Glyph StudioRAID mini - Manual (Page 5)

5
About the StudioRAID mini and Drive Modes
The StudioRAID mini enclosure contains two hard disk drives, which function as one single volume. It supports two drive
modes: RAID 1 (mirroring) and RAID 0 (striping. Each drive mode has its own advantages, depending upon the application.
Changing RAID modes
StudioRAID mini is shipped in RAID 0 mode. If you would like to change or reset the RAID at any time, please follow these
simple instructions:
1. Safely eject the StudioRAID mini unit from your desktop.
2. Power off your StudioRAID mini and disconnect all FireWire, USB, and eSATA cables from the unit.
3. Move the recessed switch to your desired setting on the rear of the device, to either RAID 0 or RAID 1. Note, you may
need to use a paper clip or some other pointed device as the switch is recessed.
4. You may now reconnect your cables and power adapter, if necessary. Do not turn on the StudioRAID mini yet.
5. Using a paper clip or other pointed device, press and hold the “SET” button on the back of the device.
6. While holding in the “SET” button, power on your StudioRAID mini and count slowly from 1 to 5.
That’s it! Your StudioRAID mini should now show up in Disk Utility (on Mac) or Disk Management (on Windows) and be ready
to format.
If you need assistance in changing RAID modes, please contact our support team at 800.335.0345 and a specialist will
gladly walk you through the instructions.
RAID 1 (mirroring) offers data redundancy and real-time backup by writing the same data to the two hard drives at
the same time. Should a drive failure happen, data is still available on the remaining drive. In RAID 1 mode, the two
drives are seen by the computer as one volume, but with half the capacity. For example, a 1TB StudioRAID mini will
be seen as a 500GB drive. Reading and writing occurs on both drives simultaneously so that each of the drives
contains exactly the same data, mirroring each other. If either of the drives should fail the other is there to continue
to provide operation.
RAID 0 (striping) increases the performance of the drive system by spreading the data across two drives. RAID 0 is
a proven technology for editing video, working with huge graphics files, sound libraries, and streaming instruments
that play hundreds of samples simultaneously. RAID 0 is the default shipping drive mode. In RAID 0 (striping) mode,
the two drives are seen by the computer as one large drive, and reading and writing occurs on both drives simulta-
neously. It is designed to increase the performance and data throughput of the drive system. The StudioRAID mini’s
built-in RAID controller splits each piece of data across both of the drives in segments and distributes the I/O bur-
den. Since data is written without any form of parity data-checking, it allows for the fastest data transfer of all other
RAID levels. However, if one drive becomes damaged, the data on both drives can become corrupted. RAID 0 is
not redundant or fault tolerant like RAID levels 1, 3, and 5, but the trade off is that it’s the fastest of all RAID levels.
MAKE SURE TO BACKUP YOUR DATA OFTEN!