the following screen will appear confirming that your
Security array has been created. Press any key to reboot the system.
Array has been created.
<Press Any Key to Reboot>
8. Proceed to the Installing Driver chapter on page 30 to install the
FastTrak100 driver and/or operating system.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Using FastBuild™ Configuration Utility
The FastBuildTM Configuration Utility offers several menu choices to create and
manage the drive array on the Promise FastTrak100 adapter. For purposes of this
manual, it is assumed you have already created an array in the previous chapter and
now wish to make a change to the array or view other options.
Viewing FastTrak100 BIOS Screen
When you boot your system with the FastTrak100 card and drives installed, the
Promise onboard BIOS will detect the drives attached and show the following screen.
FastTrak100 (tm) BIOS Version 1.xx (Build xxxx)
(c) 1995-2001 Promise Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Scanning IDE drives . . . . .
If an array exists already, the BIOS will display the following screen showing the
card’s BIOS version and status of the array.
FastTrak100 (tm) BIOS Version 1.xx (Build xxxx)
(c) 1995-2001 Promise Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ID MODE SIZE TRACK-MAPPING STATUS
1 * 2+0 Stripe 16126M 611/128/32 Functional
Press <Ctrl-F> to enter FastBuild (tm) Utility....
The array status consists of three possible conditions: Functional, Critical, Offline.
Functional - The array is operational.
Critical - A mirrored array contains a drive that has failed or disconnected. The
remaining drive member in the array is functional. However, the array has temporarily
lost its ability to provide fault tolerance. The user should identify the failed drive
through the FastBuild Setup utility, and then replace the problem drive.
Offline - A mirrored array has 2 drives that have failed/disconnected or a striped
array has 1 drive that has failed or been disconnected. When the array condition is
“offline,” the user must replace the failed drive(s), and then restore data from a
backup source.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Navigating the FastBuild™ Setup Menu
When using the menus, these are some of the basic navigation tips: Arrow keys
highlights through choices; [Space] bar key allows to cycle through options;
[Enter] key selects an option; [ESC] key is used to abort or exit the current menu.
Using the Main Menu
This is the first option screen when entering the FastBuildTM Setup.
FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 1995-2001 Promise Technology, Inc.
[ Main Menu ]
Auto Setup.......................................................[ 1 ]
To create a new array automatically, follow the steps under “Creating Arrays
Automatically” on page 16. Promise recommends this option for most users.
To manually create an array or define an array as bootable, follow the steps under
“Manually Creating Arrays” on pa ge 19. You will need to manually create an array if
you wish to modify block size.
To view drives assigned to arrays, see “Viewing Drive Assignments” on page 18.
To delete an array (but not delete the data contained on the array), select “Deleting
An Array” on page 26.
To rebuild a mirrored array, see “Rebuilding an Array” on page 27.
To view controller settings, see “Viewing Controller Configuration” on page 29.
NOTE: After installing the FastTrak100 card and configuring an array
using FastBuild, you should FDISK and format the arrayed drive(s) if
you are using new, blank drives
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Creating Arrays Automatically
The Auto Setup <1> selection from the Main Menu can intuitively help create your disk
array. It will assign all available drives appropriate for the disk array you are creating.
After making all selections, use Ctrl-Y to Save selections. FastBuild will automatically
build the array.
FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 1995-2001 Promise Technology, Inc.
Drives used in Array................................2
Array Disk Capacity (size in MB).....16126
[ Keys Available ]
[↑] Up [↓] Down [←, →, Space] Change Option [ESC] Exit [Ctrl-Y] Save
Optimize Array For
Select whether you want Performance (RAID 0), Security (RAID 1 or RAID 0+1), or
Capacity (Spanning) under the “Optimize Array for” setting.
Performance (RAID 0 Striping)
Supports the maximum performance. The storage capacity equals the number of
drives times the capacity of the smallest drive in the disk array.
NOTE: FastTrak100 permits striped arrays using 1, 2, 3, or 4 drives attached in
Auto Setup mode.
Security (RAID 1 Mirroring, or RAID 0+1 Striping/Mirroring)
Creates a mirrored (or fault tolerant) array for data security.
NOTE: Under the Security setting, FastTrak100 permits two drives to be used
for a single Mirrored array or four drives to be used for a Mirrored/Striped array
in Auto Setup.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Capacity (Spanning)
Achieves the maximum amount of capacity by adding the sum of all attached
drives. The Stripe Block option does not apply.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Defining Typical Application Usage
Allows the user to choose the type of PC usage that will be performed in order to
optimize how FastTrak100 handles data blocks to enhance performance. Your choice
will determine the block size used. You may choose from: A/V Editing (for audio/video
applications, or any similar application that requires large file transfers), Server (for
numerous small file transfers), or Desktop (a combination of large and small file sizes).
