Appendix A – Glossary
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RAID (Redundant Array of Independent / Inexpensive Disks)
A disk array in which part of the storage capacity is used to store redundant information
about user data stored on the remainder of the storage capacity. The redundant
information enables regeneration of user data in the event that one of the array
member disks or the access path to it fails. See Parity. Different RAID levels offer
different data throughput speeds and fault tolerance (data redundancy). RAID 0 does
not feature redundant information but is nonetheless considered a type of RAID.
SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) Mode
SMART Mode monitors the performance of the hard drives to predict hard drive failure.
Stripe Size
Stripe size is the maximum number of sectors the RAID system can access without
accessing another disk. The stripe size is also the size of the cache for the RAID. A
larger stripe is preferable since it reduces the number of I/O requests made to a
physical disk and lets the buffer cache work more efficiently.
Slicing
Unlike striping, slicing allows the creation of arrays from a single disk without a loss of
speed as the disk fills up. This is because when striping across disks the center of the
disk fills up and when it’s being written to it slows down. Slicing creates new disk
partitions with similar characteristics, therefore keeping the speed the same.
EFI
EFI is a replacement for the original BIOS firmware. Originally developed by Intel it
redefines how firmware communicates with the operating system. It contains such
information as: platform-related details, boot and runtime service calls.
Summary of Contents for S8A2
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Page 18: ...RAIDGuard X User s Manual 14 Basic RAID Configuration ...
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Page 40: ...RAIDGuard X User s Manual 36 Step 3 Check the Confirm box and then the OK ...
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