Intel SATA Hard Disks Installation and RAID Configuration Guide

About this manual

The document provides step‑by‑step instructions for installing Serial ATA (SATA) hard disks on motherboards with Intel southbridge chipsets and configuring RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 10. It covers basic RAID concepts, precautions, and the required hardware such as four independent SATA channels.

It details BIOS setup (setting SATA operation mode to RAID), creating driver diskettes, installing Windows with RAID drivers, setting up a "RAID Ready" system, and migrating an existing system to RAID 0, RAID 1, or RAID 5 using Intel Rapid Storage utilities.

What's inside

• Guide to SATA Hard Disks Installation
• Guide to RAID Configurations
• Introduction of RAID
• RAID Configuration Precautions
• Installing Windows with RAID Functions
• Setting Up a RAID Ready System
• Migrating a RAID Ready System to RAID 0, RAID 1 or RAID 5
• Intel Rapid Storage

Specifications

Frequently asked questions

How do I set the SATA operation mode to RAID in the BIOS?

Enter the BIOS Setup Utility, go to the Advanced screen, Storage Configuration, and set “SATA Operation Mode” to [RAID].

What is the minimum number of drives required for a RAID 5 array?

At least three identical hard disk drives are needed for a RAID 5 configuration.

Can I create a RAID 0 array with drives of different capacities?

No; the smaller drive determines the total capacity of the RAID 0 set.