Raid for Precision T3500

Hi,

You may first want to check out this article on "Precision T3500 Knowledge Base Resource Library".  There is a section there on troubleshooting RAID on the T3500, which should give info on how RAID is supposed to be set up and configured.

I also found this article on how to implement RAID in a T3500.  

Here is a bit of quick information for you:

At some point a customer may want to configure their computer for RAID after purchase. There must be at least two hard drives installed in the computer to set up a RAID configuration. One of two methods may be used to configure RAID hard drive volumes. One method uses the Intel Option ROM utility, and is performed before you install the operating system onto the hard drive. The second method uses the Intel Application Accelerator, or Intel Storage Utility, and this method is performed after you have installed the operating system and the Intel Storage Utility. Both methods require that you set your computer to RAID-enabled mode before starting any of the RAID configuration procedures in this document.

Setting Your Computer to RAID-Enabled Mode Enter system setup. Use the up- and down-arrow keys to highlight Drives group, and press . Use the up- and down-arrow keys to highlight SATA Operation option, and press . Use the left- and right-arrow keys to highlight RAID On, press , and then press . Use the left- and right-arrow keys to highlight Save/Exit, and press to exit system setup and resume the boot process.

Since you're going to be changing out the old drive then you would need to make sure you have the Intel Option ROM utility.  

Use the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager Option ROM utility to create or delete a RAID volume before the operating system is installed on the hard drive. When RAID is enabled in System Setup, you can press during the RAID status message to enter the utility shown above.

Here is a link to the Intel Matrix Storage Manager Utility User Manual.   I recommend you read through that before setup so you understand the process and what you will need to do.

I hope all this helps.   

Todd