Lenovo ThinkServer TS430 0387 - Configuring RAID Using the Thinkserver Easystartup Program

•OnboardSATAsoftwareRAIDcongurationusingtheLSISoftwareRAIDCongurationUtility
program;andRAIDmanagementusingtheMegaRAIDStorageManagerprogram
TheonboardSATAsoftwareRAIDcontrollerisintegratedontheIntelC202chiponthesystemboard.
IfyourserverhasSATAharddiskdrivesthatareconnectedtothesystemboard,youcanusetheLSI
SoftwareRAIDCongurationUtilityprogramtocongureRAID.Bydefault,yourserversupportsonboard
SATAsoftwareRAIDlevels0,1,and10.YoualsocanactivateRAIDlevel5byinstallingaThinkServer
SATASoftwareRAID5activationkey.See“InstallingorremovingtheThinkServerRAID100upgrade
keyforAdvancedRAID”onpage111
.
YoucaninstallandusetheMegaRAIDStorageManagerprogramtomanagetheRAIDarrayandRAID
controllerinanoperatingsystemenvironment.
Fordetailedinformation,see“ConguringtheonboardSATAsoftwareRAID”onpage76.
•AdvancedSATA/SAShardwareRAIDcongurationusingtheWebBIOSCongurationUtility
program;andRAIDmanagementusingtheMegaRAIDStorageManagerprogramandtheMegaCLI
CongurationUtilityprogram(requiresaRAIDcard)
SomeservermodelscomewitharequiredRAIDcardtoprovideadvancedSATA/SAShardwareRAID
functionstotheserver.YoualsocanpurchasetheRAIDcardfromLenovoandinstallitintoservermodels
thatsupporttheRAIDcardtogetadvancedSATA/SAShardwareRAIDfunctions.See“RAIDcard”on
page33
and“InstallingorremovingtheRAIDcard”onpage103formoreinformation.
Note:ForservermodelswithmorethanfourharddiskdrivesormodelsthatuseSASharddiskdrives,a
RAIDcardmustbeinstalled.
TheRAIDcardprovidestheWebBIOSCongurationUtilityprogramtohelpyoucongureRAID
independentlyoftheoperatingsystem.YoualsocaninstalltheMegaRAIDStorageManagerprogramand
theMegaCLICongurationUtilityprogramtohelpyoumanagetheRAIDarrayandRAIDcontrollerin
anoperatingsystemenvironment.ThesupportedRAIDlevelsareRAID0,1,and10bydefault.Forthe
ThinkServerRAID500Adapter,toactivateRAID5andRAID50levels,youneedtoinstallaRAID5keyon
theRAIDcard.See“FortheThinkServerRAID500Adapter:InstallingorremovingtheThinkServerRAID
500UpgradeKeyforAdvancedRAID”onpage105
.
Fordetailedinformation,see“ConguringtheadvancedSATAorSAShardwareRAID”onpage81
.
Note:TheThinkServerEasyStartupprogramsimpliestheprocessofconguringsupportedRAIDand
installingsupportedoperatingsystemsanddevicedrivers.
BeforeconguringRAIDforyourserver,observethefollowingprecautions:
1.UseharddiskdrivesthathavethesamecapacitywithinasingleRAIDarray.
2.Useharddiskdrivesthatareofthesametype(SATAorSAS)withinasingleRAIDarray.
3.Dependingontheoperatingsystem,theprimaryRAIDmightbelimitedto2TBtotaldrivecapacity.
ConguringRAIDusingtheThinkServerEasyStartupprogram
TheThinkServerEasyStartupprogramsimpliestheprocessofconguringsupportedRAIDandinstalling
supportedWindowsandLinuxoperatingsystemsanddevicedriversonyourserver.Theuserguideforthe
programcanbeaccesseddirectlyfromtheprograminterface.
TheThinkServerEasyStartupprogramhasthefollowingfeaturesforRAIDconguration:
•ForusewithallsupportedRAIDcontrollers
•AutomaticallydetectshardwareandlistsallsupportedRAIDcongurations
•Conguresoneormorediskarrayspercontrollerdependingonthenumberofdrivesattachedtothe
controllerandtheRAIDlevelselected
•Supportshot-sparedrives
Chapter5.Conguringtheserver75