Learning About Express Configuration; Using Express Configuration - IBM Netfinity ServeRAID-3H Installation And User Manual

Important
The new controller stripe-unit size setting defaults to 8 KB
must change the stripe-unit size before you store data in the logical drives. After you store data in the
logical drives, you cannot change the stripe-unit size without destroying data in the logical drives. To
change the stripe-unit size, do the following:
1. Click the new controller in the Main Tree.
2. Select Change stripe-unit size on the Actions menu.
3. Select the new stripe-unit size for your installation on the menu.
(See "Stripe-unit size" on page 4 for more information about stripe-unit size.)

Learning about Express configuration

Express configuration provides a quick and easy path for you to automatically configure your ServeRAID
controller. This choice creates the most efficient ServeRAID configuration based on the number and
capacity of the Ready drives available in your system. If four or more Ready drives of the same capacity
are available, this choice also will define a hot-spare drive for the ServeRAID controller. A hot-spare drive
is a physical drive that is defined for automatic use when a similar drive fails.
The Express configuration choice groups all Ready drives of the same capacity into one or more disk
arrays and defines one logical drive for each array. This choice defines the size of the logical drive, based
on the amount of free space available, and it assigns the highest RAID level possible, based on the
number of physical drives available.
For example, if your server contains one 1024 MB Ready drive, two 2150 MB Ready drives, and four 4300
MB Ready drives, Express Configuration will create three arrays and one hot-spare drive such as the
following:
Array A: The total capacity of this array is 1024 MB (1 x 1024 MB) and it contains one 1024 MB RAID
level-0 logical drive.
Array B: The total capacity of this array is 4300 MB (2 x 2150 MB) and it contains one 2150 MB RAID
level-1 logical drive.
Array C: The total capacity of this array is 12900 MB (3 x 4300 MB) and it contains one 8600 MB
RAID level-5 logical drive.
Hot Spare: Express Configuration defines one of the four 4300 MB drives as a hot-spare drive.
Notes:
1. When there are four or more Ready drives of the same capacity, Express configuration
groups defines one drive as a hot spare and the remaining drives into one array (as in
Array C).
2. A hot-spare drive must be of equal or greater capacity than the drive that it is intended to
replace. In this configuration, the 4300 MB drive can replace any failed drives in Array B
or Array C. The drive in Array A cannot be replaced because it is RAID level-0.

Using Express configuration

To use the Express configuration path:
Note: If the Express configuration mode/Custom configuration mode radio buttons do not appear on the
right screen, click
1. Click the ServeRAID controller that you want to configure in the Main Tree.
22
IBM ServeRAID-3H, ServeRAID-3HB, and ServeRAID-3L, Controllers
on the tool bar.
5 . If you need to change this setting, you