Configuring RAID with AVAGO MegaRAID Configuration Utility

To configure RAID with AVAGO MegaRAID Configuration Utility, ensure that:

An AVAGO MegaRAID adapter is installed in your computer.
The storage drives used for RAID configuration are connected to the installed AVAGO MegaRAID adapter instead of the system board.

Storage drive requirements for RAID levels

Your computer supports the following RAID levels:

RAID 0: striped disk array
- Consists of at least two SATA or Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) storage drives
- Supported strip size: 64 KB, 128 KB, 256 KB, 512 KB, or 1 MB
- Better performance without fault tolerance
RAID 1: mirrored disk array
- Consists of two or four SATA or SAS storage drives
- Improved read performance and 100% redundancy
RAID 10: striped and mirrored disk array (a combination of RAID 0 and RAID 1)
- Consists of four SATA or SAS storage drives
- Data being striped across storage drive groups
- Provides both high data transfer rates and complete data redundancy
RAID 5: block-level striped disk array with distributed parity
- Consists of at least three SATA or SAS storage drives
- Supported strip size: 64 KB, 128 KB, 256 KB, 512 KB, or 1 MB
- Better performance and fault tolerance
- Available only on some models of AVAGO MegaRAID adapters
RAID 6: block-level striped disk array with dual distributed parity
- Consists of at least four SATA or SAS storage drives
- Supported strip size: 64 KB, 128 KB, 256 KB, 512 KB, or 1 MB
- Better performance and fault tolerance that can stand up to loss of two storage drives
- Available only on some models of AVAGO MegaRAID adapters

Attention: All the existing data stored on the selected drives will be erased while the RAID volume is being created.

To create a RAID volume, do the following:

Start the Setup Utility program. See Starting the Setup Utility program.
Select Advanced > AVAGO MegaRAID Configuration Utility and press Enter.
Select Main Menu and press Enter.
Select Configuration Management and press Enter.
Select Create Virtual Drive and press Enter.
Select and configure the options one by one.
1. Select RAID Level: You can set the RAID level to one of the following:
  - RAID0
  - RAID1
  - RAID5
  - RAID6
  - RAID10
  Note: Some of the RAID levels might not be displayed because the number of installed SATA storage drives and the model of the AVAGO MegaRAID adapter vary.
2. Select Drives From: Select Unconfigured capacity or Free capacity depending on your needs and press Enter.
3. Select Drives: Select a storage drive and press Enter. After selecting all storage drives for creating the RAID volume, select Apply Changes and press Enter. When promoted, select Confirm and press Enter. Then, select Yes and press Enter to save the storage drive selection. Finally, select OK and press Enter.
4. Virtual Drive Name: You can type a preferred name for the volume name.
5. Strip Size (if applicable): Select a strip size and press Enter.
Select Save Configuration and press Enter. When promoted, select Confirm and press Enter. Then, select Yes and press Enter to confirm the creation of the RAID volume.
To save settings and exit the Setup Utility program, press F10 or Fn+F10 (depending on the keyboard settings), select Yes in the window displayed, and press Enter.

To view the information about a RAID volume, do the following:

Attention: All the existing data stored on the selected drives will be erased after you delete RAID volumes.

To delete a RAID volume, do the following:

Start the Setup Utility program. See Starting the Setup Utility program.
Select Advanced > AVAGO MegaRAID Configuration Utility.
Select Main Menu and press Enter.
Select Virtual Drive Management and press Enter.
Select the RAID volume that is not needed and press Enter.
Under Operation, select Delete Virtual Drive and press Enter.
Select Go and press Enter. When prompted, select Confirm and press Enter. Then, select Yes and press Enter to delete the RAID volume.
To save settings and exit the Setup Utility program, press F10 or Fn+F10 (depending on the keyboard settings), select Yes in the window displayed, and press Enter.