Promise Technology FastTrak TX2200 User Manual
  1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. Promise Technology Manuals
  4. Computer Hardware
  5. FastTrak TX2200
  6. User manual

Promise Technology FastTrak TX2200 User Manual

Promise technology fasttrak tx series user manual
Hide thumbs
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

Download this manual
F
T
AST
RAK
TX2200, TX2300
U
M
SER
ANUAL
Version 3.2

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading
Need help?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the FastTrak TX2200 and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Related Manuals for Promise Technology FastTrak TX2200

Summary of Contents for Promise Technology FastTrak TX2200

  • Page 1 TX2200, TX2300 ANUAL Version 3.2...

  • Page 2: Important Data Protection Information

    You should back up all data before installing any drive controller or storage peripheral. Promise Technology is not responsible for any loss of data resulting from the use, disuse or misuse of this or any other Promise Technology product. Notice...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ........1 About This Manual .
  • Page 4 Chapter 4: FastBuild™ Utility .......31 FastTrak BIOS .........31 Main Menu .
  • Page 5 Chapter 5: WebPAM, continued Logical Drives .........67 Logical Drive View .
  • Page 6 Chapter 7: Support ........99 Frequently Asked Questions .

  • Page 7: Chapter 1: Introduction

    • Key Features and Benefits (page 3) • Specifications (page 6) Thank you for purchasing Promise Technology’s FastTrak TX2200 or TX2300 RAID Controller card. About This Manual This User Manual describes how to setup, use and maintain your FastTrak TX Series RAID Controller cards.

  • Page 8: Overview

    PC users wanting to continually protect valuable data on their PC. Should a drive that is part of a mirrored logical disk fail, FastTrak TX2200 or TX2300 use the mirrored drive (which contains identical data) to assume all data handling.

  • Page 9: Webpam Software

    For information on using WebPAM, refer to “Chapter 5: WebPAM” on page 43. Key Features and Benefits The following information offers an overview of the major features of your new Promise FastTrak TX2200 and TX2300. Features Supports 66 MHz PCI bus...
  • Page 10 Features Supports multiple logical disks TX2200 and TX2300 support up to 2 logical Supports online logical disk expansion Supports online logical disk migration Utilizes FastBuild™ automenu from the FastTrak onboard BIOS Displays status and error checking messages during bootup Supports S.M.A.R.T. monitoring and reporting Employs the latest Promise PCI Serial ATA ASIC...
  • Page 11 Features Complies with PCI v2.3 Local Bus standard Complies with SATA Specification 1.0a Complies with Serial ATA II: Extensions to Serial ATA 1.0a Specification Compliant with PCI Bus Master standard. PCI Bus Master support Tested compatibility to coexist with motherboards that have integrated IDE controllers Compatible with all major SATA generation 1 and SATA...

  • Page 12: Specifications

    Specifications • Low-profile printed circuit board • PCI Slot 33 MHz or 66 MHz • Controller card dimensions (HWD): 2.25 x 4.75 x 0.33 inches (57 x 121 x 8 mm) • Operating temperatures: 32 • Operating humidity: 5% to 95% non-condensing °...

  • Page 13: Chapter 2: Installation

    Unpack Your FastTrak Card When you receive the FastTrak TX Series RAID Controller card, the package should contain the items listed below: • FastTrak TX2200 or TX2300 Serial ATA RAID Controller card • Quick Start Guide • Two 1.5 Gb, 0.65 m (26 inch) SATA data cables for TX2200 Two 3.0 Gb, 0.65 m (26 inch) SATA data cables for TX2300...

  • Page 14: Install The Fasttrak Card

    CMOS/BIOS Setup for resources or drive types in most applications. Install the FastTrak Card The FastTrak TX2200 or TX2300 Serial ATA RAID card fits into any available PCI slot on your PC's motherboard (below): • 32-bit PCI slot (must be PCI 2.2 or 2.3 compliant) •...

  • Page 15: Install The Disk Drives

    The FastTrak TX2200 and TX2300 Controller cards support only SATA disk drives. For optimal performance, install disk drives of the same model and capacity. The drives’ matched performance allows the logical drive to function better as a single drive.
  • Page 16 Individual LED Connectors Aggregate LED Connectors FastTrak FastTrak Controller card Attach one SATA data cable to each disk drive. Then attach the other ends of the cables to the connectors on the FastTrak card (above). Attach the Y-cable power splitters to your SATA disk drives. If you are using a Promise SuperSwap 1100 or 4100 enclosure in your PC: •...

