Promise Technology FastTRAK66 User Manual
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Promise Technology FastTRAK66 User Manual

Promise Technology FastTRAK66 User Manual

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  • Page 1 Ultra ATA/66 RAID Card Ultra ATA/66 RAID Card Ultra ATA/66 RAID Card Ultra ATA/66 RAID Card Ultra ATA/66 RAID Card User's Manual...
  • Page 2 Promise Technology, Inc. Promise Technology is not liable for any errors contained herein or incidental or consequential damages in connection with furnishing this material.
  • Page 3 FastTrak66 CAUTION: Changes or modifications to the not expressly approved by PROMISE TECHNOLOGY, INC. could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment. 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 4: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Introduction ..................1-1 What is the FastTrak/FastTrak66 RAID Card? ........... 1-1 Key Features and Benefits ................1-1 Getting Started ................... 2-1 Unpacking Your FastTrak66 ............... 2-1 Quick Installation ..................2-2 Hardware Installation ............... 3-1 Install the FastTrak66 Card ................ 3-1 Set IDE Drive Jumper Settinngs ..............
  • Page 5 Table of Contents Understanding Disk Array Concepts ..........6-1 Disk Array Adapter ..................6-1 Adapter BIOS ..................... 6-1 FastBuild Auto Menu Setup ..............6-1 Reserved Sector ..................6-1 Disk Array Terms ..................6-2 Supported Disk Array Types ..............6-3 Operating System Installation ............7-1 DOS ......................

  • Page 6: Introduction

    PC users wanting to continually protect valuable data on their PC. FastTrak66 offers RAID 1 mirroring (for two drives) and RAID 0+1 mirroring and striping (for four drives) to protect data. Should a drive that is part of a mirrored array fail, FastTrak66 uses the mirrored drive (which contains identical data) to assume all data handling.
  • Page 7 PCI Plug-n-Play, PCI Interrupt sharing and Easy to install; support four IDE drives on coexists with mainboard IDE controllers the FastTrak66 while still supporting 4 IDE devices on the mainboard IDE controllers. Supports concurrent dual IDE controller Drive workload is distributed in parallel operation between members of the array.
  • Page 8 Introduction Compatibility Features Benefits Complies with PCI v2.1 Local Bus standard Provides highest level of hardware compatibility. Compliant with PCI IDE Bus Master Provides 32-bit I/O, IDE Bus Master, and standard. PCI IDE Bus Master support for Ultra ATA performance for optimal system Windows95, Windows NT 3.5x, 4.0 performance.
  • Page 9 Introduction This Page Intentionally Left Blank...

  • Page 10: Getting Started

    Chapter 2 Getting Started This section is designed to get you started for installation of your FastTrak66. Unpacking Your FastT rak66 When you receive the FastTrak66, the package should contain the items listed below: FastTrak66 Ultra ATA/66 RAID Card FastTrak66 User’s Manual...

  • Page 11: Quick Installation

    Quick Installation Quick Installation This section is designed to get you started for quick installation of your FastTrak66. Use drives that are preferably the same model and capacity. NOTE: If using older IDE drives (less than 300MBs), check with the manufacturer if it supports Multi- DMA transfers.
  • Page 12 Set Mainboard CMOS Setup No changes are necessary in the Mainboard CMOS Setup for resources or drive types. Since FastTrak66 is a PCI Plug-n-Play (PnP) device, the Interrupt and Port address resources are automatically assigned by the Mainboard’s PCI PnP BIOS.
  • Page 13 Install DOS, Windows, and/or Windows95/98 using the “Setup.exe” utility found on the Microsoft installation diskettes. Driver Installation For DOS and Windows 3.1x: No drivers need to be installed. The FastTrak66 BIOS will provide enhanced operation. Windows95/98 setup will show a “New Hardware Found” dialog box. Under ver- sions 4.00.950 and 4.00.950 an “Unknown PCI Device”...

  • Page 14: Hardware Installation

    To customize IRQ settings, enter the Mainboard BIOS’s Advanced PCI setup and follow the manufacturer’s procedures. When the system is limited by IRQ resources, the FastTrak66 card can be set for the same IRQ as other PCI cards that support PCI interrupt sharing.

