RAID User Guide
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Table of contents 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 2 RAID technology overview ................................................................................................................................ 2 RAID terminology .................................................................................................................................
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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. Term Definition Fault tolerance The ability of the computer to continue to operate if one drive fails.
NOTE: When the SATA controller is in RAID mode, it will only support up to 4 SATA port devices. Enabling a fifth SATA port device causes the computer to freeze. Removing the fifth SATA port device restores normal operation. RAID 0 RAID 0 stripes, or distributes, data across both drives. This allows data, especially large files, to be read faster because data is read simultaneously from both drives. However, RAID 0 offers no fault tolerance, which means that if one drive fails, the entire array fails.
RAID levels RAID Recovery Function/Applications Advantages/Disadvantages Applications: Disadvantages: ● Accounting ● Payroll ● Financial Only half of the total drive capacity can be used for storage. Storage space may be wasted if the capacities of the primary and recovery hard drives are different (see HP SATA drive option kits on page 6). Function: Advantages: Identical (mirrored) data is stored on two drives. Provides high fault tolerance.
array to fail. With Recovery, however, the restoration of a single file or an entire hard drive is much simpler than with RAID 1 alone. With RAID 5, one of the three hard drives can fail without causing the array to fail. 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.
3 Operating systems and devices supported Operating systems supported HP RAID supports the Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 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. External USB SATA drives connected to the computer or docking station cannot be used for migrating to RAID.
eSATA drive, the same recommendations apply as stated for secondary drives in the computer Upgrade Bay. HP Business computers Select HP Business computers support RAID using Intel® Rapid Storage Technology software (v10 and higher) and a second SATA drive in the Upgrade Bay. The following illustration shows a supported computer with the primary hard drive (1) and a secondary hard drive in the Upgrade Bay (2) that allows RAID 0, RAID 1, and 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 13).
NOTE: If you add a hard drive and intend to set a RAID volume, you must temporarily disable SRT. RAID volumes (i.e. – RAID 0, RAID 1, etc.) cannot be created if SRT is enabled. Disable SRT to create the desired RAID volume. After temporarily disabling SRT, you must reenable SRT. If you intend to reinstall the software image, SRT must first be disabled. You must select Set to Available before reinstalling the operating system and associated software. To temporarily disable SRT: Windows 8 steps: 1.
NOTE: Before replacing or reimaging a hard drive, you must disable SRT. NOTE: When replacing or reimaging a hard drive, you must clear the cache to prevent a data conflict with information stored in cache memory. To clear the cache, from the Start screen, type Intel, and then select Intel Rapid Storage Technology. Next, click the Acceleration link, select Disable Acceleration, and then click the Reset to Available link to clear the cache. Windows 7 steps: 1.
while using the docking station's recovery drive, all new or revised data on the primary hard drive is automatically copied to the recovery hard drive when the notebook is redocked. This policy also allows for an unfinished mirroring operation to be completed if it was interrupted when you undocked the notebook. When using the update on-request policy, data on the primary hard drive is copied to the mirror hard drive only when you request it by selecting Update Recovery Volume in Recovery.
5 RAID volume setup NOTE: If your system has Intel® Smart Response Technology, please see Intel Rapid Storage Technology on page 9 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 6). The basic RAID migration steps are as follows: ● Enable RAID through the Computer Setup (BIOS).
Initiate RAID migration Starting the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Console 1. Open the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Console: ● Windows 8 — From the Start screen, type Intel, and then select Intel Rapid Storage Technology. ● Windows 7 — Select Start > All Programs > Intel > Rapid Storage Technology. The following screen appears. 2.
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.
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. 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.
2. Create a volume name (or use the suggested name), select the three hard drives to use for the RAID 5 array, and then click Next. 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. When the computer is restarted, the operating system detects the newlycreated array and prompts you to restart the computer a second time. 6.
2. Click Manage, and then click the Recovery Volume to select it. 3. Click the Advanced link in the left pane.
24 4. 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. 5. 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.
Index A Advanced Host Controller Interface 9 automatic hard drive switching and rapid recovery 12 D devices supported 6 E enabling RAID 13 eSATA hard drives 6 F fault tolerance 2, 3, 4 Flexible data protection 3 frequently asked questions 27 H hard drive 2 hot plug 9 HP Advanced Docking Station HP Business computers 7 HP SATA drive option kits 6 8 I initiating RAID migration 14 Intel Rapid Recover Technology 9, 11 Intel Rapid Storage Technology Console Recovery features 22 Intel Smart Response Technol
