Promise Technology FastTrak SX4000 User Manual
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Promise Technology FastTrak SX4000 User Manual

Promise Technology FastTrak SX4000 User Manual

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FastTrak SX4000
User Manual
Version 3.0

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Summary of Contents for Promise Technology FastTrak SX4000

  • Page 1 FastTrak SX4000 User Manual Version 3.0...
  • Page 2 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 Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. • Consult Promise Technology, Inc. or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. This device complies with Part 5 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the...
  • Page 4 FastTrak SX4000 User Manual Notes...

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ....................1 What is FastTrak SX4000?................... 1 Chapter 2: Getting Started..................3 Unpacking FastTrak SX4000................3 FastTrak SX4000 Controller Card..............3 Cables........................ 4 Quick Install Checklist................... 5 Hardware Installation ..................5 Software Installation................... 5 Chapter 3: FastBuild™...
  • Page 6 Partitioning & Formatting Arrays ..............28 Configuration Ideas..................... 29 Fault Tolerance....................29 Hot Spare Drive(s) ................... 29 Chapter 6: Troubleshooting ..................31 FastTrak SX4000 BIOS Error Messages ............31 Frequently Asked Questions................31 Pre-Installation....................31 Drive Issues ..................... 32 Installation Issues .................... 33 Post-Installation ....................

  • Page 7: Chapter 1: Introduction

    RAID levels) and monitor those servers from any workstation on the network • Create a series of FastTrak SX4000 RAID networks at any number of offsite locations • Monitor and/or repair FastTrak SX4000 RAID arrays using the Internet from an offsite location—all without compromising the integrity of secure servers...
  • Page 8 FastTrak SX4000 User Manual Notes...

  • Page 9: Chapter 2: Getting Started

    Chapter 2: Getting Started This chapter is designed to help you prepare FastTrak SX4000 for installation. Please read through this chapter carefully before attempting to install FastTrak SX4000. Users should record their current CMOS (system setup) settings before making any changes. This preventative measure is aimed at protecting such information from loss, which may happen unpredictably during any hardware installation.

  • Page 10: Cables

    Figure 1. FastTrak SX4000 controller card Cables Ultra ATA drive cables are provided with the FastTrak SX4000 controller card. These cables must be used with Ultra ATA/133, Ultra ATA/100 and Ultra ATA/66 drives in order to realize their full performance specifications.

  • Page 11: Quick Install Checklist

    FastTrak SX4000 Message Agent is installed If this system is to be a monitoring gateway or server, the FastTrak SX4000 Message Server is installed. If this system is to be used for monitoring FastTrak SX4000 server systems, FastTrak SX4000 PAM utility is installed.
  • Page 12 FastTrak SX4000. Arrays may subsequently be created through the PAM utility. You must have an array on FastTrak SX4000 in order to use the drives for data storage. See Chapter 3 for more information about using the FastBuild BIOS utility to create an array.

  • Page 13: Chapter 3: Fastbuild™ Utility

    Setup Task Quick Reference Use this reference to make sure you have completed all the tasks necessary to get your FastTrak SX4000 server running. See Appendix B for more information on RAID arrays. Setup Checklist Power up the system and watch for the Promise FastTrak SX4000 BIOS messages.

  • Page 14: Entering The Bios Fastbuild Utility

    FastTrak SX4000 User Manual Entering the BIOS FastBuild Utility When the system boots, you will see the Promise FastTrak SX4000 BIOS sign-on banner appear on the screen. Once the BIOS identifies the arrays attached to the FastTrak SX4000 controller, it will offer an option to enter the FastBuild utility.

  • Page 15: Fasttrak Bios Reference

    Chapter 3: FastBuild Utility FastTrak BIOS Reference When the FastTrak SX4000 BIOS loads during system boot time, it displays pertinent information about the RAID arrays that it finds, then displays Press Ctrl- F to enter Array BIOS Configuration Utility (see below).

  • Page 16: Main Menu

    1 and 5, at least two or more drives in the array have failed. For a RAID 0 array, at least one drive has failed. Main Menu FastBuild Array Utility 1.10 (c) 2001 Promise Technology, Inc. [ Main Menu ] View Drive Assigments..[ 1 ] View/Define Array.....[ 2 ]...

  • Page 17: View Drive Assignments

    [ESC] Exit Figure 4. View Drive Assignments screen Channel: ID This field shows the FastTrak SX4000 controller channel ID (1-4) to which a particular drive is attached. Drive Model This field identifies the manufacturer, model, and model number (if applicable) of each drive installed on the FastTrak SX4000 card.
  • Page 18 Enter to select. The Define Array Definition Menu will next appear that allows drive assignments to the disk array (see Page 13). FastBuild Array Utility 1.10 (c) 2001 Promise Technology, Inc. [ Define Array Menu ] Array No...

  • Page 19: Define Array Definition Menu

    20 GB). This can be helpful in the event that a drive fails and an exact replacement model is no longer available. Warning Without this feature enabled, FastTrak SX4000 will not permit the use of a replacement drive that is slightly smaller than the remaining working drive.

