Promise Technology EX4650, EX4650A, EX8650, EX8650A User Manual

SUPERTRAK

EX4650, EX4650A,

EX8650, EX8650A

USER MANUAL

Version 1.0

SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

Copyright

© 2007 Promise Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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.

This version of the User Manual supersedes all previous versions.

Recommendations

In the manual, the appearance of products made by other companies, including, but not limited to software, servers, and physical drives, is for the purpose of illustration and explanation only. Promise Technology does not recommend, endorse, prefer, or support any product made by another manufacturer.

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Notices

Radio Frequency Interference Statement

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy, and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

•Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

•Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

•Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

•Consult Promise Technology, Inc. or an experienced radio or TV technician for help.

This device complies with Part 5 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Caution

Only digital device equipment CERTIFIED CLASS B should be attached to this equipment and that must have shielded cables.

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SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

iv

Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Product Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

XOR Microprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Hot-Swapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

WebPAM PRO Management Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Operating System Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Browser Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Key Features and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Chapter 2: Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . . . .7
Unpacking the SuperTrak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . . . .7
Installing the SuperTrak Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . . . .8
SAS Connections and ID Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . . .12
Choosing the Physical Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . . .14
Creating a Logical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . . .15
Installing WebPAM PRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . . .20
Utility Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .20
Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .20
JRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .21
Internet Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .21
Installing WebPAM PRO onto a Windows PC or Server	. . . . .22
Installing WebPAM PRO onto a Linux PC or Server . . . .	. . . .29
Logging into WebPAM PRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .37
Logging in at the Host PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .37
Logging in over the Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .37
Login Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .38
Setting up WebPAM PRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .39

Chapter 3: Installing Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Driver Diskette for Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

USB Memory Stick for Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Driver Diskette for Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

New OS Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Existing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Confirming Driver Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

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SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

Chapter 3: Installing Drivers, cont.

Windows Server 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 New OS Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Existing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Confirming Driver Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 New OS Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Existing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Confirming Driver Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Windows 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 New OS Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Existing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Confirming Driver Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Red Hat Linux Enterprise 4.4, 4.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 New OS Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Existing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 SuSE Linux Enterprise 10.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 New OS Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Existing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Chapter 4: SuperBuild™ Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	53
SuperTrak BIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	53
Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	56
Controller Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	57
Controller Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	58
Physical Drive Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	59
Viewing Physical Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	59
Viewing Physical Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	59
Managing Physical Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	60
Disk Array Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	61
Viewing Disk Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	61
Viewing Disk Array Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	61
Creating a Disk Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	62
Changing Disk Array Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	63
Rebuilding a Disk Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	63
Deleting a Disk Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	63
Logical Drive Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	64
Viewing Logical Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	64
Viewing Logical Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	64
Creating a Logical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	65

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	Contents
Chapter 4: SuperBuild™ Utility, cont.
Logical Drive Management, cont.
Initializing a Logical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. .66
Changing Logical Drive Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.67
Deleting a Logical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.67
Managing Logical Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.68
Identifying a Critical Logical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.68
Rebuilding the Logical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.69
Finding the Failed Physical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.70
Identifying an Offline Logical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.70
Spare Drive Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.73
Viewing Spare Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.73
Viewing Spare Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.73
Creating a Spare Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.73
Changing Spare Drive Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.74
Deleting a Spare Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.75
Background Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.76
Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.77
Viewing RAM Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.77
Viewing NVRAM Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.77
Clearing the Event Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.78
Time Sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.79
Setting the Time Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.79
Synchronizing Time with an Embedded Site . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.79
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.80
SAS Ready LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.80
SGPIO Backplane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.80
Buzzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.80

Chapter 5: Management with WebPAM PRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

Logging into WebPAM PRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Logging in at the Host PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Logging in over the Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Login Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 Accessing the Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 Using the Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Using Tree View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Using Management View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 Choosing a Display Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Viewing the Event Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

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SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

