How it Works
Avermedia
Loading...
RA4000e
User Manual
59 pgs2.34 Mb0

Avermedia RA4000e User Manual

RA4000e Series
eSATA to Serial ATA Disk Array System User Manual Ver1.0
2
P
P
P
r
r
r
e
e
e
f
f
f
a
a
a
c
c
c
e
e
e
Notice
Product features and specifications described in this manual are subject to change without notice.
The manufacturer shall not be liable for any damage, or for the loss of information resulting from the performance or use of the information contained herein.
Trademarks
This manual has been checked for accuracy, but no guarantee is given that the contents are correct. Information and specifications can change without notice. AVerMedia is not responsible for data loss or other consequences caused by the us e of this manual.
© Copyright 2008 AVerMedia Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Manual version: 1.0
Before starting any kind of hardware installation, please ensure that all power switches have been turned off and all power cords disconnected to prevent personal injury and damage to the hardware.
Preface
3
Regulatory information
For Europe
This equipment is in conformity with the EMC directive.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Statement
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Those limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antennas. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circlet different from that to which the
receiver is connected. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Warning:
A shielded-ty pe power cord is required in order to meet FCC emission limits and also to prevent interference to the nearby radio and television reception. It is essential that only the supplied power cord be used.
Use only shielded cables to connect I/O devices to this equipment. You are cautioned that changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void your authority to operate the equipment.
4
About this manual
Intended user
This manual is designed and written for users of the RA4000e Series. This is an entry level product suitable for most users.
Organization of the manual
This manual consists of the following sections: Chapter 1: Introduction provides an overview of the as well as details of key features and
a list of specifications.
Chapter 2: Before you begin provides a detailed illustrated pa ckage list. This chapter
also contains all the information you need to decide whether to set up a RAID 0, 0+1, 5 or RAID 5+spare array and lists important pre-installation notices.
Chapter 3: Setting up the RA4000e Series gives a detailed overview of the RA4000e
Series’ features and guides you through the process of installing hard disk drives into.
Chapter 4: Setting up an array explains how to set the RAID level, create an array and
connect to a host computer.
Chapter 5: Partitioning the array tells you how partition the array in Windows, Linux or
Mac OS X operating systems.
Appendix A: FAQ helps you deal with encountered problems in the form of Q&A. Appendix B: Glossary defines relevant technical terms used in this manual. Appendix C: LCD Display Messages lists all status and error messages that may be
displayed on RA4000e Series’built-in display.
Appendix D: Updating Firmware explains how to install new o r up dated firmware on RA4000e Series.
Preface
5
Using this manual
This guide contains all the information you need to set up and start using your RA4000e Series and to monitor its performance in real time. The setup p ro ce ss will follow these steps:
Prepare:
Familiarize yourself with the features and capabilities of RA4000e Series (Chapter 1) Decide whether to set up a RAID 0, 0+1, 5 or 5+spare array RA4000e Series (Chapter 2)
Set up:
Install drives into RA4000e Series (Chapter 3) Set the RAID level (Chapter 4)
Create:
Create a RAID array and connect it to a host computer (Chapter 4)
Partition:
Partition the array using the host operating system (Chapter 5)
6
Guide to Conventions
Important information that users should be aware of is indicated with the following icons:
This icon indicates the existence of a potential hazard that could result in
personal injury, damage to your equipment or loss of data if the safety instruction is not observed.
This icon indicates useful tips on getting the most from your RA4000e Series.
Important terms, commands and programs are put in Boldface font. Screen text is given in screen font.
