Chapter 4: Raid Functions; Operation System; Raid Arrays; How Raid Works - Biostar P4M900-M7 SE Setup Manual

Motherboard Manual

CHAPTER 4: RAID FUNCTIONS

4.1 O
PERAT ION
Supports Windows XP Home/Prof essional Edition, and Windows 2000 Prof essional.
4.2 R A
AID RRAYS
RAID supports the following types of RAID arrays:
RAID 0: RAID 0 defines a disk striping scheme that improves disk read and write times for
many applications.
RAID 1: RAID 1 defines techniques for mirroring data.
4.3 H RAID W
OW
RAID 0:
The controller " stripes" data across multiple drives in a RAID 0 array system. It breaks
up a large file into smaller blocks and performs disk reads and writes across multiple
drives in parallel. The size of each block is determined by the stripe size parameter,
which you set during the creation of the RAID set based on the system environment. This
technique reduces overall disk access time and offers high bandwidth.
Features and Benefits
Drives: Minimum 1, and maximum is up to 6 or 8. Depending on the
­
platf orm.
Uses: Intended for non-critical data requiring high data throughput, or any
­
env ironment that does not require f ault tolerance.
Benefits: prov ides increased data throughput, especially f or large files. No
­
capacity loss penalty f or parity.
Drawbacks: Does not deliver any fault tolerance. If any drive in the array
­
f ails, all data is lost.
Fault Tolerance: No.
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Blo ck 1
Block 3
Block 5
18
S
YST EM
ORKS
Block 2
Block 4
Block 6