nForce Software for Linux MediaShield User’s Guide Version 1.
NVIDIA Applications MediaShield User’s Guide Version 1.0 Published by NVIDIA Corporation 2701 San Tomas Expressway Santa Clara, CA 95050 Notice ALL NVIDIA DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS, REFERENCE BOARDS, FILES, DRAWINGS, DIAGNOSTICS, LISTS, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS (TOGETHER AND SEPARATELY, “MATERIALS”) ARE BEING PROVIDED “AS IS.
Drivers for Windows® MediaShield User’s Guide Version 1.0 1.About NVIDIA® MediaShield™ System Requirements . . . . . . . . Hardware Support . . . . . . . . Operating System Support . . . . Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . RAID Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . RAID 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RAID 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RAID 0+1. . . . . . . . . . . . . RAID 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JBOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary of RAID Configurations NVIDIA MediaShield Features . . .
NVIDIA Applications MediaShield User’s Guide Version 1.
C H A P T E R ABOUT NVIDIA® MEDIASHIELD™ NVIDIA brings Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) technology—which is used by the world’s leading businesses—to the common PC desktop. This technology uses multiple drives to either increase total disk space or to offer data protection. RAID techniques were first published in 1988 by a multivendor consortium—the RAID Advisory Board. RAID techniques were divided into different categories or levels.
CHAPTER 1 About NVIDIA® MediaShield™ System Requirements Hardware Support Table 1.1 lists the NVIDIA® nForce™ platforms supported by NVIDIA MediaShield™ Storage, and the RAID arrays supported on each platform. Table 1.
CHAPTER 1 About NVIDIA® MediaShield™ RAID Arrays This section describes the following types of RAID arrays that NVIDIA MediaShield Storage supports: Note: Not all nForce platforms provide support for all the RAID levels listed. See Table 1.1, “Supported nForce Platforms and RAID Arrays” on page 2 for a matrix of supported RAID levels. RAID 0 In a RAID 0 array, the controller ʺstripesʺ data across multiple drives in the RAID subsystem.
CHAPTER 1 About NVIDIA® MediaShield™ RAID 1 In a RAID 1 array, every read and write is carried out in parallel across two disk drives. The mirrored—or backup—copy of the data can reside on the same disk or on a second redundant drive in the array. RAID 1 provides a hot‐standby copy of data if the active volume or drive is corrupted or becomes unavailable due to a hardware failure.
CHAPTER 1 About NVIDIA® MediaShield™ Summary of RAID Configurations Table 1.2 RAID Configuration Summary Advantages Drawbacks # Hard Disks Fault Tolerance RAID 0 Non-critical data High data throughput. No fault tolerance. multiple None RAID 1 100% data redundancy. Allows spare disks Requires two drives for the storage space of one drive. 2 Yes Requires two drives for the storage space of one drive—the same as RAID level 1. 4+ Yes Yes Combining odd size drives into one big drive.
CHAPTER 1 About NVIDIA® MediaShield™ NVIDIA MediaShield Features Additional RAID Features NVIDIA MediaShield offers the following additional features: • Free Disk and Dedicated Spare Disk A Free Disk or Dedicated Disk can be automatically used in case one drive of a fault‐ tolerant array fails. NVIDIA MediaShield defines a fault‐tolerant array as either RAID 1, RAID 0+1, or RAID 5.
C H A P T E R C ONFIGURING THE B I O S This chapter provides instructions for two basic BIOS configuration tasks: • Enabling RAID in the System BIOS This task is required to create a RAID array or to add disks to an existing array. • Creating a RAID Array Using the RAID BIOS This task is required when you are creating a bootable RAID array, but can also be used to create non‐bootable RAID arrays.
CHAPTER 2 Configuring the BIOS Enabling RAID in the System BIOS 1 Start your computer, then press Delete to enter the BIOS setup. The BIOS CMOS Setup Utility window appears.
CHAPTER 2 Configuring the BIOS The Integrated Peripherals window appears.
