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Oracle® Servers X8-2 and X8-2L Installation Guide

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Updated: January 2021
 
 

RAID Overview

RAID (redundant array of independent disks) configures disk drives into logical units called "volumes." There are several types of RAID configurations, which are distinguished as numerical RAID levels (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and so forth). Each supported RAID level requires a specified number of storage devices to complete the array.

The following table lists the disk requirements for each supported RAID level.

RAID Level
Number of Disks Required
0
1
1
2
5
3
6
3
10
4
50
6
60
6

There are two types of RAID, hardware and software RAID:

  • Hardware RAID - A host bus adapter (HBA) manages the array and presents the volumes to the OS as simple disks. Hardware RAID unburdens the OS, and is more robust than software RAID.

    Oracle Storage 12 Gb SAS PCIe RAID Host Bus Adapter, Internal 16 Port HBA on your server supports hardware RAID. For instructions, see Configuring RAID on Oracle Storage 12 Gb SAS PCIe RAID Host Bus Adapter, Internal 16 Port.

  • Software RAID - The OS manages the array, which is created and configured using an OS. In a typical use case, you boot an OS on one device to create a software RAID volume on a different device. For details, refer to the instructions in your operating system documentation.

Note the following conditions:

  • Your server might have other storage devices where you can install an OS as well. These might or might not support or require RAID; however, if you do configure a RAID volume on these devices, you must do so before installing an OS. For instructions, refer to the documentation for the device, and Oracle Servers X8-2 and X8-2L Operating Systems Installation Guide.

  • The UEFI BIOS utility in your server does not display items in the boot list until after an OS is installed on the storage device and then the server is booted. This is unlike older BIOS utilities that display devices where you can install an OS.

    To see devices where you can install an OS, you have to use an OS installation program.

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