Partners SurfRAID TRITON Mini User Manual

Ultra320/SATA - Storage Systems

SurfRAID TRITON Mini User’s Manual

Support - 800-550-3005

Copyright

Copyright© 2005 Partners Data Systems, Inc. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without
the prior written consent.

Trademarks

All products and trade names used in this document are trademarks or regis­tered trademarks of their respective holders.

Changes

The material in this documents is for information only and is subject to change
without notice.

FCC Compliance 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
residential installations. 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 not guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television
equipment 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:

1.Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

2.Move the equipment away from the receiver.

3.Plug the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which
the receiver is powered.

4.Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for help.

All external connections should be made using shielded cables.

About This Manual

This manual covers everything you need to know in learning how to install or
configure your SurfRAID TRITON Mini system. This manual also assumes
that you know the basic concepts of RAID technology. It includes the follow­ing information :

Chapter 1 Introduction

Introduces you to SurfRAID TRITON Mini’s features and general technol­ogy concepts.

Chapter 2 Getting Started

Helps user to identify parts of the SurfRAID TRITON Mini and prepare the
hardware for configuration.

Chapter 3 Configuring

Quick Setup

Provides a simple way to setup your SurfRAID TRITON Mini.

Customizing Setup

Provides step-by-step instructions to help you to do setup or re-configure
your SurfRAID TRITON Mini.

Chapter 4 Array Maintenance

Updating Firmware

Provides step-by-step instructions to help you to update the firmware to the
latest version.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 Key Features.....................................................................................................

1.2 RAID Concepts.................................................................................................

1.3 SCSI Concepts.................................................................................................

1.3.1 Multiple SCSI Format Support..................................................................

1.3.2 Host SCSI ID Selection..............................................................................

1.3.3 Terminators..................................................................................................

1.4 Array Definition..................................................................................................

1.4.1 RAID set........................................................................................................

1.4.2 Volume Set...................................................................................................

1.4.3 Easy of Use features..................................................................................

1.4.4 High Availability............................................................................................

Chapter 2 Getting Started

2.1 Unpacking the SurfRAID TRITON Mini........................................................

2.2 Identifying Parts of the SurfRAID TRITON Mini...........................................

2.2.1 Front View.....................................................................................................

2.2.2 Front Panel..............................................................................................

2.2.3 Rear View.....................................................................................................

2.3 Connecting to Host..........................................................................................

2.4 SCSI Termination.............................................................................................

2.5 Install Hard Drives..............................................................................

2.6 Powering-on the SurfRAID TRITON Mini........................................................

2.7 Connecting UPS...................................................................................................

2.8 Connecting to PC or Terminal............................................................................

1-2

1-3
1-10
1-10
1-10

1-11
1-12
1-12
1-12
1-13
1-15

2-1
2-3
2-3
2-4
2-5
2-6
2-7
2-8
2-9

2-10

2-11

Chapter 3 Configuring

3.1 Configuring through a Terminal..............................................................................

3.2 Configuring the SurfRAID TRITON Mini Using the LCD Panel............................

3.3 Menu Diagram.......................................................................................................

3.4 Web browser-based Remote RAID management via R-Link ethernet.......

3.5 Quick Create.....................................................................................................

3.6 RAID Set Functions......................................................................................

3.6.1 Create RAID Set..........................................................................................

3.6.2 Delete RAID Set............................................................................................

3.6.3 Expand RAID Set...........................................................................................

3-1

3-9
3-10
3-15
3-17
3-18
3-18
3-19
3-20

3.6.4 Activate Incomplete RAID Set...................................................................

3.6.5 Create Hot Spare........................................................................................

3.6.6 Delete Hot Spare.........................................................................................

3.6.7 Rescue RAID Set..........................................................................................

3.7 Volume Set Function....................................................................................

3.7.1 Create Volume Set......................................................................................

3.7.2 Delete Volume Set......................................................................................

3.7.3 Modify Volume Set........................................................................................

3.7.3.1 Volume Expansion.......................................................................

3.7.4 Volume Set Migration..................................................................................

3.7.5 Check Volume Set........................................................................................

3.7.6 Stop Volume Set Check..............................................................................

3.8 Physical Drive..........................................................................................................

3.8.1 Create Pass-Through Disk........................................................................

3.8.2 Modify Pass-Through Disk.........................................................................

3.8.3 Delete Pass-Through Disk........................................................................

3.8.4 Identify Selected Drive.................................................................................

3.9 System Configuration...........................................................................................

3.9.1 System Configuration.................................................................................

3.9.2 U320 SCSI Target Configuration...............................................................

3.9.3 Ethernet Config................................................................................................

3.9.4 Alert By Mail Config......................................................................................

3.9.5 SNMP Configuration.........................................................................................

3.9.6 View Events.....................................................................................................

3.9.7 Generate Test Events.................................................................................

3.9.8 Clear Events Buffer......................................................................................

3.9.9 Modify Password..........................................................................................

3.9.10 Upgrade Firmware.........................................................................................

3.10 Information Menu....................................................................................................

3.10.1 RAIDSet Hierarchy.....................................................................................

3.10.2 System Information ..................................................................................

3.10.3 Hardware Monitor......................................................................................

3.11 Creating a new RAID or Reconfiguring an Existing RAID..............................

3-22
3-24
3-24
3-25
3-26
3-26
3-29
3-30
3-30
3-32
3-33
3-33
3-34
3-34
3-35
3-36
3-36
3-37
3-37
3-39
3-40
3-41
3-42
3-43
3-44
3-45
3-45
3-46
3-47
3-47
3-49
3-50
3-51

Chapter 4 Array Maintenance

4.1 Upgrading the Firmware...................................................................................

Appendix A Technical Specification...................................................

4-1

A-1

Chapter 1

Introduction

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini is an Ultra 320 LVD SCSI-to-Serial ATA II RAID
(Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks) disk array. It consists of a RAID
disk array controller and four (4) disk trays.

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini is “Host Independent” supporting RAID levels 0,
1, 3, 5, 0+1 and JBOD. Regardless of the RAID level that the SurfRAID TRI­TON Mini is configured for, each RAID array consists of a set of disks which
to the user appears to be a single large disk capacity.

One unique feature of these RAID levels is that data is spread across sepa­rate disks as a result of the redundant manner in which data is stored in a
RAID array. If a disk in the RAID array fails, the SurfRAID TRITON Mini con­tinues to function without any risk of data loss. This is because redundant
information is stored separately from the data. The redundant information can
be used to reconstruct any data that was stored on a failed disk. In other
words, the SurfRAID TRITON Mini can tolerate the failure of a drive without
losing data while operating independently of each other.

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini is also equipped with an environment controller
which is capable of accurately monitoring the internal environment, such as
its power supplies, fans, temperatures and voltages. Its modular design al­lows hot-swapping of hard drives without interrupting the SurfRAID TRITON
Mini’s operation.

Introduction

1-1

1.1 Key Features

SurfRAID TRITON Mini Features:

v Features an Intel 80321 64 bit RISC I/O processor
v 128MB cache memory
v Ultra 320 SCSI LVD host port
v Supports up to four (4) 1" hot-swappable Serial ATA II hard drives
v 250W power supply with PFC
v High quality advanced cooling fans
v Local audible event notification alarm
v Supports password protection and UPS connection
v Built-in R-Link LAN port interface for remote management & event

notification

v Real time drive activity and status indicators

RAID Function Features:

v Supports RAID levels 0, 1, 0+1, 3, 5 and JBOD
v Supports hot spare and automatic hot rebuild
v Allows online capacity expansion within the enclosure
v Tagged command queuing for 256 commands, allows for overlapping

data streams

v Transparent data protection for all popular operating systems
v Bad block auto-remapping
v Supports multiple array enclosures per host connection
v Multiple RAID selection
v Array roaming
v Online RAID level migration

1-2

Introduction

1.2 RAID Concepts

RAID Fundamentals

The basic idea of RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is to combine
multiple inexpensive disk drives into an array of disk drives to obtain performance,
capacity and reliability that exceeds that of a single large drive. The array of
drives appears to the host computer as a single logical drive.