  • Page 17: Create Your Logical Drive

    Create Your Logical Drive You will now use the onboard FastBuild BIOS utility to create a logical drive with the attached drives. For an explanation of the logical drive concepts, see Chapter 6 You can omit this step, proceed with the WebPAM installation on page 15, then create your logical drive using WebPAM.
  • Page 18 Press the arrow keys to highlight an logical drive number you want to define and press Enter to select it. The Define LD Menu for the logical drive number you selected will next appear (below). Choose the RAID Level you want. In the Define LD Menu section, press the Spacebar to toggle through logical drive types: •...
  • Page 19 • Fast Init erases the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the physical drives when this feature is set to ON. • Stripe Block Size. Press the Spacebar to toggle through 32 KB, 64 KB, or 128 KB. 64 KB is the default. Applies to RAID 0. Press the arrow keys to move to Disk Assignments.

  • Page 20: Webpam Installation

    WebPAM Installation Install the FastTrak software drives for your operating system before installing WebPAM. See “Chapter 3: Install Drivers” on page 23 for instructions. WebPAM installation software will install two major components: • Utility Server – WebPAM RAID monitoring and Networking software •...

  • Page 21: Java Runtime Environment

    Java Runtime Environment If you are planning to use other applications that rely on JRE or JDK, always install them first before you install WebPAM. WebPAM will use the existing JRE rather than installing a second one. WebPAM will install JRE 1.4 on your system unless you already have JRE or JDK versions 1.3.0 or 1.4.
  • Page 22 When the Run or Display? dialog box appears, click Run in Terminal. After several moments, the Terminal window closes and the first WebPAM PRO installation dialog box appears. WebPAM Installation for Windows and Linux, continued The first WebPAM installation dialog box appears, as shown below. When the Introduction screen appears (above), click the Next button.
  • Page 23 When the License Agreement appears (above), click the “I accept the terms of the license agreement” option. Then click the Next button. When the Choose Install Folder screen appears (above), make your selection of a folder for the WebPAM applications you are installing. The default folder is C:\Program Files\Promise\WebPAM\.
  • Page 24 Internet or outside your company firewall. Security options are invisible to authorized users. Promise Technology provides a default certificate for the server as well as for internal data communication. However, in some cases, it is better to install and verify your own certificate for the webserver. And, if possible, have your certificate verified by a certificate authority such as Verisign or Thwate.
  • Page 25 When the Select Options screen appears (above), you have the option of choosing Local Monitoring Only. • If you check this option, you can only log into WebPAM from the Host PC. You cannot log into WebPAM over a network. •...
  • Page 26 FastTrak TX2200, TX2300 User Manual 10. When the Ready to Install screen appears (above), click the Install button. 11. When the Install Complete screen appears (above), the installation process is finished. Click the Finish button to go to the Promise Registration website.
  • Page 27 Registration of your FastTrak and WebPAM provides useful information that helps Promise Technologies to offer better products and support. Please take a few minutes to register. Thanks! This completes the WebPAM installation. Go to“Chapter 5: WebPAM” on page 43 for information about using WebPAM. Important...
  • Page 28 FastTrak TX2200, TX2300 User Manual...

  • Page 29: Chapter 3: Install Drivers

    Chapter 3: Install Drivers • Make a Driver Installation Diskette, page 24 • Windows Server 2003 • New, page 25 • Existing, page 26 • Confirm, page 26 • Windows XP • New, page 27 • Existing, page 28 • Confirm, page 28 •...

  • Page 30: Make An Installation Floppy Diskette

    Make an Installation Floppy Diskette This procedure requires one write-enabled blank 3.5-inch diskette. Place your blank diskette in the appropriate drive. Insert the Promise CD into your CD-ROM drive. The display screen should open automatically. If the display screen does not open, click on MyComputer > CD Drive D: and double-click on the Launch.exe icon.

  • Page 31: Windows Server 2003

    Windows Server 2003 New Installation The following details the installation of the FastTrak TX Series RAID Controller drivers while installing Windows Server 2003. Start the installation: • Floppy Install: Boot the computer with the Windows Server 2003 installation diskettes. • CD-ROM Install: Boot from the CD-ROM.

  • Page 32: Existing Installation

    Existing Installation After installing the FastTrak TX Series RAID Controller card and rebooting your system, Windows Server 2003 setup will show a “Found New Hardware” dialog box. Under Windows 2003, “RAID Controller” will be displayed. Insert the FastTrak driver diskette into the A:\ drive. Choose Install the software automatically and press the Enter key.

  • Page 33: Windows Xp

    Windows XP New Installation The following details the installation of the FastTrak TX Series RAID Controller drivers while installing Windows XP. Start the installation: • Floppy Install: Boot the computer with the Windows XP installation diskettes. • CD-ROM Install: Boot from the CD-ROM. Press F6 after the message “Press F6 if you need to install third party SCSI or RAID driver”...

