HighPoint RocketStor 6421TS User Manual

RocketStor 6421TS

User Manual

August 30, 2016 Revision 1.00 HighPoint Technologies, Inc.

Copyright Copyright © 2016 HighPoint Technologies, Inc. This document contains materials protected by International Copyright Laws. All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced, transmitted or transcribed in any form and for any purpose without the express written permission of HighPoint Technologies, Inc.

Trademarks Companies and products mentioned in this manual are for identification purpose only. Product names or brand names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective owners. Backup your important data before using HighPoint's products and use at your own risk. In no event shall HighPoint be liable for any loss of profits, or for direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages arising from any defect or error in HighPoint's products or manuals. Information in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of HighPoint.

Notice Reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate.

HighPoint assumes no liability for technical inaccuracies, typographical, or other errors contained herein.

FCC Part 15 Class B Radio Frequency Interference 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. These 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 antenna.  Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.  Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is

connected.

 Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment under FCC rules.

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

European Union Compliance Statement

This Information Technologies Equipment has been tested and found to comply with the following European directives:

 European Standard EN55022 (1998) Class B  European Standard EN55024 (1998)

Table of Contents

Product Overview ....................................................................................................................... 6

Kit Contents.................................................................................................................................. 6

Section 1: Hardware Installation .............................................................................................. 8

Preparing the Enclosure ...............................................................................................................8

Preparing the HBA (Host Bus Adapter) .....................................................................................8

LED Activity .................................................................................................................................. 10

Section 2: Drivers ...................................................................................................................... 11

Installing Drivers on an Existing Operating System ........................................................... 11

Checking your Driver Version .................................................................................................. 17

Loading Drivers onto a Bootable Array .................................................................................. 18

Updating the Drivers .................................................................................................................. 19

Uninstalling the Drivers............................................................................................................. 20

Section 3: Navigating the RocketRAID 2711 BIOS Utility (PC only) .............................. 21

Table 1. Summary of BIOS options ......................................................................................... 22

Create ............................................................................................................................................. 22

Delete ............................................................................................................................................. 23

Add/Remove Spare ..................................................................................................................... 24

Settings .......................................................................................................................................... 24

View ................................................................................................................................................ 25

Initialize ........................................................................................................................................ 25

Section 4: BIOS/Firmware ....................................................................................................... 26

Using the WebGUI to update the BIOS/Firmware ................................................................ 26

Using a Bootable USB drive to update the BIOS/Firmware ................................................ 27

Section 5: Navigating the HighPoint WebGUI ..................................................................... 29

Installing the HighPoint WebGUI ............................................................................................. 30

How to Login to the HighPoint WebGUI ................................................................................. 32

Global Tab ..................................................................................................................................... 34

Viewing HBA Properties ......................................................................................................... 34

Viewing Storage Properties ................................................................................................... 35

Physical Tab .................................................................................................................................. 35

Updating BIOS/Firmware ....................................................................................................... 37

Obtaining Physical Device Information .............................................................................. 37

Logical Tab .................................................................................................................................... 39

Creating an Array .................................................................................................................... 40

Adding Spare Disks................................................................................................................. 43

Obtaining Logical Device Information ................................................................................ 44

Normal Status........................................................................................................................... 45

Critical Status ........................................................................................................................... 46

Disabled Status ........................................................................................................................ 47

Expanding an Existing Array ................................................................................................ 47

Setting Tab .................................................................................................................................... 50

System Settings ........................................................................................................................ 51

Password Settings ................................................................................................................... 52

Changing your WebGUI password ....................................................................................... 52

Recovering your WebGUI password .................................................................................... 52

Email Setting ............................................................................................................................. 52

Recover Tab .................................................................................................................................. 54

How to Backup your Recover List ........................................................................................ 55

How to Reload your Backup Recover List .......................................................................... 55

Event Tab ...................................................................................................................................... 56

Table 3. Event Log Icon Guide .............................................................................................. 56

SHI (Storage Health Inspector) ................................................................................................. 57

How to Enable SMART Monitoring ...................................................................................... 57

How to Change the HDD Temperature Threshold .......................................................... 58

How to Use the Health Inspector Scheduler ..................................................................... 59

How to Create a New Verify Task ........................................................................................ 59

Section 6: Formatting the RAID Volumes ............................................................................ 60

Section 7: Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................... 65

Handling Critical Arrays ............................................................................................................ 65

Rebuilding Stops Due to Bad Sectors ................................................................................. 66

Critical array becomes disabled when you removed faulty disk ................................. 66

Handling Disabled Arrays ......................................................................................................... 66

Your PC hangs when the card is installed ............................................................................. 67

Help .............................................................................................................................................. 68

Table 4.WebGUI Icon Guide ...................................................................................................... 69

Table 5. RAID Level Quick Reference ..................................................................................... 71

HighPoint Recommended List of Hard Drives ...................................................................... 72

Contacting Technical Support .................................................................................................. 72

Product Overview

Item

Count

and later

Compile)

later

Driver embedded into Mac OS X 10.10 and later

The RocketStor6421TS bundle package includes an enclosurefor housing your physical drives and a RAID Controller to manage and create RAID arrays of different levels.

• 2U 8-bay SAS/SATA JBOD Enclosure

• HighPoint RocketRAID 2711 Controller

Kit Contents

Before getting started, check to see if any items are missing, damaged, or incorrect. For any discrepancy contact your reseller or go to support.

www.highpoint-tech.com for online

Enclosure

RocketRAID 2711

HDD Trays

mini-SAS (SFF-8088) Cable

Power Cord

HDD mounting screws

HDD lock keys

Feature Specifications

Port Type SFF-8088 (Mini-SAS) RAID Controller /Bus Interface PCIe 2.0 x8 RAID Level 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, JBOD

Windows Server 2008 and Window 7

Linux (Support Linux Driver auto

Operating System

FreeBSD Driver embedded into FreeBSD 9.0 and

Mac OS X 10.6 and later

Max.Capacity up to 40 TB

Number Of drives

Up to 4

Material

Heavy-duty cold-rolled steel housing

Enclosure Dimension

17.8" (D) × 19" (W) × 1.73" (H)

Warranty

1 Year

Storage Health Inspector

Multiple RAID Partitions supported

Online RAID Level Migration (ORLM)

Online Capacity Expansion (OCE)

RAID Initialization Background/Foreground/Quick

Automatic and configurable RAID Rebuilding Priority

4Kn

support

Drive Interface SAS, SATA Drive Form Factor 3.5"

Enclosure Weight 35.65 lbs.