Five types of array architectures, RAID 1 through RAID 5, were originally defined,
each provides disk fault-tolerance with different compromises in features and
performance. In addition to these five redundant array architectures, it has become
popular to refer to a non-redundant array of disk drives as a RAID 0 array.

Disk Striping

Fundamental to RAID technology is striping. This is a method of combining
multiple drives into one logical storage unit. Striping partitions the storage
space of each drive into stripes, which can be as small as one sector (512
bytes) or as large as several megabytes. These stripes are then interleaved
in a rotating sequence, so that the combined space is composed alternately
of stripes from each drive. The specific type of operating environment deter­mines whether large or small stripes should be used.

Most operating systems today support concurrent disk I/O operations across
multiple drives. However, in order to maximize throughput for the array, the I/O
load must be balanced across all the drives so that each drive can be kept busy
as much as possible. In a multiple drive system without striping, the disk I/O load
is never perfectly balanced. Some drives will contain data files that are frequently
accessed and some drives will rarely be accessed.

Introduction

1-3

By striping the drives in the array with stripes large enough so that each record
falls entirely within one stripe, most records can be evenly distributed across all
drives. This keeps all drives in the array busy during heavy load situations. This
situation allows all drives to work concurrently on different I/O operations, and
thus maximize the number of simultaneous I/O operations that can be performed
by the array.

Definition of RAID Levels

RAID 0 is typically defined as a group of striped disk drives without parity or data

redundancy. RAID 0 arrays can be configured with large stripes for multi-user
environments or small stripes for single-user systems that access long sequential
records. RAID 0 arrays deliver the best data storage efficiency and performance
of any array type. The disadvantage is that if one drive in a RAID 0 array fails, the
entire array fails.

1-4

Introduction

RAID 1, also known as disk mirroring, is simply a pair of disk drives that store

duplicate data but appear to the computer as a single drive. Although striping is
not used within a single mirrored drive pair, multiple RAID 1 arrays can be striped
together to create a single large array consisting of pairs of mirrored drives. All
writes must go to both drives of a mirrored pair so that the information on the
drives is kept identical. However, each individual drive can perform simultaneous,
independent read operations. Mirroring thus doubles the read performance of a
single non-mirrored drive and while the write performance is unchanged. RAID 1
delivers the best performance of any redundant array type. In addition, there is
less performance degradation during drive failure than in RAID 5 arrays.

Introduction

1-5

RAID 3 sector-stripes data across groups of drives, but one drive in the group is

dedicated to storing parity information. RAID 3 relies on the embedded ECC in
each sector for error detection. In the case of drive failure, data recovery is
accomplished by calculating the exclusive OR (XOR) of the information recorded
on the remaining drives. Records typically span all drives, which optimizes the
disk transfer rate. Because each I/O request accesses every drive in the array,
RAID 3 arrays can satisfy only one I/O request at a time. RAID 3 delivers the
best performance for single-user, single-tasking environments with long records.
Synchronized-spindle drives are required for RAID 3 arrays in order to avoid
performance degradation with short records. RAID 5 arrays with small stripes
can yield similar performance to RAID 3 arrays.

1-6

Introduction

Under RAID 5 parity information is distributed across all the drives. Since there
is no dedicated parity drive, all drives contain data and read operations can be
overlapped on every drive in the array. Write operations will typically access one
data drive and one parity drive. However, because different records store their
parity on different drives, write operations can usually be overlapped.

Introduction

1-7

Dual-level RAID achieves a balance between the increased data availability

inherent in RAID 1 and RAID 5 and the increased read performance inherent in
disk striping (RAID 0). These arrays are sometimes referred to as RAID 0+1 or
RAID 10 and RAID 0+5 or RAID 50.

In summary:

v RAID 0 is the fastest and most efficient array type but offers no fault-

tolerance. RAID 0 requires a minimum of two drives.

v RAID 1 is the best choice for performance-critical, fault-tolerant

environments. RAID 1 is the only choice for fault-tolerance if no more than
two drives are used.

v RAID 3 can be used to speed up data transfer and provide fault-tolerance

in single-user environments that access long sequential records. However,
RAID 3 does not allow overlapping of multiple I/O operations and requires
synchronized-spindle drives to avoid performance degradation with short
records. RAID 5 with a small stripe size offers similar performance.

v RAID 5 combines efficient, fault-tolerant data storage with good

performance characteristics. However, write performance and performance
during drive failure is slower than with RAID 1. Rebuild operations also
require more time than with RAID 1 because parity information is also
reconstructed. At least three drives are required for RAID 5 arrays.

1-8

Introduction

RAID Management

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini can implement several different levels of RAID
technology. RAID levels supported by the SurfRAID TRITON Mini are shown
below.

RAID
Level

0

1

3

5

0 + 1

Description

Block striping is provide, which yields higher performance than with
individual drives. There is no redundancy.

Drives are paired and mirrored. All data is 100% duplicated on an
equivalent drive. Fully redundant.

Data is striped across several physical drives. Parity protection is used
for data redundancy.

Data is striped across several physical drives. Parity protection is used
for data redundancy.

Combination of RAID levels 0 and 1. This level provides striping and
redundancy through mirroring.

Min
Drives

2

2

3

3

4

Introduction

1-9

1.3 SCSI Concepts

Before configuring the SurfRAID TRITON Mini, you must first understand
some basic SCSI concepts so that the SurfRAID TRITON Mini and SCSI
devices will function properly.

1.3.1 Multiple SCSI Format Support

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini support the SCSI interface standards listed be­low. Note that the data bit and cable length restrictions must be followed.

SCSI Type

SCSI-1

Fast SCSI

Fast Wide SCSI

Ultra SCSI

Ultra Wide SCSI

Ultra 2 SCSI

Ultra 2 Wide SCSI

Ultra 160 Wide LVD

Ultra 320 SCSI LVD

Data Bit

8 Bits

8 Bits

16 Bits

8 Bits

16 Bits

8 Bits

16 Bits

16 Bits

16 Bits

Data Rate

5 MB/Sec

10 MB/Sec

20 MB/Sec

20 MB/Sec

40 MB/Sec

40 MB/Sec

80 MB/Sec

160MB/Sec

320MB/Sec

Cable Length

6 m

3 m

3 m

1.5 m

1.5 m

12 m

12 m

12 m

12 m

1.3.2 Host SCSI ID Selection

A SCSI ID is an identifier assigned to SCSI devices which enables them to
communicate with a computer when they are attached to a host adapter via
the SCSI bus. Each SCSI device, and the host adapter itself, must have a
SCSI ID number (Ultra 320 Wide SCSI = 0 to 15). The ID defines each SCSI
device on the SCSI bus. If there is more than one SCSI adapter in the Sur­fRAID TRITON Mini, each adapter forms a separate SCSI bus. SCSI IDs can
be reused as long as the ID is assigned to a device on a separate SCSI bus.
Refer to the documentation that came with your peripheral device to deter­mine the ID and how to change it. The SurfRAID TRITON Mini must be
assigned a unique SCSI ID ranging from 0 to 15. The default value is ID 0.