  • Page 34: Existing Installation

    Existing Installation After installing the FastTrak TX Series RAID Controller card and rebooting your system, Windows XP setup will show a “Found New Hardware” dialog box. Insert the FastTrak driver diskette into the A:\ drive. Choose Install the software automatically and press the Enter key. Choose Windows Promise FastTrak TX [2200, 2300] (tm) Controller from the list that appears on screen, and then press the Enter key.

  • Page 35: Windows 2000

    Windows 2000 New Installation The following details the installation of the FastTrak TX Series RAID Controller drivers while installing Windows 2000. Start the installation: • Floppy Install: Boot the computer with the Windows 2000 installation diskettes. • CD-ROM Install: Boot from the CD-ROM. Press F6 after the message “Press F6 if you need to install third party SCSI or RAID driver”...

  • Page 36: Existing Installation

    Existing Installation After installing the FastTrak TX Series RAID Controller card and rebooting your system, Windows 2000 setup will show a “New Hardware Found” dialog box. Under Windows 2000, “PCI Mass Storage Controller” will be displayed. Choose Add New Hardware Wizard from the list, and then press Enter. Choose Add/Troubleshoot a device and click Next.

  • Page 37: Chapter 4: Fastbuild™ Utility

    Chapter 4: FastBuild™ Utility • FastTrak BIOS (below) • Main Menu (page 32) • View Drive Assignments (page 33) • Create a Logical Drive (page 34) FastTrak BIOS The FastTrak BIOS is a built-in component of the FastTrak TX Series RAID Controller card.

  • Page 38: Main Menu

    Offline – The logical drive is no longer operational and the FastBuild utility cannot rebuild it. You must identify and replace the failed drive(s). Then you can create a new logical drive and copy your data to it from the last tape backup or other device.

  • Page 39: View Drive Assignments

    Chapter 4: FastBuild™ Utility View Drive Assignments From the Main Menu screen, press 1 to see the View Drive Assignments screen (below). This screen reports physical (disk) drive assignments and provides the following information: Channel: ID – Shows the FastTrak Controller channel ID (1 and 2) to which a particular disk drive is attached.

  • Page 40: Create A Logical Drive

    Create a Logical Drive To a create a RAID 1 logical drive using the Create and Duplicate option, see “Create a Logical Drive: Create and Duplicate Option” on page 36. To create all other logical drives: From the Main Menu screen, press 2 to display the Define LD Menu (below). Press the arrow keys to highlight an logical drive number you want to define and press Enter to select it.
  • Page 41 See “Introduction to RAID” on page 91 for more information. Press the arrow keys to move to the next option. Option choices depend on the RAID Level you selected. • Fast Init erases the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the disk drives when this feature is set to ON.

  • Page 42: Create A Logical Drive: Create And Duplicate Option

    When the logical drive is created, the Define LD Menu displays with the new logical drive. Create a Logical Drive: Create and Duplicate Option The Create and Duplicate option is for RAID 1 logical drive where you want to copy the content of one of the disk drives to make a mirror of the content on the other drive.
  • Page 43 The Define LD Menu for the logical drive number you selected will next appear (below). In the Define LD Menu section, under RAID Mode, press the Spacebar to toggle to RAID 1. Press the arrow keys to move to the Fast Init option, then press the Spacebar to toggle to OFF.
  • Page 44 The Source Disk Selection screen displays: Be sure you select the drive with the data as the source disk. If you select the wrong drive, all of your data will be lost. In the Source Disk Selection screen, press the arrow keys to highlight the source disk and press Enter.

  • Page 45: Delete Logical Drive

    When the logical drive is created, the Define LD Menu displays with the new logical drive. Delete Logical Drive Deletion of an existing logical drive will result in the loss of all data saved on the logical drive. Record all logical drive information, including RAID level, disk members, stripe block size and gigabyte boundary, in case you wish to undo a deletion.
  • Page 46 Highlight the logical drive you wish to delete and press the Del key or Alt-D. The Delete LD Menu for the selected logical drive appears (below). Press Ctrl-Y to confirm and complete logical drive deletion. The screen returns to the Delete LD Menu. Press Esc to return to the Main Menu.

  • Page 47: Controller Configuration

    Controller Configuration From the Main Menu screen, press 4 to display the Controller Configuration Options screen (below). The information in the System Resources section might be helpful for troubleshooting purposes: • The system IRQ used by the FastTrak card • ATA IO Address •...

  • Page 48: Logical Drive Problems

    FastTrak TX2200, TX2300 User Manual Logical Drive Problems While disk drives are highly reliable, on occasion a disk drive can fail. Fault- tolerant (RAID 1) logical drives go Critical when a disk drive fails. Non-fault- tolerant logical drives (RAID 0) and JBOD go Offline when a disk drive fails.

