****************************************************** * * * FastTrak Utility Diskette Version 1.31 Build 53 * * * ****************************************************** ==================== Contents on the disk ==================== UTIL Directory that contains setup files for FastCheck utility as follows: README TXT This file SETUP EXE Setup utility to install FastCheck LAYOUT BIN Setup file SETUP BMP Setup file DATA1 CAB Setup file _SYS1 CAB Setup file _USER1 CAB Setup file LANG DAT Setup file OS DAT Setup file _SETUP DLL Setup file _ISDEL EXE Setup file _INST32I EX_ Setup file SETUP INI Setup file SETUP INS Setup file SETUP LID Setup file DATA TAG Setup file INSTALL TXT Text file ================ Software Version ================ FastCheck utility for Promise FastTrak 1.31 (Build 53) FastTrak Log Service for Windows NT 1.30 (Build 48) FastTrak DMI Service for Windows NT 1.30 (Build 42) To install FastCheck, please use the SETUP.EXE. ================== FastTrak Utilities ================== The FastCheck utility is used to monitor or perform maintenance on a FastTrak Mirrored (RAID 1) or Striped/Mirrored (RAID 0/1) array. Visual and audible messages are available to warn of possible problems with the disk array or controller. This utility runs under Windows 95-98, Windows Millennium, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000. ======================== FastCheck Utility README ======================== ------------ Installation ------------ Refer to the INSTALL section above for instructions on installing the FastCheck utility. --------------------------------------- Getting Around in the FastCheck Utility --------------------------------------- Task Bar Icon On the Windows 95-98/NT taskbar, the FastCheck icon appears as a stack of disks. To launch the utility double-click on the task bar icon. Windows NT 3.51 does not have a task bar; FastCheck will appear as a minimized icon on the desktop. Array Tab View From the Array view, status is shown for drives in the array. On the left window pane, drive models are shown. On the right pane, array type, mapping, and size are displayed. This is followed by array status. The status will be either working, error, or degraded. If an error is found, the array needs to be synchronized. If degraded, a disk has failed or is not responding and most likely needs to be physically replaced followed by a data rebuild. Controller Tab View This view displays configuration and system resource data for the controller. The left pane shows the actual connector Channel and Master/Slave ID of attached IDE drives. The right pane lists the PCI Slot#, IRQ, and Bus Master address. Options Tab View The FastCheck Utility uses pop-up text for instruction on options. Hover the mouse cursor for description. ------------------------------------- Configuration and Maintenance Options ------------------------------------- To run a maintenance operation, simply right click the icon of the array and choose either synchronization or rebuild array functions. - SYNCHRONIZATION This is a maintenance operation for Mirrored (RAID1) arrays. It will compare data on drives for differences. If there are differences it will automatically copy data from the first disk to the second disk in the array. This needs to be performed periodically to maintain data integrity. To synchronize, choose the Array Tab View, right click the array, and choose "Synchronize" from the context menu. You can also "Schedule the array synchronization" under the Options Tab view. - SCHEDULED SYNCHRONIZATION This option is configurable under the Options Tab View. An event can be scheduled either monthly, weekly, daily, or once every specified minutes. This way a synchronization can be performed on an off-hour when the system is not in use. - EVENT LOG FILE In this Options Tab View, you may keep a record of alerts and status reports of the FastTrak arrays. Click the "Use Log file" check box to enable this feature followed by a logfile name. If a filename is entered but the path is left blank, the default directory will be the same as the FastCheck utility. Typically, this directory would be "C:\Program Files\Promise\Fasttrak". Because this file must be locked while the FastCheck utility is running, you must exit the utility in order for the log file to be read. - Use NT System Event Log If this option is checked, events and errors will be written to the Windows NT Event Log. You can view these events by clicking on the Start button then going to PROGRAMS -> ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS (COMMON) -> EVENT VIEWER. From the Event Viewer menu bar choose "Log", and then check "Application". In the "Source" column, all FastCheck events will show up with the designation "FastCheck", or "FastTrakSvc". Double-clicking on an event will display additional information. - REBUILD This user command will effectively copy/overwrite data from an existing data drive in the array onto a blank drive. The operation will be typically used when a failed drive has been replaced with a new drive. To perform a Rebuild, choose the Array Tab View, right click the array, and choose Rebuild from the context menu. When a spare drive is installed, a rebuild will automatically be performed from the working drive. You can disable the automatic rebuild by turning on the "Disable Hot Spare/Auto Rebuild" option. - REBUILD RATE ADJUSTMENT The slider controls the priority given to a maintenance operation on the array (such as Rebuild or Synchronize) as compared to disk access from the OS. If you desire higher priority for OS requests, and lesser degradation of array performance, set the rebuild rate adjustment to be low. - PCI BUS UTILIZATION There are some cases where there may be some PCI bus contention with other PCI devices. One known example of this is "glitches" while playing .AVI files with some brands of video capture cards. In such a case you can decrease how long the FastTrak occupies the PCI bus while transferring data by moving the PCI Bus Utilization slider bar towards "Less". Click either "OK" or "Apply". The new setting will take effect immediately - it is not necessary to reboot the system. - Disk Write Cache Newer disk models support on board write cache, usually between 512 KB to 2 MB. Refer to the disk drive documentation for the details. This option allows you to enable the on-disk cache. For performance, Enable the disk write cache. For safety, disable the disk write cache. - Smart Check The FastTrak driver will periodically monitor the attached drives for S.M.A.R.T status. (S.M.A.R.T stands for Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology, and drives having this capability are able to predict failures). If the drive is S.M.A.R.T capable, the status will be displayed under the Disk information. By default, the check is disabled since it involves a performance penalty on disk accesses. ----------------------------------- FastTrak DMI Service for Windows NT ----------------------------------- The DMI NT Service allows the FastTrak to appear as a instrumented component under DMI (Desktop Management Interface). The DMI 2.0 Service Provider, Win32sl must be installed in order for the FastTrak DMI service to be installed. The ftdmisvc.mif provides the database (Management Information) for the CI (Component Instrumentation). For further information on DMI go to the DMTF (Desktop Management Task Force) web site at www.dmtf.org, or contact your computer vendor.