HighPoint RocketRAID 2322 - Manual (Page 8)

Introduction
Legacy The disk was used on other controllers before use with the
RocketRAID 2322 (see legacy disk below).
Array initialization
A redundant array (RAID 5, RAID 1, RAID 10, RAID 50) needs to be initialized to
ensure full performance and reliability. Non-redundant arrays (RAID 0, JBOD) do not
need to be initialized.
When you create a redundant array using the RocketRAID 2322 controller’s BIOS
Configuration Utility, it will create the array in un-initialized state. The initialization
process can be completed after installing the driver and management software.
When creating an array using the HighPoint RAID Management Console software,
you can specify an initialization option (Skip initialization, foreground and
background).
Foreground initialization
Foreground initialization will zero-out all data on the array. The array is not accessible
by the operating system until initialization is complete.
Background initialization
Background initialization allows the array to be used immediately. For RAID 1 and
RAID 10 arrays, initialization will results in data being duplicated identically to the
mirror pair. For RAID 5 and RAID 50 arrays, initialization will result in parity being
generated from all array members.
Note: An un-initialized RAID 1 or RAID 10 array can still provide redundancy in case
of a disk failure. A RAID 5 or RAID 50 array, however, is not fault-tolerant until
initialization is finished.
Online Capacity Expansion (OCE)
This feature allows disks to be added to existing RAID arrays, in order to increase the
array’s capacity, without fear of data loss. Any number of disks can be added to an
array, at any time. Data can be accessed and utilized even while being redistributed.
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