Redundant RAID Configurations

Multiple RAID Adapters supported Online Array Roaming

Advanced RAID Features

Storage Monitoring and Management Suite

RAID Management Suites:

SMTP Email Alert Notification Yes

Power Supply

LED Display for Each Tray: Power On and Access Yes

Global Hot Spare Disk support

Disk Format compatible: 512, 512e,

Larger than 2 TB Drive and RAID Array

Spin down Massive Arrays of Idle Disks

Native Command Queuing Write Back and Write Through

• Browser-Based management tool

• CLI (Command Line Interface-

• API package

250W Single PSU Input: 90 – 230 VAC 50- 60 Hz Output: +5V and +12V DC

(WebGUI)

scriptable configuration tool)

LED Display For Enclosure: Power, Fan, Temperature Yes

Alarm Buzzer over Fan failed or Temperature overheat Yes

Section 1: Hardware Installation

This section covers the following topics:

1. Setting up the Enclosure

2. Setting up the HBA (Host Bus Adapter)

3. LED Activity

Preparing the Enclosure

1. Remove a HDD tray from the enclosure and place a hard drive into the tray as

shown below. Fasten the HDD to the tray using the supplied screws and slide the tray back into the enclosure. Repeat for each drive tray.

2. Optional: You can lock each HDD tray with the included disk tray key.

3. Place the enclosure on a server rack or another stable, flat surface.

4. Connect the enclosure to a power source using the AC Power Cord.

5. Connect the enclosure to the included RocketRAID 2711 using the mini-SAS to

mini-SAS cable (SFF-8088).

Preparing the HBA (Host Bus Adapter)

The following instructions describe how to prepare your RocketRAID 2711 HBA for use.

To install your RocketRAID 2711:

Important: Before installing the RocketRAID 2711 Controller, ensure that your system is powered OFF.

1. Locate a PCIe 2.0 x8 slot (or compatible slot) on your PC motherboard.

• Note 1: Refer to your PC manual for instructions on how to access your

motherboard.

• Note 2: Refer to your motherboard manual for instructions on how to locate

Key

1 Mute button for silencing the alarm/buzzer

Fan LED

Temperature LED

RED – over 55°

your PCI Express slot.

2. Align the RocketRAID 2711 with the PCIe slot and push straight down until card is

fully seated.

3. Tighten the connection by fastening the RocketRAID bracket and enclosure

together.

A PCI-Express 2.0 x8 card is compatible with PCI-Express 2.0 x16 and PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots.

Figure 1.Enclosure front panel.

GREEN – normal RED – fail

GREEN – normal

Key

1 Power Cord Receptacle

Mini-SAS(SFF-8088) Connector

DB9

SGPIO Fail HDD Display

Figure 2.Enclosure back panel.

LED Activity

The following information tells you how to interpret LED activity seen on the enclosure and disk trays.

Present Active Failed Identify

Disk Tray WHITE BLUE N/A N/A

Enclosure LEDs WHITE N/A N/A N/A

Fans LEDs N/A GREEN RED N/A

Temperature LEDs N/A GREEN RED N/A

Present – Indicates that the disk is present and available.

Active – Indicates the disk is performing I/O

Failed – Indicates component failure

(Note: the Failed LED feature is limited to Fan and Temperature for the RS6421TS enclosure)

RocketRAID 2711 Key

Corresponds to channel 1-4

PORT3

mini-SAS (SFF-8088) Connection

BEEP1 Alarm/Beeper

Section 2: Drivers

This section covers the following topics:

• Installing drivers on your Operating System

• Verifying driver installation

• Loading drivers on a bootable array

• Updating drivers

• Uninstalling drivers

Installing Drivers on an Existing Operating System

Drivers provide a way for your operating system to communicate with your new hardware. Updating to the latest drivers ensures your product has the latest performance, stability, and compatibility improvements. Drivers are updated regularly

www.highpoint-tech.com

For WindowsUsers:

1. Obtain the latest driver software for RocketRAID 2711 Controller from our website

http://highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/series-rs6421ts-support.htm

2. Take note the location you downloaded the driver file to, then open Windows

Device Manager.

• Click Start

• Click Control Panel

• Click Hardware and Sound

• Under Devices and Printers, Click Device Manager

• Note: Alternatively, you can search Device Manager in your start menu search

bar.

3. Under Other Devices, right click on RAID controller

4. On the drop down menu, click Update Driver Software,.

5. When prompted, select Browse my computer for driver software

6. Locate the driver files you downloaded and select them.

7. Press next and follow the on screen instructions

8. Reboot

For Mac Users:

HighPoint Mac Drivers have file extension .dmg; make sure the file extension for the files you downloaded are the same.

1. Obtain latest driver online at

http://highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/series-rs6421ts-

support.htm

• Navigate to your specific HBA controller page (Refer to How to View HBA

Properties to find model name)

2. Once downloaded, locate the folder you downloaded the driver to and double click

on the file named “HighPointRR_###.dmg” Note: File name varies, but extension is .dmg.

3. The file will be mounted onto the operating system, click on HighPointRR.pkg

located on the mounted drive.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

5. Restart the computer

6. Make sure Driver Installed is Yes

Figure 3. Click Apple Icon > About this Mac... > System Report > PCI

For Linux and FreeBSD users:

Refer to the Driver Installation Guide and README files in each driver package for steps to install.

The latest drivers can be found at

rs6421ts-support.htm

http://highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/series-

Checking your Driver Version

To check if the driver was installed successfully follow the instructions below. The same procedure can be used to determine your driver version.

For WindowsUsers:

1. Click Start

2. Click Control Panel

3. Click Hardware and Sound

4. Under Devices and Printer, Click Device Manager

Note: Alternatively, you can search Device Manager in your start menu search bar.

5. Click the Storage controllers tab

• If driver is installed it will show RocketRAID 2711 Controller,

• If driver is not installed it will be located in Other devices as RAID Controller

• Click Properties, then click the Driver Tab to find out the version installed.

For Mac Users:

1. Click on the Apple Icon ()

2. Click About this Mac

3. Click More Info

4. Click System Report

5. Select PCICards

Figure 4. Navigate to Apple Icon > About this Mac > System Report > PCI

Loading Drivers onto a Bootable Array

Creating an array and then installing Windows OS onto the RAID configuration will create a bootable array. Since you cannot use the conventional method of installing drivers, the driver must be loaded during Windows installation.

For Windows Users:

1. On first boot-up, press CTRL + H during the HighPoint Rocket RAID splash screen

to enter the BIOS RAID creation utility.

2. Create the array you want to install your Windows Operating System onto

3. With the array created, download the RS6421TS drivers from http://highpoint-

tech.com/USA_new/series-rs6421ts-support.htm and load them onto a USB. You

will need to locate the files when prompted to load drivers during Windows Installation

4. Start Windows Installation.

5. When prompted Where do you want to install Windows? Click Load Driver

6. When prompted, click Browse

7. Browse to your connected USB and driver files you downloaded

8. Click OK, and once loaded, you will see a list of drivers detected.

9. Select the HighPoint driver file

10. Click Next, and you should see the RAID arrays you created

11. Select the RAID array and click next

12. Follow the Windows installation instructions to complete your installation

A bootable array differs for Mac users since there is no way to load the HBA drivers

during installation. The only way to create a bootable array would be to use 3

party

software, and clone the bootable drive.