Chapter 5: Management with WebPAM PRO, cont.
Accessing the Interface, cont.
Saving the Event Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.90
Deleting the Event Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.90
Viewing the Storage Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.90
Logging out of WebPAM PRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.91
Managing Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.92
Viewing User Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.92
Making User Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.92
Making Your Own User Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.93
Changing a User’s Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.93
Changing Your Own Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.93
Creating a User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.94
Deleting a User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.94
Working with Subsystem/Host Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.96
Viewing Subsystem/Host Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.96
Adding a Subsystem or Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.96
Deleting a Subsystem or Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.97
Setting User Privilege . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.97
Managing Software Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.99
Viewing Service Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.99
Changing Web Server Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.99
Restarting the Tomcat Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	100
Setting up Email Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	100
Setting up Extended SMTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	101
Sending A Test Email Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	101
Setting Event Frame Refresh Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	101
Changing CIM Client Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	102
Changing CIM Server Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	102
Managing the Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	103
Viewing Host Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	103
Setting User Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	103
Refreshing the WebPAM PRO Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	103
Managing the Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	104
Viewing Subsystem Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	104
Clearing Statistical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	104
Setting an Alias for the Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	105
Updating the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	105
Checking Subsystem Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	106
Viewing the Runtime Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	106

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	Contents
Chapter 5: Management with WebPAM PRO, cont.
Managing the Subsystem, cont.
Saving the Runtime Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	.106
Clearing the Runtime Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	107
Viewing the NVRAM Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	107
Saving the NVRAM Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	108
Clearing the NVRAM Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	108
Viewing Current Background Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	108
Making Background Activity Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	109
Running Background Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	110
Running Media Patrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	110
Running PDM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	110
Viewing Scheduled Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	111
Scheduling an Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	111
Deleting a Scheduled Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	113
Viewing System Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	113
Managing the Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	115
Viewing Controllers Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	115
Viewing Controller Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	115
Viewing Controller Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	117
Making Controller Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	117
Clearing an Orphan Watermark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	118
Viewing Battery Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	118
Silencing the Buzzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	119
Making Buzzer Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	119
Testing the Buzzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	119
Viewing Buzzer Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	120
Managing Enclosures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	121
Viewing Enclosure Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	121
Managing Physical Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	122
Viewing a List of Physical Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	122
Locating a Physical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	122
Making Global Physical Drive Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	123
Viewing Physical Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	123
Viewing Physical Drive Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	124
Making Physical Drive Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	124
Forcing a Physical Drive Offline or Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	125
Clearing Stale and PFA Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	125

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SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

Chapter 5: Management with WebPAM PRO, cont.
Managing Disk Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	127
Viewing Disk Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	127
Locating a Disk Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	127
Creating a Disk Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	128
Creating a Disk Array – Automatic Configuration . . . . . . . . . .	129
Creating a Disk Array – Express Configuration . . . . . . . . . . .	130
Creating a Disk Array – Advanced Configuration . . . . . . . . . .	132
Deleting a Disk Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	134
Viewing Disk Array Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	134
Making Disk Array Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	135
Creating a Logical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	136
Deleting a Logical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	137
Migrating a Disk Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	138
Rebuilding a Disk Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	139
Running Media Patrol on a Disk Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	140
Running PDM on a Disk Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	140
Transitioning a Disk Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	141
Preparing a Disk Array for Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	141
Managing Logical Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	143
Viewing Information for All Logical Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	143
Locating a Logical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	144
Viewing Logical Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	144
Viewing Logical Drive Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	145
Changing Logical Drive Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	145
Initializing a Logical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	146
Running Redundancy Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	147
Viewing the Logical Drive Check Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	147
Managing Spare Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	149
Viewing a List of Spare Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	149
Creating a Spare Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	150
Deleting Spare Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	151
Making Spare Drive Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	151
Running Spare Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	152
Working with the Logical Drive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	153
Viewing a List of All Logical Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	153
Locating a Logical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	153
Viewing Individual Logical Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . . . .	153

x

Contents

Chapter 6: Technology Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

Introduction to RAID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155 RAID 0 – Stripe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156 RAID 1 – Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 RAID 1E – Enhanced Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158 RAID 5 – Block Striping with Distributed Parity . . . . . . . . . . . .159 RAID 6 – Block and Double Parity Stripe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160 RAID 10 – Mirror / Stripe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161 RAID 50 – Striped Distributed Parity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162 RAID 60 – Striping of Double Parity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

Choosing a RAID Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168 RAID 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168 RAID 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168 RAID 1E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169 RAID 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169 RAID 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170 RAID 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170 RAID 50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171 RAID 60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171

Choosing Stripe Block Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172 Choosing Sector Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172 2 TB Limitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173 Choosing Cache Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173 Read Cache Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174 Write Cache Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174 Capacity Coercion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174 Initialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175 Hot Spare Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175 Partition and Format the Logical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176 RAID Level Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176 RAID 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177 RAID 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178 RAID 1E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178 RAID 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179 RAID 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179 RAID 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180 RAID 50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181 RAID 60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181 Ranges of Disk Array Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182 Media Patrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184

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SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

Chapter 6: Technology Background, cont.