  • Page 15: Drive Attachment Order By Connector

    Then proceed to Chapter 4 which covers operation of the card’s BIOS utility and array creation. FastTrak66 coexisting with onboard ATAPI CD-ROM Do NOT attach ATAPI devices to FastTrak66. FastTrak66 is for hard drives only. ATAPI IDE CD-ROM drives or other devices can be installed on Mainboard or add-on IDE controllers.
  • Page 16 IDE controller(s) and hard drives installed. If the motherboard’s CMOS has a “boot to SCSI” option, it is possible to boot from the FastTrak66 and still rec- ognize the onboard non-bootable drives. If the motherboard CMOS does not al-...
  • Page 17 Hardware Installation This Page Intentionally Left Blank...

  • Page 18: Fastbuild

    Configuration Setup The FastBuild setup gives menu choices to create and manage disk arrays on the Promise FastTrak66 adapter. FastTrak (tm) / FastTrak66 (tm) BIOS Version 1.xx (Build xxxx) (c) 1995-99 Promise Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. MODE SIZE TRACK-MAPPING...

  • Page 19: Main Menu

    Configuration Setup Main Menu This is the first option screen when entering the FastBuild Setup. FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 1995-99 Promise Technology, Inc. [ Main Menu ] Auto Setup .............. [ 1 ] View Drive Assignments ........[ 2 ] Define Array ............

  • Page 20: Auto Setup

    The <1> Auto Setup selection can intuitively help create your disk array. It will assign all available drives appropriate for the disk array you are creating. FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 1995-99 Promise Technology, Inc. [ Auto Setup Options Menu ]...

  • Page 21: View Drive Assignments

    FastTrak66 begins to perform an automatic data rebuild on the “spare” drive in the background without the need to restart the system. At a later time, the failed drive can be physically removed from the FastTrak66 card and an extra drive added in its place to function as the “spare” drive.
  • Page 22 [A user may use a single drive in either striping or spanning mode with FastTrak66. In this rare scenario, the card will create an individual array ID but will offer conventional controller performance, depending on the drive type. At a later time, a second drive can be added to the array and the array re-created to support RAID 1 mirroring].
  • Page 23 Definition Menu screen. Under the Definition section, highlight the Array # and use the [Space] key to cycle through three array types: Performance (RAID 0 FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 1995-99 Promise Technology, Inc. [ Define Array Definition Menu ]...
  • Page 24 N - Create Only Adding Fault Tolerance to an Existing Drive FastTrak66 will create a mirrored array using an existing system drive with data. You must assign the existing drive and another drive of same or larger capacity to the Mirroring array.

  • Page 25: Define Array

    * askerisk will appear next to the array number indicating it as bootable. Note: your PC or server must be configured to use the FastTrak66 as the bootable controller. The system will then use the bootable array as the (fixed) boot C: drive.

  • Page 26: Delete Array Menu

    Arrays can normally be recovered after array deletion by defining array information identical to the deleted array. FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 1995-99 Promise Technology, Inc. [ Delete Array Menu ]...

  • Page 27: Rebuild Array

    The Rebuild option is necessary to recover from an error in a mirrored disk array. Note: Drives must be replaced if they contain any physical errors. Follow these steps before using the <5> Rebuild Array menu option: From the FastTrak66 Startup BIOS error message, identify which array has failed. In the FastBuild Setup <3>...
  • Page 28 NOTE: For automatic rebuilds of a mirrored array, attach an extra “spare” drive to the FastTrak66. Drives that are not assigned to an array and are the same size or larger than the original will be used for the automatic rebuild. This is performed in the background under all supported operating systems, except DOS.

  • Page 29: Controller Configuration

    Trak66. The resources used are determined by the Mainboard PCI PnP BIOS for the PCI slot in which the FastTrak66 resides. In the rare case that there is a resource conflict, refer to the Mainboard BIOS documentation on changes on resources allocated to the FastTrak66 PCI slot.

  • Page 30: Win 95/98/Nt Monitoring Utility

    Chapter 5 FastCheck Win 95/98/NT Monitoring Utility Once FastTrak66 is installed and operational, the FastCheck Utility is used to moni- tor the operating status of all arrays and drives configured on the FastTrak66. Visual and audible messages are available to warn of possible problems with the disk array or controller.

