Promise FASTTRAK TX4000 User guide
F
ASTTRAK
TX4000
SER
U
M
ANUAL
Version 1.1
FastTrak TX4000 User Manual
Copyright
© 2002 Promise Technology, Inc.
Copyright by Promise Technology, Inc. (Promise Technology). No part of this
manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the expressed,
written permission of Promise Technology.
Trademarks
Promise, and the Promise logo are registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office.
All other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies.
Important Data Protection Information
You should back up all data before installing any drive controller or storage
peripheral. Promise Technology is not responsible for any loss of data resulting
from the use, disuse or misuse of this or any other Promise Technology product.
Notice
Although Promise Technology has attempted to ensure the accuracy of the
content of this manual, it is possible that this document may contain technical
inaccuracies, typographical, or other errors. Promise Technology assumes no
liability for any error in this publication, and for damages, whether direct, indirect,
incidental, consequential or otherwise, that may result from such error, including,
but not limited to loss of data or profits.
Promise Technology provides this publication “as is” without warranty of any
kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to implied warranties of
merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
The published information in the manual is subject to change without notice.
Promise Technology reserves the right to make changes in the product design,
layout, and driver revisions without notification to its users.
ii
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction........................................................................................ 1
What is the FastTrak TX4000 RAID Card? .................................................. 1
Promise Array Management Utility (PAM).................................................... 2
Keys Features and Benefits......................................................................... 3
Chapter 2: Quick Start......................................................................................... 5
Installing the FastTrak TX4000 Card............................................................ 6
Installing the Hard Drives............................................................................. 7
Creating Your Disk Array.............................................................................. 9
Creating an Array for Performance ............................................................ 10
Creating a Security Array with New Drives................................................. 11
Creating a Security Array with an Existing Data Drive ...............................12
Chapter 3: Using FastBuild Configuration Utility........................................... 15
Viewing FastTrak TX4000 BIOS Screen .................................................... 15
Navigating the FastBuild Setup Menu ........................................................ 16
Using the Main Menu .......................................................................... 16
Creating Arrays Automatically.................................................................... 17
Optimize Array for............................................................................... 18
Defining Typical Application Usage..................................................... 18
Using a Hot Spare Drive ..................................................................... 19
Creating Multiple Disk Arrays.............................................................. 19
Viewing Drive Assignments........................................................................ 20
Manually Creating an Array........................................................................ 21
Selecting Array Type........................................................................... 22
Selecting Stripe Block......................................................................... 22
Gigabyte Boundary ............................................................................. 23
Assigning Drive(s) to Array ................................................................. 23
Creating a Mirrored Array Using New Drives ...................................... 24
Adding Fault Tolerance to an Existing Drive ....................................... 25
Making a FastTrak TX4000 Disk Array Bootable ................................ 27
Creating a Hot Spare Drive for Mirrored Arrays .................................. 28
How FastTrak TX4000 Orders Arrays................................................. 28
How FastTrak TX4000 Saves Array Information................................. 28
Deleting an Array .......................................................................................29
Rebuilding a Mirrored Array ....................................................................... 31
Chapter 4: Installing Software Drivers............................................................... 33
New Windows XP Installation..................................................................... 34
Existing Windows XP Installation............................................................... 35
Confirming Windows XP Driver Installation................................................ 35
New Windows 2000 Installation .................................................................36
Existing Windows 2000.............................................................................. 37
Confirming Windows 2000 Driver Installation............................................. 37
New Windows ME Installation.................................................................... 38
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FastTrak TX4000 User Manual
Existing Windows ME Installation............................................................... 39
Confirming Driver Installation in Windows ME............................................ 39
New Windows NT4.x Installation................................................................ 40
Existing Windows NT4.x Installation .......................................................... 41
Removing the Driver from Windows NT4.x ................................................41