Predictive Data Migration (PDM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184 PDM Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184 Transition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185 Drive Failure and Automatic Rebuild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185 Automatic Transition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187 Manual Transition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187 Critical & Offline Logical Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189 When a Physical Drive Fails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189 With a Hot Spare Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191 Without a Hot Spare Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191 Rebuild Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191

Chapter 7: Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193

Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193

Pre-Installation (Speed, Device Types, Capacity, Cabling) . .193

Drive Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194

Installation Issues (Capacity, Booting) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

Post-Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

Contacting Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197

Limited Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199

Returning the Product For Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201

Appendix A: Partition and Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203

Appendix B: Upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207

Updating SuperTrak BIOS and Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207

Updating WebPAM PRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208

Appendix C: Battery Backup Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	209
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	213

xii

Chapter 1: Introduction

•About This Manual, below

•Product Overview (page 2)

•WebPAM PRO Management Software (page 3)

Thank you for purchasing one of Promise Technology’s SuperTrak EX4650, EX4650A, EX8650, or EX8650A SAS/SATA RAID Controller card.

About This Manual

This User Manual describes how to setup, use and maintain the SuperTrak RAID controller. It also describes how to use the Web-Based Promise Array Management—Professional (WebPAM PRO) RAID management software.

This manual includes a full table of contents, chapter task lists and numerous cross-references to help you find the specific information you are looking for.

Also included are four levels of notices:

Note

A Note provides helpful information such as hints or alternative ways of doing a task.

Important

Important calls attention to an essential step or point required to complete a task. Important items include things often missed.

Caution

A Caution informs you of possible equipment damage or loss of data and how to avoid them.

Warning

A Warning notifies you of probable equipment damage or loss of data, or the possibility of physical injury, and how to avoid them.

1

SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

Product Overview

SuperTrak EX4650, EX4650A, EX8650, and EX8650A are SAS and SATA RAID Controller cards. When used with WebPAM PRO software, the SuperTrak RAID Controllers offer a feature-rich, secure and versatile enterprise-wide ATA RAID solution. In addition, the SuperTrak EX Series supports RAID expansion. The resulting RAID environment allows users and administrators to configure, manage, and monitor everything from single logical drives on local systems to logical drive networks residing in offsite locations.

The SuperTrak EX Series RAID Controller cards support SAS hard drives as well as 1.5 Gb/s and 3.0 Gb/s SATA hard drives. At its core, both SuperTrak card provides advanced RAID management functions: creating logical drives, monitoring them, keeping them online and operating at optimum efficiency. SuperTrak can also perform many other tasks, such as:

•The SuperTrak EX4650 and EX4650A Controller cards support up to four SAS or SATA physical drives and RAID levels 0, 1, 1E, 5, 6, and 10. With a SAS expander you can attach more drives, for RAID 50 and 60.

•The SuperTrak EX8650 and EX8650A Controller cards support up to eight SAS or SATA physical drives and RAID levels 0, 1, 1E, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60

•Set up a network of SuperTrak RAID servers (all running under different RAID levels) and monitor those servers from any workstation on the network

•Create a series of SuperTrak RAID networks at any number of offsite locations

•Monitor and repair SuperTrak RAID logical drives using the Internet from an offsite location—all without compromising the integrity of secure servers

XOR Microprocessor

The SuperTrak EX Series Controllers have an onboard microprocessor for XOR calculations, which off loads the parity calculation workload from the main CPU and transfers it to the controller card, boosting the performance of the entire system.

Hot-Swapping

Attached drives can be hot swapped when necessary.

2

Chapter 1: Introduction

WebPAM PRO Management Software

The Web-Based Promise Array Management—Professional (WebPAM PRO) software offers local and remote management and monitoring of all SuperTrak logical drives that exist anywhere on a network. Browser-based GUI provides email notification of all major events or alarms, memory cache management, drive event logging, logical drive maintenance, rebuild, and access to all components in the RAID configuration (controller, physical drives, disk arrays, logical drives, physical drives, and enclosure).