  • Page 20: Creating A Raid 0 Array

    Changing Stripe Block Size For RAID 0 arrays, FastTrak SX4000 will allow you to change the stripe block size. The default is 64K. However, certain application environments may perform optimally with different block size. To change the block size, use the Arrow keys to highlight the field and the Spacebar to cycle through the available size selections (16, 32 or 64K).

  • Page 21: Creating A Raid 1 Array

    FastTrak SX4000 to act as a “hot spare” replacement (see Page 17). Changing the Stripe Block Size For RAID 1 arrays, FastTrak SX4000 does not permit the user to change the Stripe Block size. This feature is not available for RAID 1 arrays. Setting the Gigabyte Boundary For RAID 1 arrays, FastTrak SX4000 will allow you to toggle the Gigabyte Boundary ON or OFF.

  • Page 22: Creating A Raid 0+1 Array

    Define Array Menu where the array will be shown. Changing the Stripe Block Size For RAID 0+1 arrays, FastTrak SX4000 will allow you to change the stripe block size. The default is 64K. However, certain application environments may perform optimally with different stripe block sizes.

  • Page 23: Creating A Single Drive Array

    (see below). Changing Stripe Block Size for RAID 5 Array For RAID 5 arrays, FastTrak SX4000 will allow you to change the stripe block size. The default is 64K. However, certain application environments may perform optimally with different values. To change the block size, press the Arrow keys to highlight the field and the Spacebar to cycle through the available size selections.

  • Page 24: Disk Array Recognition Order

    Figure 7. Assigning Bootable Array Disk Array Recognition Order During startup, the disk arrays on the FastTrak SX4000 are recognized in this order: The array set to bootable in the FastBuild setup By the Array number (i.e. Array 1, Array 2…). This would be involved in determining which drive letters will be assigned to each disk array.

  • Page 25: Delete Array

    Chapter 3: FastBuild Utility Delete Array By pressing 3 from the Main Menu screen, displays the Delete Array Menu (see below). Figure 8. Delete Array Menu Note Deletion of an existing disk array could result in the loss of all data from the hard drives of the affected array.

  • Page 26: Controller Configuration

    Halt On Error is enabled if you want the system to halt processing during bootup if the FastTrak SX4000 BIOS determines that there is an array error. Halting the boot process allows you to diagnose the problem so you can take corrective action.

  • Page 27: Chapter 4: Installing Drivers

    Chapter 4: Installing Drivers This chapter details the FastTrak SX4000 driver installation when used with various operating systems. The software includes the driver necessary to identify FastTrak SX4000 to the operating system. Note Always visit the Promise Website for the latest device drivers.

  • Page 28: Installing Driver In Existing Windows Xp System

    From Windows XP, open the Control Panel from My Computer. Click on Performance and maintenance. Click on the System icon. Choose the Hardware tab, and then click the Device Manager tab. Click the + in front of SCSI controllers. WinXP Promise FastTrak SX4000™ Series Controller should appear.

  • Page 29: Windows 2000

    A: and press Enter key. Choose Win2000 Promise FastTrak SX4000™ Series Controller from the list that appears on screen, and then press the Enter key. The Windows 2000 Setup screen will appear again saying “Setup will load support for the following mass storage devices:”...

  • Page 30: Installing Driver In Existing Windows 2000 System

    If you plan move the boot drive containing the existing Windows 2000 operating system to the FastTrak SX4000 card, the FastTrak SX4000 driver MUST be loaded to the hard drive while it is still attached to your existing hard drive controller.

  • Page 31: Windows Nt4

    When the Windows NT Setup window is generated, press S to Specify an Additional Device(s). Press O to select Other and press the Enter key. Insert the Promise Technology FastTrak SX4000 driver diskette into drive A: and press the Enter key. Choose WinNT Promise FastTrak SX4000™ Series Controller from the list that appears on screen, and then press the Enter key.

  • Page 32: Installing Driver With Existing Windows Nt 4.0

    If you plan to move the boot drive containing the existing Windows NT operating system to the FastTrak SX4000 card, the FastTrak SX4000 driver MUST be loaded on to this hard drive while it is still attached to your existing hard drive controller.

  • Page 33: Chapter 5: Raid Setup

    Removing any other drive may cause the array to become unavailable. When notified either by the FastTrak SX4000 BIOS or the PAM utility that a drive has failed, note the channel number of the failed drive to determine the physical location of the failed drive.

  • Page 34: Rebuilding/Synchronizing Fault Tolerant Arrays

    FastTrak SX4000 User Manual array. If the drive failed, then the entire array must be deleted and re-initialized since all data is considered lost. Rebuilding/Synchronizing Fault Tolerant Arrays Though a critical array can continue storage operations, it no longer offers fault tolerance and should be addressed as soon as possible by replacing the missing or failed drive(s).

  • Page 35: Configuration Ideas

    RAID configurations. Fault Tolerance Since FastTrak SX4000 maintains four independent data channels and assigns just one drive per channel, users are protected in case a single drive or an entire data channel fails. This provides an added level of protection than other RAID controllers, such as those that allow connecting two (or more) drives to the same channel connector.
  • Page 36 FastTrak SX4000 User Manual Notes...