Preface
7
T
T
T
a
a
a
b
b
b
l
l
l
e
e
e
o
o
o
f
f
f
C
C
C
o
o
o
n
n
n
t
t
t
e
e
e
n
n
n
t
t
t
s
s
s
Preface .................................................................................. 2
Notice ............................................................................................................. 2
Trademarks .................................................................................................... 2
Regulatory information ................................................................................... 3
Intended user ............................................................................................ 4
Organization of the manual ....................................................................... 4
Guide to Conventions ..................................................................................... 6
Table of Contents ................................................................. 7
Chapter 1 ............................................................................. 10
Introduction ........................................................................ 10
Overview ...................................................................................................... 10
Key features ................................................................................................. 11
Hot Spare ................................................................................................ 11
Automatic drive rebuilding ....................................................................... 11
Hard drive hot swapping ......................................................................... 11
Warranty .................................................................................................. 11
Specifications ............................................................................................... 12
Available host intefaces and transfer speeds ......................................... 12
Disk Interface Support ............................................................................. 12
RAID Function Support ........................................................................... 12
RA4000e Series Function Support ......................................................... 12
Mechanical, Environmental and Safety Specifications ........................... 13
Chapter 2 ............................................................................. 14
Before you begin ................................................................ 14
Making sure you have everything ................................................................ 14
What's in the box ..................................................................................... 14
What else you need ................................................................................ 15
Pre-installation planning ............................................................................... 16
Introduction to RAID levels ...................................................................... 16
RAID 0 ..................................................................................................... 17
RAID 0+1 ................................................................................................. 18
RAID 5 and RAID 5+hot spare ................................................................ 19
Pre-installation notices ................................................................................. 21
8
Chapter 3 ............................................................................. 22
Setting up the RA4000e Series ......................................... 22
Familiarizing yourself with RA4000e Series ................................................. 22
Overview ................................................................................................. 22
Front view ................................................................................................ 23
Rear view ................................................................................................ 23
Loading drives into RA4000e Series ............................................................ 24
Chapter 4 ............................................................................. 25
Setting up an array ............................................................. 25
Array creation flowchart ............................................................................... 25
Setting RAID level ........................................................................................ 26
Setting RAID 0......................................................................................... 28
Setting RAID 0+1 .................................................................................... 28
Setting RAID 5......................................................................................... 28
Setting RAID 5+spare ............................................................................. 28
Creating an array.......................................................................................... 29
Create a new RAID ................................................................................. 29
Over 2TB capacity ................................................................................... 30
Checking the status of RA4000e Series ...................................................... 31
Removing / replacing a drive ........................................................................ 32
What if a disk fails? ................................................................................. 32
Swapping drives ...................................................................................... 32
Removing a drive .................................................................................... 33
Connecting to a host computer .................................................................... 34
Setting the Display Time & Date .................................................................. 35
Chapter 5 ............................................................................. 36
Partitioning the array ......................................................... 36
Partitioning the array - Windows .................................................................. 36
Partitioning the array - Linux ........................................................................ 38
Partitioning the array – Mac OS X ................................................................ 40
Partitioning the array – Vista ....................................................................... 42
Appendix A ......................................................................... 43
FAQ ...................................................................................... 43
Appendix B ......................................................................... 47
Preface
9
Glossary .............................................................................. 47
Appendix C ......................................................................... 49
LCD Display Messages ...................................................... 49
Over 2TB capacity setting ....................................................................... 49
RAID initialization .................................................................................... 50
System ready .......................................................................................... 51
RAID and disk status messages ............................................................. 51
RAID level Setting and Total RAID Capacity: ......................................... 51
Disk information: Vendor, model # (for example: Western Digital Caviar
7200rpm 120G) ....................................................................................... 51
Disk information: mode, Capacity ........................................................... 52
Error and failure messages ..................................................................... 52
Where the speed of failed fan is 100 rpm ............................................... 54
Disk rebuilding messages ....................................................................... 55
Time setting ............................................................................................. 56
Appendix D ......................................................................... 57
Updating Firmware ............................................................. 57
10
CChhaapptteerr 11
I
I
I
n
n
n
t
t
t
r
r
r
o
o
o
d
d
d
u
u
u
c
c
c
t
t
t
i
i
i
o
o
o
n
n
n
This chapter introduces the features and capabilities of RA4000e Series.
You will find:
Ö A full introduction to your RA4000e Series
Ö
Ö
Ö
Details of key features
Ö
Ö
Ö
A list of the product specifications
Overview
Congratulations on your selection of the RA4000e Series subsystem. The RA4000e Series is a high-performance and extremely flexible RAID system. RAID (Redundant Array of Independent/Inexpensive Disks) is a storage technology used to improve the processing capabilities of a storage system, providing a combination of reliability and performance. The RA4000e Series is ideally suited for integration with databases, e-mail, web servers and imaging systems.