1-10

Introduction

1.3.3 Terminators

Based on SCSI specifications, the SCSI bus must be terminated at both
ends, meaning the devices that are connected to the ends of the SCSI bus
must have their bus terminators enabled. Devices connected in the middle of
the SCSI bus must have their terminators disabled. Proper termination allows
data and SCSI commands to be transmitted reliably on the SCSI bus. The
host adapter and the SCSI devices attached to it must be properly termi­nated, or they will not work reliably.

Termination means that terminators are installed in the devices at each end
of the bus. Some SCSI devices require you to manually insert or remove the
terminators. Other devices have built-in terminators that are enabled or dis­abled via switches or software commands. Refer to the device’s documenta­tion on how to enable or disable termination.

Introduction

1-11

1.4 Array Definition

1.4.1 RAID Set

A RAID Set is a group of disks containing one or more Volume Sets. It is
impossible to have multiple RAID Sets on the same disks.
A Volume Set must be created either on an existing RAID Set or on a group
of available individual disks (disks that are not yet a part of an RAID Set). If
there are pre-existing RAID Sets with available capacity and enough disks for
the desired RAID level, then the Volume Set will be created in the existing
RAID Set of the user’s choice. If physical disks of different capacity are
grouped together in a RAID Set, then the capacity of the smallest disk will
become the effective capacity of all the disks in the RAID Set.

1.4.2 Volume Set

A Volume Set is seen by the host system as a single logical device. It is
organized in a RAID level with one or more physical disks. RAID level refers
to the level of data performance and protection of a Volume Set. A Volume
Set capacity can consume all or a portion of the disk capacity available in a
RAID Set. Multiple Volume Sets can exist on a group of disks in a RAID Set.
Additional Volume Sets created in a specified RAID Set will reside on all the
physical disks in the RAID Set. Thus each Volume Set on the RAID Set will
have its data spread evenly across all the disks in the RAID Set. Volume
Sets of different RAID levels may coexist on the same RAID Set.

In the illustration below, Volume 1 can be assigned a RAID 5 level of opera­tion while Volume 0 might be assigned a RAID 0+1 level of operation.

1-12

Introduction

1.4.3 Easy of Use features

1.4.3.1 Instant Availability/Background Initialization

RAID 0 and RAID 1 Volume Sets can be used immediately after the creation.
But the RAID 3 and 5 Volume Sets must be initialized to generate the parity.
In the Normal Initialization, the initialization proceeds as a background task,
the Volume Set is fully accessible for system reads and writes. The operating
system can instantly access to the newly created arrays without requiring a
reboot and waiting the initialization complete. Furthermore, the RAID Volume
Set is also protected against a single disk failure while initialing. In Fast Initial­ization, the initialization proceeds must be completed before the Volume Set
ready for system accesses.

1.4.3.2 Array Roaming

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini stores configuration information both in NVRAM
and on the disk drives It can protect the configuration settings in the case of
a disk drive or controller failure. Array roaming allows the administrators the
ability to move a complete RAID Set to another system without losing RAID
configuration and data on that RAID Set. If a server fails to work, the RAID
Set disk drives can be moved to another server and inserted in any order.

Introduction

1-13

1.4.3.3 Online Capacity Expansion

Online Capacity Expansion makes it possible to add one or more physical
drives to a Volume Set, while the server is in operation, eliminating the need
to store and restore after reconfiguring the RAID Set. When disks are added
to a RAID Set, unused capacity is added to the end of the RAID Set. Data on
the existing Volume Sets residing on that RAID Set is redistributed evenly
across all the disks. A contiguous block of unused capacity is made available
on the RAID Set. The unused capacity can create additional Volume Set. The
expansion process is illustrated as following figure.

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini controller redistributes the original Volume Set
over the original and newly added disks, using the same fault-tolerance con­figuration. The unused capacity on the expand RAID Set can then be
used to create an additional Volume Sets, with a different fault tolerance set­ting if user need to change.

1-14

Introduction

1.4.3.4 Online RAID Level and Stripe Size Migration

A user can migrate both the RAID level and stripe size of an existing Volume
Set, while the server is online and the Volume Set is in use. Online RAID
level/stripe size migration can prove helpful during performance tuning activi­ties as well as in the event that additional physical disks are added to the
SurfRAID TRITON Mini. For example, in a system using two drives in RAID
level 1, you could add capacity and retain fault tolerance by adding one drive.
With the addition of third disk, you have the option of adding this disk to your
existing RAID logical drive and migrating from RAID level 1 to 5. The result
would be parity fault tolerance and double the available capacity without tak­ing the system off.

1.4.4 High availability

1.4.4.1 Creating Hot Spares

A hot spare drive is an unused online available drive, which is ready for re­placing the failure disk drive. In a RAID level 1, 0+1, 3, or 5 RAID Set, any
unused online available drive installed but not belonging to a RAID Set can be
defined as a hot spare drive. Hot spares permit you to replace failed drives
without powering down the system. When SurfRAID TRITON Mini detects a
drive failure, the system will automatically and transparently rebuild the RAID
set using hot spare drives. The RAID Set will be reconfigured and rebuilt in
the background, while the SurfRAID TRITON Mini continues to handle system
requests. During the automatic rebuild process, system activity will continue
as normal, however, system performance and fault tolerance will be affected.

Important:

The hot spare must have at least the same or more capacity as the
drive it replaces.

Introduction

1-15

1.4.4.2 Hot-Swap Disk Drive Support

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini has a protection circuit to support the replace­ment of hard disk drives without having to shut down or reboot the system.
The removable hard drive tray allows a “hot swappable,” fault-tolerant RAID
solution at price much less than that of conventional SCSI hard disk RAID
systems.

1.4.4.3 Hot-Swap Disk Rebuild

A Hot-Swap function can be used to rebuild disk drives in arrays with data
redundancy such as RAID level 1(0+1), 3 and 5. If a hot spare is not avail­able, the failed disk drive must be replaced with a new disk drive so that the
data on the failed drive can be rebuilt. If a hot spare is available, the rebuild
starts automatically when a drive fails. The SurfRAID TRITON Mini automati­cally and transparently rebuilds failed drives in the background with user-de­finable rebuild rates. The SurfRAID TRITON Mini will automatically restart the
system and rebuild if the system is shut down or powered off abnormally
during a reconstruction procedure condition. When a disk is “Hot-Swapped”,

although the system remains operational, it will no longer be fault tolerant.
Fault tolerance will be lost until the removed drive is replaced and the rebuild
operation is complete.

1-16

Introduction

Chapter 2

Getting Started

Getting started with the SurfRAID TRITON Mini consists of the
following steps:

-Unpack the SurfRAID TRITON Mini.

-Identify the Parts of the SurfRAID TRITON Mini.

-Install the Hard Drives.

-Connect the SCSI Cables.

-Set SCSI Termination.

-Power on the SurfRAID TRITON Mini.

2.1 Unpacking the SurfRAID TRITON Mini

Unpack the SurfRAID TRITON Mini and verify that the contents of the ship­ping carton are all there and in good condition. Before removing the SurfRAID
TRITON Mini from the shipping carton, visually inspect the physical condition
of the shipping carton. Exterior damage to the shipping carton may indicate
that the contents of the carton are damaged. If any damage is found, do not
remove the components; contact Partners at 800-550-3005.

The package contains the following items:

Getting Started

2-1

• SurfRAID TRITON Mini unit

• One power cord

• One external null modem cable

• One external UPS cable

• One RJ-45 ethernet cable

• Installation Reference Guide

Getting Started

2-2

2.2 Identifying Parts of the SurfRAID TRITON Mini

The illustrations below identify the various features of the SurfRAID TRITON
Mini. Get yourself familiar with these terms as it will help you when you read

further in the following sections.