New Windows 98 Installation ..................................................................... 42
Existing Windows 98 Installation................................................................ 43
Confirming Driver Installation in Windows 98............................................. 43
Chapter 5: Disk Array Concepts........................................................................ 45
About FastTrak TX4000...................................................................... 45
About Adapter BIOS ........................................................................... 45
FastBuild Auto Menu Setup ................................................................ 45
Reserved Sector ................................................................................. 45
Disk Array Terms .......................................................................................46
Disk Array Description.........................................................................46
Disk Array Member ............................................................................. 46
Disk Array Types................................................................................. 46
About RAID Levels..................................................................................... 47
Striping (RAID 0)................................................................................. 47
Mirroring (RAID 1)............................................................................... 48
Striping / Mirror (RAID 0+1) ................................................................49
About Dual Data Redundancy.............................................................50
Chapter 6: Troubleshooting & Tips.................................................................... 51
Motherboard Issues ............................................................................ 51
System CMOS Issues......................................................................... 52
Drive-Related Errors ........................................................................... 53
Operating System-Related Issues ...................................................... 56
Performance Tips................................................................................ 58
Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions......................................................... 61
Pre-Installation ........................................................................................... 61
Drive Issues ............................................................................................... 62
Installation Issues....................................................................................... 64
Post-Installation.......................................................................................... 64
Appendix B: Technical Support ......................................................................... 65
Technical Support Services........................................................................65
Limited Warranty ........................................................................................ 67
Returning Product for Repair......................................................................69
iv
Chapter 1: Introduction
The PC which you are using either already contains a Promise Technology
FastTrak TX4000 RAID card installed by a third-party or you have acquired a
FastTrak TX4000 retail product for your existing PC and will be installing the
card yourself.
• For PC owners wishing to install their Promise Technology FastTrak
TX4000 card, proceed to Chapter 2: Quick Start on page 5.
• For PCs with a Promise Technology FastTrak TX4000 card already
installed, consult Chapter 6: Troubleshooting and Tips on page 51 if you are
experiencing any difficulties with the hard drive being recognized by the
card.
• If your operating system has crashed for some reason or you have
downloaded updated drivers from the Promise website (www.promise.com),
you may wish to reinstall software drivers for the FastTrak TX4000 card.
Consult Chapter 4: Installing Drivers on page 33.
What is the FastTrak TX4000 RAID Card?
Promise originally designed the FastTrak TX4000 card as a cost-effective, high
performance RAID card that adds performance and/or reliability to PC desktops
and/or servers using Ultra ATA/133, Ultra ATA/100, or Ultra ATA/66 drives. The
FastTrak TX4000 offer some major performance differences as described below.
The FastTrak TX4000 supports motherboards that offer a 66MHz PCI bus
(versus the traditional 33MHz bus) and the capability of transferring data across
the PCI bus at speeds up to 266MB per second (versus the previous 133MB per
second). As Ultra ATA/133 drive performance continues to improve, the use of
the Promise ATA RAID card in a 66 MHz PCI slot will allow data transfers to
exceed the older 33MB. Of course, the FastTrak TX4000 is backward
compatible with standard 33MHz PCI slots.
FastTrak TX4000 has four independent data channels to support a maximum of
four Ultra ATA drives. FastTrak TX4000 supports striping (RAID 0), mirroring
(RAID 1) or striping/mirroring (RAID 0+1).
• With striping, identical drives can read and write data in parallel to increase
performance.
• Mirroring increases read performance through load balancing and elevator
sorting while creating a complete backup of your files.
• Striping with mirroring offers both high read/write performance and fault
tolerance.
A FastTrak TX4000 striped array can double the sustained data transfer rate of
Ultra ATA/133 drives. FastTrak TX4000 fully supports Ultra ATA/133
specification of up to 133 MB/sec per drive, depending on individual drive
specifications.
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FastTrak TX4000 User Manual
All FastTrak TX4000 models also offer fault tolerant, data redundancy for entrylevel network file servers or simply for desktop PC users wanting to continually
protect valuable data on their PC. Each FastTrak TX4000 model offers RAID 1
mirroring (for two drives) and RAID 0+1 mirroring plus striping (for four drives) to
protect data. Should a drive that is part of a mirrored array fail, FastTrak TX4000
uses the mirrored drive (which contains identical data) to assume all data
handling. When a new replacement drive is later installed, FastTrak TX4000
rebuilds data to the new drive from the mirrored drive to restore fault tolerance.