  • Page 49: Chapter 5: Webpam

    Chapter 5: WebPAM • Log-in to WebPAM (page 43) • Log-out of WebPAM (page 45) • User Management (page 45) • Host Management (page 53) • Utility Configuration (page 54) • FastTrak (page 55) WebPAM is a RAID management software application. If you have not installed WebPAM on your PC, see “WebPAM Installation”...
  • Page 50 Note that the IP address shown above applies to a log-in at the Host PC. When you log in over a network, you will enter the Host PC’s actual IP address. When the opening screen appears (above): Type admin in the Login ID field. Type admin in the Password field.

  • Page 51: Log-Out Of Webpam

    Log-out of WebPAM There are two ways to log out of WebPAM PRO: • Close your browser window • Click Logout on the WebPAM banner (below) After logging out, you must enter your user name and password to log in again. Clicking Logout brings you back to the Login Screen.

  • Page 52: Event Notification

    This will be the User’s login name. Type the user’s display name into the Display Name field. This could be the User’s actual name. Type a password into the Password field. Use up to 8 letters and numbers but no spaces or other characters. Type the same password into the Retype Password field.
  • Page 53 The image above was shortened to fit into the available space. Check the boxes of the notification events that you want to have reported to you via email and popup messages. To select events by their severity, check one of the four Select Events boxes at the top of the window.
  • Page 54 Event Notification Severity Levels Information Events Disk Plugged In Disk BSL Update Disk BSL Cleared Disk Error Fixed Disk Patrol Progress Disk Media Patrol Started Disk Media Patrol Completed Disk Media Patrol Paused Disk Media Patrol Resumed Disk Media Patrol Aborted Array Online Array Created Array Deleted...

  • Page 55: Delete A User

    Delete a User In Tree View, click on the User Management Click on the Delete tab. Check the box to the left of the user you want to delete. Click the Delete button. In the Confirmation box, click the OK button. Change a User’s Password In WebPAM, each user can change his/her own password.

  • Page 56: Change A User's Email Address

    Type a new password in the New Password field. Retype the new password in the Retype Password field. Click the Submit button. If a user forgets his/her password, the Administrator must delete that User and create a new User, as described above. Change a User’s Email Address In WebPAM, each user can change his/her own email address or the Administrator can do it.

  • Page 57: Change A User's Access Rights

    Type a new email address in the Email field. Click the Submit button. Change a User’s Access Rights In WebPAM, the Administrator can change a user’s access rights. To change a user’s access rights: Log in as the Administrator. Click on the User ID link for the user whose access rights will change. Click on the Settings tab.
  • Page 58 Under Host User Rights, check the boxes to select rights for this user. Right Creation Permission to create a logical drive and a spare drive Deletion Permission to delete a logical drive and a spare drive Maintenance Permission to migrate, rebuild and synchronize a logical drive;...

  • Page 59: Host Management

    Host Management This function provides information only. There are no user settings. To access Host Management: Under Administrative Tools in Tree View, click on the Host Management icon. Under Host List, click on the link to the host you want to see. The Host IP address is always 127.0.0.1.

  • Page 60: Utility Configuration

    Utility Configuration Use this function to make email settings for WebPAM and also to set the refresh interval for the Event Frame. Under Administrative Tools in Tree View, click on the Utility Configuration icon. Enter the Sender’s address in the Email Sender field. Be sure the sender has an account in your email system.

  • Page 61: Fasttrak

    Chapter 5: WebPAM FastTrak The FastTrak–Information tab displays a photograph of the FastTrak TX Series RAID Controller card installed in your system. WebPAM will display the FastTrak controller installed in your system. To display this screen in Management View, click on the FastTrak icon in Tree View.

  • Page 62: Controller

    Controller • Controller Information (below) • Controller Settings (page 57) • Controller Schedule (page 58) • Controller Lock (page 59) The term Controller refers to the device that controls your RAID. To access the controller, click on the Controller Controller Information The Information tab displays with information about the controller.

  • Page 63: Controller Settings

    Controller Settings Click on the Settings tab to access controller settings. • Rates – Allocates system resources between the background process (such as Rebuild, Media Patrol, Expansion/Migration, Initialization and Synchronization) and the data read/write activity. A High setting assigns most of the system resources to background processes.

  • Page 64: Controller Schedule

    Choose an interval from the dropdown menu. The range is 0 to 120 seconds. A setting of 0 seconds disables the polling function. Controller Schedule Click on the Schedule tab to access scheduled background processes (such as Rebuild, Media Patrol, Expansion/Migration, Initialization and Synchronization). To access or schedule a Rebuild, Expansion, Migration, Initialization or Synchronization, click on the Logical Drive appropriate tab in Management View.