For information on using WebPAM PRO, see “Chapter 5: Management with WebPAM PRO” on page 83.

Operating System Support

On the Host PC where you install the SuperTrak controller and WebPAM PRO, Promise Technology recommends:

•Windows Vista (32 or 64 bit)

•Windows Server 2003 SP1 or SP2 (32 or 64 bit)

•Windows XP Professional SP2 (32 or 64 bit)

•Windows 2000 SP4 (32 bit)

•Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.4, 4.5, 5.0, 5.1

•SuSE 10.1, 10.2; SLES 10, 10 SP1

•Miracle Linux 4 SP2

•Fedora Core 6, 7

•Asianux 3

On monitored systems, SuperTrak controller also supports:

•FreeBSD 6.1, 6.2

•VMware ESX 3.0.1, 3.0.2

These Operating Systems support SuperTrak but not WebPAM PRO. You must install WebPAM PRO on a different PC and monitor the SuperTrak over a network.

Browser Support

On the Host PC where you install the SuperTrak controller and WebPAM PRO, you must have one of the following browsers:

•Internet Explorer

•Firefox

•Netscape Navigator

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SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

If you do not have one of the above browsers, install the browser first and make it the default browser. Then install WebPAM PRO.

Key Features and Benefits

The following information offers an overview of the major features of the Promise SuperTrak EX4650, EX4650A, EX8650, and EX8650A.

Advanced Hardware Design

	Features	Benefits
	Supports multi-lane PCIe bus	Allows maximum data transfers of up to 2.5 Gb/s
	motherboards	in both directions simultaneously to dramatically
		reduce the time to save and retrieve large files.
	EX4650 and EX4650A
	support: RAID 0, 1, 1E, 5, 6,	Provides dramatic increase in drive performance
	and 10. RAID 50 and 60 with
	SAS Expander.	and/or fault tolerant options. Offers performance
		customization and data rebuilds from the BIOS
	EX8650 and EX8650A
		menu.
	support: RAID 0, 1, 1E, 5, 6,
	10, 50, and 60
	Supports Serial ATA	Burst data transfer rates up to 300 MB/s from
	Specification II	Serial ATA drives to boost overall system
		performance.
	Supports Serial Attached	Burst data transfer rates up to 300 MB/s from
	SCSI Specification	SAS drives to boost overall system
		performance.
	Independent data channels	Drives can multiply their data transfer
	for SATA and SAS drives	performance when striped together and each
		drive uses a separate data channel.
	Supports multiple logical	Up to 16 arrays per controller,
	drives on the same physical	Up to 32 logical drives per array,
	drives	Up to 128 physical drives per array
		Up to 256 logical drives per controller.
	Supports online logical drive	Add disk drives to the array without affecting
	expansion	data availability.
	Supports online logical drive	Change RAID level without affecting data
	migration	availability.
	Utilizes SuperBuild™	Has “Auto Setup” option for quick and easy
	automenu from the SuperTrak	logical drive builds.
	onboard BIOS

4

		Chapter 1: Introduction
	Advanced Hardware Design
	Features	Benefits
	Displays status and error	Notifies user of possible errors and allows for
	checking messages during	recovery of mirrored drive logical drives directly
	bootup	from SuperBuild™.
	Supports S.M.A.R.T.	Polls status at set intervals, reports through
	monitoring and reporting	WebPAM PRO.
	Employs the latest Promise	Fully supports Serial ATA specifications with 150
	PCI Express SATA/SAS ASIC	and 300 MB/sec timing and CRC error-checking
	technology	at high speeds.
	Mirror supports automatic	Fault tolerance can be restored automatically
	background rebuilds	without rebooting.
	DOS based flash upgrade of	Verifies proper file, option to backup existing file.
	BIOS and Firmware	Download files from Promise website.
	Capacity coercion	Supports four schemes of capacity coercion.
	System reboot not required	System boot process continues without
	after create, delete, migrate or	restarting.
	expand logical drive
		Compatibility
	Features	Benefits
	Complies with PCI v2.3 Local	Provides highest level of hardware compatibility.
	Bus standard
	Complies with PCI Express	Provides highest level of hardware compatibility
	Specification 1.0a
	Complies with SATA	Provides full compatibility with first generation
	Specification 1.0a	SATA hard drives.
	Complies with SATA II:	Provides enclosure and drive monitoring
	Extensions to SATA 1.0a	compatibility.
	Specification
	Complies with SAS	Provides full compatibility with SAS hard drives.
	Specification 1.1
	Compliant with PCI Bus	Provides 32-bit I/O and, Bus Master, and Serial
	Master standard. PCI Bus	ATA performance for optimal system
	Master support	performance.

