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MicroNet Network Device RAIDBank4 Owner's Manual

Micronet technology raidbank4 owner's manual
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Owner's Guide
September 2008
www.MicroNet.com

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  • Page 1: Raid

    Owner’s Guide September 2008 www.MicroNet.com...

  • Page 2: Fcc Compliance Statement

    FCC Compliance Statement Federal Communications Commission Radio Frequency Interference Statement This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.

  • Page 3: Warranty Information

    Warranty Limitations of Warranty and Liability MicroNet Technology has tested the hardware described in this manual and reviewed its contents. In no event will MicroNet or its resellers be liable for direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damage resulting from any defect in the hardware or manual, even if they have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

  • Page 4: Welcome Note

    Welcome From MicroNet Technology We are pleased that you have chosen the RAIDBank4. Our systems are designed for speed, reliability, compatibility, and performance. We think you will find the system easy to install, and a productive addition to your computer system.

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents FCC Compliance Statement Warranty Information Welcome Note Table of Contents Chapter 1. Getting Started Features and Benefits System Requirements and Compatibility Unpacking the RAIDBank4 What’s Included Choosing a place for your RAIDBank4 The RAIDBank4 Interface Components Communications and Control Hot Plug Drive Replacement Connecting the RAIDBank4 RAID Configuration Methods...
  • Page 6 4. Physical Drive Functions 5. System Controls 6. System Information Chapter 5. Host Computer Setup 1. Volume Setup and Apple Macintosh 2. Volume Setup on Microsoft Windows Chapter 6. Troubleshooting Daily Use Tips General Use Precautions Frequently Asked Questions General Mac and Mac OS Specific Windows Specific Appendix A.

  • Page 7: Chapter 1. Getting Started

    Chapter 1. Getting Started Thank you for purchasing The MicroNet RAIDBank4 storage solution. With speed, high capacity, ease of use, and support for numerous applications, RAIDBank4 is the ideal solution for all of your data storage needs. Please take advantage of the information contained within this manual to ensure easy setup and configuration.

  • Page 8: Unpacking The Raidbank4

    Unpacking the RAIDBank4 Please unpack your RAIDBank4 in a static free environment, carefully making sure not to damage or discard any of the packing material. If the RAIDBank4 appears damaged, or if any items of the contents listed below are missing or damaged, please contact your dealer or distributor immediately.

  • Page 9: The Raidbank4 Interface Components

    The RAIDBank4 interface components The following figures illustrate the connector locations for the RAIDBank4. FRONT VIEW REAR VIEW RAIDBank4 Owner’s Manual 1-Getting Started Disk Activity LED Disk Power LED Canister Release Latch Disk Canisters Power/Status Indicator Light LCD Panel with Keypad Fan vents (DO NOT BLOCK!) RS232 Port (reserved) LAN monitoring Port...

  • Page 10: Communications And Control

    Communication and Control RAID functions including creation, modification, and monitoring can be accomplished through the LCD Control panel or the web based administration user interface. The LCD status panel informs you of the RAIDBank4’s current operating status at a glance, as shown here: Normal Status Power LED (Front) LED glows...

  • Page 11: Connecting The Raidbank4

    Connecting the RAIDBank4 Connecting the RAIDBank4 requires an available power socket, and a host with one of the following interfaces: • A USB 2.0 port • An external SATA host bus connector with large LUN and port multiplier support • The Ethernet remote management requires an available Ethernet jack to a hub or switch on your network. 1. Plug the AC adapter cord into the power port on the back of the drive. The plug should not require much effort to insert.

  • Page 12: Raid Configuration Methods

    RAID System Management Controls Following the hardware installation, the RAIDBank4 must be configured and the volume set units initialized before they are ready to use. This can be accomplished by one of the following methods: • Front panel touch-control keypad • Web browser-based RAID management These user interfaces can access the built-in configuration and administration functions that reside in the controller’s firmware.

  • Page 13: Chapter 2. Understanding Raid

    Chapter 2. Understanding RAID The RAIDBank4 controller subsystem is a high-performance SATA2 drive bus disk array controller. When properly configured, the RAIDBank4 can provide non-stop service with a high degree of fault tolerance through the use of RAID technology and advanced array management features.
  • Page 14 RAID 0 (Striping) This RAID algorithm writes data across multiple disk drives instead of just one disk drive. RAID 0 does not provide any data redundancy, but does offer the best high-speed data throughput. RAID 0 breaks up data into smaller blocks and then writes a block to each drive in the array. Pros: Disk striping enhances both read and write performance because multiple drives are accessed simultaneously, Cons: The reliability of RAID Level 0 is less than...