  • Page 31: Running Fastcheck

    FastCheck Monitoring Utility Running FastCheck As described in the Installation section, the default option for FastCheck is to load during startup of Win95/98/NT . It appears minimized on the taskbar (below far right) as shown under Win 95/98/NT (4.0). Under Win NT 3.5x, it appears as a minimized icon on the desktop: Double-click the FastCheck icon (appears as 3 disk drives) on the taskbar or desktop.

  • Page 32: Fastcheck Monitoring Utility Main Screen

    FastCheck Monitoring Utility FastCheck Monitoring Utility Main Screen Once FastCheck is selected, the FastCheck Monitoring Utility window will appear. The main pane has three information window tabs: Array, Controller, and Options. The Array tab is the default screen as shown below: Array Window The Array Window displays information about the arrays configured on your Fast- Trak66 through the FastBuild BIOS.
  • Page 33 FastCheck Monitoring Utility drive(s). Promise recommends replacing the failed drive as soon as possible since a “Critical” array offers no data redundancy. Offline: This would appear most commonly within a RAID 0 or Spanning array. The “Offline” results from a drive having failed which has taken the entire array “offline.”...
  • Page 34 FastCheck Monitoring Utility Size: Indicates capacity of individual drive Location: Shows physical location of drive. Indicates on which IDE channel (1 or 2), and whether drive is Master or Slave on cable. This allows user to identify drives for removal/replacement. Mapping: Indicates physical parameters of drive (cylinders, heads, sectors) Timing: Shows selection of drive timing (directly related to burst speed) based on type of drive and cable used.

  • Page 35: Array Synchronization

    FastCheck Monitoring Utility Array Synchronization Access array synchronization using the Array pull-down menu (see above section). Synchronization is a periodic maintenance procedure for Mirroring (RAID 1, RAID 0+1) arrays to maintain data consistency on all mirrored drives. In operation, array synchronization compares data on the mirrored drives for any differences.

  • Page 36: Array Rebuild

    FastCheck Monitoring Utility NOTE: During Array Synchronization, users may continue to access the working array and perform normal PC functions. However, system performance will be slightly degraded and the process will take longer. To halt the Synchronization process, right-click the Array # again. The pull-down menu will appear showing the Stop Synchronize option as shown below.

  • Page 37: Rebuild Wizard

    FastCheck Monitoring Utility Rebuild Wizard If there are multiple arrays defined, you must select the proper Array #. Press Next button to proceed to Step 2 of Rebuild Wizard or Cancel button to stop. In Step 2 above, you must select the Target drive which will receive data. Make sure you select the blank new or replacement drive.
  • Page 38 Once Array Rebuild is started, users are returned to the FastCheck Monitoring window. A progress bar will appear at the bottom of the FastCheck Monitoring window similar to below: NOTE: When a “spare” unassigned drive is present on the FastTrak66, a rebuild will automatically be performed from the remaining working drive.
  • Page 39 FastCheck Monitoring Utility To halt the Rebuild process, right-click the Array # again. The pull-down menu will appear showing the Stop Rebuild option as shown below. Once “Stop Rebuild” is selected, you will be asked to verify “Cancel Rebuild?” Click Yes to Stop or No to continue Rebuild. 5-10...

  • Page 40: Controller Window

    Monitoring Utility Controller Window Clicking on the Controller tab, will reveal the Controller Window. This displays physical information about the location of FastTrak66, data channels on the card, and the attached drives. Controller Card Information By left-clicking on the FastTrak icon, the right pane shows the following informa-...
  • Page 41 FastCheck Monitoring Utility Controller Channel Information Left-clicking on a given Channel icon or # in the left pane, will show the Base IO addresses of the channel in the right pane: Controller Drive Information Left-clicking on a given Drive icon or ID in the left pane, will show similar information categories as the Array Window Drive Information in the right pane: Status: (Okay, Bad, Offline, Rebuilding) Okay: Means the drive is working normally...