For Mac Users:

1. You must have an existing installation of the Mac operating system installed.

2. Set up the RS6421TS normally by:

• Setting up the hardware

• Installing the HighPoint RocketRAID 2711 driver and WebGUI

• Creating an Array using the WebGUI

3. Once an array is created, the logical volume can be seen by your operating system

4. Use a 3

party disk cloning tool to copy your bootable drive onto the logical drive

you just created.

Updating the Drivers

For Windows Users:

1. Obtain the latest driver files for the RocketStor 6421TS from

tech.com/USA_new/series-rs6421ts-support.htm Open Windows Device Manager

• Click Start

• Click Control Panel

• Click Hardware and Sound

• Under Devices and Printers, Click Device Manager

• Note: Alternatively, you can search Device Manager in your start menu search

bar.

http://highpoint-

2. Click the Storagecontrollers tab

3. Right click RocketRAID 2711 Controller

4. Click Update Driver Software…

5. Click Browse my computer for driver software

6. Select the driver files you downloaded

7. Click next

8. Reboot

Uninstalling the Drivers

Refer to the Installation Guide or README included in the driver files for the most up to date and accurate way of removing drivers.

For Windows Users:

1. Open Windows Device Manager

• Click Start

• Click Control Panel

• Click Hardware and Sound

• Under Devices and Printers, Click Device Manager

• Note: Alternatively, you can search Device Manager in your start menu search

bar.

2. Click the Storage controllers tab

OSX 10.9, 10.10

/Library/Extensions/HighPointRR.kext

Use the following keys to navigate the BIOS utility

Keyboard ArrowKeys

Navigate the menu

Enter

Makes a selection

ESC

Exit current menu / exit BIOS utility

3. Right click RocketRAID 2711 Controller

4. Click Uninstall

5. Check the Delete the driver software for this device checkbox when prompted

6. Click OK

7. Reboot

For Macusers:

Refer to the Installation Guide included in the driver files for a more up-to-date procedure.

To uninstall the driver, remove the files copied to your system.

OSX 10.6, 10.7, 10.8 /System/Library/Extensions/HighPointRR.kext

Remove/Delete the HighPointRR.kext to uninstall the driver.

Section 3: Navigating the RocketRAID 2711 BIOS Utility (PC only)

The RocketRAID BIOS is capable of viewing and creating RAID arrays. You can enter the BIOS by pressing CTRL+H during boot up.

To enter the RocketRAID BIOS:

1. Boot up your PC

2. When RocketRAID splash screen appears, press CTRL + H

3. You will enter the RocketRAID BIOS Setting Utility

Table 1. Summary of BIOS options

Create

Delete

Add/Remove Spare

Function Options

• RAID 0 : Striping

• RAID 1: Mirroring

• RAID 1/0: Striping over Mirroring

• RAID 5: Striping with Rotating Parity

• RAID 5/0: Striping over RAID 5

Configure RAID arrays

Delete RAID arrays

Add or remove spare drives

• RAID 6: Double parity

• JBOD ( Volume)

Refer to RAID level reference chart for more information on individual RAID levels.

• Your created RAID arrays

• Your Physical Drives.

Settings

View

Initialize

Adjust boot settings

View your physical drives or RAID arrays

Initializes your drives

• Select Boot Device

• Staggered spin up

• Devices

• RAID array

• Your Physical Drives

Create

Select this option to begin creating your RAID arrays.

1. Navigate to Create using your keyboard arrow keys

2. Press Enter to open the drop down

3. Select desired RAID level and press enter

Table 2. Options under Create

Array Name

Select Devices

Capacity

Cache Policy

Sector Size

Press enter and input a desired array name

A list of detected physical drives will appear Press enter for each drive you want in the array Press ESC when finished

Input the amount of disk space you want array to take (GB)

Select Write Through or Write Back

Select desired logical sector size, [512B, 1K, 2K, 4K] Current operating systems

render this option redundant and not necessary.

Create

Delete

When RAID arrays are created, the HighPoint controller will store “RAID markers” on the first few sectors of your hard drives. Deleting the RAID array will delete the RAID markers, and the rest of the data will remain intact.

1. Navigate to Delete using arrow keys

2. Press Enter

3. Select desired RAID array

4. Press Enter to delete

Creates the array using the settings provided

5. Confirm deletion by pressing Y or cancel deletion by pressing N.

Add/Remove Spare

Physical disks that are added as spares are known as spare drives. Spare drives will automatically replace a failed drive and initiate the rebuilding process.

To configure a spare drive in BIOS:

1. Navigate to add/remove spare using arrow keys

2. Navigate to the drive you want added as a spare

3. Press Enter. Note: Drives configured in a RAID array already cannot also be a

spare drive

4. Pressing Enter on a drive with the status configured (spare), which means it

was previously set as a spare, will remove the drive from the spare pool.

Settings

Select Boot Device

If you are booting from your RAID array, you can set a boot marker onto the array using this option. The motherboard BIOS will set the RocketRAID card as a boot priority when this option is checked.

1. Navigate to settings using arrow keys

2. press Enter

3. press Enter again

4. Select the desired RAID array

5. You will return to the main screen once flag is set.

Staggered Spin Up (Default: Disabled)

Staggered Spin up is implemented for users that need to power up multiple Hard drives. Powering on all hard drives simultaneously draws a large electrical load; staggered spin up will power on each hard drive one at a time resulting in a stable, lower current draw.

Enabling this setting will instruct the card to power up the hard disks sequentially (one disk approximately every 2 seconds). Some disks do not support this feature, and it is not recommended to enable this option if that is the case.

View

The following two options, devices and RAID array, offers certain information related to either the physical drive or logical drive.

Devices

RAID Array

• Channel: location of physical drive

• Model Number: name of physical drive

• Capacity: total capacity of physical drive

• Mode:Physical drive controller mode

• Status:

• Arrayname: Name of your array

• RAIDLevel: Level of your array

• Capacity: Total capacity of array

• Status: Normal, critical, or disabled

• OCE/ORLM: Expansion/migration status

Initialize

1. To initialize your disks:

2. Navigate to initialize using your arrow keys

3. Press Enter

4. Select the disk you wish to initialize and press Enter again for each disk

Figure 5. The first two disks, (1), (2) are set to be initialized.

5. Press Esc to prompt initialize

6. Press Y to allow initialize or N to cancel.

7. Disk status will change to Initialized.

Section 4: BIOS/Firmware

How to Update RocketRAID BIOS/Firmware

There are two ways to update your RocketRAID BIOS/Firmware

1. Using HighPoint WebGUI Update Firmware

2. Using a bootable USB

A few reasons as to why update BIOS/Firmware

BIOS resource issue

Compatibility fixes

Bug fixes

Note: It is recommended to update the BIOS through HighPoint WebGUI. (See Installing

HighPoint WebGUI)

Having the latest BIOS ensures you have the latest firmware stability and performance improvements. Updating the BIOS may fix boot up or system resource issues; be sure to read the README before making any changes.