2.2.1 Front View

LCD
Display

Access LED

Status LED

Door latch

Slot 1

Slot 2

Disk trays

Slot 3

Slot 4

Getting Started

Key lock

2-3

Parts

Access LEDs

Status LEDs

Door latch

Key lock

These LEDs will blink red only when the hard drive is being accessed.

These LEDs indicate the status of the hard drives. The color of the
LED changes according to its operating status.

Green: Normal operation.

Orange: Drive failure.

Red: Hard drive is powered off or no drive is installed in the slot.

Latch the front panel.

Turn key clockwise to lock tray.

2.2.2 Front Panel

Power LED
Busy LED

Function

Down button

Up button

Parts

Power LED

Busy LED

Up and Down
arrow buttons

Select button

Exit button

Exit button

Select button

Function

Green LED indicates power is on.

Orange blinking LED indicates data is being accessed.

Use the Up or Down arrow keys to go through the information
on the LCD screen. This is also used to move between each
menu when you configure the SurfRAID TRITON Mini.

This is used to enter the option you have selected.

Press this button to return to the previous menu.

Getting Started

2-4

2.2.3 Rear View

Host Channel A

FAN 1

Power supply

AC power input socket

R-Link Port

FAN 2

UPS port

Monitor port

Power Supply

on / off switch

1. Host Channel A

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini is equipped with one host channel. It has two 68­pin SCSI connectors at the rear for SCSI in and out.

2. Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) Port

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini comes with a UPS port allowing you to connect
a UPS device. Connect the cable from the UPS device to the UPS port lo­cated at the rear. This will automatically allow the SurfRAID TRITON Mini to
use the functions and features of the UPS.

3. Monitor Port

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini is equipped with a serial monitor port allowing
you to connect a PC or terminal.

4. R-Link Port : Remote Link through RJ-45 ethernet for remote man­agement

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini is equipped with one 10/100 Ethernet RJ45 LAN
port. You use web browser to manage remote configuration and monitoring
via this port.

Link LED: Green LED indicates ethernet is linking.

Link speed LED: Orange LED indicates the link speed is 100Mbps. The LED
will not blink when the link speed is 10Mbps.

Getting Started

2-5

2.3 Connecting to Host

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini supports the Ultra 320 SCSI LVD interface which
provides fast 320MB/S data transfer rates using a 16-bit SCSI bus. Installa­tion of the SurfRAID TRITON Mini is very similar to the installation of a stan­dard SCSI drive. The SCSI connector accepts the standard 68-pin LVD SCSI
connector used on most LVD SCSI devices. Refer to your system and/or
SCSI host adapter manual for additional installation procedures that may ap­ply to your system or host adapter.

1. Connect at the rear of the SurfRAID TRITON Mini, attach one end of the
external SCSI cable to one of the SCSI connectors and the other end to
the host adapter’s external SCSI connector. (The host adapter is in­stalled in your server)

Host A in

Note:

1. When one or more SCSI devices are connected, the total length

of all cables (internal or external) must not exceed 3 meters (9.8
ft.) to ensure reliable operation.

2. For safety reasons, make sure that both the SurfRAID TRITON
Mini and the server are turned off when you plug-in the SCSI cable.

Getting Started

2-6

2.4 SCSI Termination

One 68-pin wide SCSI connector is provided on the back of the enclosure for
connecting the array to the system. These connectors are used in one of two
ways:

v If the SurfRAID TRITON Mini is the only external SCSI device, or is the

last external device in a daisy-chained configuration, connect the incom­ing cable (the one which is attached to the SCSI adapter) to the Host A
in connector and install the external SCSI Terminator on the Host A out
connector.

Host A
out

+

v If the array is to be placed in the middle of a daisy-chained configuration,

connect the incoming cable (the one which is attached to the SCSI
adapter) to the Host A in connector and connect the outgoing cable (the
one which continues on to other devices) to the Host A out connector. In
this case, no terminator is required at the SurfRAID TRITON Mini but the
last device in the daisy chain must have a terminator.

Correct SCSI termination procedures require that the last device on the SCSI
bus be terminated. If the last device is not terminated, or if devices other than
the last are terminated, erratic SCSI bus performance may occur. Typically,
the system or host adapter is the first device and is already terminated.
When installing the SurfRAID TRITON Mini on a SCSI bus with other devices,
be sure to observe the above rules with all devices on the SCSI bus. Consult
your system and/or host adapter manual for additional information on correct
termination procedure.

Getting Started

2-7

2.5 Install Hard Drives

This section describes the physical locations of the hard drives supported by
the SurfRAID TRITON Mini and gives instructions on installing a hard drive.
The SurfRAID TRITON Mini supports hot-swapping allowing you to install or
replace a hard drive while the SurfRAID TRITON Mini is running.

1. Pull out an empty disk tray. (You can install in any available slot.)

2. Place the hard drive in the disk tray.

3. Install the mounting screws on each side to secure the drive in the mo-

bile rack.

4. Slide the tray into a slot until it clicks into place. The HDD status LED

will turn red at relative position of front panel.

5. If the HDD status LED did not turn green, check the hard drive is in

good condition.

6. If the hard drive is not being accessed, the HDD access LED will not

illuminate. The LED blinks only when being accessed.

Getting Started

2-8

2.6 Powering-on the SurfRAID TRITON Mini

When you connect the SurfRAID TRITON Mini to the server, you
should press the ON/OFF Power Supply Switch. It will turn the SurfRAID
TRITON Mini on and the Self-Test will be started automatically.

1. Plug in the power cord to the power connector located at the rear of the

SurfRAID TRITON Mini.

Power Supply

Power supply

AC power input socket

on / off switch

Note:

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini is equipped with PFC (power factor cor­rection), Full Range power supply. The SurfRAID TRITON Mini will
automatically select voltage.

2. Turn on the power.

3. The “Power” LED on the front panel will turn green. After a few moments
the LCD should display the following message:

{Model Name}
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

Getting Started

2-9

2.7 Connecting an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS)

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini is equipped with a UPS port located at the rear
of the system unit. It allows you to connect a UPS fail signal.

UPS

port

Pin

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Description

Not used

UPS Line Fail

Not used

UPS Common

Not used

Not used

Not used

Not used

Not used

Note:

UPS connection is compliant with NetWare UPS management - smart
mode UPS is not supported.

Getting Started

2-10

2.8 Connecting to a PC or Terminal

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini is equipped with a serial monitor port located at
the rear of the system unit. This serves as an alternative display when ac­cessing the setup utility.

Monitor port

Pin

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Description

Data Carrier Detect (DCD)

Receive Data (RD)

Transmit Data (TD)

Data Teminal Ready (DTR)

Signal Ground (SG)

Data Set Ready (DSR)

Ready To Send (RTS)

Clear To Send (CTS)

Ring Indicator (RI)

Note:

Refer to Chapter 3 for instructions on accessing the setup utility
through a PC or terminal, as well as instructions on setting the
baud rate, stop bit, data bit and parity of your monitor or terminal.
The default setting of the monitor port is 115200 baud rate, non­parity, 8 data bit and no flow control.

Getting Started

2-11

Chapter 3

Configuring

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini has a setup configuration utility containing impor­tant information about the configuration as well as settings for various op­tional functions. This chapter explains how to use and make changes to the
setup utility.

Configuration Methods

There are three methods of configuring the SurfRAID TRITON Mini.

• VT100 terminal connected through the controller’s serial port

• Front panel touch-control keypad

• Web browser-based Remote RAID management via the R-Link ethernet
port

Important:

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini allows you to access the utility using only
one method at a time.

