Chapter 1. Getting Started - IBM Netfinity ServeRAID-3H Installation And User Manual

Chapter 1. Getting started

This book provides the information needed to install and configure an IBM ServeRAID ServeRAID-3H,
ServeRAID-3HB, or ServeRAID-3L. These high-performance, redundant array of independent disk (RAID)
controllers are ideally suited for data-storage environments that require superior performance, flexibility,
and reliable data storage.
You also can use the configuration and reference information in this book to configure the IBM ServeRAID
controllers provided on some IBM Netfinity and PC Server system boards.
This chapter contains:
Option package contents
Installation overview
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Understanding RAID technology
Stripe-unit size
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Supported RAID levels
Understanding RAID level-0
Understanding RAID Level-1
Understanding RAID Level-1 Enhanced
Understanding RAID Level-5
Understanding RAID Level-5 Enhanced
Selecting a RAID level and performance tuning
 Copyright IBM Corp. 1996, 1999
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2
3
4
4
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1