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SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

	Compatibility
Features	Benefits
Tested compatibility to coexist	Improves system performance and minimizes
with motherboards that have	system conflicts for new and existing
integrated IDE controllers	installations.
Compatible with all major	Promise performs verification testing with major
SATA generation 1 and SATA	drive manufacturers and development partners.
generation 2, phase 1 and
phase 2 disk drives
Features LBA support	Supports drives greater than 137 GB capacity.
Supports BIOS Boot	All logical drives attached to the SuperTrak card
Specification	appear in the BBS-compliant motherboards
	BIOS boot list.

Specifications

•Low-profile printed circuit board

•PCI-Express x8 Slot

•Controller card dimensions (HWD):

2.69 x 6.63 x 0.75 inches (68.3 x 168.3 x 19.0 mm)

•Operating temperatures: 32° to 122°F (0°C to 50°C)

•Operating humidity: 5% to 95% non-condensing

6

Chapter 2: Installation

•Unpacking the SuperTrak, below

•Installing the SuperTrak Card (page 8)

•Choosing the Physical Drives (page 14)

•Creating a Logical Drive (page 15)

•Installing WebPAM PRO (page 20)

•Windows (page 22)

•Linux (page 29)

•Logging into WebPAM PRO (page 37)

•Setting up WebPAM PRO (page 39)

Unpacking the SuperTrak

When you receive the SuperTrak EX Series SAS/SATA RAID Controller card, the package should contain the items listed below:

•SuperTrak EX4650, EX4650A, EX8650, or EX8650A Controller card

•Quick Start Guide

•0.5m (19-inch) SFF-8087 to SFF-8087 multi-lane cable One for EX4650 and EX4650A

Two for EX8650 and EX8650A

•CD with WebPAM PRO software, Windows and Linux drivers, and

SuperTrak User Manual

If any of the items are missing or appear damaged, please contact your dealer or distributor immediately.

Warning

The electronic components on the SuperTrak EX Controller cards are sensitive to damage from Electro-Static Discharge (ESD). Observe appropriate precautions at all times when handling the SuperTrak card or its subassemblies.

Warning

Before installing the SuperTrak EX Controller card into an existing system, backup any important or useful data. Failure to follow this accepted PC practice could result in data loss.

7

SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

Note

The SuperTrak EX Controller cards are PCI Plug-n-Play (PnP) devices. No changes are necessary in the motherboard CMOS or BIOS Setup for resources or drive types in most applications.

Installing the SuperTrak Card

The SuperTrak EX Controller card fits into any available 3.3-volt PCI-Express x8 slot. You can also plug the SuperTrak card into a PCI-Express x16 slot.

1.Remove the cover of your system.

2.Remove the inside slot cover of an available PCI-Express slot on the motherboard.

3.Install the SuperTrak card into the open PCI-Express slot.

4.Fasten the SuperTrak card bracket to the system case.

5.Attach one end of a SAS multi-lane cable to a SAS port on the SuperTrak card.

See Figures 1 through 4.

8

Chapter 2: Installation

Figure 1. SuperTrak EX4650 card

UART connector		Activity and	Global and
			Aggregate
		Fault LED Pins
			LED Pins

		SAS Ports
		Ch1-4
	CPU Fan connector	BBU module
		connector
	I2C/SMBus connector
	Figure 2. SuperTrak EX4650A card
	I2C/SMBus connector	BBU module
		connector
	SAS Port	Aggregate
	Ch1-4	LED Pins

Global

LED Pins

CPU Fan connector

Activity and Fault LED Pins

UART connector

9

SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

Figure 3. SuperTrak EX8650 card

UART connector		Activity and	Global and
			Aggregate
		Fault LED Pins
			LED Pins

		SAS Ports
		Ch5-8
		Ch1-4
	CPU Fan connector	BBU module
		connector
	I2C/SMBus connector
	Figure 4. SuperTrak EX8650A card
	I2C/SMBus connector	BBU module
	SAS Ports	connector
		Aggregate
	Ch5-8
		LED Pins
	Ch1-4

Global

LED Pins

CPU Fan connector

Activity and Fault LED Pins

UART connector

10

Chapter 2: Installation

6.Attach the other end of the SAS multi-lane cable to a SAS port on your enclosure’s backplane or to your SAS expander.