Inefficient BIOS code may cause your boot-up to hang during POST.

Updating the firmware may fix issues that occur when using later hardware

Bugs that are discovered post release are fixed in subsequent updates.

Using the WebGUI to update the BIOS/Firmware

1. Locate the latest firmware on our webpage at

tech.com/USA_new/series-rs6421ts-support.htm

http://highpoint-

2. Example firmware file will be in a zipped package with a naming convention

such as RR2711_v###_xxxx.zip (name of file subject to change)

3. Extract the contents of the file

4. Read the readme (if included) to make sure you have the correct firmware for

your HBA Note: Your HBA name and properties can be found in the WebGUI>Physical Tab.

5. Locate the proper BIOS file (eg. 2711bios.blf, refer to the README for accuracy)

6. Log into the WebGUI (Default user: RAID pass: hpt)

7. Select your controller in the drop down menu on the top left.

8. Click the Physical tab and update firmware will be on the bottom of the page.

9. Click Choose File and browse to the BIOS file

10. Click Submit

11. Reboot

Using a Bootable USB drive to update the BIOS/Firmware

Create a bootable USB flash drive using a utility such as Rufus. Caution: Creating a bootable USB drive will erase all previous data stored on it.

1. Download the latest BIOS/Firmware file found at

tech.com/USA_new/series-rs6421ts-support.htm

2. Extract the file contents onto the bootable USB

3. Read the README for instructions on how to flash the BIOS onto your hardware.

4. Reboot your computer into DOS mode by:

• Setting boot priority to the bootable USB

• Removing all bootable drives (OS, CD Drives) from motherboard and leavingonly

the bootable USB and RocketRAID card plugged in

5. Once in DOS mode, you should see a command line interface

http://highpoint-

Figure 6.Bootable USB formatted with Rufus Utility, FreeDOS CLI (Command Line Interface)

6. Type in the command you found in the README (ex. load.exe <filename>

7. For RocketRAID 2711, the command is load.exe rr2711.112 (for BIOS v1.12)

Figure 7.Navigate to folder you extracted files to, then type command found in README. In this case,

load.exe RR644LS.V11

8. Reboot

Section 5: Navigating the HighPoint WebGUI

The HighPoint WebGUI management utility allows you to do several key things:

• Create and remove arrays

• Monitor disk health

• Update firmware and BIOS

• Change enclosure settings

• Troubleshoot faulty drives

• View general system overview

Tab Name

Function

Global View

View HBA (Host Bus Adapter) and

Storage Properties

Online Web Support

Physical

View Additional Controller properties Update BIOS/Firmware View disk properties Adjust selected disk behaviors

Logical

Setting

Event

Manage and create RAID arrays

Adjust WebGUI controls settings

Show WebGUI Event Log

SHI (Storage Health Inspector) View and schedule S.M.A.R.T

monitoring

Recover

Revert to previously created arrays

Logout

Help

Logout of WebGUI

Additional WebGUI documentation

Installing the HighPoint WebGUI

The HighPoint WebGUI software is the primary link between you and your RAID array. Using the management utilities and menus offered by the WebGUI, you will be able to access, create, and maintain your RAID arrays.

New features are continually added to the interface; update to the latest version at

http://highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/series-rs6421ts-support.htm

1. Locate the HighPoint WebGUI Setup on our website

http://highpointtech.com/USA_new/series-rs6421ts-support.htm and download the WebGUI

package. Extract the contents and double click on HighPoint RAID Management.exe

Follow the on screen steps to install the software.

2. Log in the WebGUI by double clicking the desktop icon created or by typing

http://localhost:7402 in your preferred browsers address line (it is recommended

to use the latest version of your browser.)

How to Login to the HighPoint WebGUI

You can reach the HighPoint WebGUI log in page either by:

• Double clicking on the HighPoint RAID Management icon created on your desktop

• Opening your preferred web browser and typing

address bar.

The default username and password to login is:

http://localhost:7402 in the

Username: RAID Password: hpt

Username and Password are Case-Sensitive (Username is not changeable)

Remote Login

A user connected to a local network can remotely access the WebGUI using the IP address of the host device.

To obtain your IP address For Mac Users:

1. Open a terminal window on the host computer (computer that is connected to the

RS6421TS enclosure)

2. Type ifconfig

3. Look for the connection that has status: active

4. Write the IP address located after inet:

Figure 8. Example: en2 has active status, the IP is 192.168.1.254

For Windows Users:

1. Open a command prompt window on the host computer.

2. Type ipconfig

3. Look for the section that contains your network adapter information.

4. Take Note of the IP address.

Figure 9. Example: The IPv4 address is under Ethernet adapter Ethernet 4 and is 192.168.1.143

Note: Make sure Restrict to localhost access is disabled in the WebGUI Settings (Refer to settings)

You can then remotely access the WebGUI using any other computer that is in your local network by opening any web browser and typing http://{IP address of host computer}:7402 (default port is 7402)

Global Tab

The GUI Global view provides an overview of what each HighPoint controller card connected to your computer detects. It is also the first page you see when logging in.

• Host Bus Adapter Properties

• Storage Properties

On the top left of the page is a drop down menu that allows you to select which controller you want to manage (if you have multiple HighPoint controllers connected).

Viewing HBA Properties

1. Log into the WebGUI

2. Select the proper controller from drop down on the top left

3. Click Global View

HBA Properties

• Host Adapter model: the model name of the controller

• Enclosure Count: number of external enclosures detected

• Physical drives: number of drives seen by the controller

• Legacy Disks: number of Legacy disks connected. Legacy disks are physical

drives that have previous partitions stored on them.

Viewing Storage Properties

1. Log into the WebGUI

2. Select the controller from drop down menu on top left

3. Click Global View

Storage Properties

Total capacity: the combined capacity of each physical disk connected to controller Configured capacity: the amount of space used for creating arrays Free Capacity: total amount of space unused

Physical Tab

The physical tab shows general and extended information about the controller you are using. Information about the firmware, BIOS, and operating temperatures are all located here. This information is useful for identifying what RAID controller model you have and to make sure you have the most updated BIOS/firmware version available.

The physical tab contains the following information:

• Controller Information

• Extended Information

• Update Firmware

• Physical Devices Information

Controller Information:

• Model Name: RocketRAID 2711 SAS Controller (for RS6421TS)

• BIOS Version: v1.12 (as of 5/5/2015)

• Vendor: HighPoint Technologies, Inc.

