caviar se16 raid setup
I always used a RAID1 array to store my data into a PC. Recently, I had 2 disks failing on me, not one. They were Seagate Barracuda 400GB SATA drives. Previously, I had a lot of problems with Seagate but I sticked with them because of the 5 years warranty. So that made me switch back to my old friends, Western Digital. Still, I had my share of troubles, even with those cool drives.
I selected the Caviar SE16 500GB SATA model because they are certified for Vista, plus they were priced greatly ($95.00 CAD). I received by mail my 2 disks and set them into a RAID1 configuration. The Vista Ultimate install went very smooth and noticed that the new disks are quoted at 5.8, compared to 5.6 (Seagate). There is one little trick you need to perform, in order to make the SE16 100% RAID compatible.
If you download the WD TLER utility to check the TLER status, you will notice that it is disabled by default. If disabled, you will eventually notice that your RAID array will degrade, resulting in corrupted data. All you have to do is enable it. To do this, undust a floppy disk and format it as a system (DOS based) disk. Then, copy the TLER zip files into that disk. I had to try at least 4 floppy disks until I found one that worked, they were that old.
Once your files are nicely copied, restart your PC and (at the A:> prompt) type:
A:> tlerscan
It will check the TLER status and report that it’s disabled:
A:> tlerscan WDTLER Version 1.03 Copyright (C) 2004-2006 Western Digital Corporation Western Digital Time Limit Error Recovery Utility Model: WDC WD5000KS-00MNB0 Serial Number: WD-WMANU1234567 Read TLER is disabled. Write TLER is disabled. Model: WDC WD5000KS-00MNB0 Serial Number: WD-WMANU1234567 Read TLER is disabled. Write TLER is disabled.
To enable it, type:
A:> tler-on
It will enable the HD access and set the TLER at 7 seconds read/write on your Caviars:
A:> tler-on WDTLER Version 1.03 Copyright (C) 2004-2006 Western Digital Corporation Western Digital Time Limit Error Recovery Utility Model: WDC WD5000KS-00MNB0 Serial Number: WD-WMANU1234567 Read TLER time is 7.000 seconds. Write TLER time is 7.000 seconds. Model: WDC WD5000KS-00MNB0 Serial Number: WD-WMANU1234567 Read TLER time is 7.000 seconds. Write TLER time is 7.000 seconds.
That’s all… I can finally enjoy a stable RAID and get back to work.
Tags: raid