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Chapter 4: Getting Started ● 20
Choosing a RAID Level
This section provides a brief overview of the RAID levels supported by your HostRAID
controller, including the minimum and maximum number of disk drives required by each.
RAID 0 (Non-redundant Array)—Stripes data across multiple disk drives. Improved
performance but no redundancy (see page 49).
RAID 1 Array—Created from two disk drives where one disk drive is a mirror of the other (the
same data is stored on each disk drive). Redundancy, but reduced capacity (see page 50).
RAID 10 Array—Built from two or more equal-sized RAID 1 arrays, stripes and mirrors data
across multiple disk drives. Redundancy and improved performance (see page 50). Not
supported on the 1220SA controller.
Use the table on page 49 to see how many disk drives you must connect to your HostRAID
controller to support the RAID level you want.
Selecting Disk Drives
When selecting disk drives for your RAID array, ensure that all the disk drives have the same
performance level. You can use different-sized disk drives in the array, but the array will be
limited to the capacity of the smallest and slowest disk drive.
For more information, refer to the Adaptec Storage Manager User’s Guide or Adaptec Storage
Manager online Help.
Disk Drives for Your Controller
Your SATA controller supports both SATA (Serial ATA) I and II disk drives. For cable
information, see next section.
Selecting Cables
This section describes the cable options and requirements for your HostRAID controller.
SATA Cables
You need one straight connector to straight connector SATA cable for each disk drive you are
connecting to your Adaptec SATA RAID controller. SATA cables are included in the kit.
All SATA straight connector to straight connector cables have the same connectors, as shown in
the following figure, and the connectors are keyed so that you can’t insert them incorrectly.
Adaptec recommends using only Adaptec SATA cables. For more information or to purchase
cables, visit the Adaptec Web site at www.adaptec.com.