  • Page 65: Controller Lock

    Go to its function tab under the Physical Drive icon. Under Schedule, click the Disable option. Controller Lock The Lock tab displays lock status and enables you to lock or unlock a subsystem controller. The locking mechanism isolates the controller during maintenance operations and other periods when you want to avoid interruption from other users trying to access the logical drives under this controller.

  • Page 66: Physical Drives

    Physical Drives • Physical Drive View (below) • Media Patrol Schedule (page 60) • Physical Drive Information (page 62) • Physical Drive Settings (page 63) Physical Drive View To access Physical Drive View, click on the Physical Drive View View. From this window, you can click on the links to access information and functions of individual physical drives and use the Split and Merge feature.
  • Page 67 Patrol encounters a suspect sector, it will attempt to regenerate the data and write to the suspect sector. If the write operation is successful, Media Patrol continues checking other sectors. If the write operation fails, Media Patrol reports the error to your PC's system log and to the physical drive's Bad Sector Log (see page 65).

  • Page 68: Physical Drive Information

    Physical Drive Information To access information about a physical drive: Click on the Physical Drive View Click on the Physical Drive The information tab displays the following information: • Drive Model – The physical (disk) drive manufacturer’s model name or number.

  • Page 69: Physical Drive Settings

    • Ultra DMA Mode – The UDMA mode in which this physical drive currently operates. • S.M.A.R.T. Status – SMART, an acronym for Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology, is a feature of the physical drive’s software. When this feature is supported, the drive will pass SMART information to the FastTrak controller when it polls the physical drives.
  • Page 70 Unlike Synchronization and Redundancy Check, Media Patrol is concerned with the condition of the media itself, not the data recorded on the media. If Media Patrol encounters a suspect sector, it will attempt to regenerate the data and write to the suspect sector. If the write operation is successful, Media Patrol continues checking other sectors.

  • Page 71: Physical Drive Bad Sector Log

    Click on the by Day, by Week or by Month option. From the dropdown menus, select a start time and a day of the Week or Month, if applicable. Start time is based on a 24-hour clock. Click the Schedule button. To cancel the scheduled Media Patrol operation: Click on the Physical Drive View Click on the Physical Drive...

  • Page 72: Locate A Physical Drive

    Backup your data, replace the physical drive, create a new logical drive and copy your data to it. See “Logical Drive Rebuild” on page 77 and “Logical Drive Critical / Offline” on page 84. See the SuperSwap User Manual for more information about replacing a physical drive.

  • Page 73: Chapter 5: Webpam, Continued

    Logical Drives • Logical Drive View (below) • Create a Logical Drive (page 67) • JBOD (page 71) • Delete a Logical Drive (page 72) • Logical Drive Information (page 72) • Logical Drive Settings (page 73) • Logical Drive Migration and Expansion (page 74) •...
  • Page 74 Select the option button beside the RAID level you want for your logical drive. WebPAM displays the RAID levels you can use with the available physical (disk) drives. You can also select JBOD on this screen. See “Choosing a RAID Level” on page 94 for information about the advantages and requirements of the available RAID levels and JBOD.
  • Page 75 If you want to create a logical drive with unused capacity, enter the assigned (used) capacity in the Logical Drive Size field. To use the maximum capacity, check the Use Maximum Capacity box. Click on the physical drives to select them. Available drives have a black frame.
  • Page 76 11. For RAID 0 logical drives, select a Stripe Block Size of 32 KB, 64 KB, or 128 KB. 64 KB is the default. See “Stripe Block Size” on page 96 for more information. 12. Select an Initialization policy from the dropdown menu. •...

  • Page 77: Jbod

    Chapter 5: WebPAM Click on the Logical Drive Icon to see all of the information about your new logical drive. Before you can use your new logical drive, you must partition and format the logical drive using your PC’s operating system. See “Appendix A: Partition and Format”...

  • Page 78: Delete A Logical Drive

    If you attach a physical drive that was initialized using Windows disk management, that drive will be automatically recognized as a JBOD by the FastTrak controller and WebPAM. Delete a Logical Drive When you delete a logical drive, you delete all data on the logical drive.

  • Page 79: Logical Drive Settings

    From this screen, you can click on the links to access the Settings, Drive Mapping, Migration, Rebuild, Synchronization, Initialization and Activation features. The features that apply to this logical drive have blue tabs. Features that do not apply have grayed tabs. Logical Drive Settings Logical Drive Settings allows you to assign a name to a logical drive and to change its controller cache settings.