3.1 Configuring through a Terminal

Configuring through a terminal will allow you to use the same configuration
options and functions that are available from the LCD panel. To start-up:

1. Connect a VT100 compatible terminal or a PC operating in an equivalent

terminal emulation mode to the monitor port located at the rear of the

Configuring

3-1

SurfRAID TRITON Mini.

Note:

You may connect a terminal while the SurfRAID TRITON Mini’s
power is on.

2. Power-on the terminal.

3. Run the VT100 program or an equivalent terminal program.

3-2

Configuring

4. The default setting of the monitor port is 115200 baud rate, 8 data bit,

non-parity, 1 stop bit and no flow control.

Configuring

3-3

5. Click disconnect button.

6. Open the File menu, and then open Properties.

3-4

Configuring

7. Open the Settings Tab.

8. Open the Settings Tab. Function, arrow and ctrl keys act as: Terminal

Keys, Backspace key sends: Crtl+H, Emulation: VT100, Telnet terminal:
VT100, Back scroll buffer lines: 500. Click OK.

Configuring

3-5

9. Now, the VT100 is ready to use. After you have finished the VT100 Ter­minal setup, you may press “ X “ key (in your Terminal) to link the Sur­fRAID TRITON Mini and Terminal together. Press “X’ key to display the
Monitor Utility screen on your VT100 Terminal.

10. The Main Menu will appear.

Keyboard Function Key Definitions

“ A “ key - to move to the line above

“ Z “ key - to move to the next line

“ Enter “ key - Submit selection function

“ ESC “ key - Return to previous screen

“ L ” key - Line draw

“ X ” key - Redraw

3-6

Configuring

Main Menu

The main menu shows all function that enables the customer to execute ac­tions by clicking on the appropriate link.

Note:

The password option allows the user to set or clear the password
protection feature. Once the password has been set, the user can
only monitor and configure the SurfRAID TRITON Mini by providing the
correct password. The password is used to protect from unauthorized
entry. The controller will check the password only when entering the
Main menu from the initial screen. The SurfRAID TRITON Mini will au­tomatically go back to the initial screen when it does not receive a
command in twenty seconds. The default password is set at
00000000 (Eight Zeros).

Configuring

3-7

VT100 terminal configuration Utility Main Menu Options

Select an option and the related information or submenu items display be­neath it. The submenus for each item are explained on the section 3.3. The
configuration utility main menu options are:

Option

Quick Volume and RAID Set
Setup

RAID Set Functions

Volume Set Functions

Physical Drive Functions

RAID System Functions

U320 SCSI Target Config

Ethernet Configuration

View System Events

Clear Event Buffer

Hardware Monitor

System Information

Description

Create a RAID configuration that con­sists of the number of physical disks
installed

Create a customized RAID Set

Create a customized Volume Set

View individual disk information

Setting the RAID system configuration

Setting the U320 SCSI configuration

Setting the Ethernet configuration

View all system events in the buffer

Clear all event buffer information

Show system environment status

View the controller information

3-8

Configuring

3.2 Configuring the SurfRAID TRITON Mini Using the
LCD Panel

The LCD Display front panel function keys are the primary user interface for
the SurfRAID TRITON Mini. Except for the “Firmware update” ,all configura­tion can be performed through this interface.The LCD provides a system of
screens with areas for information, status indication, or menus. The LCD
screen displays up to two lines at a time of menu items or other information.
The default password is set to 00000000 (Eight Zeros).

Function Key Definitions

The four function keys at the top of the front panel perform the following func­tions :

Parts

Up or Down
arrow buttons

Select button

Exit button

Down button

Up button

Exit button

Select button

Function

Use the Up or Down arrow keys to go through the information
on the LCD screen. This is also used to move between each
menu when you configure the SurfRAID TRITON Mini.

This is used to enter the option you have selected.

Press this button to return to the previous menu.

Configuring

3-9

3.3 Menu Diagram

The following tree diagram is a summary of the various configuration and
setting functions that can be accessed through the LCD panel menus or the
terminal monitor.

3-10

Configuring

Configuring

3-11

3-12

Configuring

Configuring

3-13

3-14

Configuring

3.4 Web browser-based Remote RAID management
via R-Link ethernet port

Browser-based Remote RAID management can be used to configure and man­age all the RAID functions.

To configure the SurfRAID TRITON Mini on a remote machine, you need to know
its IP Address. Launch your web browser by entering http://[IP Address] in the
remote web browser.

Important:

The Ethernet default IP is “192.168.001.100”. DHCP function is “en­able”. You can configure the correct IP Address through the LCD
panel or the terminal “Ethernet Configuration” menu.

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini controller default User Name is “admin” and the
Password is “00000000” (Eight Zeros).

Configuring

3-15

Main Menu

The main menu shows all functions that enable the user to execute actions
by clicking on the appropriate links.

Individual Category

Quick Create

RAID Set Functions

Volume Set Functions

Physical Drive

System Control

Information

Description

Create a RAID configuration that consists of the
number of physical disks installed; It can modify
the Volume Set Capacity, RAID Level, and Stripe
Size.

Create a customized RAID Set.

Create customized Volume Sets and modify the
existing Volume Sets parameter.

Create Pass Through Disks. Modify the existing
Pass Through Drives parameter. It also provides
the function to identify individual disk drives.

Setting the RAID system configurations

View the controller and hardware monitor infor­mation.

3-16

Configuring

Configuration Procedures

Below are a few practical examples of concrete configuration procedures.

3.5 Quick Create

The number of physical drives in the SurfRAID TRITON Mini determines the
RAID levels that can be implemented with the RAID Set. You can create a
RAID Set associated with exactly one Volume Set. The user can change the
RAID Level, Capacity, Volume Initialization Mode and Stripe Size . A hot spare
option is also created depending upon the existing configuration.

Click on Confirm The Operation and click on the Submit button in the
Quick Create screen, the RAID Set and Volume Set will start to initialize.

Note: In Quick Create your Volume Set is automatically configured based on the
number of disks in your system. Use the RAID Set Function and Volume Set
Function if you prefer to customize your system.

Configuring

3-17

3.6 RAID Set Functions

Use the RAID Set Function and Volume Set Function if you prefer to custom­ize your system. Manual configuration allows full control of the RAID Set set­ting, but it will take longer to complete than the Quick Volume/RAID Setup
configuration. Select the RAID Set Function to manually configure the RAID
Set for the first time or to delete an existing RAID Set and reconfigure the
RAID Set. A RAID Set is a group of disks containing one or more Volume
Sets. With the SurfRAID TRITON Mini, four RAID Sets can be created.

3.6.1 Create RAID Set

To create a RAID Set, click on the Create RAID Set link. A “Select The IDE
Drive For RAID Set” screen is displayed showing the IDE drive connected to

the current controller. Click on the selected physical drives with the current
RAID Set. Enter 1 to 15 alphanumeric characters to define a unique identifier
for a RAID Set. The default RAID Set name will always appear as RAID Set
#.

Click on Confirm The Operation and click on the Submit button in the
screen, the RAID Set will start to initialize.

3-18

Configuring

3.6.2 Delete RAID Set

To delete a RAID Set, click on the Delete RAID Set link. A “Select The RAID SET
To Delete” screen is displayed showing all RAID Sets existing in the current con-

troller. Click the RAID Set number you wish to delete in the “Select Column To
Delete” screen.

Click on Confirm The Operation and click on the Submit button to delete it.

Configuring

3-19

3.6.3 Expand RAID Set

Use this option to expand a RAID Set, when a disk is added to your system.
This function is active when at least one drive is available.

To expand a RAID Set, click on the Expand RAID Set link. Select the target
RAID Set, which you want to expand.

Click on the available disk and Confirm The Operation, and then click on
the Submit button to add disks to the RAID Set.

