SATA RAID In XPS Systems

I got a XPS Gen 2 Ordered Mid December 2003 and it has the Intel RAID controller build on the mother board.   I ordered mine with a single SATA drive and was able to add another SATA drive and setup a RAID 1 (Mirror) volume.  The Gen 2 board has the 875P chipset with ICH5R.   The ICH5R is the Intel RAID chip set.

Note the following items assume you turned on RAID in the BIOS Setup.  (Mine was setup this way from DELL)

Here was a list of steps to setup the RAID Volume

1. Iinstall the second SATA drive.  
2. Boot up your system
3. Open Control Panel
4. Open Intel Application Accelerator
5. Right Click The Raid Volumes
6. Select Create from Existing or something like this
7. Existing Drive will be the one one port 0
8. Select Raid Level 0 or 1   (If you Select RAID Level 0 you have more options to choose)
9. Select Drive to Add to Array this would be SATA port 1 assuming if it was like mine XPS Gen 2
10. Start Migration process Takes about 1.25 hours on 120 GB System
11. Boot after migration
12. New Device installed message on Boot  says to reboot again
13. After this boot you should be operational in RAID Level 0 or 1

The Intel Manual assuming you have the XPS covers it fairly well.

http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/iaa_raid/manual.htm

Here a link to the Intel RAID support site for more info:

http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/iaa%5Fraid/

 

I went through the bios and i have nothing about RAID. I have two SATA ports but no option in bios about RAID. Stupid Dell Bios

It may be possible you do not have the XPS Gen2 mother board.  

If you have it there is an option not exact on working but say something about SATA RAID On or OFF.   When it ON you do not have access to SATA Port 0 and SATA Port 1.   If you turn it off then you can turn SATA Port 0 and 1 to Auto of Off.

Follow the link to the Intel Web Site I posted before there is a chip set utility that will show you what chip set you have. 

 

i am thinking that the first dell xps,s were ich chipset boards that need a controller card to run raid. the raid versions xps,s that were first introduced had the controller card for raid. the xps,s , like tomxps has, has the ichr chipset, llike my abit ic7-g max2 board has. it will have a bios setting for serial raid. on my abit board, i also have the silcon image chip for raid, but i am using the intel setup. one big plus with the intel serial raid setup, no data corruption like i got with the silcon image chip at times if drivers were not installed  properly.

I have a question concerning the setup of a RAID 0. I received my Gen2 XPS with The RAID option turned on in the bios. I added an IDE hard drive from my old computer after turning off the RAID option in the bios. That allowed the computer to see the IDE drive. I then ordered a SATA 120 GB hard drive to match the one in the computer so I could set up a RAID 0. However, now I cannot use the Application Accelerator to set up the RAID unless I turn the RAID option back on. If I turn it on, I am led to the RAID bios, which will, I suppose, allow me to set up a RAID once again. My question is: Will this result in my loosing all my data and existing operating system on the original 120 GB hard drive after exiting out of the RAID bios. Or will it just set up the two disks as a RAID and allow me to migrate (in Windows using the Application Accelerator)without loosing my existing data? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

if you go RAID you have to reinstall everything. Its part of setting up RAID, there is no way around it sorry.

No you can migrate you data using the Intel RAID Accelerator!

Be carefull and backup what you need just in case.   I migrated from a single SATA drive to RAID 1 (Mirroring) with no problem, from what I read setting up RAID 0 should be the same but I would gusss you have more risk with RAID 0.   Refere to the manual link I posted earler in this thread. 

Basically the steps should be to enable RAID then go into the control panel and run the Intel Accelerator Application and choose right click the RAID volume container and start the process.   You choose the disk to migrate and then choose the new disk to add to the RAID volume.

Note you may have to boot once after turning on RAID before starting migration.

One note on your EIDE drive it should still work after enabling RAID again, at least it does for me.   I had a little trouble with the BIOS first finding it, but the OS did.   Once I rebooted the BIOS found it.

 

On the unlikely event you have reload everything note you need to install a RAID driver on the OS install using F6 on the none graphical setup.    Intel has links to there software on the link furnished to create the driver diskette.  Dell has it on there download section also.

Good luck.

 

No it does not start the process until your in windows and you actually go into controll panel and setup your RAID volume using the Intel Accelerator application.  

The first time you turn on the RAID option in setup you may get a message saying you have to reboot because new device installed.   After re-booting then you can start the migration.

The CTL - I after boot I think is primarly used to setup a new RAID volume on a new install of the OS.   Went into that option but did not actually do anything here.   I think you could setup a RAID here also but do not think there is any migration ability here. 

Good luck.

 

Thanks for your responses concerning the setup of a RAID. I suppose my main concern is...what exactly happens when you turn on the RAID in the RAID bios (the bios which is entered by pressing Ctrl-I) and exit. Are you then allowed to boot into Windows or does the system begin setting up the RAID after exiting the bios. If the drive is converted at that point and data is lost, I most likely will not be converting to RAID since I just got this system set up like I want it. Thanks again for your responses.

Thanks again for your response. Unfortunately, when I turn on the RAID in the Dell bios, the computer will not boot normally into Windows. It takes me to the Ctrl-I option to set up the RAID in the RAID bios. It will not boot into Windows until I do that. So it appears I have no option but to set up the RAID in the RAID bios. There, it asks me to choose which RAID, 0 or 1. That is where I stop the procedure because I do not want to loose my data. The Intel Application Accelerator is installed in the control panel in Windows but will not let me do anything with it until I turn on the RAID. Therefore, I can't set up the RAID within Windows. Anywy, I am still unsure about what happens after setting up the RAID in the RAID bios (i.e. choosing which RAID option). If the migration begins after exiting that bios, I will have to forego using a RAID. Do you feel it is really worth it from a performance standpoint. Thanks again.

Not sure why that is happening.   On mine the SATA RAID was initially ON, so I left it that way for a while.   Just after receiving my second disk I did some expermenting, and turned SATA RAID to OFF.   Installled the other disk did some bench mark as just a second disk.   Compared it with the EIDE drive that I installed etc.   Finally I deleted the partition off the second SATA drive (port 1) and rebooted.   Entered setup, turned SATA back ON.  No problem rebooting.   Only think that happened was it said a new device driver was installed or something like that and ask me to re-boot.   After that I started the process.

The only think I am wondering if maybe you no longer have the RAID drivers installed.   If you were doing a fresh install you have to do a F6 shortly after booting off your Windows XP disk.   Just before it starts the non graphical install of Windows.    Then once your fully installed with windows you would would install the Intel Accelerator Application.  

Was your SATA On or Off initially ?

You may be Windows XP repair to install them !   Dell has link to the drivers, it write the driver to a diskette.  Could maybe try re-installing the Intel Accelerator also.  Here is a link to the drivers and software.

http://support.dell.com/FileLib/Type.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&Category=0&OS=WW1&OSL=EN&SvcTag=&SysID=DIM_PNT_P4_XPS_G2&DeviceID=1556

 

 

Unless you really need the performace, RAID 0, or data back upi from RAID 1, there is no point. Most do it for fun because its an easy way of upgrading speed with out upgrading entire Hard drives. I was goin to do it for fun because i have raptor drives so Its yoru call. But there is no need.

I was just wondering, the link you sent me to, what motherboard is that for? Im guessing its for the i875P motherboard with the 82801EB (ICH5) Southbridge? If so, does that mean that I can actually get the sata drives connected to my motherboard working in RAID0 or RAID1 !!??! That would be amazing :)

Thanks in advance!

-Musabi