Drive Issues - Gigabyte Promise RAID Function User Manual

Frequently Asked Questions
RAID 0 (stripe)
For capacity — The RAID Function array will be as big as the smallest HDD in
the array times however many HDDs are in the array. Any larger HDDs will simply be
truncated. The truncated space on the bigger HDDs will then be unusable.
For sustained data transfers — Using RAID Function, a RAID 0 array consisting of
two HDDs will transfer at about twice the speed of the slowest HDD in the array. A
RAID 0 array consisting of four HDDs will transfer at about three times the speed of
the slowest HDD in the array.
RAID 1 (mirror)
For capacity — The RAID Function array will be as big as the smallest HDD in
the array. The larger HDD will simply be truncated. The truncated space on the bigger
HDD will then be unusable.
For sustained data transfers — The RAID Function array will write data at the
rate of the slowest HDD in the array. The RAID Function array will read data at
twice the rate of the slowest HDD in the array.

8-2 Drive Issues

Q: Can I add a drive to a RAID array via hot-swap and
dynamically adjust the array size/configuration?
A: No. The RAID Function system does not support dynamically adjustable RAID
size/configurations.
Q: Do the HDDs on the RAID Function have to be the same size?
A: The HDDs that you use with the RAID Function do not have to be the same size.
If the sizes differ, the RAID Function will "adjust" the HDDs so that they are
compatible. Basically, it will truncate the bigger HDD so the sizes match. Any unused
space that results from this is unusable, so don't use HDDs that differ too much. It'll
work, but it's a waste.
Q: Can I take a set of drives which make up an array created on one RAID
Function server and move it to another RAID Function server?
A: Yes. All RAID Function controllers read the arrays the same way. Once the drives
are all connected, you must restart the system for it to recognize the newly-inserted
array configuration.
Q: Can I take a drive used in a RAID Function array and access it directly with a
different controller, such as the one integrated on the motherboard?
A: Yes, but only under certain configurations. The following array configurations will
6 3