Note:

1. Once the Expand RAID Set process has started, the user can­not stop it. The process must be completed.

2. If a disk drive fails during RAID Set expansion and a hot spare
is available, an auto rebuild operation will occur after the RAID Set
expansion completes.

3-20

Configuring

Migrating occurs when a disk is added to a RAID Set. Migration status is
displayed in the RAID status section of the RAID Set information area when a
disk is added to a RAID Set. Migration status is also displayed in the associ­ated Volume Status section of the Volume Set information area when a disk
is added to a RAID Set.

Configuring

3-21

3.6.4 Activate Incomplete RAID Set

When one of the disk drives is removed in power-off state, the RAID Set
status will change to “Incomplete State”. When the SurfRAID TRITON Mini
is powered on again. The RAID Set can be activated using the “Activate
RAID Set” option. Once activated, the RAID State will change to Degraded
Mode.

To activate the incomplete the RAID Set, click on the Activate RAID Set link. A
“Select The RAID SET To Activate” screen is displayed showing all RAID Sets
existing in the current controller. Click the RAID Set number you which to activate
in the select column.

3-22

Configuring

Click on the Submit button to activate the RAID Set that has had a disk
removed in a power-off state. The SurfRAID TRITON Mini will continue to
work in degraded mode.

Configuring

3-23

3.6.5 Create Hot Spare

When you choose the Create Hot Spare option in the RAID Set Function, all
unused physical devices connected to the current controller appear: Select
the target disk by clicking on the appropriate check box. Click on Confirm
The Operation, and click on the Submit button to create the hot spares.

The create Hot Spare option gives you the ability to define a global hot spare.

3.6.6 Delete Hot Spare

Select the target Hot Spare disk to delete by clicking on the appropriate
check box.

Click on Confirm The Operation, and click on the Submit button to delete
the hot spares.

3-24

Configuring

3.6.7 Rescue RAID Set

If you need to Rescue Missing RAID Set, please contact our engineer for
assistance.

Configuring

3-25

3.7 Volume Set Function

A Volume Set is seen by the host system as a single logical device. It is
organized in a RAID level with one or more physical disks. RAID level refers
to the level of data performance and protection of a Volume Set. A Volume
Set capacity can consume all or a portion of the disk capacity available in a
RAID Set. Multiple Volume Sets can exist on a group of disks in a RAID Set.
Additional Volume Sets created in a specified RAID Set will reside on all the
physical disks in the RAID Set. Thus each Volume Set on the RAID Set will
have its data spread evenly across all the disks in the RAID Set.

3.7.1 Create Volume Set

The following are Volume Set features:

1.Volume Sets of different RAID levels may coexist on the same RAID Set.

2.Up to 16 Volume Sets in a RAID Set can be created by the SurfRAID TRI­TON Mini controller.

To create a Volume Set from a RAID Set system, move the cursor to the
main menu and click on the Create Volume Set link. The Select The RAID
Set To Create On It screen will show all RAID Set numbers. Click on a
RAID Set number that you want to create and then click on the Submit but­ton.

The modified Volume Set allows the user to select the Volume Name, Capac­ity, RAID Level, Stripe Size, SCSI ID/LUN, Cache Mode, Tag Queuing and
Max Sync Rate.

3-26

Configuring

Volume Name:

The default volume name will always appear as Volume Set #. You can
rename the Volume Set name providing it does not exceed the 15 character
limit.

RAID Level:

Set the RAID level for the Volume Set. Highlight RAID Level and press Enter.

The available RAID levels for the current Volume Set are displayed. Select a
RAID level and press Enter to confirm.

Capacity:

The maximum volume size is the default in the first setting. Enter the appropriate
volume size to fit your application.

Configuring

3-27

Initialization Mode:

Set the Initialization Mode for the Volume Set. Foreground mode is for faster
completion and background mode allows instant availability.

Stripe Size:

This parameter sets the size of the stripe written to each disk in a RAID 0, 1,
0+1, or 5 logical drive. You can set the stripe size to 4 KB, 8 KB, 16 KB, 32
KB, 64 KB, or 128 KB.

A larger stripe size produces better-read performance, especially if your com­puter does mostly sequential reads. However, if you are sure that your com­puter does random reads more often, select a small stripe size

Note: RAID level 3 can’t modify the stripe size.

Cache Mode:

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini supports Write-Through Cache and Write-Back
Cache.

Tag Queuing:

The Enabled option is useful for enhancing overall system performance under
multi-tasking operating systems. The Command Tag (Drive Channel) function
controls the SCSI command tag queuing support for each drive channel. This
function should normally remain enabled. Disable this function only when using
older SCSI drives that do not support command tag queuing

Max SCSI Speed:

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini supports 320 MB/sec as the highest data transfer
rate.

SCSI Channel/SCSI ID/SCSI Lun:

SCSI Channel: The SurfRAID TRITON Mini supports one SCSI Channel.

SCSI ID: Each SCSI device attached to the SCSI card, as well as the card

itself, must be assigned a unique SCSI ID number. A Wide SCSI channel can
connect up to 15 devices.

SCSI LUN: Each SCSI ID can support up to 8 LUNs. Most SCSI host
adapters treat each LUN like a SCSI disk.

3-28

Configuring

3.7.2 Delete Volume Set

To delete a Volume Set from the RAID Set system function, move the cursor
to the main menu and click on the Delete Volume Set link. The Select The
Volume Set To Delete screen will show all RAID Set numbers. Click on a
RAID Set number and Confirm The Operation and then click on the Submit
button to show all Volume Set items in the selected RAID Set. Click on a
Volume Set number and Confirm The Operation and then click on the Sub-
mit button to delete the Volume Set.

Configuring

3-29

3.7.3 Modify Volume Set

To modify a Volume Set from a RAID Set:

(1). Click on the Modify Volume Set link.

(2). Click on the Volume Set from the list that you wish to modify. Click on
the Submit button.

The following screen appears.

Use this option to modify a Volume Set configuration. To modify Volume Set at­tribute values from the RAID Set system function, move the cursor to the Volume
Set attribute menu and click on it. The Modify Value screen appears. Move the
cursor to an attribute item, and then click on the attribute to modify the value. After
you complete the modification, Click on Confirm The Operation and click on
the Submit button to complete the action. User can modify all values except the
capacity.

3.7.3.1 Volume Expansion

Volume Capacity (Logical Volume Concatenation Plus Re-stripe)

Use the RAID Set expansion option to expand a RAID Set, when a disk is
added to your system. (refer to section 3.6.3)

The expand capacity function can be used to enlarge the Volume Set size or
create another Volume Set. The Modify Volume Set function supports the Vol­ume Set expansion function. To expand a Volume Set capacity value from a
RAID Set system function, move the cursor to the Volume Set Volume ca-
pacity item and enter the capacity size.

Click on Confirm The Operation and click on the Submit button to com­plete the action. The Volume Set will start to expand.

3-30

Configuring

Configuring

3-31

3.7.4 Volume Set Migration

Migration occurs when a Volume Set is migrated from one RAID level to an­other, a Volume Set strip size changes, or when a disk is added to a RAID
Set. Migration status is displayed in the Volume Status area of the RAID Set
Hierarchy screen when one RAID level is migrated to another, a Volume Set
stripe size changes or when a disk is added to a RAID Set.

3-32

Configuring

3.7.5 Check Volume Set

To check a Volume Set from a RAID Set:

(1). Click on the Check Volume Set link.

(2). Click the Volume Set that you wish to check. Click on Confirm The Op­eration and click on the Submit button.