CHAPTER 2 Configuring the BIOS 4 From the RAID Config window, globally enable RAID, then enable the SATA ports with disks that you want to use for RAID. If RAID is enabled globally but not enabled on the individual SATA port, disks on that port can only be used for non‐RAID applications. In the example in RAID Config Window, four SATA ports are enabled, so the non‐ bootable RAID array can include up to four SATA disks.
CHAPTER 2 Configuring the BIOS Creating a RAID Array Using the RAID BIOS The NVIDIA RAID BIOS setup lets you choose the RAID type and which hard drives you want to make part of the array. Entering the RAID BIOS Setup 1 After rebooting the system, wait until you see the RAID software prompting you to press F10. The RAID prompt appears as part of the system POST and boot process prior to loading of the OS. You have a few seconds to press F10 before the screen disappears. 2 Press F10.
CHAPTER 2 Configuring the BIOS Understanding the Define a New Array Window Use the Define a New Array window to • Select the RAID Mode • Set up the Striping Block • Specify which disks to use for the RAID Array The SATA ports are called channels and they are associated with adapters. The first digit in the Location field defines the adapter that the port is associated with. The 2nd digit defines the channel. (The ʺMʺ field, which used to specify Master or Slave, is obsolete.) 1.0.
CHAPTER 2 Configuring the BIOS Assigning the Disks The disks that you enabled from the RAID Config BIOS setup page appear in the Free Disks block. These are the drives that are available for use as RAID array disks. To designate a free disk to be used as a RAID array disk, 1 Tab to the Free Disks section. The first disk in the list is selected 2 Move it from the Free Disks block to the Array Disks block by pressing the right‐ arrow key (Æ).
CHAPTER 2 Configuring the BIOS Completing the RAID BIOS Setup 1 After assigning your RAID array disks, press F7. The Clear disk array prompt appears. MediaShield Utility - Define a New Array - Optimal RAID Mode: Mirroring Striping Block: Free Disks Loc Disk Model Name Array Disks Loc Disk Model Name Clear disk data? 1.0.M [->] Add 1.1.M [Y] YES [N] NO ST380023AS ST380023AS [ ] Del [F6] Back [F7] Finish [TAB] Navigate [ Figure 2.
CHAPTER 2 Configuring the BIOS 3 Use the arrow keys to select the array that you want to set up, then press B to specify the array as bootable. 4 Press Enter to view and verify details. The Array Detail screen appears. Array 2 : NVIDIA MIRROR 74.56G - Array Detail RAID Mode: Mirroring Striping Width : 1 Adapt 1 1 Channel M/S 0 1 Master Master Striping Block 32K Index Disk Model Name Capacity 0 1 74.56GB 74.56GB ST380023AS ST380023AS [R] Rebuild [D] Delete [C] Clear Disk [Enter] Return Figure 2.
CHAPTER 2 Configuring the BIOS 16 MediaShield User’s Guide – Version 1.
C H A P T E R CREATING RAID ARRAYS This chapter provides instructions on creating bootable and non‐bootable RAID arrays. • Creating a Bootable Array You can configure a RAID array and then install the operating system over it. • Creating a Non‐Bootable Array This is the standard method of using non‐bootable disks in a RAID array. Creating a Bootable Array Step 1: Enable RAID in the system BIOS See “Enabling RAID in the System BIOS” on page 8 for detailed instructions.
CHAPTER 3 Creating RAID Arrays 2 Install the OS Insert the Linux OS install disc into the CD/DVD ROM drive, then start the installation. For SLES and SuSE Linux: a Press F5 then select ʹYesʹ at the first installation screen. b If a ʺDriver Disk Sourceʺ dialog box appears, select ʺfd0ʺ and press ʺOKʺ. 18 MediaShield User’s Guide – Version 1.
CHAPTER 3 Creating RAID Arrays c Insert your SATA driver diskette into the floppy drive and press “OK” to continue. d Continue with the remaining installation as normal. For RHEL and Fedora Linux: a At the first installation screen, append the parameters ʺlinux ddʺ (ʺlinux dd askmethodʺ for network installation) at the ʺboot:ʺ prompt then press the Enter key. b At the ʺDriver diskʺ dialog box, press ʺYesʺ.
CHAPTER 3 Creating RAID Arrays c If a ʺDriver Disk Sourceʺ dialog box appears, select ʺfd0ʺ and press ʺOKʺ. d At the ʺInsert Driver diskʺ dialog box, insert your SATA driver diskette into the floppy drive and press ʺOKʺ to continue. e Continue with the installation as normal. 3 Install the NVIDIA MediaShield application. The \rpm folder contains the MediaShield RAID management tool rpm packages for various Linux distributions.
CHAPTER 3 Creating RAID Arrays Creating a Non-Bootable Array Step 1: Enable RAID in the system BIOS See “Enabling RAID in the System BIOS” on page 8 for detailed instructions. Step 2: Create the RAID Array There are two methods you can use to create a RAID array: Using the RAID BIOS 1 Follow the instructions in “Creating a RAID Array Using the RAID BIOS” on page 11. 2 Install the NVIDIA RAID drivers The \rpm folder contains the RAID driver packages for various Linux distributions.
CHAPTER 3 Creating RAID Arrays Using the MediaShield Utility 1 Install the NVIDIA RAID drivers The \rpm folder contains the RAID driver packages for various Linux distributions. Choose the rpm package corresponding to whether your Linux platform is 32‐bit or 64‐ bit, and install as follows: rpm -ivh NvRaid-Drv-XXX.rpm where XXX specifies either 32‐bit or 64‐bit. 2 Install the NVIDIA MediaShield application.
C H A P T E R INSTALLING AND USING THE NVIDIA MEDIASHIELD APPLICATION The NVIDIA RAID driver package includes the MediaShield application, a RAID management tool.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application Installing the NVIDIA MediaShield Application If you have not already done so, you must install the MediaShield application. The \rpm folder contains the MediaShield RAID management tool rpm packages for various Linux distributions. Choose the rpm package corresponding to whether your Linux platform is 32‐bit or 64‐bit, and install as follows: rpm -ivh NvRaid-UI-xxx.XXX.rpm where XXX specifies either 32‐bit or 64‐bit.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application • Name: Indicates the RAID array type, drive model information, which drives are configured for each RAID array in your system, and which drives are designated as free disks. • Status: Indicates the process state of the array. For example, ʺHealthyʺ, ʺRebuildingʺ, ʺInitializingʺ, ʺSynchronizingʺ, or ʺUpgradingʺ • Capacity: Indicates the size of each hard drive. For example, ʺ110.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application Creating an Array This option is available only if there are free disks that are RAID‐enabled. The Create Array option will not appear if there is not at least one free disk available. 1 Make sure the drives that you want to use are RAID‐enabled in the system BIOS. (See “Enabling RAID in the System BIOS” on page 8.) 2 From the System Tasks pane, click Create Array to launch the MediaShield Create Wizard.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application The RAID Array Selection page appears. Figure 4.3 RAID Array Selection 4 Click the RAID Mode list arrow and select the RAID array that you want to create, leave the “Stripe Size” with its default value, then click Next. The Free Disk Selection Page appears. Figure 4.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application 5 Select the disks that you want to include in the array, then click Next. The Data Disk Selection page appears. Figure 4.5 Data Disk Selection 6 Select the disk which contains data that you want to preserve, then click Next. The Advanced Options page appears. Figure 4.6 Advanced Options NVIDIA recommends leaving the default settings and not making any changes. 28 MediaShield User’s Guide – Version 1.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application 7 Click Next. The Completing the NVIDIA MediaShield Setup Wizard page appears. Figure 4.7 Completing the NVIDIA MediaShield Setup Wizard 8 Click Finish. The Storage Management Console shows the newly created RAID array. If you want to “extend” the size of an existing RAID 0 or RAID 5 array, use the process described in “Migrating an Array” on page 43.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application Deleting an Array This option is available only if RAID arrays have been created. 1 From the Storage Management Console, click the RAID array that you want to delete, then click Delete Array to start the Delete Array Wizard. You can also select the task from the System Tasks pane. Figure 4.8 Selecting “Delete Array” The Delete Array Wizard—Welcome page appears. Figure 4.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application 2 At the Welcome page, click Next. The Completing the NVIDIA Delete Array Wizard Page appears. Figure 4.10 Completing the NVIDIA Delete Array Wizard Page 3 Click Finish and the array will be deleted. The Storage Management Console shows the freed disks.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application Rebuilding an Array About Rebuilding Rebuilding is the process of restoring data to a hard drive from other drives in the array. For example, if you have a three disk RAID 5 array and one of the drives fails, you will need to replace the failed drive with a new one, and rebuild the array to re‐generate the lost data on the newly added drive.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application The NVIDIA Rebuild Array Wizard opens. Figure 4.12 Rebuild Array Wizard–Welcome Screen 2 Click Next. The Free Disk Selection page appears. Figure 4.13 Free Disk Selection 3 Select the drive that you want to rebuild by clicking it from the list. You can choose a free (unused) disk to rebuild your array, if one is available. 4 Click Next.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application The Completing the NVIDIA Rebuild Array page appears. Figure 4.14 Completing the NVIDIA Rebuild Array Wizard 5 Click Finish. The Status column for the array that you are rebuilding shows the rebuild progress. Figure 4.15 Rebuild in Progress 34 MediaShield User’s Guide – Version 1.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application Synchronizing an Array Synchronizing an array will force a rebuild of redundancy or parity. The operation applies to any fault‐tolerant array such as RAID 1, 0+1 and RAID 5. • For RAID1 and RAID 0+1, array synchronizing results in copying the data to the redundancy disk. • For RAID 5, array synchronizing results in rebuilding the parity 1 Click the array that you want to synchronize, then click Synchronize Array from the pop‐up menu.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application The Synchronize Array Wizard Welcome screen appears. Figure 4.17 Synchronize Array Wizard–Welcome Screen 2 Click Next. The RAID Array Selection page appears. 3 Select the RAID array that you want to synchronize, then click Next. The Wizard Completion screen appears. Figure 4.18 Completing the NVIDIA Synchronize Array Wizard 36 MediaShield User’s Guide – Version 1.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application 4 Click Finish. The Status column for the array being synchronized shows the progress. Figure 4.19 Synchronizing in Progress The synchronization process completes in a short period of time.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application Managing Spare Disks About Spare Disks You can designate a hard drive to be used as a spare drive for a RAID 1, RAID 0+1 or RAID 5 array1. The spare drive can take over for a failed disk.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application Requirements for Designating a Spare Disk The Designate Spare option on the Storage page appears only if all the following conditions are met. • There must be at least two fault tolerant arrays already created. (Some OEMS allow a designated spare to be created when only one fault tolerant array exists.) • There must be at least one free disk with capacity equal to or greater than the smallest disk in the given fault tolerant array.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application The NVIDIA Spare Disk Allocation Wizard‐Welcome screen appears. Figure 4.21 NVIDIA Spare Disk Allocation Wizard–Welcome Screen The Free Disk Selection page appears. Figure 4.22 Free Disk Selection Page 3 From the Free Disk Selection page, select one of the available free disks to allocate as a spare disk. This is the disk that will be designated to your array. 40 MediaShield User’s Guide – Version 1.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application 4 Click Next. The Completing the NVIDIA Spare Disk Allocation page appears, indicating which disk will be used as a spare for which RAID array. Figure 4.23 Completing the Spare Disk Allocation Wizard 5 Confirm the information, then click Finish. In the Storage Management Console, the Status column indicates that disk is a spare.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application Removing a Spare Disk The Remove spare option appears only if you have a a RAID array with a spare disk allocated to it. 1 Select the spare disk that you want to remove, then click Remove Spare. You can also select the task from the System Tasks pane. Figure 4.24 Selecting “Remove Spare Disk” from the Pop Up Menu 42 MediaShield User’s Guide – Version 1.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application Migrating an Array In a traditional RAID environment, when a user wants to change the current state of a disk or a current array to a new RAID configuration, the process of reconfiguring the new array involves multiple steps. The user must back up the data, delete the array, re‐boot the PC, and then reconfigure the new array.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application Specific Migrating Requirements The following table lists the disk requirements for a new RAID array for various migrating combinations. Table 4.1 RAID Array Disk Requirements for Migrating From To New Array Disk Requirementsi RAID 0 RAID 0 RAID 5 m>n Number of disks in the new array must be greater than the original array. m=2, n=1 RAID 1 array must include two disks, converted from a one disk RAID 0 array.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application Migrating Instructions 1 Go to the system BIOS and make sure that the drives that you want to use are RAID enabled (see “Enabling RAID in the System BIOS” on page 8). 2 Click the array that want to migrate, then click Migrate Array. You can also select the task from the System Tasks pane. Figure 4.25 Selecting “Migrate Array” from the Pop Up Menu The Migrate Array Wizard—Welcome Screen appears. Figure 4.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application 3 Click Next. The RAID Mode Selection page appears. Figure 4.27 RAID Mode Selection 4 Click the New RAID Mode list arrow and then select the new RAID type to create, and click Next. The Free Disk Selection page appears. Figure 4.28 Free Disk Selection 46 MediaShield User’s Guide – Version 1.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application 5 Select additional disks, if needed. For example, • If you want to convert the existing two‐disk mirrored array into a three‐disk (or more) striped array, then select the number of disk(s) that you want to add to the newly created striped array. • If you want to expand an existing striped array with more disks, then select the number of disk(s) you want to add.
CHAPTER 4 Installing and Using the NVIDIA MediaShield Application The new RAID array appears in the Storage Management Console, and the status column indicates that the upgrade is in progress for that array. It will take some time before the entire process is completed. The time it takes to convert an array is dependent on several factors such as the speed of the CPU, the size and type of hard drive being used, the operating system, etc. 48 MediaShield User’s Guide – Version 1.
C H A P T E R MEDIASHIELD RAID FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS The FAQ in this chapter are organized by the following categories: • Basic RAID Questions • RAID ROM Setup Questions • Rebuilding Arrays Questions • Dedicated Disk Questions • Array Migrating Questions • MediaShield Application Questions • Known Issues NVIDIA Corporation 49
CHAPTER 5 MediaShield RAID Frequently Asked Questions Basic RAID Questions • What is RAID? RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, and refers to the grouping of 2 or more disk drives that the system views as a single drive. Different groupings have difference advantages that include better performance and data fault tolerance. See “About NVIDIA® MediaShield™” on page 1 for detailed descriptions of the different types of RAID arrays.
CHAPTER 5 MediaShield RAID Frequently Asked Questions • Why is the cumulative size of a RAID 0 (Stripe) or RAID 0+1 (Stripe‐Mirror) not equal to the sum of the drives? The drive size is controlled by stripe blocks.
CHAPTER 5 MediaShield RAID Frequently Asked Questions Dedicated Disk Questions • Can I assign a dedicated disk to a striped array/JBOD or use a free disk with striped array/JBOD? No, free disks and dedicated disks can be only used with a mirrored array, striped‐ mirror array, or a RAID 5 array. • Once a dedicated disk has been assigned to a RAID 1, RAID 0+1, or RAID 5 array, can I remove it? Yes, a dedicated disk can be removed from a RAID 1, RAID 0+1, or a RAID 5 array.
CHAPTER 5 MediaShield RAID Frequently Asked Questions MediaShield Application Questions • What functions can be performed using the MediaShield application? The following tasks can be performed: • View information about RAID 0, RAID 1,RAID 0+1, RAID 5 and JBOD (as well as any supported configuration if you have more than one RAID array active) • View Free Disks • Assign a dedicated disk to RAID 1, RAID 0+1, and RAID 5 • Remove a dedicated disk from a RAID 1, RAID 0+1, or RAID 5 array • Rebuild a RAID 1, RA
CHAPTER 5 MediaShield RAID Frequently Asked Questions Known Issues • The NVIDIA MediaShield application requires Firefox version 1.5 or later. Previous versions of Firefox experience a memory leak when executing CGI programs, which causes MediaShield to hang if left open for several hours. The latest version of Firefox can be found at http://www.mozilla.com.
