User guide

6-36 Compaq Smart Array 431 Controller User Guide
Optimizing Array Controller Performance
To improve system performance, keep these tips in mind before creating
NetWare volumes or partitions:
If you selected a fault tolerance option, such as mirroring or distributed data
guarding, when using the Compaq System Configuration Utility, do not select
mirroring while using INSTALL.NLM. The fault tolerance capabilities of the
Smart Array 431 provide performance improvements and automatic data
recovery features.
Novell recommends that you create volumes with a 64-KB block size and that
you use the Block Sub-Allocation feature of NetWare. Using a large block size
decreases the amount of RAM required to mount the volume, while Block
Sub-Allocation allows NetWare to allocate disk space more efficiently.
Use of linear memory provides the best performance in the NetWare
environment. When you use the Compaq System Configuration Utility to
configure your server with NetWare, the memory options default so that linear
memory is used. To verify the setting, run the Compaq System Configuration
Utility and view the Compaq Memory settings. Make sure that a linear option
has been selected under the Base Memory option.