  • Page 80: Logical Drive Migration And Expansion

    Logical Drive Migration and Expansion The Logical Drive–Migration tab enables you to migrate or expand a logical drive. Migration is the process of changing the RAID level of an existing logical drive. Expansion is the process of adding more physical drives to a logical drive while keeping the same RAID level.
  • Page 81 Click on the free physical drive to select it. Available drives have a black frame. Selected drives have a red frame. Click the Start Now button. You can monitor Migration or Expansion progress on the Logical Drive Migration tab. Click the respective buttons to pause and resume the Migration. Scheduled To schedule a Migration or Expansion: Click on the Logical Drive View...
  • Page 82 Click on the free physical drive to select it. Available drives have a black frame. Selected drives have a red frame. Click on the Enable option. From the dropdown menus, select a start time. Start time is based on a 24-hour clock. Click in Start At field to display a popup calendar.

  • Page 83: Logical Drive Rebuild

    Logical Drive Rebuild Rebuild refers to the process of repairing a logical drive by reconstruction the data on one of its physical drives.This feature only RAID 1 logical drives. You can set up a Rebuild to: • Begin immediately (on demand) •...
  • Page 84 Click the respective buttons to pause and resume the Rebuild. Click the Abort button to stop the Rebuild. After an abort, click the Restart button to start the Rebuild from the beginning (zero percent). Scheduled To schedule a Rebuild: Click on the Logical Drive View Click on the Logical Drive Click on the Rebuild tab in Management View.

  • Page 85: Synchronize/Redundancy Check All Logical Drives

    Click on the Rebuild tab in Management View. Click on the Disable option. Automatic Rebuild Automatic rebuilding of a logical drive is possible under the following conditions: • The logical drive is a RAID 1. See “Create a Logical Drive” on page 67. •...
  • Page 86 In the Policy dropdown menu, select Fix if you want Synchronization or Redundancy Check if you do not want to correct inconsistencies. Click on the Enable option. Click on the by Day, by Week or by Month option. From the dropdown menus, select a start time and a day of the Week or Month, if applicable.

  • Page 87: Logical Drive Synchronization/Redundancy Check

    Logical Drive Synchronization/Redundancy Check Synchronization refers to an automated process of checking and correcting data and parity. Unlike a Rebuild, Synchronization is a maintenance operation. You can also synchronize all logical drives at the same time, see page 79. Redundancy Check is an automated process of checking data and parity but it only reports and does not correct, any inconsistencies that it finds.
  • Page 88 You can monitor Migration progress on the Logical Drive Migration tab. Click the respective buttons to pause, resume or abort the Synchronization or Redundancy Check. Scheduled To schedule a Synchronization or Redundancy Check: Click on the Logical Drive View Click on the Logical Drive synchronize.

  • Page 89: Logical Drive Initialization

    Click on the Synchronization tab in Management View. Click on the Disable option. Logical Drive Initialization When logical drive is first created, you can select one of three choices for initialization: • Quick Initialization – Erases the reserve and master boot sectors of the physical drives being added to the logical drive.

  • Page 90: Logical Drive Critical / Offline

    To activate an offline RAID 1 logical drive: Click on the Logical Drive View Click on the Logical Drive Click on the Activation tab in Management View. Click the Activation button. The logical drive converts to Critical status. You can now rebuild the logical drive.

  • Page 91: When A Disk Drive Fails

    When a Disk Drive Fails The following will occur when a physical drive fails or goes offline: • The FastTrak Controller’s audible alarm sounds (if the alarm is enabled). • The SuperSwap Status LED changes from green to red. • WebPAM displays a message in the upper right corner of the Host PC’s monitor screen.
  • Page 92 Replace the failed physical drive. Rebuild your logical drive. Identify the Failed Physical Drive Click on the Physical Drive View a missing physical drive. A drive that used to be present but is suddenly absent is the failed disk drive. In this example, there were four disk drives connected to the FastTrak Controller.
  • Page 93 Select the physical drive you just replaced. Click the Start Now button. You can monitor Rebuild progress on the Logical Drive Rebuild tab. Click the respective buttons to pause and resume the Rebuild. When the Rebuild is finished, your logical drive will be Functional again.

  • Page 94: Enclosures

    Enclosures Enclosure View Enclosure View provides a list of all enclosures currently on the Host PC. To access Enclosure View, click on the Logical Drive View From this window, you can click on the links to access information and functions of individual Enclosures.
  • Page 95 The information tab displays the following information: • Enclosure Type – The manufacturer’s model name or number. • Fan Speed – The RPM of the enclosure’s cooling fans. • Temperature – The internal temperature of the enclosure. Each reading reflects a separate measurement. •...

  • Page 96: Spare Drives

    FastTrak TX2200, TX2300 User Manual Spare Drives A spare drive is a physical drive designated to function as a hot spare drive. This feature is not applicable to FastTrak TX200 or TX2300 because these controllers only support two physical drives.