When attached drives are used with optional Promise SuperSwap series hot
swap chassis, the FastTrak TX4000 allows replacing a failed drive without
shutting down the PC operation under RAID 1 mirroring.
FastTrak TX4000’s bootable BIOS supports individual drives larger than 137
GB. With FAT32 and NTFS partitioning, the array can be addressed as one
large single volume.
Promise Array Management Utility (PAM)
Professional RAID array management utility offers local and remote
management and monitoring of all FastTrak arrays that exist anywhere on a
network. Windows-based GUI provides email notification of all major
events/alarms, memory cache management, logging for NT/2000 servers, array
maintenance, rebuild, and access to all components in array (server, controller,
data channels, individual drives, and enclosure). For information on using PAM,
refer to the PAM User Manual, which is included in the FastTrak TX4000
package.
2
Chapter 1: Introduction
Keys Features and Benefits
The following information offers an overview of the major features of your new
Promise FastTrak TX4000 card...
Advanced Hardware Design
Features Benefits
Supports 66MHz PCI bus
motherboards (automatically
backward compatible with
33MHz PCI slots)
Supports data striping (RAID
0), mirroring (RAID 1), and
striping/mirroring combination
(RAID 0+1)
Supports
Ultra DMA 6/5/4
DMA 2/1/0
Independent data channels
PCI Plug-n-Play, PCI Interrupt
sharing and coexists with
motherboard IDE controllers
Supports concurrent IDE
channel operation
Supports IDE bus master
operation
Utilizes FastBuild automenu
from the FastTrak TX4000
onboard BIOS
Displays status and error
checking messages during
boot up
Employs the latest Promise PCI
Ultra ATA/133 ASIC technology
Allows maximum data transfers of up to
266MB per second (133 MB/s in 33 MHz
slot) over the bus to dramatically reduce the
time to save and retrieve large files.
Provides dramatic increase in drive
performance and/or fault tolerant options.
Offers performance customization and data
rebuilds from the BIOS menu.
Burst data transfer rates up to 133MB/sec
from Ultra ATA/133 drives to boost overall
system performance.
Drives can multiply their data transfer
performance when striped together and
each drive uses a separate data channel.
Easy to install; support four ATA drives on
the FastTrak TX4000 while still supporting 4
devices on motherboard ATA controller.
Drive workload is distributed in parallel
between members of the array.
Allows multitasking during disk transfers
that increase CPU efficiency. The CPU is
free to process tasks during IDE data
transfers through the PCI Bus to/from
system memory.
Offers pre-set application specific settings
that can be optimized for Desktop, Server,
or A/V Editing. Has Auto Setup option for
quick and easy array builds.
Notifies user of possible errors and allows
for recovery of mirrored drive arrays directly
from FastBuild.
Fully supports Ultra ATA/133 specifications
with 133 MB/sec timing and CRC errorchecking at high speeds.
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FastTrak TX4000 User Manual
Mirroring supports automatic
background rebuilds
Features Benefits
Complies with PCI v2.2 Local
Bus standard
Compliant with PCI IDE Bus
Master standard. PCI IDE Bus
Master support for Windows
98/ME, Windows NT4/2000/XP,
Netware 5.1/6.0
Tested compatibility to coexist
with motherboards that have
integrated IDE controllers
Compatible with Ultra ATA/133,
Ultra ATA/100, Ultra ATA/66
drives supporting multi-word
DMA
Features LBA and Extended
Interrupt13 drive translation in
controller onboard BIOS
Fault tolerance can be restored
automatically without rebooting.
Compatibility
Provides highest level of hardware
compatibility.
Provides 32-bit I/O, IDE Bus Master, and
Ultra ATA performance for optimal system
performance.
Improves system performance of new and
existing installations including
motherboards with Intel chipsets.
Works with newest and current IDE drive
specifications. Promise engineers
experienced with IDE devices perform
verification testing with major drive
manufacturers and development partners.
Breaks capacity barriers for support of
drives greater than 137 GB in capacity.
Offers flexible storage options for space
demanding applications.
