This configuration guide will walk you through the process of setting up a RAID array on your Dell PERC 6i RAID controller. Need a Dell PERC 6i RAID controller? Pick one up below.
Dell PERC 6i Array Configuration Guide
1. Make sure you have physical or console access to the server you wish to create the array on.
2. Press CTRL-R when prompted to by the BIOS to enter the RAID configuration utility.
3. Highlight the root element of tree that appears on the screen and press F2.
4. Press enter on the “Create new VD” option which will bring you to the configuration screen for new virtual disks.
5. Press enter and select the desired RAID level. Only RAID levels the system supports will be available for selection. For basic redundancy with two drives we recommend RAID-1, for more drives we reccomend RAID-5. If you only want one disk in the array select RAID-0.
6. Press tab to move the selector into the disk selection block and press space to select or deselect drives.
7. Press tab to move the cursor to the “OK” and hit enter to create your virtual drive.
8. Select the newly created virtual disk in the tree and press F2 to open the operations menu.
9. Move the cursor over the “Initialize” button and press the right arrow key to expose a submenu.
10. Select the “Fast init” option and press yes when the warning about data loss is displayed.
11. While the virtual disk is initializing a progress bar will show next to it and the operations label on the right side will read "Init." When it is done the operations label will read "None."
12. Your virtual disk is now ready, you can now leave the RAID configuration utility or create another array if you have any remaining disks. Press escape to exit.