Extended Information: Gives you additional information concerning the HBA (Host Bus Adapter) in the enclosure

• IOP Model: IOP chip model number

• CPU Temperature: Displays computer temperature in Celsius (°C).

• Board Temperature: Displays the board temperature in Celsius (°C).

• SDRAM Size: SDRAM size of the HighPoint controller card

• Battery Installed: Battery Backup Unit (Not Applicable)

• Firmware Version: Firmware version of the HBA

• SAS address: the SAS address

Update Firmware: Allows you to update the controller BIOS using the WebGUI.

Updating BIOS/Firmware

Keeping the firmware up to date ensures that your RAID controller the latest compatibility and performance updates.

1. Locate the latest firmware on our webpage at

tech.com/USA_new/series-rs6421ts-support.htm

2. Extract the contents of the file.

3. Read the README to ensure you have the correct firmware for your HBA. Note:

Your HBA name and properties can be found in the WebGUI>PhysicalTab.

4. Locate the proper firmware file (e.g. rr2711.112, refer to the readme for exact

name)

5. Click Choose File and browse to your firmware file

6. Click Submit

7. Reboot

http://highpoint-

Obtaining Physical Device Information

1. Log into the WebGUI

2. Click Physical

3. Click Devices located on the left panel

The following properties are part of the Physical Devices Information box under the physical tab.

• Model – Model number of the physical drive

• Capacity – Total capacity of the physical drive

• Revision – HDD device firmware revision number

• Read Ahead* - (Enable/Disable) Disk read ahead.

• Location – Device location (example: 1/2 states controller 1, slot 2)

• Write Cache* – (Enable/Disable) the disk write cache

• Max Free – space on disk that is not configured in an array

• Status – (Normal, disabled, critical) status of the disk

• NCQ* – (Enable/Disable) Native Command Queuing

• Serial Number – serial number of the physical disk

• Identify LED* – On/Off – toggle the IDENTIFY (RED) on the front panel

• Unplug – Safely ejects selected disk. Other methods of disk removal will trigger

alarm if enabled.

* Disk properties that can be adjusted.

Read Ahead

Enabling disk read ahead will speed up read operations by pre-fetching data and

loading it into RAM.

Write Cache

Enabling write cache will speed up write operations.

efficiency.

The Disk tray LED lights on the front panel can be toggled ON or OFF.

NCQ (Native Command Queuing)

A setting that allows disks to queue up and reorder I/O commands for maximum

Identify LED

Rescan

Clicking rescan will immediately signal the controller to scan for any changes in the connection. Clicking this button will also stop any alarm if currently ringing.

Logical Tab

The Logical tab is where you are edit, delete, and maintain your RAID configurations, as well as, adding drives to your spare pool. The logical tab has the following settings:

• Create Array

• Spare Pool

• Logical Device

• Rescan

• Beeper Mute

Creating an Array

To create an array:

1. Log into the WebGUI

2. Select the proper controller from the drop down on the top left

3. Click Logical

4. Click Create Array

An array is a collection of physical disks that will be seen as one virtual drive by your Operating System (OS). The RS6421TS has a RocketRAID 2711 controller capable of creating the following array types

Array Type:

Refer to RAID level Quick Reference)

• JBOD – Just a Bunch of Disks

• RAID 0 - Striping

• RAID 1 - Mirroring

• RAID 5 – Rotating Parity bit

• RAID 1/0 – Striping of Mirrored Drives

• RAID 5/0 – Striping of Distributed Parity

• RAID 6 – Double Parity Bit

Each RAID level has its pros and cons based on the application you use it for (Note:

Array Name:the name that will be displayed in Logical Device Information (Default:

failures is significantly minimized.

levels, disk capacities are limited by the smallest disk.

RAID_<level>_<array number>)

Initialization Method:Initialization of a disk sets all data bits to 0, essentially clearing

all the data on the drive. It is important to initialize disks since previous data physically stored on the drive may interfere with new data.

• Keep Old Data: This option skips the initialization process and all data on each

physical disk of the array will be untouched.

• Quick Init: This option grants immediate access to the RAID array by skipping

the initialization process, but it will delete all data. Note: Skipping initialization is generally not recommended as residual data on disks may interfere with new data in the future.

• Foreground: The array initialization process will be set at high priority. During

this time array is not accessible, but the initialization process will complete much faster.

• Background: The array initialization process will have a lower priority. During

this time the array will be accessible, but the initialization process will take much longer to complete.

Note1: Initializing takes a significant amount of time (approximately 2 hours per 1 TB).

Background and Foreground Initialization

Fully initializing the array will completely zero out the data on the disks, meaning the disk will be completely wiped and every bit on the disk will be set to 0. Foregoing initialization means the array will still be created, and you can still write new data onto the array. But when your array requires rebuilding, residual data left behind may interfere with the process.

Cache Policy (Default: Write Back)

Write Back – Any data written to the array will be stored as cache, resulting in better

I/O performance at the risk of data failures due to power outages. Data will be stored as cache before it is physically written to the disk; when a power outage occurs, any data in the cache will be lost.

Write Through – Data written to an array is directly written onto the disk, meaning lower write performance for higher data availability. Without cache acting as a buffer, write performance will be noticeably slower but data loss due to power outages or other

Capacity (Default: Maximum)

The total amount of space you want the RAID array to take up. When creating RAID

An example of how disk capacities are limited by smallest disk.

• You have 3 drives connected to the enclosure.

• First drive is 6 TB, second is 4 TB, and third drive is 2 TB.

• After creating a RAID level 5 using all three drives and maximum capacity

• The first drive will have 4 TB, the second 2 TB, and the third drive 0 TB free

capacity

• The free capacity on the first and second drive can be used to create a separate

array.

You may also choose how much space each array will take. You can use the remaining space to create another array (up to 4 arrays are supported)

SectorSize (Default: 512B)

Note: For current operating systems, this option is already implemented, so changing it

in the WebGUI is not necessary.

This option will set the sector size of your virtual drive, and physical sector sizes on your physical disks will remain the same. A sector is the smallest physical storage unit on a disk. The default sector size is 512 B since it is the most common sector size in disks today.

Adding Spare Disks

Spare disks are physical disks that will immediately replace critical disks in an array.

To add spare disks:

1. Log into the WebGUI

2. Click Logical

3. Click Spare Pool

4. Check the box for the disk you want as a spare from Available Disks

5. Click Add Spare

Disks added to the spare pool will show under SparePool and can be removed by checking the disk checkbox from Spare Pool> Click Remove Spare

Physical drives marked as a spare will automatically be added to an array whenever there is a disk failure. Having this feature minimizes the chances of a data loss by reducing the time an array is in critical status.

Obtaining Logical Device Information

Logical device tab is the default page upon clicking the Logical tab of the WebGUI. This page contains information about your RAID arrays and individual disks your system detects.

Logical Device Information

Arrays you create and the properties associated with them will appear here.

