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www.conrad.com
4 Port SATA-II RAID PCI Card
Item-No. 97 19 45
Intended Use
The product is designed for installation in a computer, and provides serial ATA interfaces that
can be used to configure a RAID set.
This product complies with the applicable National and European specifications. All names of
companies and products are trademarks of the respective owner. All rights reserved.
Contents
• PCI card
• Data carrier with driver
• Operating Instructions
Features
• Four SATA ports, for a total of four SATA devices
• SATA II (= SATA300)
• Raid Modes: 0, 1, 0/1, 5
• Minimum requirement for operation is Windows XP/Vista (does not work with Windows 9x/ME)
Installation
First, backup your data, if data is already stored on the SATA hard disk(s) you
wish to connect to the RAID controller! Creating a RAID set deletes the data
saved on the hard disks.
If in doubt about how to install the device correctly, please contact an EXPERT
or a specialist workshop and let them do the installation!
Incorrect installation can damage both the plug-in card and the computer,
along with all connected devices.
Caution, lethal hazard!
Switch off the computer where the plug-in card is to be installed, and all con-
nected devices, and disconnect all devices from the mains voltage, unplug
from the mains! Just turning off at the on/off switch is not enough!
• Open your computer's housing of and carefully remove the cover.
• There are 4 two-pin connectors on the card that are to be connected to the corresponding
LEDs on your computer housing. If the respective LED does not light during read/write access,
the plug is inverted; turn it by 180° (Plus/+ and Minus/- is marked on the card; usually Minus/-
is the "white" line on two-pin cables).
• Locate a free PCI slot, remove the respective slot cover and insert the PCI card into the slot.
Screw in the plug-in card firmly, and check it sits correctly in the PCI slot!
• Connect the SATA port with a SATA hard disk, connect its power supply terminal with your
computer's power supply unit.
Ensure the SATA-data cable and the SATA power supply cable are connected without kinks and
cannot catch in the fan; fix the cables with cable ties.
• Replace the computer housing.
• Connect your computer and monitor to the mains voltage again and switch on all devices.
• If your computer does not start up correctly, switch it off at once and check all the settings and
cable connections.
It must be disconnected from the mains power supply before restarting, see
above!
Driver Installation
Windows detects the plug-in card automatically. Insert the data carrier supplied, with the driver,
into the appropriate drive on your computer and follow the instructions displayed.
Version 09/08
It might be necessary to restart Windows, before the SATA devices are properly recognised.
°
At the time this manual was written, the driver was located in the folder "Raid5 SATA2_4Port \
Sil3224 \ Windows \ Driver" on the CD provided.
Also, install the GUI software, (graphical user interface for configuring the RAID-set [folder
"Raid5 SATA2_4Port \ Sil3224 \ Windows \ GUI"]).
Afterwards, it is necessary to restart.
Operation
If you wish to use the connected SATA hard disks without RAID, their separate partitioning and
formatting is easily carried out with Windows XP, via the computer administration.
Where the hard disks are to be used as a RAID set, it needs to be created first.
All data on the hard disks will be lost!
Restart the computer. When starting your computer (before starting Windows!), you will be
prompted to press the shortcut "CTRL" + "S" or the "F4" function key to enable the RAID-BIOS.
You can now create the RAID set in the RAID BIOS.
Important instructions for using the RAID Controller menu:
Confirm "Are you sure Y/N" by pressing the "Z" key. At the moment the German key-
board driver is not yet active. The keys "Y" and "Z" are interchanged (on an American
keyboard "Y" and "Z" are in the opposite order).
• RAID0
The data is distributed on two hard disks, the data transfer rate increases. The total capacity
is double that of the smallest of the two hard disks. A RAID0 always consists of two hard disks.
For example:
RAID0:
HDD0=30GB, HDD1=200GB, total=60GB (-> not recommended!)
HDD0=200GB, HDD1=200GB, total=400GB
• RAID1
The data is mirrored, i.e. the same data is stored on both hard disks. The total capacity is that
of the smaller of the hard disks.
The ideal case is to connect two identical hard disks (the same version and capacity).
