RAID User Guide
© Copyright 2011 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Vista are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty.
Table of contents 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 1 2 RAID technology overview ............................................................................................................................. 2 RAID terminology ................................................................................................................................. 2 RAID modes supported .
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1 Introduction Until recently, there were limited options for most computer users who wanted to protect their data from loss in the event of a hard drive failure. These options were manually copying files to a backup drive or using cumbersome backup software. If users failed to perform one of these mundane tasks prior to a hard drive failure, they had to spend considerable time and money to recover even a portion of the data on the drive.
2 RAID technology overview This chapter defines the terms used in this guide and describes the RAID technologies supported by select HP Business computers. RAID terminology Some of the terms in the following table have a broader meaning, but they are defined in relation to the RAID implementation described in this guide. 2 Term Definition Fault tolerance The ability of the computer to continue to operate if one drive fails.
RAID modes supported The RAID modes supported by HP Business computers include RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and Flexible data protection (Recovery) as described below. RAID modes 0, 1, and Recovery require two SATA hard drives. RAID mode 5 requires three SATA hard drives.
RAID mode summary The following table describes the functions, applications, and advantages and disadvantages of the supported RAID modes. RAID levels Function/Applications Advantages/Disadvantages RAID 0 Function: Advantages: Data is distributed across both disk drives. Read performance is higher than that of a nonRAID hard drive. Applications: ● Image editing Total storage capacity is doubled.
RAID levels Function/Applications Advantages/Disadvantages RAID Recovery Function: Advantages: Identical (mirrored) data is stored on two drives. Provides high fault tolerance. Boosts the functionality of RAID 1 with valuable features. Users can choose to mirror data continuously or on request. Applications: Data recovery is quick and easy. Any application that requires a simple data protection method. Allows hot-plugging of mirrored drive (with eSATA or docking station hard drive).
Performance Performance is easy to understand, but it is difficult to measure because it involves several factors, some of which are beyond the scope of this document. Overall storage performance is determined by write performance and read performance, both of which vary based on the RAID technology selected. 6 ● RAID 0 (striping) improves overall storage performance because data can be written and read simultaneously across two hard drives.
3 Operating systems and devices supported Operating systems supported HP RAID supports 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional (SP1, SP2, and SP3), Windows Vista® (SP1 and SP2), and Windows 7 operating systems. Devices supported This section describes the devices supported for RAID migration, including the SATA drives, computers, and docking station. Device support is summarized in the following table and then explained in more detail below the table.
eSATA hard drives (select models only) External SATA, or eSATA, is an external interface that allows a SATA drive to achieve data transfer speeds up to 6 times that of a SATA drive using a standard USB 2.0 interface. The following illustration shows a supported computer with a primary hard drive (1) and an eSATA drive (2) connected to the eSATA port (select models only) to allow Recovery.
HP Advanced Docking Station Recovery supports docking and undocking. It can be used to implement mirroring between the primary hard drive (1) and an optional hard drive in the SATA-swappable bay of the HP Advanced Docking station (2). The following illustration shows an HP Advanced Docking Station with the recovery hard drive in the SATA-swappable bay that allows Recovery.
4 Intel Rapid Storage Technology Intel® Rapid Storage Technology supports the following Recovery features. Advanced Host Controller Interface The Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) is a specification that allows the storage driver to enable advanced SATA features such as Native Command Queuing and hot plug capability. AHCI must be enabled in the Computer Setup (BIOS) for these features to apply (see Enable RAID using the Computer Setup (BIOS) (f10) on page 15).
volume) for maximum storage capacity while simultaneously delivering an enhanced system performance experience. NOTE: Intel Smart Response Technology caching is implemented as a single drive-letter solution. No additional drive letter is required for the SSD device used as a cache. Typically, SRT is enabled from the factory, and no further user configuration is required. SRT is not supported when used with SSD or SED drives.
To configure SATA mode in Computer Setup (BIOS): 1. Turn on or restart the computer, and then press esc while the “Press the ESC key for Startup Menu” message is displayed at the bottom of the screen. 2. Press f10 to enter Computer Setup (BIOS). 3. Use a pointing device or the arrow keys to select System Configuration > Device Configurations. 4. In SATA Device Mode, change the value to RAID. 5. Use the arrow keys to select File > Save Changes and Exit, and then press enter.