Maintenance

Once an array has been created, you have the option maintain it.

Array Information

Clicking on the maintenance button will show you the Array information box. Different array statuses (Normal, critical, disabled) will have different maintenance options.

Normal Status

A Normal Status Array has the following options

• Delete

• Unplug

• Verify

• Change Cache Policy

• Change Margin

• Rename

• ORLM

Delete – deletes the selected RAID array Unplug – powers off the selected RAID array Verify – verifies the integrity of the RAID array Change Cache Policy – Toggles between Write through and Write back cache Change Margin – Adjust margin when DV mode is enabled (not supported by the

RocketStor 6421TS)

Rename – renames the RAID array OCE/ORLM – Online Capacity Expansion / Online RAID Level Migration

Critical Status

A critical status array has all the normal status options except the following:

• The Array can no longer be renamed

• Add disk replaces the verifydisk option

Once array status changes to critical, the faulty disk will be taken offline and you can either:

• Reinsert the same disk

• Insert new disk

Reinserting the same disk should trigger rebuilding status, since data on the disk would be recognized.

If you insert a new disk, clicking add disk will give you the option to select that disk and add it to the array.

Disabled Status

A disabled status array means that your RAID level does not have enough disks to function.

• Your data will be inaccessible

• Rebuilding will not trigger, since RAID does not have enough parity data to rebuild

upon

Your options in Maintenance are:

• Delete

• Unplug

• Recover

Delete – will delete the array Unplug – will take the array offline, making it safe to remove Recover – will attempt to recover the array using the recover list from the recover tab

Expanding an Existing Array

Important: It is recommended that the array be Verified/Rebuilt before Expanding or Migrating. Once you start an OCE/ORLM procedure, you can stop the process, but it must be resumed until completion.

To add more capacity to your current configuration, follow these steps:

1. Log into the WebGUI

2. Select desired controller from drop down menu on top left

3. Click Logical

4. Click Maintenance for the array you want to change

• Select a different RAID level to Migrate

• Select the same RAID level to Expand

5. Important: Record all the physical drives currently in array.

6. Click ORLM

7. Select the physical drives you recorded earlier and the drives you want to add

8. Click Submit

Upon submission, you will receive a prompt stating ORLM was configured successfully.

The Logical Device Information will change the status to migrating.

Physical Device Information

• Location – which controller and port the drive is located in

• Model – model number of the drive connected

• Capacity – total capacity of the drive

• Max Free – total capacity that is not configured

Rescan

Clicking rescan will force drivers to report array status. For any disk(s) you hot plug into the device, do not click rescan until all physical drives are detected and appear under Logical Device Information.

Beeper Mute

The controller emits a beeping sound whenever an

• Array enters critical status

• Array enters disabled status

• You unplug a disk

• Your disk fails due to bad sectors

• SMART sensors anticipate drive failure

If device is currently beeping, clicking Beeper Mute will mute the sound immediately. Note: This button does not permanently mute the alarm. In order to permanently mute the alarm, go to Setting > Enable audible alarm > Disabled.

Setting Tab

Under this tab, user can

• Enable auto-rebuilding

• Enable rebuilding on error

• Turn audible alarm on/off

• Set spindown time for idle disks

• Restrict to localhost

• Set rebuild priority

• Change port number

• Change WebGUI password

System Settings

Enable auto rebuild (default: Enabled)

When a physical drive fails, the controller will take the drive offline. Once you reinsert or replace the disk, the controller will not automatically rebuild the array unless this option is enabled.

Enable continue rebuilding on error (default: Enabled)

When enabled, the rebuilding process will ignore bad disk sectors and continue rebuilding until completion. When rebuild is finished, the data may be accessible but data inconsistency due to ignored bad sectors may cause problems in the future. If this option is enabled, HighPoint recommends user to check the event log for bad sectors.

Enable audible alarm (default: Enabled)

When a physical disk fails, the controller will emit an audible sound signaling failure. This option mutes the alarm.

Set Spindown Idle Disk (minutes) (default: Disabled)

When set, physical drives will spindown a certain amount of time after disk activity ceases. Only 10, 20, 30, 60, 120, 180, 240 minutes settings are available.

Restrict to localhost access (default: Enabled)

Remote access to the controller will be restricted when enabled, other users in your network will be unable to remotely log in to the WebGUI.

Rebuild Priority (default: Medium)

You can specify the amount of system resources you want to dedicate to rebuilding the array. There are 5 levels of priority [Lowest, Low, Medium, High, Highest]

Port Number (default: 7402)

The default port that the HighPointWebGUI listens on is 7402. You may change it to any open port.

Password Settings

Changing your WebGUI password

Under Password Setting type your new password and confirm it, then click submit

Recovering your WebGUI password

If you wish to revert to the default password: hpt, delete the file hptuser.dat.

For Mac Users:

1. Open Terminal

2. Type or navigate to cd /usr/share/hpt

3. Type rmhptuser.dat, to remove the file

4. Reboot

For Windows Users:

1. Open file explorer

2. Navigate to C:/Windows/

3. Delete hptuser.dat

4. Reboot

Email Setting

The following topics are covered under email:

• SMTP Setting

• Adding Recipients

You can set the controller to send an email out to recipients of your choosing when certain events (refer to Event Tab) trigger.

SMTP settings

To set up email alerts:

1. Check the Enable Event Notification box.

2. Enter the ISP server address name or SMTP name

3. Type in the email address of the sender (email account that is going to send the

alert)

4. Type in the account name and password of the sender

5. Type in the SMTP port (default: 25)

6. Check support SSL box if SSL is supported by your ISP (port value will change to

465).

Note: After you click ‘Change Setting’ the password box will become blank.

How to Add Recipients

You can add multiple email addresses as receivers of a notice.

1. Type the email of the recipient in the E-mail text box

2. Type the name of the recipient in the Name text box

3. Check which type(s) of events will trigger an email in the respective EventLevel

check boxes

4. (Optional) Click test to confirm settings are correct by sending out a test email

5. Click add to add the recipient to recipient list

6. The added recipient will display in under Recipients

The email will send to your recipients the output recorded in the event log. Example email message:

Figure 10. Example event log email

Recover Tab

Previously created arrays will be stored under this tab. Recovering an array from here will attempt to recover a ‘disabled’ array and make it ‘normal’.

The Recover List will list all your previous and current created arrays. Each entry will list the following properties:

• Array name

• RAID level

• Array Capacity

• Time created ( YYYY/MM/DD, HH/MM/SS, 24 hr clock format)

• Location of physical drives

• Model of physical drives

Important: When recovering an array it is important to note the location and model of each physical drive – in order to successfully recover an array, these attributes must match the original configuration.

How to Backup your Recover List

The recover list is a record of your previously created arrays, and contains the model and location information of your physical drives. Recovering from this list may help restore a disabled array to the normal status for emergency data retrieval.