  • Page 15: Raid 5

    RAID 3 RAID 3 provides disk striping and complete data fault tolerance though a dedicated parity drive. RAID 3 breaks up data into smaller blocks, calculates parity on the blocks, and then writes the blocks to all but one drive in the array.

  • Page 16: Online Capacity Expansion

    Volume Set A Volume Set is seen by the host system as a single logical device. It is organized in a RAID level with one or more physical disks. RAID level refers to the level of data performance and protection of a Volume Set. A Volume Set capacity can consume all or a portion of the disk capacity available in a RAID Set.

  • Page 17: Hot Swappable Disk Support

    2-Understanding RAID Hot Swappable Disk support Your RAIDBank4 has a built in protection circuit to support replacement of disk drives without having to shut down or reboot the RAID. In case of drive failure, the failed drive can be removed from the RAIDBank4 and replaced with a new drive without disrupting dataflow to the host computer.

  • Page 18: Chapter 3. Raid Controls-Lcd Interface

    Chapter 3. RAID Controls- LCD Interface This Chapter describes the menu and control structure for your RAIDBank4 using the front panel, serial port, or via Telnet. The RAIDBank4 configuration utility is firmware-based and its operation is independent of host computer type or operating system. Conventions In this chapter, menu navigation is described as follows:...

  • Page 19: Quick Volume/Raid Setup

    6. Additional System Functions CONSIDERATIONS FOR RAID VOLUME CREATION Your RAIDBank4 is capable of creating large logical volumes (LUNS) in excess of 2 Terabytes. Large LUNS (>2TB) must be supported by the host bus adapter and the host Operating System to be usable.

  • Page 20: Raid Set Functions

    2. RAID Set Functions Select the RAID Set Function to manually configure the RAID set for the first time or delete/ reconfigure existing RAID sets. The RAID Set function allows more complete control over the RAID creation process, but requires more interaction then the Quick Volume/RAID Setup option.

  • Page 21: Volume Set Functions

    2.5 Activate RAID set Following a drive failure, the affected Parity or mirrored RAIDset will operate in degraded mode, and will continue to function until the unit is reset. Following a reset, in order for a degraded RAIDset to be available to the host it must be activated. Select “Activate RAID Set” option.
  • Page 22 host bus adapter and the host Operating System to be usable. Windows 2003, Vista, Windows 2008, Mac OS X >10.4.8, and Linux distributions with appropriate kernels all support large LUNS. Windows XP and prior cannot address large LUNS natively over USB, and must use eSATA host bus adapters that have RAID support to be usable.
  • Page 23 3.2 Delete Volume Set Scroll to choose the Delete Existing Volume Set option. Select the RAID set number and volume set to delete and press ENT. At the subsequent confirmation screen, press ENT to confirm deletion. 3.3 Modify Volume Set Use this option to modify an existing volume set attributes as described in the above section.

  • Page 24: Physical Drive Functions

    3-RAID Control-LCD 4. Physical Drive Functions Choose this option from the Main Menu to select a physical disk and to perform the operations listed below. To enter a Physical Drive Functions, press ENT to enter the main menu. Scroll to select the Physical Drive Functions option and then press ENT to enter further submenus. All physical drive submenus will be displayed.

  • Page 25: Raid System Functions

    3-RAID Control-LCD 5. RAID System Functions To control the RAID System, Select the “RAID System Function” option and then press ENT to enter further submenus. Scroll to select the submenus and then press ENT to enter the specified function. 5.1 Mute The Alert Beeper Select the “Mute The Alert Beeper”...
  • Page 26 5.7 Host Channel NCQ Setting The RAIDBank4 supports Native Command Queuing (NCQ) over the eSATA host connection. The NCQ algorithms allow I/O operations to be performed out of order to optimize performance. Since different host bus adapters have some compatibility differences in NCQ implementation, The default setting on this option is Disable for better compatibility.

