Lenovo ThinkServer RD330 MegaRAID SAS Software User Guide - Page 89

Ahead, WBack, WThru, Bad BBU, Direct, Cached, Enable, Disable, NoChange

Page 89 highlights

MegaRAID SAS Software User Guide Chapter 4: WebBIOS Configuration Utility | Creating a Storage Configuration Ahead: This option enables read ahead capability, which allows the controller to read sequentially ahead of requested data and to store the additional data in cache memory, anticipating that the data will be needed soon. This speeds up reads for sequential data, but there is little improvement when accessing random data. - Write Policy: Specify the write policy for this virtual drive: WBack: In Writeback mode, the controller sends a data transfer completion signal to the host when the controller cache has received all of the data in a transaction. This setting is recommended in Standard mode. WThru: In Writethrough mode, the controller sends a data transfer completion signal to the host when the drive subsystem has received all of the data in a transaction. This is the default. Bad BBU: Select this mode if you want the controller to use Writeback mode but the controller has no BBU or the BBU is bad. If you do not choose this option, the controller firmware automatically switches to Writethrough mode if it detects a bad or missing BBU. CAUTION: We allow Writeback mode to be used with or without a battery. To protect the entire system, we recommend that you use either a battery to protect the controller cache or a UPS. If you do not use a battery or a UPS, and there is a power failure, you risk losing the data in the controller cache. - IO Policy: The IO Policy applies to reads on a specific virtual drive. The policy does not affect the read ahead cache. Direct: In Direct I/O mode, reads are not buffered in cache memory. Data is transferred to the cache and the host concurrently. If the same data block is read again, the block comes from cache memory. This setting is the default. Cached: In Cached I/O mode, all reads are buffered in cache memory. - Drive Policy: Specify the drive cache policy: Enable: Enable the drive cache. Disable: Disable the drive cache. NoChange: Leave the current drive cache policy as is. This setting is the default. - Disable BGI: Specify the background initialization status: No: Leave background initialization enabled. This means that a new configuration can be initialized in the background while you use WebBIOS to do other configuration tasks. This setting is the default. Yes: Select Yes if you do not want to allow background initializations for configurations on this controller. - Select Size: Specify the size of the virtual drive in megabytes. Normally, this would be the full size for RAID 00 shown in the Configuration Panel on the right. You can specify a smaller size if you want to create other virtual drives on the same drive group. 19. Click Accept to accept the changes to the virtual drive definition. 20. If you need to undo the changes, click Reclaim. 21. After you finish defining the virtual drives, click Next. Page 89

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Page 89
MegaRAID SAS Software User Guide
Chapter 4: WebBIOS Configuration Utility
|
Creating a Storage Configuration
Ahead
:
This option enables read ahead capability, which allows the controller to
read sequentially ahead of requested data and to store the additional data in
cache memory, anticipating that the data will be needed soon. This speeds up
reads for sequential data, but there is little improvement when accessing
random data.
Write Policy:
Specify the write policy for this virtual drive:
WBack
:
In Writeback mode, the controller sends a data transfer completion
signal to the host when the controller cache has received all of the data in a
transaction. This setting is recommended in Standard mode.
WThru
:
In Writethrough mode, the controller sends a data transfer completion
signal to the host when the drive subsystem has received all of the data in a
transaction. This is the default.
Bad BBU
: Select this mode if you want the controller to use Writeback mode but
the controller has no BBU or the BBU is bad. If you do not choose this option, the
controller firmware automatically switches to Writethrough mode if it detects a
bad or missing BBU.
CAUTION:
We
allow Writeback mode to be used with or without a battery. To protect
the entire system,
we
recommend that you use
either
a battery to protect the
controller cache or a UPS. If you do not use a battery or a UPS, and there is a power
failure, you risk losing the data in the controller cache.
IO Policy:
The IO Policy applies to reads on a specific virtual drive. The policy
does not affect the read ahead cache.
Direct
:
In Direct I/O mode, reads are not buffered in cache memory. Data is
transferred to the cache and the host concurrently. If the same data block is read
again, the block comes from cache memory. This setting is the default.
Cached
: In Cached I/O mode, all reads are buffered in cache memory.
Drive Policy:
Specify the drive cache policy:
Enable
: Enable the drive cache.
Disable
: Disable the drive cache.
NoChange
: Leave the current drive cache policy as is. This setting is the default.
Disable BGI:
Specify the background initialization status:
No
: Leave background initialization enabled. This means that a new
configuration can be initialized in the background while you use WebBIOS to do
other configuration tasks. This setting is the default.
Yes
: Select
Yes
if you do not want to allow background initializations for
configurations on this controller.
Select Size:
Specify the size of the virtual drive in megabytes. Normally, this
would be the full size for RAID 00 shown in the Configuration Panel on the right.
You can specify a smaller size if you want to create other virtual drives on the
same drive group.
19. Click
Accept
to accept the changes to the virtual drive definition.
20. If you need to undo the changes, click
Reclaim
.
21. After you finish defining the virtual drives, click
Next
.