User manual

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS CONCERNING RAID SYSTEMS
Selecting the Proper RAID Mode
Q: How do I choose the proper RAID mode for my RAID System based on the tasks I need to
perform?
A: This RAID System is considered a “Mass Storage” device; which means its capacity size is
sufficient for data management; the different RAID mode settings can help the user to
administer the enormous data storage from the combined capacities of the hard drives. It is
highly recommended to choose the RAID mode based on the essential factor (use) to complete
your task. The most common three factors are capacity size, speed, and data protection. For
example, if using the RAID System to simply watch movies (films) for enjoyment, the RAID 0
mode is perfect because it can maintain a decent speed and still have a large storage capacity.
However, if the use requires you to process large files and to have a high volume of data access
such as for a graphic designer or movie (film) editing, it’ll be more efficient to choose RAID 5
has the ability to do hard drive hot-swap without affecting the data itself, combine with a
higher level of data protection. Lastly, if the work requires instant and continuous backup of
data (such as for a writer or editor,) then RAID 1+0 would be the best choice since it can
provide both data protection and speed with less storage capacity.
Hard Disk Drive (HDD) Capacity
Q: All my HDDs are at least 1 TB or above. Will the RAID be able to support the gigantic storage
capacity?
A: Yes, the Bigroc 4-Bay RAID will be able to support any HDDs over 1 TB size capacity.
However, older host systems cannot support over 2TB of total capacity. Newer systems such as
the Mac OS 10.3 and newer, and PC Windows Vista or newer can handle HDDs over 1 TB. In
addition, based on the host system you have, there may be limitations on the port connections
when the storage size is over 2TB. Please see the chart below.
OS
USB
FireWire
eSATA
Windows
Windows 2000, XP, or older
No
No
No
Windows XP 64-bit, Windows 2003 32-
bit/64-bit (SP1 and SP2)
Yes No Yes
Windows 7, Vista, Windows 2008 32-bit/64-
bit
Yes Yes Yes
Linux
Linux 32-bit/64-bit
Yes*
No
Yes*
Mac
Mac OS 9/10.1/10.2
No
No
No
Mac OS 10.3/10.4/10.5
Yes
Yes
Yes
* Depends on the Linux version. Please see the chart below:
BIGROC 5C – 4Bay RAID - 1U Rack Mount System - User Manual Page | 33