4
Chapter 2: Quick Start
When you receive the FastTrak TX4000 Series Controller Card, the package
should contain the items listed below:
• FastTrak TX4000 Ultra ATA/133 RAID Controller Card
• Quick Start Guide
• FastTrak TX4000 driver diskette
• Two Y-cable power splitters.
• Four internal 80-wire/40-pin Ultra ATA/133 hard drive cables (18 inches or
45 cm in length)
• CD with Promise Array Management (PAM) utility, PAM User Manual and
FastTrak TX4000 User Manual.
If ANY of the contents are missing or appear to be damaged, please contact
your dealer or distributor immediately.
Warning
Before installing the adapter into an existing system, backup any
important or useful data. Failure to follow this accepted PC
practice could result in data loss.
Warning
The FastTrak TX4000 Controller card, like other parts of your
system, is subject to damage by static electricity. Be sure that
you’re properly grounded (Promise recommends that you wear
an anti-static strap or touch a grounded object) and that you
unplug your system before installing your FastTrak TX4000
Controller card.
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FastTrak TX4000 User Manual
Installing the FastTrak TX4000 Card
The FastTrak TX4000 Controller card fits into any available 32-bit PCI slot (must
be PCI 2.1 or 2.2 compliant). It also fits the 32-bit portion of a 64-bit PCI slot, on
the system’s motherboard (see figure below).
1. Remove the cover of your system.
2. Remove the inside slot cover of an available 32-bit PCI slot on the
motherboard.
3. Install the FastTrak TX4000 Controller card into the open slot (see Figure 1
below). Secure the bracket to the system’s frame.
4. Attach your system case’s 2- or 4-pin LED cable to the LED connector on
the FastTrak TX4000 Controller card (see Figures 2 and 3, below). Make
sure that pin 1 on the connector is aligned with pin 1 of the cable.
5. Fasten the controller card bracket to the system case (see below).
Figure 1. Insert the FastTrak TX4000 card into an open PCI slot.
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Chapter 2: Quick Start
Installing the Hard Drives
Important
If you wish to include your current bootable ATA drive using the
Windows NT4.x, 2000, XP, ME or 98 operating system on your
FastTrak TX4000 Controller card, do NOT connect the hard
drive to the card yet.
You MUST install the Windows NT4.x, 2000, XP, ME or 98 driver
software first onto this drive while it is still attached to your
existing hard drive controller.
Hard drives must be Ultra ATA/133, Ultra ATA/100, Ultra ATA/66 compatible to
operate with the FastTrak TX4000 RAID Adapter. For optimal performance,
install all identical drives of the same model and capacity. The drives’ matched
performance allows the array to function better as a single drive.
1. Promise recommends using identical drives as part of a FastTrak TX4000
array. If striping for performance, use up to four new drives. If mirroring for
protection, you can use two new drives OR use an existing drive and a new
drive (the new drive must be the same size or larger than the existing drive).
2. Set the jumpers on all drives to Master, Cable Select in Master position or
Single.
3. Install the hard drives into the hard drive bays of your system, including the
power cables.
Warning
Use of removable hard drive enclosures other than Promise
Technology’s SuperSwap series is not supported and may result
in performance loss or other undesired results.
4. Attach a black connector of the Ultra ATA cable to each hard drive.
5. Attach a blue cable connector to each of the IDE connectors on the
FastTrak TX4000 controller card. The black colored edge of the cable(s)
indicates Pin 1 (see Figure 2).
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FastTrak TX4000 User Manual
IDE 2
Figure 2. TX4000 card
You must use an 80-wire, 40-pin cable when connecting your
hard drives to the FastTrak TX4000 controller card. The
FastTrak TX4000 package contains four 80-wire, 40-pin cables.
• The FastTrak TX4000 Controller card is a PCI Plug-n-Play
(PnP) device. No changes are necessary in the Motherboard
CMOS Setup for resources or drive types in most
applications.
• If you wish to boot from a FastTrak TX4000 drive array AND
continue to use hard drives attached to your motherboard’s
IDE controller, refer to your motherboard manual for the
specific BIOS settings to use in order to establish their
proper boot order.
