Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller 6i - Manual (Page 147)

Glossary
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R
RAID
Acronym for Redundant Array of Independent Disks (originally Redundant
Array of Inexpensive Disks). It is an array of multiple independent physical disks
managed together to yield higher reliability and/or performance exceeding that
of a single physical disk. The virtual disk appears to the operating system as a
single storage unit. I/O is expedited because several disks can be accessed
simultaneously. Redundant RAID levels (RAID levels 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60)
provide data protection.
RAID Level Migration
RAID level migration (RLM) changes the array from one RAID level to another.
It is used to move between optimal RAID levels. You can perform a RLM while
the system continues to run, without having to reboot. This avoids downtime
and keeps data available to users.
RAID Levels
A set of techniques applied to disk groups to deliver higher data availability,
and/or performance characteristics to host environments. Each virtual disk must
have a RAID level assigned to it.
RAID Management Utility
A RAID management utility is used to configure physical disks into disk groups
and virtual disks. The BIOS Configuration Utility is also known as Ctrl+R. Use
the BIOS Configuration Utility if no operating system has been installed yet on
the controller. The BIOS Configuration Utility is built on elements called
controls
. Each control performs a function. The functions include procedures
you can use to configure physical disks and virtual disks.
The Dell OpenManage™ Storage Management configures the disks after you
have installed the operating system. Storage Management enables you to
perform controller and enclosure functions for all supported RAID and
non-RAID controllers and enclosures from a single graphical or command-line
interface without requiring the use of the controller BIOS utilities.
SAS RAID Storage Manager configures, monitors, and maintains the PERC 6
controllers, battery backup units, and other devices running on a system.
Dell_PERC6.1_UG.book Page 147 Wednesday, April 15, 2009 4:18 PM