  • Page 42: Options Window

    FastCheck Monitoring Utility Rebuilding: For drives that are part of a mirroring array, this indicates the target drive in the rebuild process. Size: Indicates capacity of individual drive Location: Shows physical location of drive. Indicates on which IDE channel (1 or 2), and whether drive is Master or Slave on cable. This allows user to identify drives for removal/replacement.
  • Page 43 FastCheck Utility (typically C:\Program Files\Promise\FastTrak66). Use NT system event log checkbox is greyed out under Win 95/98 automatically. Under Win NT it permits user to write array logging to NT’s own event log.
  • Page 44 FastCheck Monitoring Utility Password Enable checkbox turns on use of Password every time the FastCheck Monitoring Utility icon is selected or the program run from the Start menu. Once checked, a “Set Password” window appears: Once the password feature is enabled, the following menu will appear on each use of FastCheck: Change the Password: First use the original password to return to the FastCheck Monitoring Window.
  • Page 45 FastCheck Monitoring Utility This Page Intentionally Left Blank...

  • Page 46: Understanding Disk Array Concepts

    FastBuild Auto Menu Setup This setup utility is used to build and manage FastTrak66 disk arrays. The utility is menu driven and features the <1> Auto Setup option that uses a simple, interactive setup process. Once the array is built, all the array members store the configuration information in the drive’s reserved area.

  • Page 47: Disk Array Terms

    There are four disk array types in three categories that can be installed on the FastTrak66 card. Striping is in the Performance category while Mirroring, Striping/ Mirroring are in the Fault Tolerance category. Spanning (JBOD) is in the Capacity category.

  • Page 48: Supported Disk Array Types

    When a read request is made, FastTrak66 selects the drive positioned closest to the requested data, then looks to the “idle” drive to perform the next read access.
  • Page 49 Spare Drive -- Under a RAID 1 setup, an extra “hot spare” drive can be attached to the FastTrak66 and not assigned to the array. In this case, it will be put on standby. This drive will be activated to replace a failed drive that is part of the mirrored array.
  • Page 50 This allows two drives to fail simultaneously and still maintain the integrity of data. There are six combinations in which two drives can fail; FastTrak66 protects the data array in four of them for most drives (some drives do not permit the Slave drive to continue to function if the Master drive fails).
  • Page 51 Understanding Disk Array Concepts A Spanning disk array (also aptly named as JBOD for “Just a Bunch of Drives”) is equal to the sum of all drives when the drives used are of different capacities. Spanning stores data on to a drive until it is full, then proceeds to store files onto the next drive in the array.

  • Page 52: Operating System Installation

    The following sections detail installation instructions for particular operating systems. The DOS operating systems are supported by the FastTrak66 onboard BIOS. No additional drivers are required. For first time installation, follow the standard meth- ods of installing the DOS operating system onto your hard disk: Place “Disk 1”...

  • Page 53: Microsoft Windows 3.1X

    In the dialog box choose “Driver from disk provided by hardware manufac- turer” button. In the A: drive, insert the FastTrak66 utility diskette and type in “A:\WIN9x” when prompted for the directory. Select “Promise Technology, Inc. PCI FastTrak66 Driver” and click on Next.

  • Page 54: Installing Driver In Existing Windows Nt System

    Follow the normal setup installation procedure. Installing Driver in an Existing Windows NT System If you will be attaching an existing drive to FastTrak66 that was already installed under a Windows NT installation, you must follow the steps to install the Fast- Trak66 NT Driver BEFORE you move the drive from your current IDE controller.

  • Page 55: Removing Driver From Windows Nt 3.5X

    One “Insert Diskette” box will appear. Insert the driver diskette into Drive A: and type “a:\” into dialogue box. One “Select OEM Option” box will appear. Select “Promise Technology Inc. FastTrak66 RAID Controller”, click on “OK”. One “Select SCSI Adapter Option” will appear. Click on “Install”.

  • Page 56: Removing Driver From Windows Nt 4.X

    In “Start” Button choose “Control Panel” in “Setup” group. In “Control Panel,” select “SCSI Adapter,” next choose “Drivers” label Choose “Remove” button. After successful removing, the “SCSI Adapter Setup” box will show that “Promise Technology Inc. FastTrak66 RAID Controller” has been removed.
  • Page 57 Operating System Installation THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK...

  • Page 58: Troubleshooting & Tips

    Chapter 8 Troubleshooting & T ips The following chapter is used to assist with troubleshooting conflicts and Fast- Trak66 installation problems. Also refer to the “README.TXT” file on the Fast- Trak66 driver and utility diskette for more recent information as well as the services listed in Appendix A.

