Appendix; Faq; About Data Backup - OWC Mercury Rack Pro User Manual & Owners Manual

OWC Mercury Rack Pro Chapter 5 - Appendix

5 APPENDIX

5.1 FAQ

Q: How do I format my storage solution?
A: OWC has included some formatting instructions in chapter 3. These are also located
online at:
http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/formatting.cfm
Q: What file system should I choose when formatting my drive?
A: This will depend on how you want to use the drive, but in general, we recommend:
• Mac OS X: - HFS + (Mac OS Extended)
• Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7: NTFS
• For cross-platform compatibility, FAT32 is compatible, but single file sizes are limited
to 4GB. Other options using 3rd party software exist but are not covered here.
Q: Why does my solution not show up with full capacity on my computer when using
Windows 2000 / XP?
A: Since Windows 2000 and XP 32 bit use Master Boot Record, the operating system
limits you to a maximum of 2TB .
Q: How many drives can fail before I lose my data?
A: This depends on the RAID mode. For RAID 0 and SPAN, any drive failure will result in
the data being lost. For RAID 1, RAID 3, RAID 5, and RAID 10, the failure of two or more
drives at the same time will mean that data cannot be recovered. Combine / Clear
RAID modes use independent drives and only that drive that fails is lost.
Q: Will the drives spin down when my computer goes into to sleep or stand-by mode?
A: Yes, they will spin down and the rack will go into Smart Sleep mode (all lights off,
fans will not spin) to save energy. It will take about 30 seconds to access your data after
being in sleep or stand-by mode.
Q: Why does the LED indicator for some of the drives light up red?
A: If one of the HDD LEDs lights up red, the drive is defective. You need to replace that
drive as soon as possible.

5.2 About Data Backup

To ensure that your files are protected and to prevent the loss of your data, we strongly
suggest that you keep two copies of your data: One copy on your OWC Mercury Rack
Pro and a second copy on either your internal drive or another storage medium, such
as an optical backup, or on a second external drive. Any data loss or corruption while
using the OWC Mercury Rack Pro is the sole responsibility of the user, and under no
circumstances will Other World Computing be held liable for compensation or the
recovery of any lost data.