Intel Rapid Recover Technology Intel Rapid Storage Technology supports the following recovery features. Mirror update policies With Recovery, you can determine how often the mirror hard drive is updated: continuously or onrequest. When using the continuous update policy, data on the primary drive is simultaneously copied to the mirror drive as long as both drives are connected to the system.
5 RAID volume setup NOTE: If your system has Intel® Smart Response Technology, please see Intel Rapid Storage Technology on page 10 before setting up RAID volumes. The following instructions assume that a supported hard drive is installed in the computer Upgrade Bay, in the SATA-swappable bay of the docking station, or connected to the eSATA port of the computer (see Devices supported on page 7). The basic RAID migration steps are as follows: ● Enable RAID through the Computer Setup (BIOS).
Enable RAID using the Computer Setup (BIOS) (f10) NOTE: The following procedures assume that you are using the hard drive image that shipped with your computer. If a different image is installed on your computer, you must first enable RAID through the Computer Setup (BIOS) (f10), and then install the operating system and all required drivers, including the Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver. Next, follow the steps in Initiate RAID migration on page 17.
4. In the Device Configurations window, select RAID under SATA Device Mode. Click Confirm. The following message is displayed: “Changing this setting may require reinstallation of your operating system. Are you sure you want to proceed?” NOTE: The hard drive image supplied with your computer contains drivers that allow you to switch between AHCI and RAID modes without reinstalling the operating system. If you use a different hard drive image, you may need to reinstall the operating system.
Initiate RAID migration ▲ Open the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Console by selecting Start > All Programs > Intel Rapid Storage Technology. NOTE: Windows Vista and Windows 7 include the User Account Control feature to improve the security of your computer. You may be prompted for your permission or a password for tasks such as installing software, running utilities, or changing Windows settings. Refer to Help and Support for more information.
18 2. Create a volume name (or use the suggested name), select the two hard drives to use for the RAID 1 array, and then click Next. 3. Click Create Volume to begin the migration process.
4. Once the Create Volume button is clicked, you are informed that the array has been created. Click the OK button. The array migration continues to run in the background. The computer can be used normally while the migration continues. 5. When you are notified that the array migration is complete, close all open programs, and then reboot the computer. 6. When the computer boots up, the operating system detects the newly-created array and requests a reboot. Reboot the computer when prompted.
NOTE: Flexible data protection is not available using the eSATA port on the docking station on select models. On models unable to access flexible data protection on the eSATA port on the docking station, connect using the eSATA port on the notebook. 20 1. Click Create, click Flexible data protection (Recovery), and then click Next. 2. Create a volume name (or use the suggested name). The two hard drives to use for the Recovery array are already selected. Click Next.
3. Click Create Volume to begin the migration process. 4. Once the Create Volume button is clicked, you are informed that the array has been created. Click the OK button. The array migration continues to run in the background. The computer can be used normally while the migration continues. 5. When you are notified that the array migration has completed, close all open programs, and then reboot the computer.
Migrating to RAID 0 NOTE: When using an HP-supplied image, migrating to RAID 0 requires you to perform additional advanced steps, including copying data to an additional external USB hard drive. Please read the entire RAID 0 migration procedure before you begin. 22 1. Click Create, click Optimized disk performance, and then click Next. 2. Create a volume name (or use the suggested name), select the two hard disk drives to use for the RAID 0 array, and then click Next. 3.
4. A message displays, notifying you that the array has been created. Click the OK button. NOTE: The array migration continues to run in the background. The computer can be used normally while the migration continues. 5. When you are notified that the array migration has completed, close all open programs, and then restart the computer. When the computer is restarted, the operating system detects the newlycreated array and prompts you to restart the computer a second time. 6.
Migrating to RAID 5 (select models only) NOTE: When using an HP-supplied image, migrating to RAID 5 requires you to perform additional steps, including copying data to an additional external USB hard drive. Please read the entire RAID 5 migration procedure before you begin. NOTE: RAID 5 requires 3 hard drives in the computer: the primary hard drive, the secondary hard drive, and the upgrade bay hard drive. 24 1. Click Create, select Efficient data hosting and protection (RAID 5), and then click Next. 2.
3. Click Create Volume to begin the migration process. 4. Once Create Volume is selected, you are informed that the array has been created. Click the OK button. The array migration continues to run in the background. The computer can be used normally while the migration continues. 5. When you are notified that the array migration has completed, close all open programs, and then restart the computer.