The RA4000e Series is the ultimate approach to a flexible RAID solution. It can manage three different RAID levels (0, 0+1 and 5) and also offers the option of RAID 5+hot sp are. You will find detailed explanation on the features and suggested uses of these RAID levels later in this chapter.
The RA4000e Series features a user-friendly drive carrier design that lets you easily install four drives. Each drive carrier supports a one-inch high 3.5-inch form factor drive.
Featuring intelligent online recovery, the RA4000e Series lets you hot swap a failed drive: data will automatically be rebuilt to the new drive without any system down time. The four drive design allows also one drive to be designated a hot spare: if one of other drives fails, the will seamlessly rebuild the failed drive’s data on the hot spare.
Chapter 1 - Introduction
11
Key features
The RA4000e Series supports the following features
z Automatic on-line rebuilding z Drives are hot swappable z Supports RAID levels 0, 0+1 and 5 z Optional hot spare setup for RAID 5 (5+spare) z Hot swappable fan z Supports four Serial ATA hard drives z Requires no driver z Audible alarm on drive failure & alarm mute function z Supports eSATA host interfaces z Disk auto shutdown when system over heat for protecting. z Plug and play
Hot Spare
Hot Spare all ows for the automatic replacement of a failed drive without requiring interventio n from the administrator. If this option is selected and a drive fails, the will automatically replace the faulty drive with the hot spare drive.
Automatic drive rebuilding
If a member drive in a RAID 5 array is replaced on-line, the RA4000e Series will automatically start to rebuild data to the new drive.
Hard drive hot swapping
Hot swapping allows for the removal and installation of disk drives without the need to power down the system while the system is in use.
Auto disk shut down when over heat
The RA4000e Series will shut down disks automatically when temperature is over 55 oC to prevent the damage of DISK and DATA loss.
This manual contains the information necessary to set up each of the two
available hardware configurations of the RA4000e Series . Where procedures for the configurations differ, they are described separately and clearly marked.
Warranty
Two years warranty
12
Specifications
Available host intefaces and transfer speeds
z eSATA 1.5Gb
Disk Interface Support
z Four SATA disk interfaces compatible with SATA2 3Gb disks
RAID Function Support
z Hardware RAID level 0, 5, 0+1, 5 + spare by switch setting z Hot swappable disk z Automatic on-line rebuilding
RA4000e Series Function Support
z Driverless z Plug & Play z Multiple operating system support:
Mac OS 9 / X (10.2.8 & 10.3)  Windows 2000/2003/XP  Windows Vista  Linux 7.3 and later
Fedora 6, 7 z GUI support for system status monitoring z Support over 2TB RAID capacity (Windows Vista only) z On board 2MB buffer cache size z LCD panel for operation status display z Event notification through audible alarm or e-mail z Alarm mute switch z Memory for RAID level status z One RS-232 port for terminal or GUI connection z Removable cooling fan module
Chapter 1 - Introduction
13
Mechanical, Environmental and Safety Specifications
z Dimensions: 286.5(L) x 152.8(W) x 206.4(H) (mm) z Host Connectors:
one eSATA connector z Interface Connectors:
One RS-232 connector z Operation temperature: 0 ~ 35°C z Operation humidity: 5% ~ 95 %, non-condensing z Storage humidity:
5%~95%, non-condensing
z 200 W power supply
Input: 100 ~ 250 AC
Output: +5V/10 A, +12V/10 A, +3.3V/5A
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
14
CChhaapptteerr 22
B
B
B
e
e
e
f
f
f
o
o
o
r
r
r
e
e
e
y
y
y
o
o
o
u
u
u
b
b
b
e
e
e
g
g
g
i
i
i
n
n
n
This chapter includes all the information you need to prepare for installation and to decide which RAID level to use. You will find:
Ö A checklist of what should be in the product package Ö A full introduction to and comparison of RAID levels 0, 0+1
and 5
Ö
Ö
Ö
Important notices on the safe operation and installation of
Making sure you have everything
What's in the box
Some vendors may ship certain components as st andard, while other vendors tre at the same component as optional. In its most basic configuration, your package should include the following:
z RA4000e Series system with four drive
trays (Disk not included)
Chapter 2 – Before you begin
15
z The following cables:
Power cable
RS-232 cable
eSATA cable
SATA to eSATA bracket
z Screws pack z AverMedia CD kit containing RA4000e Series User’s Manual (this manual)
What else you need
In order to setup a working system, the following user-supplied items are required:
z Host computer system with eSATA interface z Four disk drives
For non-proprietary accessories, such as cables, etc., ask your vendor to
recommend compatible and reliable brands.