  • Page 97: Chapter 6: Technology

    Chapter 6: Technology • About FastTrak, below • Introduction to RAID, below • Choosing a RAID Level (page 94) • Other Logical Drive Features (page 96) About FastTrak FastTrak TX Series RAID controller card features concurrent data channel operation and onboard BIOS. The channels on the FastTrak card support concurrent operation that allows for overlapped I/O under multi-tasking operating systems and sharing the workload between multiple drives.

  • Page 98: Raid 0 - Stripe

    RAID 0 – Stripe When a logical drive is striped, the read and write blocks of data are interleaved between the sectors of multiple disk drives. Performance is increased, since the workload is balanced between drives or “members” that form the logical drive. Identical drives are recommended for performance as well as data storage efficiency.

  • Page 99: Raid 1 - Mirror

    Chapter 6: Technology RAID 1 – Mirror When a logical drive is mirrored, identical data is written to a pair of disk drives, while reads are performed in parallel. The reads are performed using elevator seek and load balancing techniques where the workload is distributed in the most efficient manner.

  • Page 100: Jbod - Single Drive

    JBOD – Single Drive An alternative to RAID, JBOD capacity is equal to the size of the disk drive itself. JBOD appears in the User Interface as one individual drive. There are no performance or fault-tolerance features. When one disk fails, all data on that disk is lost.

  • Page 101: Raid 1

    RAID 1 Advantages Simplest RAID storage subsystem design Can increase read performance by processing data requests in parallel since the same data resides on two different drives Recommended Applications for RAID 1 • Accounting • Payroll • Financial • Any application requiring very high availability JBOD Advantages Enables you to manage a large number...

  • Page 102: Other Logical Drive Features

    This function is available in WebPAM. Hot Spare Drive This feature does not apply to FastTrak TX2200 and TX2300 because the controller only supports two physical drives. Cache Settings Cache settings are not adjustable on the FastTrak TX Series RAID Controller card.

  • Page 103: Raid Level Migration

    See “Logical Drive Migration and Expansion” on page 74. Expansion takes place on an existing Functional logical drive without disturbing the existing data. While the logical drive is expanding, you can access the data as before. When expansion is complete, your logical drive will have a larger capacity.
  • Page 104 JBOD Migration is not available for JBOD. Delete the JBOD to make it an unassigned physical drive. See “Delete a Logical Drive” on page 72. Then you can create a RAID 1 logical drive with two unassigned physical drives. See “Create a Logical Drive” on page 67. Before you begin a RAID Level Migration, always back up your important data.

  • Page 105: Chapter 7: Support

    Chapter 7: Support • Frequently Asked Questions • Pre-Installation, below • Motherboard Issues (page 100) • System CMOS Issues (page 100) • Drive Issues (page 101) • Operating System-Related Issues (page 103) • Installation Issues (page 104) • Post-Installation (page 105) •...

  • Page 106: Motherboard Issues

    allows you to control the assignment of these resources, you may be able to remedy the problem by: • Changing the IRQ assignments to the PCI slots in the motherboard BIOS during boot up. • Reset the configuration data in your CMOS. This is usually an option in the PnP section of your CMOS.

  • Page 107: Drive Issues

    Drive Issues Can I add a drive to a FastTrak disk array via hot-swap and dynamically adjust the disk array size? Yes. The FastTrak TX Series supports dynamically adjustable RAID size and RAID level. See “Logical Drive Migration and Expansion” on page 74. Do the disk drives on the FastTrak have to be the same size? The disk drives connected to the FastTrak TX Series do not have to be the same size.
  • Page 108 What system BIOS setup settings do I use for the drives on the FastTrak? None. The drives on the FastTrak TX Series are supported by the FastTrak BIOS and/or OS drivers, not by your system BIOS. How do I partition/format my FastTrak disk array? The FastTrak TX Series represents the disk array as a single disk drive to your system.

  • Page 109: Operating System-Related Issues

    The disk array constantly goes critical or offline during reboot. This condition may occur when the Master Boot Record (MBR) of one of the drives has become corrupt or bad. Removing (erasing) the MBR will remedy any issue related directly to a bad MBR. Before removing the MBR of the drive(s), backup any existing data.

  • Page 110: Installation Issues

    controller that loads the original Master Boot Record (MBR) and then has a problem translating it or the Operating System boot record. Promise recommends a clean install of the Operating System. This action restores the MBR and OS boot record. This action requires partitioning and formatting the drive.

  • Page 111: Performance Tips

    How can I change the boot sequence between a PCI SCSI card and the FastTrak disk array? Since all PCI devices are PnP, it is difficult to determine which device is addressed first. Some newer motherboard BIOSes have advanced options that identify devices and allow you to select which device will be assigned resources first.