  • Page 59: Troubleshooting

    Mainboard CMOS displays C: or D: drive failure during startup Do not reference C: or D: in the Mainboard Standard CMOS for drives attached to the FastTrak66 controller. Only enter drive information in the Mainboard CMOS if you have drives attached to a conventional add-on or onboard IDE controller.
  • Page 60 TROUBLESHOOTING & TIPS Critical Status Error during boot If a critical status error appears on the FastTrak66 BIOS startup screen for a mir- rored array, there is a drive in the array which has failed or is not responding. The mirrored array has lost its fault tolerance but will still operate Before attempting a recovery, try powering the system off and on to reset the drive.

  • Page 61: Tips For Audio/Video Editing

    64. This larger block size is recommended for the data streaming requirements of A/V editing. You may select an even larger block size in manual mode (see chapter FastBuild (tm) Utility 1.xx (c) 1995-99 Promise Technology, Inc. [ Auto Setup Options Menu ]...

  • Page 62: Frequently Asked Questions

    SCSI card. Q: Can I use ATAPI devices on the FastT r ak66 controller? A: No. There is no driver layer on the FastTrak66 controller which will support ATAPI packet messages. Q: Will the FastTrak/66 work with a 37Mhz or 41Mhz PCI bus speed? A: The current PCI 2.1 specification is for a 33Mhz PCI bus speed.
  • Page 63 Q: How does the FastT r ak/66 RAID contr oller provide storage and/ or data protection with their arrays? A: FastTrak66 implements third different types of RAID levels as follows: RAID 0 (stripe) For capacity -- The FastTrak/66 array will be as big as the smallest HDD in the array times however many HDDs are in the array .

  • Page 64: Drive Issues

    Q: Can I take a set of drives which make up an array created on one FastT rak66 server and move it to another FastTrak66 server? A: Yes. All FastTrak66 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.

  • Page 65: Installation Issues

    Q: What system BIOS CMOS settings do I use for the drives on the FastTrak66 controller? A: None. The drives on the FastTrak66 controller are supported by the FastTrak66 BIOS and/or an O/S drivers, not by your system BIOS. Q: How do I partition/format my FastTrak/66 RAID array? A: The FastTrak/66 “fools”...

  • Page 66: Post-Installation (Power Up, Bios , Memory, Caching, Booting

    (see previous question). If you do not require the FastTrak66 BIOS to boot from an array and it is only to be used through a driver under the O/S, one simpler solution would be to disable the FastTrak66 BIOS so that it does not affect the boot sequence at all.
  • Page 67 A: The FastTrak66 controller is dedicated to RAID array management and does not provide any means of addressing individual hard drives through the Int 13h interface used by FDISK. In order to access drives on the FastTrak66 from MSDOS at all, you must first create a RAID array.

  • Page 68: Contacting Technical Support

    #2150; Call from FAX phone handset Phone Technical Support (408) 452-1 180 8:30-5:00p.m. M-F Pacific Standard Time If you wish to write to us for support, address it to: Promise Technology, Inc. Attn: Technical Support 1460 Koll Circle, Suite A San Jose, CA 95112...
  • Page 69 This Page Intentionally Left Blank...

  • Page 70: Warranty Information

    Warranty Information Limited W arranty Promise Technology, Inc. (“Promise”) warrants that for two (2) years from the time of the delivery to the original end user of the product, (a) the product will conform to Promise’s specifications, and (b) the product will be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use and service.
  • Page 71 APPENDIX other item. You assume full responsibility for selecting products and for ensuring that the products selected are compatible and appropriate for use with other goods with which they will be used. Promise DOES NOT WARRANT that any product is free from errors or that it will interface without any problems with your computer system.

  • Page 72: Returning A Product For Repair

    Then return ONLY the specific defective part that is covered by the warranty (do not ship cables, manuals, diskettes, etc.) with a copy of your proof of purchase to: Promise Technology, Inc. Customer Service Department Attn: RMA# ______ 1460 Koll Circle...
  • Page 73 APPENDIX In repairing the unit(s), Promise may elect to replace parts with new or reconditioned parts, or replace the entire unit with a new or reconditioned unit. In the event of a replacement, the replacement unit will be warranted for the remainder of the two (2) year period for the product or thirty days, whichever is longer.

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