IDE 4
IDE 1
IDE 3
LED Pin 1
Important
Notes
8
Chapter 2: Quick Start
Creating Your Disk Array
You will now use the onboard FastBuild BIOS utility to create your array using
the attached drives. There are three different scenarios in creating this array.
You can create an array for performance, you can create a Security array using
new hard drives (recommended), or you can create a Security array using an
existing hard drive and a new hard drive.
Warning
If creating a Security array using an existing hard drive, backup
any necessary data. Failure to follow this accepted PC practice
could result in data loss.
Boot your system. If this is the first time you have booted with the FastTrak
TX4000 card and drives installed, the Promise onboard BIOS will display the
following screen.
FastTrak TXx000 (tm) BIOS Version 1.xx (Build xxxx)
(c) 2002-2005 Promise Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
No array defined . . .
Press <Ctrl-F> to enter FastBuild (tm) Utility
Or press <ESC> key to continue booting the system.
Press the Ctrl-F keys to display the FastBuild Utility Main Menu.
Press “1” to display the Auto Setup Menu below. This is the fastest and easiest
method to creating your first array.
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FastTrak TX4000 User Manual
FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 2002-2005 Promise Technology, Inc.
[Auto Setup Options Menu]
Optimize Array for: Performance
Typical Application usage: A/V Editing
[ Auto Setup Configuration ]
Mode ........................................................... Stripe
Drives used in Array........................................... 2
Array Disk Capacity.................................... 16126
[ Keys Available ]
[↑] Up [↓] Down [←, →, Space] Change Option [ESC] Exit [Ctrl-Y] Save
Note
If you wish to customize certain settings at a later time, you
may do so by manually creating your array. See Using
FastBuild Configuration Utility on page 15.
Creating an Array for Performance
FastTrak TX4000 allows users to create striped or mirrored arrays with 1, 2, 3,
or 4 drives.
To create an array for best performance, follow these steps:
1. Using the Spacebar, choose Performance under the Optimize Array for
section.
2. Select how you will use your PC most under the Typical Application usage
section. The choices are A/V Editing, Server, and Desktop (the default).
3. Press Ctrl-Y to Save and create the array.
4. Reboot your system.
5. Once the array has been created, you will need to FDISK and format the
array as if it were a new single hard drive.
6. Proceed to Chapter 4: Installing Drivers.
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Chapter 2: Quick Start
Creating a Security Array with New Drives
Notes
Under the Security setting, FastTrak TX4000 permits two
drives to be used for a single Mirrored array or four drives to
be used for a Mirrored/Striped array in Auto Setup.
When creating a Security array with new drives, a feature
called Gigabyte Boundary will automatically be set to ON.
For a description of the Gigabyte Boundary feature, see
page 23.
To create an array for data protection using new hard drives, follow these steps:
1. Using the Spacebar, choose Security under the Optimize Array for section.
2. Press Ctrl-Y to Save your selection.
3. The window below will appear.
Do you want the disk image to be duplicated to another? (Yes/No)
Y - Create and Duplicate
N - Create Only
4. Press N for the Create Only option.
5. A window will appear almost immediately confirming that your Security array
has been created. Press any key to reboot the system.
Array has been created.
<Press Any Key to Reboot>
6. Proceed with normal FDISK and format procedures as if you had just
installed a new hard drive.
7. Once the arrayed drives have been formatted, proceed to Chapter 4 to
install your operating system and/or FastTrak TX4000 driver.
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FastTrak TX4000 User Manual
Creating a Security Array with
an Existing Data Drive
Under the Security setting, FastTrak TX4000 permits two drives to be used for a
single Mirrored array or four drives to be used for a Mirrored/Striped array in
Auto Setup.
You would use this method if you wish to use a drive that already contains data
and/or is the bootable system drive in your system. You will need another drive
of identical or larger storage capacity.
Warning
If creating a Security array using an existing hard drive, backup
any necessary data. Failure to follow this accepted PC practice
could result in data loss.
Warning
If you wish to include your current bootable drive using the
Windows NT 4.x, 2000, XP, ME or 98 operating system as part
of a bootable Mirrored (RAID 1) array on your FastTrak TX4000,
do NOT connect the hard drive to the FastTrak TX4000
controller yet.