To backup your recover list:

1. Log into the WebGUI

2. Click Recover Tab

3. Click BackuptoFile

Note: The file will be saved as hptrec.rec

How to Reload your Backup Recover List

If the recover list has been cleared, or does not appear for any reason, you can restore it using a saved list.

To reload your recover list

Note: loading a back up recover list will completely replace the current recover list.

1. Log into the WebGUI

2. Click Recover Tab

3. Under Update Recover List click Browse…

4. Locate your previously saved hptrec.rec file and select it

5. Click Submit

Event Tab

In the event tab, you can see log entries associated with the HighPoint device. The event log provides useful information when troubleshooting your set up.

In the event tab, there are four options available:

• Download – save the log file on your computer

• Clear – clears all log entries

• Prev – view previous log page

• Next – view next log page

Table 3. Event Log Icon Guide

Icon

Name

Information

Warning

Includes general administrative tasks:

Alerts issued by the Host Adapter:

Definition

• Create/delete

arrays

• Configuring spares

• Rebuilding arrays

• Configuring event

notifications

• Configuring

maintenance

• High temperatures

• Sector errors

• Communication

errors

• Verification errors

The event view is a basic error logging tool built into the HighPoint WebGUI.

Error

Hardware related problems

• Hard disk failure

• Broken errors

• Memory failure

SHI (Storage Health Inspector)

• S.M.A.R.T Attributes

• HDD Temperature Threshold

• Storage Health Inspector Scheduling

SHI outputs information collected using SMART (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) Hard Drive Technology. The data provided on this tab helps you to anticipate any disk failures based on a variety of monitored hard disk properties.

How to Enable SMART Monitoring

To access SMART attributes of an individual disk:

1. Log into the WebGUI (default username: RAID password: hpt)

2. Select the proper controller using the drop down menu on the top left

3. Click the SHI tab

4. Click SMART on the desired disk

5. Click Enable to enable SMART monitoring

Disabling SMART monitoring

You have the option the disable SMART monitoring on each individual disk. To disable:

1. Select the proper controller using the drop down menu on the top left

2. Click the SHI tab

3. Click SMART on desired disk

4. Click Disable

Note: Disabling SMART will prompt the Storage Health Inspector to change the disk status to ‘Failed’. The alarm will not alert you when this setting is changed. And any potential warnings due to S.M.A.R.T attribute technology will not

How to Change the HDD Temperature Threshold

To ensure hard disk temperatures remain cool, enable SMART to monitor disk temperatures. In SHI, you can set a threshold so that the WebGUI or controller alarm (if enabled) can warn you when physical disks get too hot.

1. Log into the WebGUI

2. Select the controller from the drop down on the top left

3. Click SHI

4. Type the desired harddisk temperature threshold (°)

5. Click Set

How to Use the Health Inspector Scheduler

The Health Inspector Scheduler (HIS) enables you to schedule disk/array checkups to ensure disks/array are functioning optimally.

How to Create a New Verify Task

All arrays will appear under New Verify Task

1. Log into the WebGUI

2. Select the proper controller from the top left drop down

3. Click SHI

4. Click Schedule

5. Select the array you want to schedule the verify task

6. Type the name in Task Name entry box

7. Choose whether you want to schedule

• One time verify task on specific date (YYYY-MM-DD) at (HH:MM:SS, 24-hr clock)

• Or a specific schedule you can adjust based on Daily, Weekly, or Monthly

options

8. Click Submit

9. Your entry will appear under TasksList

Note: New Verify Task box only appears if you have normal status arrays. If you have a critical array, New Rebuild Task will replace New Verify Task.

Section 6: Formatting the RAID Volumes

After creating a RAID array (see page 43), your operating system will recognize that array as a logical disk. However, the array will not be accessible until it is formatted by the operating system.

Format the volume when you have finished the following procedures:

• Set up the Enclosure

• Set up the RAID Controller

• Installed Drivers

• Created an Array

For Windows Users:

1. Use Windows Search and search for Disk Management. (Search results may show

Create and format hard disk partitions)

2. Alternatively, Go to Control Panel

3. Under Administrative Tools, click Create and format hard disk partitions

• If you just created the array, a prompt will appear after clicking disk

management asking you to initialize the disk

• MBR partition table is mainly for bootable drives and has a 2 TB limit. If your PC

motherboard uses legacy BIOS, you will most likely need to use MBR for bootable drives.

• GPT partition table has no capacity limit, but cannot be bootable unless your

PC motherboard contains UEFI firmware.

4. Once initialized, right click the unallocated disk space for your disk

5. click New Simple Volume

6. Follow the instructions on screen to receive a drive letter

7. Once finished, the drive will appear in your OS with the letter you assigned

Figure 11. Disk formatted as NTFS and assigned drive letter D:

Your disk may initially appear offline to the operating system, and you may have to bring it online:

1. In Disk Management, right click the disk you wish to bring online.

2. The disk status will change to Not Initialized; right click the disk again to initialize

it.

For Mac Users:

1. After creating an array using the WebGUI, you will be prompted to initialize.

2. Click Initialize (this will simply open Disk Utility)

3. Select your newly created array

4. Click Erase

5. Select a Format (recommended Mac OS Extended (Journaled))

6. Choose a name for your RAID volume

7. Click Erase…

8. The Volume will appear on your desktop

Section 7: Troubleshooting

ort or cable interrupts rebuilding

This section provides guidelines to some problems you may encounter:

• Handling Critical Arrays

• Handling Disabled Arrays

• PC hangs when card is installed.

Handling Critical Arrays

When your disk status turns critical, that means your array as a whole is still accessible, but one or more disks is faulty (depending on your RAID level), and the array is in danger of failing.

Common scenarios for critical status

• Unplugging a disk that is part of an array

• Bad sector is detected on a disk that is part

of an array

• Unrecoverable data during rebuilding

• Defective p

process

To recover from this situation,

1. Backup your existing data.

2. Identify which disk is faulty.

• You can refer to the LED lights on the enclosure

• Refer to the WebGUI Logical tab and Event tab.

3. Re-insert the faulty disk or replace with a new disk.

• Array will rebuild automatically if your auto-rebuild setting is enabled and you

reseated the faulty disk. Note: Click Rescan if array still does not rebuild automatically.

4. If the new disk is added and it does not automatically start rebuilding, you can

manually add the disk in maintenance.

• Log into the WebGUI

• Click Logical Tab

• Click Maintenance>Adddisk> select the appropriate disk

5. Rebuild should now start.

• If rebuild does not start, click ‘Rescan’ on the left hand panel.

Note: Rebuilding an array takes on average 2 hours per 1 Terabyte of disk capacity. The process will scan through the entire disk, even if you have very little used disk space.

Rebuilding Stops Due to Bad Sectors

If rebuilding fails to complete due to bad disk sector errors (check in the Event Log), there is an option to continue rebuilding on error in the HighPoint WebGUI.