  • Page 27: Additional System Functions

    6. Additional System Functions The following system functions are located in the main menu and control miscellaneous system functions. 6.1 Ethernet Configuration The RAIDBank4’s Ethernet port is preconfigured for DHCP operation. This menu option allows the user to reconfigure IP functionality for static IP address or custom MAC address. 6.1.1 DHCP (enabled by default) DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is a protocol that lets network administrators manage centrally and automate the assignment of IP (Internet Protocol) configurations on a...
  • Page 28 6.3 Clear all Event Buffers To clear all events in the system log, scroll to select the “Clear all Event Buffers” option and press ENT. The confirmation message will be displayed and press the ENT to clear all event buffers or ESC to abort the action. 6.4 Hardware Information To view the RAIDBank4 controller’s hardware monitor information, Scroll to select the “Hardware Information”...

  • Page 29: Chapter 4. Built In Web-Based Administration

    Chapter 4. RAID Controls- Web Interface Introduction The RAIDBank4 controller firmware includes a complete HTML-based application that allows all configuration and monitoring to be performed across any IP based network, and utilizes standard web browsers for interfacing. This Chapter describes the menu and control structure for your RAIDBank4 using the web interface.

  • Page 30: The Main Menu Configuration Tree

    The Main Menu Configuration Tree 1. Quick Volume/RAID Setup 2. RAID Set Functions 2.1 Create RAID Set 2.2 Delete RAID Set 2.3 Expand RAID Set 2.4 Offline RAID Set 2.5 Activate RAID Set 2.6 Create Hot Spare 2.7 Delete Hot Spare 2.8 Rescure RAID Set 3.

  • Page 31: Quick Volume/Raid Setup

    1. Quick Volume/RAID Setup CONSIDERATIONS FOR RAID VOLUME CREATION Your RAIDBank4 is capable of creating large logical volumes (LUNS) in excess of 2 Terabytes. Large LUNS (>2TB) must be supported by the host bus adapter and the host Operating System to be usable.

  • Page 32: Raid Set Functions

    2. RAID Set Functions Select the RAID Set Function to manually configure the RAID set for the first time or delete/ reconfigure existing RAID sets. The RAID Set functions allows more complete control over the RAID creation process, but requires more interaction then the Quick Volume/RAID Setup option.
  • Page 33 presented in the Volume Set Function to create the volume sets. While RAID migration is in progress, migration status will be displayed in the RAID and volume status areas of the RAID Set information. IMPORTANT: Once the RAID Set expansion process has started it cannot be stopped. The process must complete before any other RAID functions will be available.

  • Page 34: Volume Set Functions

    2.8 Rescue RAID Set In rare cases, It may be possible to recover a failed RAIDset by using this feature. Please make sure that any failed disk drives have been replaced prior to attempting this procedure. When this choice is selected, a command prompt will appear. The two command choices available are ‘RESCUE’...
  • Page 35 3.1.1 To create a new volume set, choose “Volume Set Functions” from the Main menu. Select the “Create Volume Set.” 3.1.2 Check the radio button next to the appropriate RAIDset and click to revert all options to default. The volume set attributes screen will appear. The volume set attributes screen shows the volume set default configuration value that is currently being configured.
  • Page 36 Host eSATA channel SATA150, SATA150+NCQ, SATA300, SATA300+NCQ (default.) Transfer Mode HOST Channel (SATA/USB) RAIDBank4 supports two host channels. Host Channel 0 is the host eSATA interface, and Channel 1 is the USB 2.0 host interface. Drive Number (LUN 0-4) RAIDBank4 supports 4 logical units. Any Volume Set may be mapped to eSATA and/or USB host channels independently.

  • Page 37: Physical Drive Functions

    4. Physical Drive Functions 4.1 Create a Pass-Through Disk A Pass-through disk can be defined to dedicate a single disk as not controlled by the RAIDBank4 firmware and thus cannot be a part of a RAID set. Instead, the disk is available to the operating system as an individual disk.

