I don't know how to use my RAID 1 setup

[Wah]

I bought a promise fasttrak tx4000 and 2 seagate 80gb HDs and set them up so that I can have a mirrored storage drive. The hardware is installed and windows drivers are installed... but what do I do now? I figure the drives would have to be formatted, but I don't even know how to access them...

I'm obviously a RAID newbie... a little help please?

 

[Twilling]

To get the full benifits of a RAID 1 mirrored array setup , you will have to set them up as dynamic disks. Go into computer admin section of the control panel and go to the storage module. There you can set the disk up as raid 1. When you boot your computer, the Controller card BIOS should have a setup utility where you can rebuild an array.

 

[sunase]

Originally posted by: Twilling
To get the full benifits of a RAID 1 mirrored array setup , you will have to set them up as dynamic disks. Go into computer admin section of the control panel and go to the storage module. There you can set the disk up as raid 1. When you boot your computer, the Controller card BIOS should have a setup utility where you can rebuild an array.

Umm, Twilling, IME that's completely wrong. You're telling him how to setup the built-in windows software raid as per a non-raid controller card or one that does support raid, but in which it isn't being used. A card like the promise controller will create and manage any array entirely in bios and it will appear as a single disk to windows.

Anyway, taking the question from the top. While your computer is booting you'll see the promise bios message appear. It will tell you to hit a certain key or key combination. Do so and you'll enter the raid card's bios. Here you can setup a new array. The menus should be fairly obvious and covered in your the manual (which you can download if you bought OEM).

Once done in the bios you can then boot into windows. The new array is treated exactly as if it were a single disk. For win2k/xp right click on My Computer, select manage, then storage inside that console, and finally disk management. There you can click on the new disk and format it.

If you want to run your OS off the raid array then things are slightly more complex. You have to set your bios to boot off the raid card and also early on during windows installation watch for the "press f6 to install..." message so you can install your raid card's drivers before windows looks at your hard drives.

 

[Wah]

For win2k/xp right click on My Computer, select manage, then storage inside that console, and finally disk management. There you can click on the new disk and format it.

This is what I'm looking for... thanks!!!

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: Wah

For win2k/xp right click on My Computer, select manage, then storage inside that console, and finally disk management. There you can click on the new disk and format it.

This is what I'm looking for... thanks!!!

NONONONO!!!!! You've got the entirely wrong idea! Since you have Windows installed, your RAID setup is working fine as you read this. And it doesn't need your intervention because all types of RAID operate in the background. However since you are using a controller card Windows isn't actually managing the drives as it would with software RAID. As a result it will appear to Windows as one drive because the controller is masking the drives externally. My guess is that this is because showing both drives and having different data on both drives defeats the purpose of RAID-1. So as a result the drives are made to appear as "one" drive to Windows and the controller will deal with the internal mechanics.

I hope you see this before you format your array and say goodbye to all of your data. And I don't know if this is a good explanation but I'm doing my best.

 

[Wah]

I have windows installed on another HD... I was trying to install the RAID setup as a storage drive. I wasn't able to see the new drive in windows, so going to disk management did the trick.

Thanks for your concern though!!!

 

[oldman420]

when you boot the machine go into the raid cards bios and build a raid array there. reboot and once you install the drivers in xp you will get the raid showing as one drive in my computer.

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: Wah
I have windows installed on another HD... I was trying to install the RAID setup as a storage drive. I wasn't able to see the new drive in windows, so going to disk management did the trick.

Thanks for your concern though!!!

I see, I thought it was your main drive.

 

[Samsonid]

If you want to run your OS off the raid array then things are slightly more complex. You have to set your bios to boot off the raid card and also early on during windows installation watch for the "press f6 to install..." message so you can install your raid card's drivers before windows looks at your hard drives.

Is that true (just as complicated) when the Raid is integrated onboard ?

 

[Wolfsraider]

it depends on if the drivers are supported in the os

for example the intel drivers for my raid (onboard) i set the drives to be seen as the boot drives in the bios enabled the intel controller in the bios...set it up at boot control+i and set a: raid array, stripe size, etc... then loaded windows...hit f6 to install the drivers and partitioned the drives,began loading the os

the promise controller (onboard) is enabled by default still need to change it to raid and boot options...control+h(i think) to enter bios oif the promise controller and load os ...driver was included in xp..


does this answer your question?
mike

 

[Samsonid]

Ok, I think I understand. Thanks.

Now on a similar question: If the system boots from a single drive, can we get a new identical (blank) hard drive, switch the controller to RAID 1 and have it build a mirror without reformating?

 

[Wolfsraider]

sorry that i havent tried so "bump" for an answer

 

[Matthias99]

Some (I would hope most) controllers support this; you should check the documentation for the RAID controller, however.