Using a “Hot” Spare Drive
If a third drive is attached and is not assigned to a mirrored two-drive disk array (one
optimized for “Security”), it will be recognized as a Spare Drive. Such a drive is
immediately used as a “standby” replacement. It is automatically added to an array
once a disk member of the array has been detected as “failed.” To restore fault
tolerance as quickly as possible, FastTrak100 begins to perform an automatic data
rebuild on the “spare” drive in the background without t he need to restart the system.
At a later time, the failed drive can be physically removed from the FastTrak100 card
and an extra drive added in its place to function as the “spare” drive.
NOTE: Due to IDE limitations when drives are in a Master/Slave configuration, if the
drive that fails is on the same channel as the “spare” drive, there is a possibility that
the “spare” drive will fail to be recognized by the system. For this reason Promise
recommends using “spare” drives only on the FastTrak100 TX4.
NOTE: The hot spare drive must have a capacity that is equal to or larger than the
smallest array member.
Creating Multiple Disk Arrays
1. If you plan to create multiple arrays, attach only the drives necessary to create
the first disk array and complete the <1> Auto Setup.
2. Install the additional drives needed for the second array and again use the <1>
Auto Setup.
NOTE: If you wish to customize the settings of individual disk arrays (such as block
size), you must manually create disk arrays with the Define Array <3> option from
the Main Menu.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Viewing Drive Assignments
The View Drive Assignments <2> option in the Main Menu displays whether drives
are assigned to a disk array or are unassigned.
Under the “Assignment” column, drives are labeled with their assigned disk array or
shown as “Free” if unassigned. Such “Free” drives can be used for a future array or
used as a spare drive when a drive fails in a mirrored array, provided the free drive’s
capacity is equal to or larger than the smallest array member. Unassigned drives are
not accessible by the OS. The menu also displays the data transfer mode that relates
to speed used by each drive (U5 refers to 100MB/sec transfers, U4 refers to
66MB/sec transfers, etc...)
FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 1995-2001 Promise Technology, Inc.
[↑] Up [↓] Down [ESC] Exit Mode (U=UDMA, P=PIO, D=DMA)
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Manually Creating an Array
The Define Array <3> option from the Main Menu allows users to begin the process of
manually defining the drive elements and RAID levels for one or multiple disk arrays
attached to FastTrak100. Users will commonly create one or two drive arrays with
FastTrak100, though the card will support a maximum of four arrays1.
NOTE: For most installations, Promise recommends the <1> Auto Setup for easy
disk array creation.
FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 1995-2001 Promise Technology, Inc.
[↑] Up [↓] Down [ESC] Exit [Enter] Select [Space] Change Boot Drive
1. To manually create an array from the Define Array Menu, use the arrow keys to
highlight the array number you wish to define, and press [Enter] to select.
2. The Define Array Definition Menu will next appear that allows drive assignments
to the disk array (see next page).
1
A user may use a single drive in either striping or spanning mode with FastTrak100.
In this rare scenario, the card will create an individual array ID but will offer
conventional controller performance depending on the drive type. At a later time, a
second drive can be added to the array and the array re-created to support RAID 1
mirroring.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Selecting Array Type
1. Under the Definition section of this menu, highlight the Array # for which you
want to assign a RAID level.
2. Use the [Space] key to cycle through three array types: Performance (RAID 0
Striping), Security (RAID 1 Mirroring, RAID 0+1 Striping/Mirroring (for 4 drives),
or Capacity (Spanning)). See page 70 about RAID levels.
FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 1995-2001 Promise Technology, Inc.
[ Define Array Definition Menu ]
Array No RAID Mode Total Drv Capacity(MB) Status
Array 1 Stripe 2 16126 Functional
Channel:ID Drive Model Capacity (MB) Assignment
1 : Master QUANTUMCR8.4A 8063 Y
1 : Slave QUANTUMCR8.4A 8063 N
2 : Master QUANTUMCR8.4A 8063 Y
[ Keys Available ]
[↑] Up [↓] Down [ESC] Exit [Space] Select [Ctrl-Y] Save
Selecting Stripe Block
For RAID 0 and RAID 0+1 arrays you may manually select the “stripe block size.” Use
the Spacebar to scroll through choices progressing as follows (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 . . .
1024).
The size selected affects how FastTrak100 sends and retrieves data blocks from the
drives. You will need to perform your own testing to determine how the data block
size is affecting your particular use of the array. In general, a larger block size is
better when handling large data transfers (such as in A/V editing or graphics) while a
smaller block size is better when handling e-mail and other common server data. The
default is 64K.
