Asus DS300j G2 Series User Manual page 198

S S
trIPe Ize
Stripe Size, also called "Stripe Block Size," refers to the size of the data blocks written to, and read from, the
physical drives. Stripe Size is specified when you create a logical drive. You can choose Stripe Size directly when
you use the Wizard Advanced Configuration function to create a logical drive.
You cannot change the Stripe Size of an existing logical drive. You must delete the logical drive and create a
new one.
The available Stripe Sizes are 64 KB, 128 KB, 256 KB, 512 KB, and 1 MB. 64 KB is the default. There are two
issues to consider when choosing the Stripe Size:
• You should choose a Stripe Size equal to, or smaller than, the smallest cache buffer found on any physical
drive in the disk array. Selecting a larger value slows read/write performance because physical drives with
smaller cache buffers need more time for multiple accesses to fill their buffers.
• If your data retrieval consists of fixed data blocks, such as with some database or video applications, then
you should choose that size as your Stripe Size.
If you do not know the cache buffer or fixed data block sizes, choose 64 KB as your Stripe Size. Generally
speaking,
• Email, POS, and web servers prefer smaller stripe sizes.
• Video and database applications prefer larger stripe sizes.
S S
ector Ize
A sector is the smallest addressable area on a physical drive. Sector size refers to the number of data bytes a
sector can hold. A smaller sector size is a more efficient use of a physical drive's capacity. 512 bytes (512 B) is
the most common sector size, and the default in ASUS Storage Management.
192
P c ID
referreD ontroller
When you create a logical drive using the Advanced method of disk array creation, you can specify the Preferred
Controller ID:
• Controller 1 – Assign all logical drives to Controller 1
• Controller 2 – Assign all logical drives to Controller 2.
• Automatic – Alternate logical drive assignments between Controllers 1 and 2.
Automatic is the default and preferred setting because it balances the logical drive assignments for you.
I
nItIalIzatIon
Initialization is done to logical drives after they are created from a disk array. Full initialization sets all data bits
in the logical drive to a specified pattern, such as all zeros. The action is useful because there may be residual
data on the logical drives left behind from earlier configurations. For this reason, Initialization is recommended
for all new logical drives. "Initializing a Logical Drive (CLU)" on page <?>.
Caution
When you initialize a logical drive, all the data on the logical drive is lost. Backup any
important data before you initialize a logical drive.
P f
artItIon anD ormat
Like any other type of fixed disk media in your system, a RAID logical drive must also be partitioned and
formatted before use. Use the same method of partitioning and formatting on an logical drive as you would any
other fixed disk.
Depending on the operating system you use, there may or may not be various capacity limitations applicable
for the different types of partitions.
DS300f G2 Series User Manual