1. Log into the WebGUI

2. Click Setting tab

3. Under System Setting, change Enable Continue Rebuilding on Error to Enabled

This option will enable rebuilding to ignore bad sectors and attempt to make your data accessible. It is important to backup immediately after backup is complete and replace or repair the disks with bad sectors.

Critical array becomes disabled when you removed faulty disk

If this is the case, you may have removed the wrong disk. When you remove the wrong disk from a critical array, the array status may become disabled. Data is inaccessible for disabled arrays, follow these steps to restore the previous state.

1. Shut down your PC

2. Shut down the RS6314A Enclosure

3. Place all disks back to original configuration

4. Boot up PC

Your array should be back to Critical status. Identify the correct disk and rebuild from there.

Handling Disabled Arrays

If two or more disks in your array go offline due to an error or physical disconnection your array will become disabled.

Disabled arrays are difficult to recover, so it is important to fix any critical status as soon as possible.

To recover a disabled array, using the ‘Recover Tab’ will yield the best results. To utilize the Recover tab, you will need to insert the exact physical drives that are listed under the recover list.

How to recover from a Disabled Array

1. Log into the WebGUI

2. Click Maintenance for the array that is disabled

3. Click Recover

Alternatively:

1. Log into the WebGUI

2. Click Maintenance for the array that is disabled

3. Click delete

4. Click Recover Tab

5. Select the RAID configuration you want to recover

6. Click Recover Array

Your PC hangs when the card is installed

The moment you power on your PC the system BIOS will load and your PC will enter POST (Power OnSelf Test). If you hang at this screen it may be a system resources issue.

There are two methods to fix this problem.

1. Update your motherboard BIOS

2. Update your RAID Controller BIOS

Update your motherboard BIOS

To update your motherboard BIOS, refer to your motherboard manufacturer’s user manual or website.

Update your RocketRAID controller’s BIOS

To update the RocketRAID BIOS, refer to either of these sections:

• Using a Bootable USB drive to update the BIOS

• Updating the BIOS through WebGUI. Note: Press END to bypass the RocketRAID

BIOS splash screen so you can boot up windows and access the WebGUI.

Online Array Roaming

One of the features of all HighPoint RAID controllers is online array roaming. Information about the RAID configuration is stored on the physical drives. So if a card

fails or you wish to switch cards, the RAID configuration data can still be read by another HighPoint card.

Help

• Online Help

• Register Product

Online Help redirects you to additional documentation concerning the HighPoint WebGUI.

Register Product takes you to the HighPoint Online Web Support Portal. On this page you can create a new customer profile where you can register your product, or post an online support ticket.

Table 4.WebGUI Icon Guide

is still accessible but another disk failure could result in data loss.

added a new disk to a ‘critical’ state array.

Critical – rebuild required

Disabled

failed and the array is no longer accessible

incomplete.

OCE/ORLM

OCE/ORLM has stopped

part of an array.

Normal

Critical – missing disk

A disk is missing from the array bringing it to ‘critical’ status. The array

Verifying

The array is currently running a disk integrity check.

Rebuilding

The array is currently rebuilding meaning you replaced a failed disk or

The array has all disks, but one disk requires rebuilding.

The icon represents a disabled array, meaning more than one disk

Initializing

The array is initializing. The two types of initialization is Foreground and Background. (See Initialization)

Uninitialized

The array initialization process has been interrupted, and the process is

Not Initialized

Disk is not initialized yet, and needs to be initialized before use

Array is performing a OCE/ORLM operation

The array expansion process has been stopped.

Legacy

An existing file system has been detected on the disk. These disk are classified as legacy drives.

Spare

The device is a spare drive, it will automatically replace any failed drive

The array status is normal

Initialization Stopped

Rebuilding

Verifying

Critical – OCE/ORLM

Critical – OCE/ORLM - rebuild

Initializing

The array is initializing, either foreground or background initialization

The initialization has been stopped. Current status is uninitialized.

Critical – Inconsistency

Data in the array is inconsistent and needs to be rebuilt.

Critical – missing disk

A disk has been removed or experienced failure, and user needs to reinsert disk or add a new disk.

The array is currently rebuilding.

The array is performing a data consistency check. Array status will show ‘verifying’.

Disabled

The array does not have enough disks to maintain the RAID level. A disabled array is not accessible.

OCE/ORLM

Array is expanding its capacity or migrating to a different raid level. Status will display ‘Expanding/Migrating’

OCE/ORLM stopped

The ‘Expansion/Migrating’ process has been stopped. The status will display ‘Need Expanding/Migrating’

A disk member is lost during the OCE/ORLM process.

The expanding/migrating array requires a rebuild.

Table 5. RAID Level Quick Reference

Type Description Min.

disks

Usable

space

Advantage Disadvantage Application

JBOD

Just a bunch of

disk

100%

Each drive can be

accessed as a single volume

No fault tolerance - failure

of one drive results in complete data loss

Backup

RAID

Disk Striping

2 100% Offers the highest

performance

No fault tolerance – failure of one drive in the array results in complete data lose

Temporary file, performance driven application.

RAID

Disk Mirroring

2 50% Provides convenient

low-cost data redundancy for smaller systems and servers

Useable storage space is 50% of total available capacity. Can handle 1 disk failure.

Operating system, backup, and transaction database.

RAID

Disk Mirroring

followed by stripe

50%

High read performance

and medium write performance with data protection for up to 2drive failures

Useable storage capacity

equals total capacity of all drives in the array minus two

Fast database and

application servers which need performance and data protection

RAID

Disk Striping

with Rotating parity

67-94%

High read performance,

and medium write performance with data protection with a single drive failure

Not recommended for

database applications that require frequent/heavy

write sessions. Can handle

1 disk failure.

Data archives, and

ideal for application that require data protection

RAID

Disk Striping

with dual rotating parity

50-88%

High read performance,

and medium write performance with data protection in case of up to two drives failure

Not recommended for

applications that require frequent/heavy write sessions.

Data archives and

ideal for application that requires data protection

HighPoint Recommended List of Hard Drives

HighPoint maintains a list of tested hard drives suitable for RAID applications. Since not every hard drive in the market can be tested, this list is meant to be a general guideline for selecting hard drives operating in a RAID environment. Regular, desktop grade drives are highly not recommended for RAID use.

http://highpointtech.com/PDF/Compatibility_List/RocketRAID_600_2700_3600_and_4500_Series_RAID _HBA_Hard_Drive_Compatiblity_List.pdf

Contacting Technical Support

For any help and support, submit a support ticket online at

tech.com/websupport/ .

You may also call us during our regular business hours: Monday – Friday (Excluding Holidays), 9 AM to 6 PM Phone: (408) 240-6108

http://www.highpoint-

HighPoint RocketStor 6421TS User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual