Beyond the 2TB Barrier
The current AMCC Storage 9000 series controllers support array greater than 2TB.However, not all operating systems support array sizes great than 2TB. Under Linux, use the "parted" tool to create arrays of greater than 2TB. Current releases of the Windows operating system do not support greater than 2TB. If an array of 3TB is selected, the current version of Windows will recognize and format the first 1.99 (2TB) of storage space. Windows 2003 is still in beta. It is yet to seen if Windows 2003 will provide more than 2TB support in its final release. The 3Ware firmware will support 64-bit LBA, which will satisfy the array capacity requirements up to 9 zettabytes. 264x512 bytes = 9,444,732,965,739,290,427,392 bytes.
Using a 32-bit operating System with a 64-bit driver*
When installing Windows drivers you should select the appropriate driver for the corresponding OS. For instance, a 32-bit driver should be installed for a 32-bit OS. Although a 64-bit driver can be forced to install on a 32-bit OS, doing so will result in you having to reinstall your OS. At first it will appear that there is not an issue. The driver will install without errors or warnings, however on reboot the system may blue screen which would result your having to reinstall your system OS. There is no work around to this issue. To avoid blue screen issues follow the table below:
CAUTION: Use appropriate driver with corresponding OS.
| Windows Operating System | 3Ware 9500 Driver | Condition | | 32-bit | 32-bit | Works | | 64-bit | 64-bit | Works | | 32-bit | 64-bit | System Crash | | 64-bit | 32-bit | Degrades performance |
Parted extends the 2TB partition limit on Linux 2.6
Current Linux "fdisk" versions have a partition size limit of 2TB. Use the "Parted" tool for partition sizes greater than 2TB.
*Note: Windows 64-bit Operating System is currently in Beta. | 
