About raid configurations, Verifying that raid is working, Raid level 0 – Dell OptiPlex 755 User Manual

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Hibernate Mode

Hibernate mode conserves power by copying system data to a reserved area on the hard drive and then completely turning off the computer. When the
computer exits hibernate mode, it returns to the same operating state it was in before entering hibernate mode.

To manually enter hibernate mode in Windows Vista, click Start

, click the arrow in the lower-right corner of the Start menu, and then click Hibernate.

 

Configuring Power Management Settings

You can use the Windows Power Options Properties to configure the power management settings on your computer.

To access Power Options Properties, click Start

®

Control Panel®

System and Maintenance®

Power Options.

 

About RAID Configurations

This section provides an overview of the RAID configuration that you may have selected when you purchased your computer. A number of RAID configurations
are available in the computer industry for different types of uses. Your Dell computer supports RAID level 0 and RAID level 1. A RAID level 0 configuration is
recommended for high-performance programs, while RAID level 1 is recommended for users that desire a high level of data integrity.

The Intel® RAID controller on your computer can only create a RAID level configuration using two physical drives. The drives should be the same size to ensure
that the larger drive does not contain unallocated (and therefore unusable) space.

 

Verifying That RAID Is Working

Your computer displays information pertaining to your RAID configuration at start-up, before loading the operating system. If RAID is not configured, the
message none defined appears under RAID Volumes, followed by a list of the physical drives installed in your computer. If a RAID volume is identified, you can
then check the Status field to determine the current state of your RAID configuration. The Status field contains information about the following conditions:

l

 

Normal — Your RAID configuration is functioning properly.

l

 

Degraded — One of your hard drives has failed. The computer is still bootable; however, RAID is not functioning and data is not being copied to the

other drive.

l

 

Rebuild — Following a degraded condition, the computer has detected the replacement/connection of a secondary hard drive and will automatically

restore the RAID configuration the next time the operating system loads.

 

RAID Level 0

RAID level 0 uses a storage technique known as data striping to provide a high data-access rate. Data striping is a method of writing consecutive segments, or
stripes
, of data sequentially across the physical drive(s) to create a large virtual drive. Data striping allows one of the drives to read data while the other drive
is searching for and reading the next block.

Another advantage of a RAID level 0 configuration is that it utilizes the full storage capacities of the drives. For example, two 120-GB hard drives combine to
provide 240 GB of hard drive space on which to store data.

 

NOTE:

RAID levels do not represent a hierarchy. A RAID level 1 configuration is not inherently better or worse than a RAID level 0 configuration.

NOTE:

If you purchased your Dell computer with RAID, your computer has been configured with two hard drives that are the same size.

NOTICE:

Because a RAID level 0 configuration provides no data redundancy, a failure of one drive results in the loss of all data. To protect your data

when using a RAID level 0 configuration, perform regular backups.

NOTE:

In a RAID level 0 configuration, the size of the configuration is equal to the size of the smallest drive multiplied by the number of drives in the

configuration.

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