For more information, see the user manual for your enclosure or SAS expander.

7.Optional. Repeat steps 5 and 6 for the second SAS port on the SuperTrak EX8650 or EX8650A card.

8.Optional. Attach cables from the LED pins on the SuperTrak card to the LEDs in your PC or enclosure. See Figures 5 through 8.

For more information, see the user manual for your PC or enclosure.

Figure 5. Individual LED pins, EX4650 and EX8650

	EX4650
(J1)		Activity LEDs
		Fault LEDs

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ports/Channels

Figure 6. Individual LED pins, EX4650A and EX8650A

Fault LEDs

Activity LEDs

4	3	2	1	8	7	6	5 4	3	2	1
Ports/Channels					Ports/Channels
EX4650A						EX8650A

Figure 7. Global and Aggregate LED pins, EX4650 and EX8650

Global LEDs (J2)

+R G +

+– – +

Aggregate LEDs (J3)

11

SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

Figure 8. Global and Aggregate LED pins, EX4650A and EX8650A

+

R	+
G	–
+
Global LEDs	Aggregate LEDs

SAS Connections and ID Numbers

The table below correlates the ranges of Enclosure IDs and Physical Drive IDs, that appear in the WebPAM PRO interface as a result of the data connections you make.

SuperTrak SAS Port	Enclosure ID Range	Drive ID Range
Ch1-4 Virtual*	1	1 to 128
Ch1-4	2 to 9	1 to 128
Ch5-8	10 to 17	129 to 256

* A virtual enclosure involves physical drives attached directly to the SuperTrak controller or a connection to an SGPIO backplane.

You can attach up to 128 SAS or SATA drives on each SAS port using SAS expanders.

The SuperTrak EX8650 and EX8650A cards are designed to manage up to 16 enclosures and up to 256 SAS or SATA disk drives (using SAS expanders). If your system has fewer components, you might be surprised at the way WebPAM PRO numbers your enclosures and drives. The following scenarios illustrate some numbering examples.

Scenario 1: Virtual Enclosure – SGPIO

You install the SuperTrak card into an SGPIO enclosure. You attach a SAS data cable between Port Ch1-4 and the enclosure’s backplane.

In WebPAM PRO, the SGPIO enclosure appears as Enclosure 1. The drives are numbered 1 to 128.

If you attached a second SGPIO enclosure to Port Ch5-8, it would appear in WebPAM PRO as Enclosure 10. The drives would be numbered 129 to 256.

12

Chapter 2: Installation

Scenario 2: Virtual Enclosure – Host PC

You install the SuperTrak card into a Host PC. You attach SAS breakout cables to Ports Ch1-4 and Ch5-8 and a SAS or SATA drive at the drive ends of each cable.

In WebPAM PRO, the Host PC appears as Enclosure 1. The drives on Port Ch1-4 are numbered 1 to 4. The drives on Port Ch5-8 are numbered 129 to 132.

This scenario also applies if you use Promise SuperSwap enclosures.

Scenario 3: External Enclosures – Daisy Chain

You install the SuperTrak card into a Host PC. You attach a SAS data cable between Port Ch1-4 and a Promise VTrak J310s 12-drive JBOD subsystem. You connect a second J310s subsystem to the first in a daisy chain.

In WebPAM PRO, the first JBOD subsystem appears as Enclosure 2. The drives are numbered 1 to 12. The second JBOD subsystem appears as Enclosure 3. The drives are numbered 13 to 24.

Scenario 4: External Enclosures – Parallel

You install the SuperTrak card into a Host PC. You attach a SAS data cable between Port Ch1-4 and a VTrak J310s subsystem. You attach a SAS data cable between Port Ch5-8 and a second J310s subsystem.

