Host
Any computer system to which disks are attached and accessible for data storage and I/O.
Host adapter
A bus-based (PCI, EISA, ISA) hardware device, such as an add-in card or ASIC, that converts the timing and protocol of a host’s memory bus and an I/O bus.
Hot spare
RAID storage feature that allows a spare drive (or other component) to be configured for automatic (in contrast to hot-swap) replacement and reconstruction in the event of a disk failure. Users can remain on-line and continue to access data.
Hot Replacement of Disks
The design of all Mylex controllers allows for the replacement of failed hard disk drives without interruption of system service. In the event of a SCSI drive failure on a properly configured system (where the data redundancy features of the controller are used), the system generates a message to alert the system operator.
When a replacement drive becomes available, the system operator can remove the failed disk drive, install a new disk drive, and instruct the controller to “rebuild” the data on the new drive, all without interrupting system operations. Once the rebuild is complete, the controller will be brought back into a fault tolerant state. See also Hot Swap.Hot SpareA physical disk drive not part of a system drive that the controller can use to automatically rebuild a critical system drive. The hot spare drive must have at least as much capacity as the largest disk drive in the array or the rebuild may not start. See also Hot Standby and Standby Replacement of Disks.
Hot Standby
A redundant component in a fault tolerant storage system that has power applied and is ready to operate, but which does not perform its task as long as the primary component for which it is standing by is functioning properly. See also Hot Replacement of Disks and Hot Spare.