Re: Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager 7.0 - why should I want this thing?
- From: "Gary S. Terhune" <none>
- Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 07:15:25 -0700
The Dell downloads site for that model should have the drivers, probably a
specific set intended for copying to a floppy or CD for use during
installation. And I would NOT assume that Dell set the machine up using
Enhanced Mode. Check BIOS to see if it is enabled.
--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com
"xylophone" <m-rharrison@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:eEsMWvZ2HHA.6128@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Bill
Re enhanced mode, I assume that as this manager came installed on my Dell,
it already has the necessary drivers. I am unsure, however, where I
should look for these to make sure.
"Bill Drake" <bdrake@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:e2XWKuW2HHA.5316@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Here are the *theoretical* benefits of using an INTEL-chipset RAID
array in single-drive mode:
1. There are two modes in which an Intel-chipset motherboard can
access its Hard Disks - Standard Mode and Enhanced Mode.
2. Standard Mode (also known as "compatibility mode") is the default.
This mode is compatible with the Microsoft Hard Disk Controller
Driver (ATAPI.SYS) shipped with Windows 2k and XP. This is
the mode in which a default Windows installation can "see" the
hard disk - but it has no RAID performance advantages such as
NCQ, dedicated I/O, mirroring, striping, RAID or eSata.
3. Enhanced RAID Mode (also known as "go-fast mode") is a special
mode that requires two processes to be completed before the mode
can be activated...
a) Enhanced Mode must be activated and set for RAID capability
in the motherboard CMOS setup *BEFORE* Windows is
installed
b) Dedicated Intel-specific Hard Disk Controller drivers must be
installed using a special "F6 install floppy-disk" during the
installation of Windows. There is a specific change to the
standard Windows installation procedure which must be
followed in order to install the special Hard Disk Controller
drivers. If this procedure is not followed correctly, you will
NOT be able to "see" the hard disk to partition and format
during installation.
4. Benefits of Enhanced SATA RAID mode are as follows:
a) The chipset allows for a special dedicated I/O Bus - used only
by the RAID Controllers - when run in enhanced mode. This
means that I/O traffic that would normally clog the PCI channel
when the chip is run in compatibility mode runs on the dedicated
IDE/SATA I/O Bus instead.
b) The performance benefit is especially noticeable if there is lots
of
AGP or PCI traffic (fancy video card and/or fancy sound card or
just lots of PCI cards) in your machine - as the two buses are
both DMA busmasters and can concurrently access the processor
without causing the other bus to stall.
5. Caveats and "gotchas" when running Enhanced SATA RAID mode
are as follows:
a) System Utilities that monitor the health of your Hard Disk (such
as the System Doctor element of Norton Utilities SystemWorks)
may have trouble "seeing" your RAID array and automatically
reporting disk health. Ditto for Temperature/Voltage/Fan
monitoring software (such as Motherboard Monitor).
The above compatibility issues are normally fixed by updating both
the software (Eg: SystemWorks and/or Motherboard Monitor)
and the hard disk controller drivers. However, in some cases it
is *downgrading* the controller drivers that fixes the problem,
not upgrading. Don't ask how long it took to figure this out.
You don't want to know... :-(
b) Do not even consider using a RAID array without a complete,
verified and proven backup facility with imaging capability. You
must also CONFIRM that the restore process works properly
when run from the backup-supplier's bootable restore-CD-ROM.