You MUST install the Windows NT 4.x, 2000, XP, ME or 98
driver software first (see Chapter 4) to this drive while it is still
attached to your existing hard drive controller.
Follow these steps:
1. Using the Spacebar, choose Security under the Optimize Array for section.
2. Press Ctrl-Y to Save your selection. The window below will appear.
Do you want the disk image to be duplicated to another? (Yes/No)
Y - Create and Duplicate
N - Create Only
3. Press Y for the Create and Duplicate option. The window below will appear
asking you to select the Source drive to use. FastBuild will copy all data
from the Source drive to the Target drive.
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Chapter 2: Quick Start
Source Disk
Channel: Drive ID Drive Model Capacity (MB)
Target Disk
Channel: Drive ID Drive Model Capacity (MB)
[Please Select A Source Disk]
Channel: Drive ID Drive Model Capacity (MB)
1 : 1 QUANTUMCR8.4A 8063
3 : 3 QUANTUMCR8.4A 8063
[↑] Up [↓] [ESC] Exit [Ctrl-Y] Save
4. Press the arrow keys to choose which drive contains the existing data to be
copied.
5. Press Ctrl-Y to Save selection and start duplication. The following progress
screen will appear.
Start to duplicate the image . . .
Do you want to continue? (Yes/No)
Y – Continue N - Abort
6. Select Y to continue. If you choose N, you will be returned to step 1.
7. Once complete, the following screen will appear confirming that your
Security array has been created. Press any key to reboot the system.
Array has been created.
<Press Any Key to Reboot>
8. Proceed to Chapter 4: Installing Drivers to install the FastTrak TX4000
driver and/or operating system.
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FastTrak TX4000 User Manual
14
Chapter 3: Using FastBuild Configuration
Utility
The FastBuild Configuration Utility offers several menu choices to create and
manage the drive array on the Promise FastTrak TX4000 adapter. For purposes
of this manual, it is assumed you have already created an array in the previous
chapter and now wish to make a change to the array or view other options.
Viewing FastTrak TX4000 BIOS Screen
When you boot your system with the FastTrak TX4000 card and drives installed,
the Promise onboard BIOS will detect the drives attached and show the
following screen.
FastTrak TXx000 (tm) BIOS Version 1.xx (Build xxxx)
(c) 2002-2005 Promise Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Scanning IDE drives . . . . .
If an array exists already, the BIOS will display the following screen showing the
card’s BIOS version and status of the array.
FastTrak TXx000 (tm) BIOS Version 1.xx (Build xxxx)
(c) 2002-2005 Promise Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ID MODE SIZE TRACK-MAPPING STATUS
1 * 2+0 Stripe 16126M 611/128/32 Functional
Press <Ctrl-F> to enter FastBuild (tm) Utility....
The array status consists of three possible conditions: Functional, Critical,
Offline.
Functional – The array is operational.
Critical – A mirrored array contains a drive that has failed or disconnected. The
remaining drive member in the array is functional. However, the array has
temporarily lost its ability to provide fault tolerance. Use the FastBuild Setup
utility to identify the failed drive. Then replace the drive.
Offline – A mirrored array has two drives that have failed or become
disconnected or a striped array has one drive that has failed or been
disconnected. When the array condition is offline, you must replace the failed
drive(s) and then restore data from a backup source.
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FastTrak TX4000 User Manual
Navigating the FastBuild Setup Menu
When using the menus, these are some of the basic navigation tips: Arrow keys
highlights through choices; the Space bar allows to cycle through options; Enter
selects an option; Esc aborts or exits the current menu.
Using the Main Menu
This is the first option screen when entering the FastBuild Setup.
FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 2002-2005 Promise Technology, Inc.
[ Main Menu ]
Auto Setup [ 1 ]
View Drive Assignments [ 2 ]
Define Array [ 3 ]
Delete Array [ 4 ]
Rebuild Array [ 5 ]
[ Keys Available ]
Press 1...5 to Select Option [ESC] Exit
To create a new array automatically, follow the steps under Creating Arrays
Automatically on page 17. Promise recommends this option for most users.
