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C. Quick-Setup
C.1 What is the Aim of Quick-Setup ?
In the previous chapter we installed the ICP Controller in a PCI computer and connected
the SCSI devices. Now these devices must be prepared in order to run with your operating
system. This Quick-Setup chapter should help you to get started quickly. Quick-Setup
shows three examples:
Example 1
Installing a single hard disk.
Example 2
Installing a Mirroring Array Drive (RAID 1), consisting of 2 hard disks.
Example 3
Installing a RAID 5 Array Drive, consisting of 3 identical hard disks, and
adding one Hot Fix hard disk.
With example 3 some essential issues having direct impact on the structure and configura-
tion of an Array Drive will also be discussed:
1.
How many physical hard disks are to be integrated in the Array Drive ?
2.
Which redundancy level ought to be achieved ?
3.
Should the ICP Controller automatically recover redundancy in the event of
a disk failure ? Or, in other terms: Are Hot Fix drives needed ?
Before we go through these examples, we would like to explain a few terms and relations
important for the basic understanding of the ICP Controller firmware. At the end of example
3, we will try to answer the three questions above.
C.2 What is the ICP Controller Firmware ?
We refer to firmware as the operating system which controls the ICP Controller with all its
functions and capabilities. The firmware exclusively runs on the ICP Controller and is stored
in the Flash-RAM on the ICP Controller PCB. The controlling function is entirely independ-
ent of the PCI computer and the host operating system installed (for example UNIX), and
does not "drain" any computing power or time from the PCI computer. According to the sys-
tem requirements needed, the ICP Controllers are available with three firmware variants.
The firmware is either already installed on the controller upon delivery, or can be added as
an upgrade:
Standard Firmware (installed on the GDTx1x8Rx and GDT7123RN controllers).
In addition to simple controlling functions regarding SCSI hard disks or removable
hard disks, this version allows disk chaining (several drives can be linked in order to
form a single "large" drive), and the configuration of Array Drives of the types data
striping (RAID 0) and disk mirroring or duplexing (RAID 1).
Note: Use the RAIDYNE® Upgrade to install RAIDYNE®.
RAIDYNE® (installed on the GDTx5x8Rx and GDTx5x3RN controllers).
In addition to disk chaining, RAID 0 and RAID 1, RAIDYNE® allows you to install
Array Drives of the types RAID 4 (data striping with dedicated parity drive), RAID 5
(data striping with distributed parity) and RAID10 (a combination between RAID 0
and 1)
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