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2
Getting Started with Your
3ware RAID Controller
Setting up your 3ware RAID controller involves these main steps:
• Physically Install the Controller and Drives
• Configure the RAID Unit and Drives
• Install the Driver and Make the Operating System Aware of the New
Drives
• Set Up Management and Maintenance Features
Once the controller and drives have been physically installed, the order in
which you perform these steps depends in part on whether one of the units
you configure will act as your boot drive.
Physically Install the Controller and Drives
To install your controller and drives, follow the instructions in the installation
guide that came with your controller. If you do not have a hardcopy of the
installation manual, you can download it from the 3ware website at http://
www.3ware.com/support/userdocs.asp.
Configure the RAID Unit and Drives
You may want to review the information under “Understanding RAID
Concepts and Levels” on page 5 before configuring your drives. This
information will help you choose the appropriate RAID level for your
situation.
If you will install the operating system on and boot from a drive managed
through the new 3ware RAID controller, use the 3ware BIOS Manager (3BM)
to define the configuration. You will find step-by-step instructions in
Chapter 3, “First-Time RAID Configuration Using 3BM.” Information about
using 3BM is also included in the later chapters of this user guide, but
Chapter 3 offers a sequential set of steps for initial installation.
If the operating system is already installed on another drive in your system,
you can configure units through 3BM, through 3ware Disk Manager (3DM),
or through the Command Line Interface (CLI). If you want to use 3DM or the
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