Allocating unallocated hard drive space for an HP image If you want one continuous C: partition for RAID 0 and RAID 5, you must allocate the unallocated space after the system reboots for the final time. You can create an additional partition, or you can extend the (C:) partition. In order to extend the (C:) partition, you must move the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) and Recovery partitions using the following procedure.
5. Select Organize > Folder and Search Options. 6. Click the View tab. 7. Under Hidden files and folders, select the radio button next to Show hidden files and folders. 8. Clear the check box next to Hide Protected Operating System Files, and then click OK. 9. Select the HP_RECOVERY partition in the left pane, and then copy its contents (\boot, \Recovery, \system.save, bootmgr, and HP_WINRE) to the external USB drive.
e. Select NTFS as the File System. To the right of Volume label, enter the name HP_RECOVERY. f. Click Next, and then click Finish. 17. The following steps are needed to create the HP_TOOLS partition. The extra steps are required because the HP_TOOLS partition must be created as a primary partition. If Disk Management is used, the partition is created as a logical drive. a. Open a command line prompt with administrator privileges (Start > All Programs > Accessories). b.
BCDEDIT.EXE -store E:\Boot\BCD -set {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae0-0007e994107d} osdevice ramdisk=[E:]\Recovery\WindowsRE\winre.wim,{ramdiskoptions} BCDEDIT.EXE -store E:\Boot\BCD -set {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae0-0007e994107d} systemroot \windows BCDEDIT.EXE -store E:\Boot\BCD -set {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae0-0007e994107d} winpe yes BCDEDIT.EXE -store E:\Boot\BCD -set {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae0-0007e994107d} detecthal yes BCDEDIT.EXE -store E:\Boot\BCD -set {572bcd55-ffa7-11d9-aae0-0007e994107d} nx optin BCDEDIT.
Using Intel Rapid Storage Technology Recovery Console features When using the Recovery Console, you can select how often the recovery hard drive is updated: continuously or on-request. Continuous Updates is the default update policy (see Mirror update policies on page 13). The steps to change the update policy to on-request are as follows: 30 1. Click Manage, and then click the Recovery Volume to select it. 2. Click the Advanced link in the left pane.
3. Update mode displays the current setting. To change the current setting, click the Change Mode link, and then click Yes. When using the on-request update policy, you can manually update the recovery volume by selecting the Update Data link. 4. You can restore the continuous update policy at any time by selecting the Change Mode link, and then clicking Yes.
6 Resetting RAID drives to non-RAID You can reset a RAID 1 or Recovery volume to two non-RAID drives using the following instructions to access the Intel Option ROM and reset both drives to non-RAID status. You must also reset both drives to non-RAID status if you need to move the RAID recovery drive from the computer's upgrade bay to the docking station's bay.
3. Press the space bar to select the first drive, and then press the down arrow key and the space bar to select the second drive. 4. Press enter, and then press Y to confirm the selection. NOTE: The Option ROM menu automatically appears during bootup when an issue is detected within the RAID environment. After the issue has been resolved, the Option ROM menu only appears when it is selected from within the Computer Setup (BIOS) menu. 5.
7 Frequently asked questions Can more than one RAID volume be installed on a computer? No, there can only be one RAID volume on a computer. Is RAID supported to allow both RAID 0 and RAID 1 on a single RAID volume? No. Can the computer be undocked if the recovery hard drive is in the docking station SATA-swappable bay? Yes. If the “Continuous update” policy is selected, data is automatically copied to the docking station's recovery drive when the computer is re-docked.
Can SRT be enabled in AHCI mode? No. Smart Response Technology requires that the SATA mode is set to RAID mode to enhance the system's performance. You must first disable SRT, and then select Set to Available in order for the computer to boot in AHCI mode. What is the maximum number of hard drives that can be connected to the system during boot when the storage controller is in RAID mode (f10 Computer Setup)? This limitation does not apply when the storage controller is in AHCI mode.
Index A Advanced Host Controller Interface 10 automatic hard drive switching and rapid recovery 13 modes 3 N Native Command Queuing 10 D devices supported 7 O operating systems supported option ROM 2, 32 E enabling RAID 15 eSATA hard drives 8 P performance 6 primary drive 2 F fault tolerance 2, 3, 4, 5 Flexible data protection 3 frequently asked questions R RAID 0 3 RAID 1 3 RAID array 2, 5 RAID migration 2, 7, 14, 17 RAID terminology fault tolerance 2 hard drive 2 option ROM 2 primary drive 2 RAID