In WebPAM PRO, the first JBOD subsystem appears as Enclosure 2. The drives are numbered 1 to 12. The second JBOD subsystem appears as Enclosure 10. The drives are numbered 129 to 140.

Scenario 5: SAS Expanders

You install the SuperTrak card into a Host PC. You attach a SAS data cables between Ports Ch1-4 and Ch5-8 and two SAS Expanders.

In WebPAM PRO, the first Expander appears as Enclosure 2. The drives are numbered 1 to 128. The second Expander appears as Enclosure 10. The drives are numbered 129 to 256.

See “Viewing Enclosure Information” on page 121 and “Locating a Physical Drive” on page 122 for more information.

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SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

Choosing the Physical Drives

The SuperTrak EX Controller card supports SAS and 1.5-Gb/s or 3.0-Gb/s SATA physical drives. For optimal performance, install physical drives of the same model and capacity. The drives’ matched performance allows the logical drive to function better as a single logical drive.

Level	Number of Drives	Level	Number of Drives
RAID 0	1 or more	RAID 6	4 to 16*
RAID 1	2 only	RAID 10	4 or more**
RAID 1E	3 or more	RAID 50	6 or more
RAID 5	3 to 16*	RAID 60	8 or more

* Requires SAS expansion

** Requires an even number of drives

The table above shows the number of drives required for each RAID level.

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Chapter 2: Installation

Creating a Logical Drive

You can use the SuperBuild™ Configuration Utility to create a logical drive with the attached physical drives. Even if you plan to use the WebPAM PRO software to manage your logical drives, you can still create your first logical drive using the SuperBuild Utility, as described here.

Note

For an explanation of the logical drive concepts and the choices you can make when you create your logical drive, see “Chapter 6: Technology Background” on page 155 of this manual.

1.Boot your system. If this is the first time you have booted with the SuperTrak card and physical drives installed, the SuperTrak BIOS will display the following screen.

2.Press the Ctrl-S keys to display the SuperBuild Utility Main Menu.

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SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

3.Press the arrow keys to highlight Disk Array Management and press Enter.

The Disk Array Management screen appears.

4.Highlight Create Disk Array and press Enter. The Create Disk Array screen appears.

Use this screen to select the physical drives for your disk array.

5.Press the arrow keys to highlight a physical drive. Then press the spacebar to select the physical drive.

An asterisk (*) appears at the left of each selected physical drive.

6.Highlight Save Configuration and press Enter.

The Disk Array Management screen appears, showing your new disk array

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Chapter 2: Installation

7.Highlight Return to Previous Menu and press Enter.

The Main Menu appears.

8.Highlight Logical Drive Management and press Enter.

The Logical Drive Management screen appears.

9.Highlight Create Logical Drive and press Enter.

The Create Logical Drive Step 1/2 screen appears.

10.Press the arrow keys to highlight a disk array. Then press the spacebar to choose the disk array.

An asterisk (*) appears at the left of the chosen disk array.

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SuperTrak EX Series User Manual

11. Highlight Next Step and press Enter.

The Create Logical Drive Step 2/2 screen appears.

12.To change the RAID Level, highlight RAID Level and press Enter.

In the popup menu, highlight your choice of RAID Level and press Enter.

The available RAID Levels depend on the number of physical drives you selected for your disk array.

13.Press the arrow keys to highlight Logical Drive Name. Type a name for your logical drive and press Enter.

14.To use less than the full physical drive capacity for this logical drive, highlight Capacity and press Enter.

Press the Delete or Backspace keys to erase the current capacity. Type the new capacity in MB to allocate to this logical drive.

Later, you can assign the unused capacity to a second logical drive.

15.To change the Stripe Size, highlight Stripe Size and press Enter.

Highlight your choice of 64 KB, 128 KB, 256 KB, 512 KB, or 1024 KB and press Enter.

16.To change the Sector Size, highlight Sector Size and press Enter. Highlight your choice of 512 B, 1 KB, 2 KB, or 4 KB and press Enter.

17.To change the Write Cache Policy, highlight Write Cache Policy and press Enter.

Highlight your choice of Write Through or Write Back and press Enter.

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