Use this option to verify the correctness of the redundant data in a Volume
Set. For example, in a system with dedicated parity, Volume Set check
means computing the parity of the data disk drives and comparing the results
to the contents of the dedicated parity disk drive. The checking percentage
can also be viewed by clicking on RAID Set Hierarchy in the main menu.

3.7.6 Stop Volume Set Check

Use this option to stop the Check Volume Set function.

Configuring

3-33

3.8 Physical Drive

Choose this option from the Main Menu to select a physical disk and to per­form the operations listed below.

3.8.1 Create Pass-Through Disk

To create pass-through disk, move the cursor to the main menu and click on
the Create Pass-Through link. The relative setting function screen appears.

Disks are not controlled by the SurfRAID TRITON Mini firmware and thus
cannot be a part of a Volume Set. The disk is available to the operating sys­tem as an individual disk. It is typically used on a system where the operating
system is on a disk not controlled by the RAID firmware. The user can also
select the cache mode, Tagged Command Queuing, Max SCSI speed and
SCSI channel/SCSI_ID/SCSI_LUN for this volume.

3-34

Configuring

3.8.2 Modify Pass-Through Disk

Use this option to modify the Pass-Through Disk Attribute. The user can
modify the Cache Mode, Tagged Command Queuing, Max SCSI Speed and
SCSI Channel/ID/LUN on an existing pass through disk.

To modify the pass-through drive attribute from the pass-through drive pool,
move the cursor to click on Modify Pass-Through link. The Select The
Pass Through Disk For Modification screen appears. Click on the Pass­Through Disk from the pass-through drive pool and click on the Submit but­ton to select drive.

The Enter Pass-Through Disk Attribute screen appears, modify the drive at­tribute values, as you want.

Configuring

3-35

3.8.3 Delete Pass-Through Disk

To delete pass-through drive from the pass-through drive pool, move the cur­sor to the main menu and click on Delete Pass Through link. After you
complete the selection, Click on Confirm The Operation and click on the
Submit button to complete the delete action.

3.8.4 Identify Selected Drive

To prevent removing the wrong drive, the selected disk LED will turn on for
visually locating the selected disk when the Identify Selected Drive is se­lected.

To identify the selected drive from the drives pool, move the cursor to click on
Identify Selected Drive link. The Select The IDE Device For identification screen
appears. Click on the IDE device from the drives pool and Flash method. After
completing the selection, click on the Submit button to identify selected drive.

3-36

Configuring

3.9 System Configuration

3.9.1 System Configuration

To set the RAID system function, move the cursor to the main menu and
click on he RAID System Function link. The RAID System Function menu
will show all items. Select the desired function.

System Beeper Setting:

The Alert Beeper function item is set to Disable or Enable the SurfRAID TRI­TON Mini controller alarm tone generator.

RAID Rebuild Priority:

The RAID Rebuild Priority is a relative indication of how much time the con­troller devotes to a rebuild operation. The SurfRAID TRITON Mini allows the
user to choose the rebuild priority (ultraLow, Low, Medium, High) to balance
Volume Set access and rebuild tasks appropriately. For high array perfor­mance, specify a Low value.

Configuring

3-37

Terminal Port Configuration:

Speed setting values are 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200,38400, 57600, and

115200.

Stop Bits values are 1 bit and 2 bits.

Note: Parity value is fixed at None.

Data Bits value is fixed at 8 bits.

JBOD/RAID Configuration

The SurfRAID TRITON Mini supports JBOD and RAID configuration.

Maximum SATA Mode Supported:

The 4 SATA drive channel can support up to SATA ll, which runs up to 300MB/s.
NCQ is a command protocol in Serial ATA that can only be implemented on na­tive Serial ATA hard drives. It allows multiple commands to be outstanding within
a drive at the same time. Drives that support NCQ have an internal queue where
outstanding commands can be dynamically rescheduled or re-ordered, along
with the necessary tracking mechanisms for outstanding and completed por­tions of the workload. SurfRAID TRITON Mini allows user to choose the SATA
Mode: SATA150, SATA150+NCQ, SATA300, SATA300+NCQ.

Disk Capacity Truncation Mode:

This SurfRAID TRITON Mini uses drive truncation so that drives from differing
vendors are more likely to be able to be used as spares for each other. Drive
truncation slightly decreases the usable capacity of a drive that is used in
redundant units.

Multiples Of 10G: If you have 120 GB drives from different vendors;
chances are that the capacity varies slightly. For example, one drive might be

123.5 GB, and the other 120 GB. This drive Truncation mode Multiples Of
10G uses the same capacity for both of these drives so that one could re­place the other.

Multiples Of 1G: If you have 123 GB drives from different vendors; chances
are that the capacity varies slightly. For example, one drive might be 123.5
GB, and the other 123.4 GB. This drive Truncation mode Multiples Of 1G
uses the same capacity for both of these drives so that one could replace
the other.

No Truncation: It does not truncate the capacity.

3-38

Configuring

3.9.2 U320 SCSI Target Config

To use the U320 SCSI Target function, move the cursor bar to the main
menu and click on the U320 SCSI Target Config. The Enabled option sup­ports Quick Arbitration and Selection (QAS). QAS reduces the overhead of
control release on the SCSI bus from one device to another. This improve­ment reduces command overhead and maximizes bus utilization. Select the
desired function.

Configuring

3-39

3.9.3 EtherNet Config

To set the EtherNet function, move the cursor to the main menu and click on
EtherNet Config. The RAID System EtherNet Function menu will show all
items. Select the desired function.

3-40

Configuring

3.9.4 Alert By Mail Config

To set the Event Notification function, move the cursor to the main menu and
click on Alert By Mail Config. The RAID System Event Notification Function
menu will show all items. Select the desired function. When an abnormal condi-

tion occurs, an error message will be emailed to the administrator that a problem
has occurred. Events are classified to 4 levels (urgent, serious, warning, mes­sage).

Configuring

3-41

3.9.5 SNMP Configuration

The SNMP gives users independence from the proprietary network management
schemes of some manufacturers. SNMP is supported by many WAN and LAN
manufacturers enabling true LAN/ WAN management integration.

To set the SNMP function, move the cursor to the main menu and click on
SNMP Configuration. The RAID System SNMP Function menu will show all
items. Select the desired function.

SNMP Trap Configurations: Type the SNMP Trap IP Address. The Port de­fault is 162.

SNMP System Configuration:

Community: The default is Public.

(1)sysContact.0; (2)sysLocation.0; (3)sysName.0: SNMP parameter (31 bytes
max). With these 3 categories initially selected, an error will trigger SNMP
feature to send out a message that includes information from the 3

3-42

Configuring

categories. This allows a user to easily identify which RAID unit is having a
problem. An alert by mail configuration will work in the same way.

SNMP Trap Notification Configurations: Select the desired function.

After you complete the addition, Click on Confirm The Operation and click
on the Submit button to complete the action.

3.9.6 View Events

To view the SurfRAID TRITON Mini controller’s information, move the cursor
to the main menu and click on the System Information link. The SurfRAID
TRITON Mini Events Information screen appears.

Choose this option to view the System Events Information: Time, Device,
Event type, Elapse Time and Errors. The system does not build the real time
clock. The Time information is the relative time from the SurfRAID TRITON
Mini power on.

Configuring

3-43

3.9.7 Generate Test Events

If you want to generate test events, move the cursor to the main menu and
click on Generate Test Events. Click on Confirm The Operation, and
click on the Submit button to create the hot spares. Then click on the View
Events/Mute Beeper to view the test event.

3-44

Configuring

3.9.8 Clear Events Buffer

Use this feature to clear the entire events buffer information.

3.9.9 Modify Password

To set or change the SurfRAID TRITON Mini password, move the cursor to the
RAID System Function screen, and click on the Change Password link. The
Modify System Password screen appears.

