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HostRAID Setup Guidelines
After all the hardware has been installed, you must fi rst confi gure Intel's ESB2
SATA RAID before you install the Windows Operating System and other software
drivers.
Important Notes
Note 1: If you do not wish to confi gure onboard SATA RAID functions, please go
directly to Section C-2 for the OS & other software installation.
Note 2: This chapter describes RAID confi guration instructions for the Intel ESB2
Host RAID Controller designed for the Windows OS. To confi gure the LSI SAS
HostRAID, please refer to the LSI folder for the LSI SAS HostRAID Utility and
documentation. The LSI folder is included in the CD-ROM that came with your
motherboard.
C-1 Introduction to Serial ATA and Parallel ATA
To confi gure the SATA RAID functions, you must fi rst use the Intel ESB2 SATA
RAID Utility program to confi gure the RAID Level that you desire before installing
the Windows XP/2000/2003 operating system and other software drivers. (The
necessary drivers are all included on the Supermicro CD that came packaged with
your motherboard.) Note that the current version of the ESB2 SATA RAID Utility
can only support Windows XP/2000/2003 Operating Systems.
Serial ATA (SATA)
Serial ATA (SATA) is a physical storage interface that uses a single cable with a
minimum of four wires to create a point-to-point connection between devices. It
is a serial link, which supports transfer rates up to 3.0 Gbps. Because the serial
cables used in SATA are thinner than the traditional cables used in Parallel ATA
(PATA), SATA systems have better airfl ow and can be installed in smaller chassis.
In addition, the cables used in PATA are limited to a length of 40cm, while Serial
ATA cables can be up to one meter in length. Overall, SATA provides better func-
tionality than PATA.
Intel ESB2 Serial RAID
Appendix C: Intel HostRAID Setup Guidelines
Appendix C
C-1
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