  • Page 38: System Controls

    5. System Controls 5.1 System Configuration Functions This menu contains various feature and environmental options of the RAIDBank4. The following subsections discuss each attribute’s descriptions (bold denotes default value.) When all desired options are entered, check the box labelled “Confirm the operation” and Click the finalize or to revert all options to default.
  • Page 39 4-RAID Control-Web Interface 5.1.4 JBOD/RAID Configuration (RAID/JBOD) The RAIDBank4 controller can be used in JBOD ( Just a Bunch Of Drives) mode, which allows each drive to be presented separately to the host. To use this mode, make sure to erase any existing RAID sets.
  • Page 40 5.1.13 Auto Activate Incomplete RAID (enabled/disabled) This option determines the default behavior of the RAIDBank4 when booting up with a degraded Volume set. When enabled, the RAIDBank4 will attempt to activate a degraded volume on boot. 5.1.14 Disk Capacity Truncation Mode Disk Truncation is used to decrease disk usable space for compatibility purposes.
  • Page 41 5.2.6 Telnet Port Number (23) The Default Telnet TCP port is 23, and can be changed per user specification. 5.2.7 SMTP Port Number (25) The Default Telnet TCP port is 25, and can be changed per user specification. 5.2.8 Ethernet MAC Address A MAC (Media Access Control) address is your computer’s unique hardware number.
  • Page 42 5.3.4 Event Notification Configuration This table allows the administrator to specify the level of notification provided by the RAIDBank4. Check the radio button next to the desired notification leve. The available choices are: Notification Level Disable Event Notification Urgent Error Notification Serious Error Notification Warning Error Notification Information Notification...
  • Page 43 5.7 Generate Test Event The RAIDBank4 can generate test events to confirm remote notifications are properly working. To generate a test event, select “Generate Test Event,” check the box labelled “Confirm the operation” and click the 5.8 Clear Event Buffer Select “Clear Event Buffer”...

  • Page 44: System Information

    6. Information Functions 6.1 RAIDSet Hierarchy This option will display the current physical and logical configuration of the RAIDBank4. The RAIDset(s), disk channels, and Volume Set(s) are each clickable, and will pull up the respective information about each object. 6.2 System Information Choose this option to display various components of the RAIDBank4, as illustrated in this table: Component Controller Name Firmware Version...

  • Page 45: Chapter 5. Host Computer Setup

    Chapter 5 - Host Computer Setup This chapter is an overview of setting up storage volumes on Macintosh and Windows based computers. To ensure complete installation and ease of use, take a few minutes to read this chapter before installation. 1.

  • Page 46: Volume Setup On Microsoft Windows

    2. Volume Setup on Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista Installation on a Windows system requires a Windows Installation with a properly installed and configured SCSI host bus. Please verify that your assigned SCSI ID is unique among the host SCSI chain, and verify that the terminator is attached and lit at the end of the chain. 2.1 Open the disk management console.

  • Page 47: Chapter 6. Troubleshooting

    Chapter 6 - Troubleshooting Daily Use Tips • Read this User’s Guide carefully. Follow the correct procedure when setting up the device. • Additional application software may have been included with your drive. Please review the documentation included with this software for information on the operation and support of this software. The documentation can usually be found in an electronic format on the installation CD. • Always operate your drive on a steady, level surface. Do not move the unit while it’s turned on.

  • Page 48: Frequently Asked Questions

    Frequently Asked Questions General FAQ Q: Can I leave my RAIDBank4 on all the time, or should I turn it off when not in use? A: The RAIDBank4 is meant to be left on, but does not add any limitations on being turned off.

  • Page 49: Mac And Mac Os Specific

    Q: I’m trying to access the RAIDBank4 using the front panel. When I push enter, it asks me to verify the password. I defined a password, and I enter it, but then the ENT key just moves the cursor over another space and the arrow keys change the characters to use and the ESC take me back to the IP Address screen.

  • Page 50: Windows Specific

    Windows related FAQ: Q: I do not see my Drive listed in the My Computer window, but it does appear in the Device Manager list. A: Right-click on My Computer. Select Manage in the pop-up menu. In the Computer Management window, select Storage, then select Disk Management.
  • Page 51 Q: When I leave my computer idle for a while, my Drive won’t work properly. A: The most likely cause is that your computer is going into sleep mode. The immediate solution is to shut down your computer and turn off the Drive, and then restart your computer.

  • Page 52: Appendix A. Getting Help

    19260 Van Ness Avenue Torrance, CA 90501 (310) 320-7272 Sales (310) 328-0202 Sales Fax (310) 320-0772 Help Desk & Customer Service http://www.MicroNet.com MicroNet Technology can also be reached via email at the following addresses: Sales: sales@micronet.com Help Desk: support@micronet.com RAIDBank4 Owner’s Manual...

  • Page 53: Appendix B. Raid Level Comparison Table

    Appendix B: RAID Level Comparison Table RAID Description M i n . Level Drives Also known as striping Data distributed across multiple drives in the array. There is no data protection Also known as mirroring. All data replicated on 2 Separate disks.