16
Pre-installation planning
Introduction to RAID levels
The RA4000e Series can support the following RAID levels: 0, 0+1 and 5 with the additional option of RAID 5 + hot spare. Which is the right level for you? The answer depends on the application it is used for.
RAID Level 0 offers high transfer rates, and is ideal for large bl ocks of data whe re speed is of importance. Computer Aided Design, Graphics, Scientific Computing, Image and Multimedia applications are all good examples. If one drive in a RAID 0 array fails however, the data on the whole array is lost.
RAID Level 0+1 combines mirroring and striping functions on a minimum of four hard disks. Mirroring provides full redundancy and protects dat a in case of multiple drive failure (providing that data on one of each mirrored pair of drives is intact).
RAID Level 5 arrays offer high I/O transaction rates, and are the ide al choice when used with on-line transaction processing applications, such as those used in banks, insurance companies, hospitals, and all manner of office environments. These applications typically perform large numbers of concurrent requests, each of which makes a small number of disk accesses. If one drive in a RAID 5 array fails, the lost data can be rebuilt from data on the functioning disks. The RA4000e Series allows users to set o ne disk as a hot-spare that will be activated automatically to replace a failed disk.
Chapter 2 – Before you begin
17
RAID 0
RAID 0 links each drive in the array as one huge drive. S torage cap acity is dete rmined by the smallest drive in the array. That capacity is then applied to format all other drives in the array . If using a 40 GB, 50GB, 60 GB, and 70 GB drive in a RAID 0 array, your system will see one huge drive of 160 GB (40 GB×4).
RAID 0 offers double or more performance under su stained dat a transfers when one drive per is used. But RAID 0 without fault tolerance, if one of disks in RAID 0 array fails, the RAID crashed.
RAID 0: Striped disk array without fault tolerance Characteristics: Recommended use:
RAID 0 implements a striped disk array, the data
is broken down into blocks and each block is written to a separate disk drive.
I/O performance is greatly improved by spreading
the I/O load across many channels and drives.
Fastest and most efficient array type but offers no
fault-tolerance.
Storage capacity = (No. of disks) × (capacity of
smallest disk)
If installed 40 GB, 50 GB, 60 GB and 70 GB,
configured as RAID 0, the RAID capacity will be 160 GB.
Video production and
editing
Image editing Pre-press
applications
Any application
requiring high bandwidth
The diagram below represents the writing of data on a RAID 0 array composed of four DISKS connected to the controller. Data blocks are distributed across all disks in the array.
Arrangement of data blocks saved on a Level 0 RAID
18
RAID 0+1
RAID 0+1 combines mirroring and striping functions on a minimum of four hard disks. Mirroring provides full redundancy and protects dat a in case of multiple drive failure (providing that data on one of each mirrored pair of drives is intact).
RAID 0+1: Combination of mirroring and striping Characteristics:
This configuration provides optimal speed and reliability. Requires even number of disks (minimum 4 disks) Storage capacity = 2 x capacity of smallest of disk
If installed four drives each are 40 GB, 50 GB, 60 GB and 70 GB, configured as
RAID 0+1, the RAID capacity will be 80 GB.
The diagram below represents the writing of data on a RAID 0+1 array composed of four DISKS connected to the controller. The controller creates two matching RAID 0 arrays on four DISKS.
Arrangement of data blocks saved on a Level 0+1 array
Loading...
+ 41 hidden pages
Buy Points How it Works FAQ Contact Us Questions and Suggestions Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Terms of Use