Otherwise, the smaller of the two hard disks defines the maximum capacity. A RAID 1 always
consists of two hard disks. For example:
RAID1:
HDD0=30GB, HDD1=200GB, total=30GB (-> not recommended!)
HDD0=200GB, HDD1=200GB, total=200GB
• RAID0/1
This is a combination of RAID0 and RAID 1. Therefore, a total of 4 hard disks are required,
which should be the same version (same manufacturer, same type). Otherwise, the capacity
decreases as with RAID0 or RAID1.
• RAID5
RAID 5 not only offers a higher data transmission rate, but also prevents failure of one of the
hard disks connected. At least 3 hard disks must be used (if possible of the same version).
The capacity available for your data is calculated by the formula:
x = (n-1)/n
Where "n" is the number of hard disks you use for RAID5. With 3 identical hard disks, it is thus
2/3 of the total capacity of the 3 hard disks (e.g. with 3 hard disks of 300GByte there is a capac-
ity of 600GByte).
Your data is distributed over all of the hard disks, as with RAID 0, the same applies for the par-
ity information. Therefore, during write operations, the rate of data transmission is lower than
with RAID0 or 0/1 because of high administrative complexity (parity information must be cre-
ated/calculated and written to the hard disk).
Advantage of RAID5 compared to RAID0/1: One hard disk is saved.
• JBOD
Two or more hard disks are joined together into one large virtual hard disk. For the operating
system, this is the same as if only one hard disk were available.
However: with this mode of operation, all the data on all of the hard disks will be lost if one hard
disk fails.
Install, according to the available hard disks and your needs, one or more RAID sets. Depending
of the RAID set, 2, 3 or 4 hard disks are required, where possible of the same version. When using
different hard disks, the capacity and the speed adjusts to the smallest or the slowest hard disk
(the capacity will not be fully used, the speed will be lower).
We recommend the use of hard disks of the same version from the same manufac-
turer!
After the RAID set is configured, exit the menu and restart the PC.
The RAID set is now available in Windows as a conventional hard disk, which must be partitioned
and formatted.
If the operating system must be installed on the RAID set (e.g. Windows XP), the
booting sequence must be modified in the BIOS/Setup for the computer/mother-
board or booting via an additional IDE/SCSI controller must be allowed.
Already when Windows XP starts to install, the driver for the SATA card must be inte-
grated (e.g. "Press on "F6" to install the driver....." or similar), follow the instructions
for Windows.
At the time these operating instructions were written, the software was available on the
driver CD in the folder "Raid5 SATA2_4Port \ Sil3124 \ Windows\ Driver".
Copy the data contained there, for example, to a diskette so as to facilitate installa-
tion (e.g. on an other computer) or replace the Windows CD by the Driver CD and
enter the path stated above.
Tips & Notes
• When creating a RAID set, any data that is already stored on the hard disks connected to the
RAID controller will be destroyed!
• Only one SATA device can be connected to each SATA port.
• There is an adapter intended for conventional IDE-/ATAPI devices (e.g. IDE hard disk) that
enables their use with an SATA interface.
• If you do not create a RAID set, the hard disks work like normal separate hard disks, and the
RAID controller like a normal SATA controller without RAID.
• At the time these operating instructions were written, the software was available on the driver
CD in the folder "Raid5 SATA2_4Port \ Sil3124 \ Windows \ GUI". Installing this software
enables configuration and monitoring of the RAID set. For a later CD version, the path may
have been changed (this applies for all paths given in this manual).
• The boot capability of the hard disks connected to the RAID controller depends on the
BIOS/motherboard and its settings (Booting = starting the operating system)..
• Naturally, hard disks with SATA I (SATA150) can be connected to the SATA card.
• Although the RAID controller allows the connection of a CD/DVD drive, we recommend that such
drives are operated directly from the motherboard, not via the RAID controller.
Disposal
Please dispose the product, when it is no longer in use, according to the current
statutory requirements.
These operating instructions are published by Conrad Electronic SE,
Klaus-Conrad-Straße 1, D-92240 Hirschau/Germany.
The operating instructions reflect the current technical specifications at time of
print. We reserve the right to change the technical or physical specifications.
© Copyright 2008 by Conrad Electronic SE.
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