To manually create an array or define an array as bootable, follow the steps
under Manually Creating an Array on page 21.
You will also need to manually create an array if you wish to modify block size.
To make an existing array bootable, see page 27.
To view drives assigned to arrays, see Viewing Drive Assignments on page 20.
To delete an array (but not delete the data contained on the array), see Deleting
an Array on page 29.
To rebuild a mirrored array, see Rebuilding an Array on page 31.
Notes
After you install the FastTrak TX4000 card and configure an
array using FastBuild, use FDISK to format the arrayed
drive(s) if you are using new, blank drives.
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Chapter 3: FastBuild Configuration Utility
Creating Arrays Automatically
The Auto Setup (1) selection from the Main Menu can intuitively help create your disk
array. It will assign all available drives appropriate for the disk array you are creating.
After making all selections, press Ctrl-Y to Save the selections. FastBuild will
automatically build the array.
FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 2002-2005 Promise Technology, Inc.
[Auto Setup Options Menu]
Optimize Array for: Performance
Typical Application usage: A/V Editing
[ Auto Setup Configuration ]
Mode.............................................................. Stripe
Spare Drive Count ................................................ 1
Drives used in Array ............................................. 2
Array Disk Capacity (size in MB) .................. 16126
[ Keys Available ]
[↑] Up [↓] Down [←, →, Space] Change Option [ESC] Exit [Ctrl-Y] Save
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FastTrak TX4000 User Manual
Optimize Array for
Select whether you want Performance (RAID 0), Security (RAID 1 or RAID 0+1)
under the Optimize Array for setting.
Performance
RAID 0 (Striping) supports the high performance. The storage capacity equals
the number of drives times the capacity of the smallest drive in the disk array.
Note
FastTrak TX4000 permits striped arrays using 1, 2, 3, or 4
drives attached in Auto Setup mode.
Under the Security setting, FastTrak TX4000 permits two
drives to be used for a single Mirrored array or four drives
to be used for a Mirrored/Striped array in Auto Setup.
Security
(RAID 1 Mirroring, or RAID 0+1 Striping/ Mirroring) creates a mirrored (or fault
tolerant) array for data security. The storage capacity equals one-half the
number of drives times the capacity of the smallest drive in the disk array.
Note
Under the Security setting, FastTrak TX4000 permits two
drives to be used for a single Mirrored array or four drives
to be used for a Mirrored/Striped array in Auto Setup.
Security and Performance
RAID 0+1 (Striping/Mirroring) creates an array with striping for high performance
plus mirroring for fault tolerance and data security. The storage capacity equals
one-half the number of drives times the capacity of the smallest drive in the disk
array. This option requires 4 drives.
Defining Typical Application Usage
Allows the user to choose the type of PC usage that will be performed in order to
optimize how FastTrak TX4000 handles data blocks to enhance performance.
Your choice will determine the block size used. You may choose from: A/V
Editing (for audio/video applications, or any similar application that requires
large file transfers), Server (for numerous small file transfers), or Desktop (a
combination of large and small file sizes).
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Chapter 3: FastBuild Configuration Utility
Using a Hot Spare Drive
If a third drive is attached and is not assigned to a mirrored two-drive disk array
(one optimized for Security), it will be recognized as a spare drive. Such a drive
is immediately used as a standby replacement. It is automatically added to an
array once a disk member of the array has been detected as failed.
To restore fault tolerance as quickly as possible, FastTrak TX4000 begins to
perform an automatic data rebuild on the spare drive in the background without
the need to restart the system.
At a later time, the failed drive can be physically removed from the FastTrak
TX4000 card and an extra drive added in its place to function as the spare drive.
Important
The hot spare drive must have a capacity that is equal to or
larger than the smallest array member.
Creating Multiple Disk Arrays
If you plan to create multiple arrays,
1. Attach only the drives necessary to create the first disk array and complete
the Auto Setup (1).
2. Install the additional drives needed for the second array and again use the
Auto Setup (1).
Note
If you wish to customize the settings of individual disk
arrays (such as block size), you must manually create disk
arrays with the Define Array (3) option from the Main Menu.
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