TITLE
    SoftRAID 2.1.6: Read Me
Article ID:
Created:
Modified: 		24920
5/20/99
11/19/99
TOPIC

    This article contains the Read Me document for SoftRAID 2.1.6.

DISCUSSION

    About SoftRAID 2.1.6

    Contents:

    • About the SoftRAID CD-ROM disc
    • Creating Mac OS Extended Format Volumes
    • Creating New Volumes (Mirror, Stripe or Standard)
    • Creating a Mirrored Volume from an Existing Volume
    • Creating a Striped Volume from an Existing Volume
    • Installing Mac OS 8.x system
    • Starting Up from SoftRAID Formatted Volumes
    • Using Striped Volumes
    • SoftRAID and Drive Setup
    • Registration via Email

    About the SoftRAID CD-ROM disc

    The software on this CD-ROM disc enables you to create RAID volumes on your Macintosh. This CD-ROM disc is also bootable for your convenience when creating these RAID volumes. This CD contains the following items:

    • About SoftRAID 2.1.6
    • SoftRAID 2.1.6 application program
    • SoftRAID 2.1.6 Installer
    • System Folder

    Creating Mac OS Extended Format Volumes

    The SoftRAID driver works with both the Mac OS Standard and Mac OS Extended formats in Mac OS 8.x. SoftRAID is not compatible with Mac OS X Server. By default, SoftRAID initializes volumes using Mac OS Standard format (also called HFS). To initialize a volume using Mac OS Extended format (also called HFS+), check the box labeled "Extended (HFS+)" when you create the volume.

    Creating New Volumes (Mirror, Stripe or Standard)

    SoftRAID allows you to create any combination of mirrored, striped or standard volumes, on any combination of disks, using any SCSI ID numbers and any combination of SCSI buses.

    To determine whether to mirror or stripe a volume, consider the following:

    • Mirrored volumes offer data redundancy which helps to guarantee high availability for mission critical applications.
    • Stripe volumes are useful with high-performance applications such as Digital Video and Adobe Photoshop.

    To create a new volume:

      1. Open SoftRAID and verify that one disk (for a Mac OS Standard format volume) or two disks (for a mirrored or striped format volume) are listed in the Disks column. If a disk icon has a question mark or you see a message about an invalid partition map, you need to install the SoftRAID driver and/or initialize the disk before continuing.
      2. Drag disks to the Volumes column.
      3. Select the appropriate type of Volume Type pop-up menu.
      4. Select two disks (or free space). To see partition information, click the triangle.
      5. Type the new volume name.
      6. Enter the size in the Volume Size text box or click Maximum Available.

    Creating a Mirrored Volume from an Existing Volume

    With SoftRAID, you can build a mirrored volume from an existing Macintosh volume without erasing the volume's data. The building takes place in the background so you can continue to use the volume (avoiding system downtime).

    For example, if you have a 1 GB volume filled with data, you can build a mirrored volume or a disk or partition of equal or larger size. Your data is copied from the original disk to the mirror disk. When the copy is complete, the mirrored volume is fully fault-tolerant.

    Tips:

    • The mirror disk must contain a contiguous free area at least as large as the partition on the primary disk. Two disks apparently of the same size may have slightly different capacities, and if the mirrored disk has less capacity than the existing volume, you cannot use the Convert to Mirror feature. You will need to back up your information, create a new mirrored volume, and restore the information.
    • If you mirror non-identical disks, select the slower disk as the mirrored partition.

    To create a mirror of an existing volume:

      1. Open SoftRAID and select the volume you want to mirror. You cannot create a mirror of the startup volume or the volume that contains the SoftRAID application.
      2. Select Convert to Mirror from the Volume menu.
      3. Select a disk (or free area) for the mirror. To see free areas, click the triangle. The mirroring partition is designated with an M.
      4. Choose a mirror build rate by sliding the bars.

    SoftRAID temporarily unmounts the existing volume. When it's remounted, you can continue to use it normally.

    The Convert to Mirror process involves many safety checks and can take many hours to complete. Assume a conversion rate of approximately 10 MB per minute for fast drives.

    To use the new Mirrored Volume before the conversion has completed, restart your system after starting the conversion. The conversion will automatically continue after the system has booted.

    Creating a Striped Volume from an Existing Volume

    With SoftRAID, you can build a striped volume from an existing Macintosh volume without erasing the volume's existing data. The building (called Stripe-in-Place) takes place in the background so you can continue to use the volume (avoiding system downtime).

    For example, if you have a 1 GB volume filled with data on a disk mounted inside your computer, you can install a second disk of equal or larger size and build a striped volume that incorporates the existing volume. When the Stripe-in-Place process is complete, the striped volume contains all the original data striped across two disks.

    Tips:

    • To use Stripe-in-Place you need a new disk with free space of equal or greater capacity than the volume you wish to convert to a stripe volume.
    • The striping disk must contain a contiguous free area at least as large as the partition on the primary disk.

    To create a stripe volume using Stripe-in-place:

      1. Open SoftRAID and select the volume you want stripe. You cannot create a stripe of the startup volume or the volume that contains the SoftRAID application.
      2. Select Convert to Stripe from the Volume menu.
      3. Select a disk (or free area) for the stripe. The optimal Stripe Unit Size is 128 blocks. Click the triangle to see a list of free areas that can be used for the striped volume.
      4. Adjust the build rate by sliding the two bars.
      5. Click Stripe.

    You can quit the SoftRAID program at any time.

    Should any problems occur during the build process, see the onscreen SoftRAID Guide for more instructions.

    Installing Mac OS 8.x system

    The Mac OS 8.x installer does not recognize the SoftRAID driver and will warn you to update the driver. If you are installing Mac OS 8.x onto a SoftRAID volume, uncheck the Update Apple Drivers option in the Installer's Option dialog box.

    If you see a warning message that the Installer could not update the driver, click the "Ignore Warning" button and proceed with the installation.

    Starting Up from SoftRAID Formatted Volumes

    When you create Mac OS Standard format or mirrored volumes on your Power Macintosh G3 using SoftRAID, only the first partition can be used as the startup volume. (You set the startup volume in the Startup Disk control panel.) You can determine the first partition using SoftRAID application.

    Using Striped Volumes

    You cannot start up your Power Macintosh G3 from a striped volume. Only standard and mirrored volumes may be used as start-up volumes.

    SoftRAID and Drive Setup

    After installing SoftRAID drivers onto your disk drives and creating volumes, you should restart your computer to remove the Drive Setup drivers. Otherwise a situation could occur in which a volume seems to be mounted twice.

    Registration via Email

    SoftRAID registration requires a TCP/IP Internet connection.

Document Information
Product Area: Apple Software
Category: Utility Software
Sub Category: Hard Disk Setup Software

Copyright © 2000 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved.