User`s manual

44
Understanding Disk Array Concepts
About the BIOS
The Promise BIOS code extends the standard disk service routine provided through Int13.
The BIOS is bootable for DOS and other operating systems that rely on the system BIOS for
drive operation. It can support drives and disk arrays with capacities exceeding 8.4 GB and
using Extended Interrupt13. When the BIOS appear during boot up, press <Ctrl-F> to enter
the FastBuild
TM
utility and select the menu settings.
FastBuild
™
Auto Menu Setup
The setup utility is used to build and manage disk arrays. It is menu driven and features
“Auto Setup <1>” which uses a simple, interactive setup process. Once the array is built, all
the array members store the configuration information in the drive’s reserved area.
Reserved Sector
Array configuration data about the drive member and other members in the disk array are
saved in a special location on the disk drives called the reserved sector. If any member of
the array becomes corrupt or lost, the redundant configuration data on the other members
can be used for rebuilds.
Disk array members do not have a “memory” of their drive positions. This allows drives to be
placed on different RAID connectors within the system without reconfiguring or rebuilding.