Configuring

3-45

The password option allows the user to set or clear the SurfRAID TRITON
Mini’s password protection feature. Once the password has been set, the
user can only monitor and configure the SurfRAID TRITON Mini by providing
the correct password.

The password is used to protect the SurfRAID TRITON Mini from unautho­rized entry. The controller will check the password only when entering the
Main menu from the initial screen. The SurfRAID TRITON Mini will automati­cally go back to the initial screen when it does not receive any command in
ten seconds.

To disable the password, press the Enter key only, in both the Enter New Pass-
word and Re-Enter New Password columns. Once the user confirms the op­eration and clicks the Submit button, the existing password will be cleared. No
password checking will occur when entering the main menu from the starting
screen.

3.9.10 Upgrade Firmware

Please reference the section 4.2 for more information.

3-46

Configuring

3.10 Information Menu

3.10.1 RAIDSet Hierarchy

Use this feature to view the SurfRAID TRITON Mini current RAID Set, current
Volume Set and Physical Disk Configuration.

To view the RAID Set information, move the cursor to the right column and click
on the RAID Set # link. The RAID Set Information screen appears.

Configuring

3-47

To view the disk information, move the cursor to the right column and click on the
CH # link. The Disk Information screen appears. The SMART Attribute(Threshold)
Is A Normalized Value, The Value Is The Larger The Better. If The Attribute Value

Is Smaller Than The Threshold Value, The Disk Is In Unstable State.

To view the Volume Set information, move the cursor to the right column and
click on the Volume Set # link. The Volume Set Information screen appears.

3-48

Configuring

3.10.2 System Information

To view the SurfRAID TRITON Mini controller’s information, move the cursor to
the main menu and click on the System Information link. The SurfRAID TRITON
Mini Information screen appears.

Use this feature to view the SurfRAID TRITON Mini controller’s information. The
controller name, firmware version, serial number, main processor, CPU data/
Instruction cache size and system memory size/speed appear on this screen.

Configuring

3-49

3.10.3 Hardware Monitor

To view the SurfRAID TRITON Mini controller’s hardware monitor information,
move the cursor to the main menu and click the Hardware Monitor link. The
Hardware Information screen appears.

The Hardware Monitor Information provides the temperature, fan speed (chassis
fan) and voltage of the SurfRAID TRITON Mini. All items are also unchangeable.
The warning messages will indicate through the LCD, LED and alarm buzzer.

Item

Controller Board Temperature

HDD Temperature

System Fan Speed

Power Supply +12V

Power Supply +5V

Power Supply +3.3V

DDR Supply Voltage +2.5V

CPU Core Voltage +1.3V

SATA Chip +1.2V

3-50

Warning Condition

> 60 Celsius

> 60 Celsius

< 1900 RPM

< 10.8V or > 13.2V

< 4.75V or > 5.25V

< 3.135V or > 3.465V

< 2.375V or > 2.625V

< 1.235V or > 1.365V

< 1.14V or > 1.26V

Configuring

3.11 Creating a New RAID or Reconfiguring an Exist­ing RAID

You can configure RAID Sets and Volume Sets using Quick Create or RAID
Set Functions/Volume Set Functions configuration method. Each configu-

ration method requires a different level of user input. The general flow of op­erations for RAID Set and Volume Set configuration is:

Step Action

1 Designate hot spares/pass-through (optional).

2 Choose a configuration method.

3 Create RAID Set using the available physical drives.

4 Define Volume Set using the space in the RAID Set.

5 Initialize the Volume Set and use Volume Set in the HOST OS.

Configuring

3-51

Chapter 4

Array Maintenance

This chapter describes more information about your SurfRAID TRI­TON Mini. The following items are describes in detail.

v Updating Firmware

4.1 Upgrading the Firmware

Upgrading Flash Firmware Programming Utility

Since the SurfRAID TRITON Mini controller features flash firmware, it is not nec­essary to change the hardware flash chip in order to upgrade the RAID firmware.
The user can simply re-program the old firmware through the RS-232 port. New
releases of the firmware are available in the form of a DOS. Firmware can be
downloaded at www.PartnersData.com.

XXXXVVV.BIN Firmware Binary (where “XXXX” refers to the model name and
“VVV” refers to the firmware version)

README.TXT It contains the history information of the firmware change. Read
this file first before upgrading the firmware.

These files must be extracted from the compressed file and copied to one direc­tory in drive A or C.

Array Maintenance

4-1

Establishing the Connection for the RS-232

The firmware can be downloaded to the SurfRAID TRITON Mini controller by
using an ANSI/VT-100 compatible terminal emulation program or Remote web
browser management. You must complete the appropriate installation proce­dure before proceeding with this firmware upgrade. Whichever terminal emula­tion program is used must support the ZMODEM file transfer protocol.

Web browser-based RAID management can be used to update the firmware.
You must complete the appropriate installation procedure before proceeding with
this firmware upgrade.

Upgrading Firmware Through ANSI/VT-100 Terminal Emulation

Get the new version firmware for your SurfRAID TRITON Mini controller. For Ex­ample, download the bin file fromwww.PartnersData.com onto the c:

1. From the Main Menu, scroll down to “RAID System Function”

2. Choose the “Update Firmware”, The Update The RAID Firmware dialog box
appears.

4-2

Array Maintenance

3. Go to the tool bar and select Transfer. Open Send File.

4. Select “ZMODEM modem” under Protocol. ZMODEM as the file transfer proto­col of your terminal emulation software.

5. Click Browse. Look in the location where the Firmware upgrade software is
located. Select the File name:

“6160FIRM.BIN” and click open.

Array Maintenance

4-3

6. Click Send. Send the Firmware Binary to the controller

7. When the Firmware completes downloading, the confirmation screen appears.
Press Yes to start programming the flash ROM.

4-4

Array Maintenance

8. When the Flash programming starts, a bar indicator will show “ Start Updating
Firmware. Please Wait:”.

9. The Firmware upgrade will take approximately thirty seconds to complete.

10. After the Firmware upgrade is complete, a bar indicator will show “ Firmware
Has Been Updated Successfully”.

NOTE:

The user has to reconfigure all of the settings after the firmware up­grade is complete, because all of the settings will default to the original
default values.

Array Maintenance

4-5

Upgrading Firmware Through Web Browser Management

Get the new version firmware for your SurfRAID TRITON Mini controller.

1. To upgrade the SurfRAID TRITON Mini firmware, move the cursor to Upgrade
Firmware link. The Upgrade The Raid System Firmware screen appears.

2. Click Browse. Look in the location where the Firmware upgrade software is
located. Select the File name:

“6160FIRM.BIN” and click open.

3.Click Confirm The Operation and press the Submit button.

4. The Web Browser begins to download the firmware binary to the controller
and start to update the flash ROM.

4-6

Array Maintenance

5. After the firmware upgrade is complete, a bar indicator will show “ Firmware
Has Been Updated Successfully”

Array Maintenance

4-7

Appendix A

Technical Specification

RAID processor

RAID level

Cache memory

No. of channels (host+disk)

Host bus interface

Data transfer

Back Plane Board

Hot swap disk bays

Hot swap power supply

Cooling fan

On-line expansion

Multiple RAID selection

Failed disk auto rebuild

Array Roaming

Bad block auto-remapping

Intel 80321 RISC 64-bit

0, 1, 3, 5, 0+1 and JBOD

128MB DDR SDRAM on board

1+4

Ultra 320 SCSI LVD

Up to 320MB / sec

S-ATA II

4

250W w/PFC

2

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Online RAID level migration

Audible alarm

Host Independent

Failed drive indicators

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Technical Specification

A-1