FastTrak TX Series User Manual

Chapter 7: Support
101
Drive Issues
Can I add a drive to a FastTrak disk array via hot-swap and dynamically
adjust the disk array size?
Yes. The FastTrak TX Series supports dynamically adjustable RAID size
and RAID level. See “Logical Drive Migration and Expansion” on page 74.
Do the disk drives on the FastTrak have to be the same size?
The disk drives connected to the FastTrak TX Series do not have to be the
same size. If the sizes differ, the FastTrak controller will truncate the bigger
drive so the drives match. The resulting difference in drive space is
unusable, so avoid using disk drives of significantly different capacities.
I already have a disk array on an older FastTrak controller. Can I move that
disk array to my new FastTrak TX Series?
Yes, provided your disk array was build using Serial ATA disk drives. All
FastTrak controllers read the disk arrays the same way so you can move
them from one controller to another.
Can I take a drive used in a FastTrak disk array and access it directly with a
different controller, such as the one integrated on the motherboard?
Only Single-drive striped (RAID 0) and mirrored (RAID 1) disk array
configurations allow the drive(s) to be accessed individually on another
controller. Multiple-drive striped (RAID 0) drives will not work.
If I have a problem with one of the drives on the FastTrak Controller, how
can I low-level format it to correct the problem?
Do NOT do this. Low-level formatting is unnecessary and generally does not
correct problems commonly experienced. If you think the disk drive is faulty,
run the drive manufacturer’s diagnostic utility on it.
Errors such as bad sectors or ECC/CRC failure are best remedied by
completely replacing the drive. For this reason, do NOT low-level format the
drives attached to the FastTrak controller.
Do I have to install disk management software on my disk array in order to
access the full storage capacity of drives?
No! Disk management software will only complicate things. The disk array
should be fully addressable by your OS as it is. Remember that some
operating systems have varying limits on the sizes of partitions and disk
arrays that can be defined. Consult your OS documentation about
partitioning larger drives.