  • Page 112: Contact Technical Support

    (408) 228-1400 option 4 Promise Technology, Inc. 580 Cottonwood Drive Milpitas, CA 95035, USA e-Support On-Line +31 (0) 40 256 9463 Attn: Technical Support +31 (0) 40 235 2600 Promise Technology Europe B.V. Science Park Eindhoven 5542 5692 EL Son, The Netherlands...
  • Page 113 On-Line +49 (0) 2 31 56 76 48 - 29 Attn: Technical Support +49 (0) 2 31 56 76 48 - 10 Promise Technology Germany Europaplatz 9 44269 Dortmund, Germany e-Support On-Line 0039 06 367 12400 Attn: Technical Support...
  • Page 114 Fax Support Phone Support If you wish to write us for support: e-Support On-Line +86-10-8857-8015 Attn: Technical Support +86-10-8857-8085/8095 Promise Technology China Room 1205, Tower C Webok Time Center, No.17 South Zhong Guan Cun Street Hai Dian District, Beijing 100081, China...

  • Page 115: Limited Warranty

    Limited Warranty Promise Technology, Inc. (“Promise”) warrants that for three (3) years from the time of the delivery of the product to the original end user: the product will conform to Promise’s specifications; the product will be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use and service.

  • Page 116: Your Responsibilities

    No other document, statement or representation may be relied on to vary the terms of this limited warranty. Promise’s sole responsibility with respect to any product is to do one of the following: replace the product with a conforming unit of the same or superior product;...

  • Page 117: Return Product For Repair

    • Write an attention line on the box with the RMA number • Include a copy of proof of purchase Important Promise Technology, Inc. Customer Service Dept. Attn.: RMA # ______ 47654 Kato Road Fremont, CA 94538 Return the product to your dealer or retailer.
  • Page 118 FastTrak TX2200, TX2300 User Manual You are responsible for the cost of insurance and shipment of the product to Promise. Note that damage incurred due to improper transport or packaging is not covered under the Limited Warranty. When repairing returned product(s), Promise may replace defective parts with new or reconditioned parts, or replace the entire unit with a new or reconditioned unit.

  • Page 119: Appendix A: Partition And Format

    Appendix A: Partition and Format In order for your operating system to recognize and work with the disk drives attached to your FastTrak TX Series RAID controller card, the drives must be partitioned and formatted. • If your drives were previously partitioned and formatted they are ready to use and you can skip this procedure •...
  • Page 120 Click the Next button to start the Wizard. In the following windows, select Disk 1 to Initialize. Do not select any disks to Convert. Click the Finish button to Initialize the disk array. Right-click on the Unallocated portion of Disk 1 and select New Partition... from the popup menu.
  • Page 121 Click the Next button to start the wizard. In the following windows, do the following actions. Click Next to move to the next window. • Select Primary Partition • Specify the maximum available partition size in MB • Assign the available drive letter of your choice •...
  • Page 122 FastTrak TX2200, TX2300 User Manual When formatting is complete, your disk array will appear as a hard drive in the Disk Management window (above) and the My Computer window (below).

  • Page 123: Appendix B: Upgrades

    Step 2: Download BIOS File Go to the Promise website www.promise.com/support. Click on Downloads. Click on the Select Product popup menu and choose FastTrak TX2200 or TX2300 depending on which FastTrak controller you have. Click on the Select Category popup menu and choose BIOS.
  • Page 124 Step 3: Install the BIOS Package • Before you begin, backup any important or useful data. • Do NOT skip any steps in the procedure. • Do NOT power off your PC during the procedure. Boot your PC from the DOS-bootable diskette. When the A:\>...

  • Page 125: Software Driver Upgrade

    Go to the Promise website www.promise.com/support. Click on Downloads. Click on the Select Product popup menu and choose Windows Promise FastTrak TX2200 or TX2300 depending on which FastTrak controller you have. Click on the Select Category popup menu and choose Driver.

  • Page 126: Step 3: Install The Software Drivers

    Step 3: Install the Software Drivers Windows Server 2003, XP and 2000 Insert the FastTrak Driver diskette in the A: drive. In the Start Menu, go to Settings > Control Panel. Double-click on the System icon. Click on the Hardware tab. Click on the Device Manager button.
  • Page 127 SuSE Linux ES 9.0 Insert FastTrak Driver diskette into the floppy drive. Log in as root. Run mount /dev/fd0 /media/floppy. Run cd /media/floppy. Run ./install. Run cd; umount /media/floppy. Remove the FastTrak Driver diskette. Run reboot to restart the system.

  • Page 128: Webpam Upgrade

    Step 1: Download the WebPAM File Go to the Promise website www.promise.com/support. Click on Downloads. Click on the Select Product popup menu and choose FastTrak TX2200 or TX2300. Click on the Select Category popup menu and choose Utility. Click the GO button.

This manual is also suitable for:

Fasttrak tx2300

Table of Contents