Personally, I think that anyone who runs a computer today
without verified and proven image-backup-capability is crazy by
definition - but this is even more critical when using RAID in
either
single-disk or multi-disk mode. The storage recovery utilities
that
allow recovery of single-disk-drive data using the standard
ATAPI.SYS driver do NOT work on data strewn across multiple
disks where the disk failure is extensive enough that the RAID
array is unable to rebuild itself automatically. You MUST have
backup that is completely independent of the array. (Eg: Norton
Ghost or Acronis TrueImage)
6. The appropriate set of RAID Array Drivers for Intel-Chipset boards
varies with the model of the Southbridge Chip or I/O Controller Hub
installed on your motherboard. There are currently five different
chipsets which require consideration:
a) ICH5R - This is the original RAID-Array chipset. It is the most
cranky of the chipsets as far as finding compatible drivers. This
chipset also had extremely erratic and unreliable BIOS support
when first released. It is absolutely mandatory that the latest
motherboard BIOS update be installed - and the CMOS values
be completely erased and replaced with valid data - before this
chipset is set to RAID mode and the F6-install-floppy is used.
NCQ support can be problematic with this chipset.
b) ICH6R - I don't know much about this chipset.
c) ICH7R - This is the most widely-compatible RAID-Array chipset.
It is the last chipset Intel made that had standard PATA IDE
connections as well as SATA support.
d) ICH8R - This is the first RAID-Array chipset that Intel made with
SATA only support. When first released, it was a compatibility
nightmare as far as connecting to SATA DVD-ROM or SATA
DVD-RW Drives was concerned. You *must* ensure that you
are using the latest motherboard BIOS for this chipset - and that
the motherboard is updated as for the ICH5R before Windows
installation.
e) ICH9R - This is the current RAID-Array chipset offered from
Intel with its latest motherboards.
There is more to the use of the Matrix Storage Manager than detailed
in this post. The above is just the basics. You will need to know the
particulars of your motherboard, its Southbridge or I/O Controller Hub
details, and the compatibility issues of the particular version of the
RAID
drivers you contemplate using. I recommend further research in the
tech-support newsgroups specific to your particular make and model
of motherboard before you even think about implementation.
Best I can do for now. <tm>
Bill
Gary S. Terhune wrote:
Sorry, I haven't read up on the technology, personally. I just found
the article for you using Google.
When it comes to RAID, the benefits are speed and/or redundancy and
you aren't likely to notice much difference in normal personal usage.
And by definition, a single drive isn't RAID, even if it's attached
to a RAID controller. From personal experience, I can tell you one
thing: If the motherboard goes bad and needs reconstruction,
rebuilding a RAID array is a lot more difficult than just plopping in
a hard drive. I used to use RAID, but found that the drawbacks
greatly outweigh the benefits on a personal computer. IMO, it's
better to use single drive(s) and a decent backup scheme.
Anyway, if you want to get into a detailed discussion of the
technology, I'm not the one to do it. Perhaps someone else will come
along who's interested in the discussion, or if this thread seems
moribund after another day, consider starting again with more
specific questions about the technology and how it might decently be
applied to your own needs.
"xylophone" <m-rharrison@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:eCRj4hA2HHA.3760@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks, Gary. This is the most consumer friendly best explanation
of what RAID is about I have yet seen. It appears that as I have
lots of digital photos and videos, and even with my single hard
drive at present, RAID would provide benefits, although I am not
sure what these are. Were I then to upgrade to a second, external
hard drive, there would be clear and major performance and loss of
data benefits. I would be grateful if you would explain the first
scenario, with a
single hard drive, a little further, to make those benefits clear.
"Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote in message
news:%23389Mz31HHA.5772@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Here's the write-up. Respectfully suggest you read it and ask for
any further clarifications once you've digested what you can.
http://www.intel.com/design/chipsets/matrixstorage_sb.htm
--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com
"xylophone" <m-rharrison@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23fe1Van1HHA.5772@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have just set up a new Dell Dimension E520 (recently
discontinued) XP SP2 (by choice). It comes with this Storage
Manager, presumably for a reason. Darn if I can figure out that
reason. Why should I wish to use this thing? What benefits or
advantages would it bring? (the Manual is strictly for techies). Many
thanks
.
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- Re: Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager 7.0 - why should I want this thing?
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- From: Gary S. Terhune
- Re: Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager 7.0 - why should I want this thing?
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