Configuring Raid; About Raid - Lenovo ThinkServer TS150 User Manual And Hardware Maintenance Manual

• Before using the ThinkServer EasyStartup program to install an operating system, ensure that any external
storage devices and fiber channels are configured correctly.
The ThinkServer EasyStartup program main interface provides the following menus on the left pane of
the screen.
Menu item
Home
Compatibility notes
User Guide
Hardware list
Configure RAID
Install operating system
About

Configuring RAID

This topic provides information about RAID and how to configure RAID for your server.
• "About RAID" on page 33
• "RAID for your server" on page 34
• "Configuring onboard SATA software RAID" on page 35
• "Configuring advanced SATA or SAS hardware RAID" on page 37

About RAID

RAID, an acronym for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, is a technology that provides increased
storage functions and reliability through redundancy. This is achieved by combining multiple hard disk drives
into a logical unit, where data is distributed across the drives in one of several ways called RAID levels.
When a group of independent physical hard disk drives are set up to use RAID technology, they are in a
RAID array. This array distributes data across multiple hard disk drives, but the array appears to the host
server as one single storage unit. Creating and using RAID arrays provides high performance, such as the
expedited I/O performance, because several drives can be accessed simultaneously.
RAID drive groups also improve data storage reliability and fault tolerance compared with single-drive
storage systems. Data loss resulting from a drive failure can be prevented by reconstructing missing data
from the remaining drives.
The following list describes some of the most commonly used RAID levels:
Description
Provide general information about the program.
Provide information about the operating systems and server configurations
supported by the version of the program you are using.
Provide information about the features of the program and instructions on how to
use the program
Display a list of hardware devices detected by the program.
Instruct you to configure RAID or view the current RAID configuration and make
changes if needed
Display a series of choices and prompts to collect information required for
operating system installation, prepare the hard disk drive for installation, and then
initiate the installation process using your operating system installation disc.
Provide the version information and legal notices.
.
Chapter 4 Configuring the server
33