  • Page 54: Appendix C. Terminal Session Setup

    C-Terminal Session Setup Appendix C- Terminal Session Setup The RAIDBank4 has provisions for an RS232 host management connection. In order to use the RS232, a special cable has to be used (not included)- consult your authorized Micronet reseller for more information. The communications port configuration defaults are 115200 Baud, 1 Stop bit operation, no handshaking and no parity.
  • Page 55 Step 4. Select an appropriate connecting port in your Terminal. Step 5: Configure the port parameter settings. Bits per second: “115200”, Data bits: “8”, Parity: “None”, Stop bits: “1”, Flow control: “None”. Click OK Step 6: Open the File menu, and then open Properties. RAIDBank4 Owner’s Manual C-Terminal Session Setup Click OK...
  • Page 56 Step 7: Open the Settings Tab. Step 8. Open the Settings Tab. Function, arrow and ctrl keys act as: Terminal Keys, Backspace key sends: Crtl+H, Emulation: VT100, Telnet terminal: VT100, and Click OK. The VT-100 session is now configured. Utility screen on your VT100 Terminal. RAIDBank4 Owner’s Manual C-Terminal Session Setup Press “X”...

  • Page 57: Appendix D. Glossary Of Raid Terms

    D-Glossary Appendix D- Glossary ATA Acronym for “AT Bus Attachment” - a standard interface to IDE hard disks. Western Digital’s IDE disk interface was standardized by ANSI to form the ATA specification using a 16-bit ISA bus. Cache cache is a fast-access memory bank that serves as an intermediate storage for data that is read from or written to secondary storage.
  • Page 58 D-Glossary Driver A piece of software that controls a hardware device. Typically drivers provide an interface by which applications can use the device in a uniform and hardware-independent manner. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) a protocol that lets network administrators manage centrally and automate the assignment of IP (Internet Protocol) configurations on a computer network.
  • Page 59 D-Glossary Logical Unit (LUN) a SCSI protocol entity which may be addressed by the actual input/ output (I/O) operations of a Logical Drive. Each SCSI-type target provides one or more logical units. Native Command Queuing (NCQ) a technology designed to increase performance of SATA hard disks by allowing the disk firmware to internally optimise the order in which read and write commands are executed.
  • Page 60 D-Glossary Performance Performance is an important criterion on which a customer judges a RAID controller. There are a number of popular benchmarking utilities that are available to measure the I/O performance of a controller. Some of these utilities simulate specific real-life applications and provide the user a score indicating the controller’s overall performance in that niche.
  • Page 61 D-Glossary on the parity disk and the remaining functioning disks. Consequently read operations can be time-consuming when the array is operating in degraded mode. If the parity disk itself fails, then the RAID array is not affected in terms of I/O throughput but it no longer has protection from additional disk failures.
  • Page 62 D-Glossary Read Ahead Motivated by the principle of “spatial locality”, many RAID controllers read blocks of data from secondary storage ahead of time, i.e., before an application actually requests those blocks. The number of data blocks that are read ahead of time is typically governed by some heuristic that observes the pattern of requests.
  • Page 63 D-Glossary SCSI acronym for “Small Computer System Interface”, SCSI is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it can connect a wide range of other devices, including scanners and CD drives.

  • Page 64: Appendix E. Product Specifications

    Appendix E: Product Specifications System Architecture Marvell Orion advanced I/O processor PCI Express Interconnect Dual XOR DMA engines capable of reading from up to eight sources, perform bitwise XOR between the eight sources, and writes the result to a destination. 128MB on-board DDR2-400 SDRAM with ECC protection Marvell SATA ll drive channel controller NVRAM for RAID configuration &...
  • Page 65 Weight: 9 lbs empty 15 lbs with drives. Power Consumption: Normal operation: 2.3 AC Amps @ 115 Volts Spin up (peak): 3.70 AC Amps @ 115 Volts Power Requirements: Internal Auto-sensing 180W power supply (90-240vac) (47-62Hz) Operating Environmental Specifications: Temperature 5ºC - 55ºC (41ºF - 131ºF) Humidity 10% - 90% RH (Non-condensing) RAIDBank4 Owner’s Manual E-Product Specifications...
  • Page 66 The material in this document is for information only and is subject to change without notice. While reasonable efforts have been made in the preparation of this document to assure its accuracy, MicroNet Technology assumes no liability resulting from errors or omissions in this document, or from the use of the information contained herein.

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