  • Page 37: Chapter 6: Troubleshooting

    Pre-Installation (Speed, Device Types, Capacity, Cabling) What kind of hard drives can I use with a FastTrak SX4000 array? You can use any Ultra ATA/100, or Ultra ATA/33/66 hard drive(s) to create arrays on the FastTrak SX4000. However, you should use matching drives for multiple-drive arrays to maximize capacity usage as well as performance.

  • Page 38: Drive Issues

    Multiple striped drives will not work. Also, the other controller must address the drives as LBA, not CHS. If I have a problem with one of the drives on the FastTrak SX4000, how can I low level format it to correct the problem?

  • Page 39: Installation Issues

    (NT, Drive Capacity, Booting, IRQ Settings) Why doesn’t Windows NT/2000/XP see my FastTrak SX4000 controller? You need to install the FastTrak SX4000 drivers to be able to see the card and the attached drives (arrays). Why are some drives recognized by the FastTrak SX4000 Array Setup...

  • Page 40: Post-Installation

    Post-Installation (Power Up, BIOS Initialization, Memory Managers, Caching, Booting) Why does my FastTrak SX4000 take so long to power up and get a signal to the VGA monitor now that the FastTrak SX4000 card is installed? The process should only take a few seconds at most. The FastTrak SX4000 controller performs an intensive memory check each time at power-up.

  • Page 41: Appendix A: Technical Specifications

    Appendix A: Technical Specifications Disk Array Features • Supported RAID Levels: • RAID 0 – striping for performance • RAID 1 – disk mirroring • RAID 0+1 – mirrored stripe set • RAID 5 – striped data + striped parity •...

  • Page 42: Hardware Features

    FastTrak SX4000 User Manual Hardware Features • 32-bit / 66MHz PCI interface compliant to PCI Rev 2.2 • PCI bus mastering DMA with hardware scatter-gather engine for maximum performance • Supports 266MB/sec burst data transfer rate across PCI bus • PCI Plug-and-Play support •...

  • Page 43: Appendix B: Technology Background

    Appendix B: Technology Background Introduction to RAID RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) allows multiple hard drives to be combined together to form one large logical drive or “array.” As far as the operating system is concerned, the array represents a single storage device, and treats it as such.

  • Page 44: Raid 1 - Mirroring

    FastTrak SX4000 User Manual RAID 1 - MIRRORING When a disk array is mirrored, identical data is written to a pair of 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 45: Raid 0+1 - Striping/Mirror

    Appendix B: Technology Background RAID 0+1 - STRIPING/MIRROR Striping/mirroring combines both of the previous array types. It can increase performance by reading and writing data in parallel while protecting data with duplication. At least four drives are needed for RAID 0+1 to be installed. With a four-drive disk array, drive pairs are striped together with one pair mirroring the first pair.

  • Page 46: Raid 5 - Block And Parity Striping

    FastTrak SX4000 User Manual RAID 5 - BLOCK AND PARITY STRIPING RAID 5 calculates parity in order to achieve redundancy rather than writing a second copy of the data, like RAID 1. Parity is distributed across the physical drives along with the data blocks. In each case, the parity data is stored on a different disk than its corresponding data block.

  • Page 47: Appendix C: Technical Support

    Fax Technical Support (408) 228-6401 Attention: Technical Support Phone Technical Support (408) 228-6402 7:30-5:00pm M-F Pacific Standard Time If you wish to write us for Promise Technology, Inc. support: Attn: Technical Support 1745 McCandless Drive Milpitas, CA 95035, USA...
  • Page 48 FastTrak SX4000 User Manual European Tech Support E-mail Support support@promise.nl Fax Technical Support +31 (0)40-256-9463 Attention: Technical Support Phone Technical Support +31 (0)40-235-2600 8:30-5:00pm The Netherlands Time If you wish to write us for Promise Technology Europe B.V. support: Attn: Technical Support...

  • Page 49: Limited Warranty

    Appendix C: Technical Support Limited Warranty Promise Technology, Inc. (“Promise”) warrants that for Two (2) 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 50 FastTrak SX4000 User Manual 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; repair the product; recover the product and refund the purchase price for the product.

  • Page 51: Returning Product For Repair

    Return only the specific product covered by the warranty (do not ship cables, manuals, diskettes, etc.), with a copy of your proof of purchase to: USA and Canada: Promise Technology, Inc. Customer Service Dept. Attn.: RMA # ______ 1745 McCandless Drive...

  • Page 52: Your Responsibilities

    FastTrak SX4000 User Manual Your Responsibilities You are responsible for determining whether the product is appropriate for your use and will interface with your equipment without malfunction or damage. You are also responsible for backing up your data before installing any product and for regularly backing up your data after installing the product.

  • Page 53: Index

    Index Arrays Windows 2000, new OS..... 23 Bootable ........17 Windows NT4, existing OS ..26 Creating......11, 15, 16 Windows NT4, new OS ....25 Critical & Offline......27 Windows XP, existing OS ..22 Deleting ........8, 18 Errors Hot Spare Drives ......17 Halt On.........

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