Gigabyte Boundary
The Gigabyte Boundary feature is designed for mirrored arrays (RAID 1 or
RAID 0+1) in which a drive has failed and the user cannot replace the drive with the
same capacity or larger. Instead, the Gigabyte Boundary feature permits the
installation of a replacement drive that is slightly smaller (within 1 gigabyte) than the
remaining working drive (for example, a 20.5 GB drive would be rounded down to 20
GB). This can be helpful in the event that a drive fails and an exact replacement model
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
is no longer available. Without this feature enabled, FastTrak100 will NOT permit the
use of a replacement drive that is slightly smaller than the remaining working drive.
For the Gigabyte Boundary feature to work, the Gigabyte Boundary feature must be
set to “ON” when the original mirrored array is created. When enabled, the Gigabyte
Boundary feature rounds the drive capacity of both drives to the common whole GB
drive size. For example, with the Gigabyte Boundary feature enabled, the remaining
working drive can be 20.5 GB and the replacement drive can be 20.3, since both are
rounded down to 20GB. This permits the smaller drive to be used. Please note that
users will lose a small amount of available storage capacity from both drives in order
to arrive at a common drive size.
NOTE: The Gigabyte Boundary feature is automatically disabled when creating a
mirrored array (RAID 1) from an existing drive (versus using two brand new drives).
This protects the existing drive's partition table in order to maintain data integrity.
Assigning Drive(s) to Array
1. Under the [ Drive Assignments ] section, highlight a drive using the [↑] or [↓]
keys.
2. With the [Space] bar key, change the Assignable option to “Y” to add the
drive to the disk array.
3. Press <Ctrl-Y> to save the disk array information. Depending on the array
type selected, the following scenarios will take place:
a) If choosing a Striping, Spanning, or Mirroring/Striping array, the initial
Define Array Menu screen will appear with the arrays defined. From
there you may ESC to exit and return to the Main Menu of FastBuild.
b) If you selected a Mirroring array for two drives, there is an additional
window that appears as described in order to create the array. To do
this you will use either two brand new drives, or one drive that
contains existing data that you wish to mirror.
Creating A Mirrored Array Using New Drives
As described in the Drive Assignments Option section above, if you selected a
mirroring array and wish to use two new assigned drives, follow the directions here.
1. After assigning new drives to a Mirroring array and saving the information
with <Ctrl-Y>, the window below will appear.
Do you want the disk image to be duplicated to another? (Yes/No)
Y - Create and Duplicate
N - Create Only
2. Press “N” for the Create Only option.
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
3. A window will appear almost immediately confirming that your Security
array has been created. Press any key to reboot the system
Array has been created.
<Press Any Key to Reboot>
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
Adding Fault Tolerance to an Existing Drive
FastTrak100 will create a mirrored array using an existing system drive with data.
You must assign the existing drive and another drive of same or larger capacity to the
Mirroring array. The BIOS will send the existing data to the new blank drive.
WARNING: Backup any necessary data before proceeding. Failure
to follow this accepted PC practice could result in data loss.
WARNING: If you wish to include your current bootable drive using the
Windows NT 4.x or Windows 2000 operating system as part of a bootable
Mirrored (RAID 1) array on your FastTrak100, do NOT connect the hard drive to
the FastTrak100 controller yet. You MUST install the Windows NT4 or 2000
driver software first (see page 30) to this drive while it is still attached to your
existing hard drive controller.
1. After assigning the drives to a Mirroring array, press <Ctrl-Y> keys to Save your
selection. The window below will appear.
Do you want the disk image to be duplicated to another? (Yes/No)
Y - Create and Duplicate
N - Create Only
NOTE: The Gigabyte Boundary feature is automatically disabled when creating a
mirrored array (RAID 1) from an existing drive (versus using two brand new drives).
This protects the existing drive's partition table in order to maintain data integrity.
2. Press “Y” for the Create and Duplicate option. The window below will appear
asking you to select the Source drive to use. FastBuild will copy all data from the
Source drive to the Target drive.
Source Disk
Channel:ID Drive Model Capacity (MB)
Target Disk
Channel:ID Drive Model Capacity (MB)
[Please Select A Source Disk]
Channel:ID Drive Model Capacity (MB)
1 :Master QUANTUMCR8.4A 8063
2 :Master QUANTUMCR8.4A 8063
[↑] Up [↓] [ESC] Exit [Ctrl-Y] Save
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FastTrak100 TX/LP™ Series User Manual
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