Software and drivers, or a lack thereof
Until XFX mixes up the bundles for different versions of its Revo64, all cards come with a set of fancy locking Serial ATA cables and a utility CD
That's right: a utility CD, not a driver CD. The Revo64's most unique attribute is the fact that it doesn't require drivers. It's even possible to install Windows directly to arrays connected to the card; there's no need to hit F6 or slipstream drivers.
The Revo64 appears as a Netcell SyncRAID device in the Windows XP device manager, and it also works under Windows 2000. Linux isn't officially supported by XFX, but the Revo64 will run there, as well. Support for Netcell cards was added to the Linux kernel with version 2.6.13, so that version and subsequent kernel revisions support the card with no need for drivers. Those intent on running older versions of the Linux kernel can download patches for SuSe 9.1 and Fedora Core2 from Netcell's software support page. The software support page also contains drivers for Mac OS X, but they won't work with standard versions of the Revo. XFX sells a Mac version of the card with firmware that works under OS X.
When a system boots with the Revo64 installed, the user is prompted to configure arrays using the card's BIOS. Users can assign drives connected to the Revo64 to a RAID 0, 1, or 3 array, although RAID 3 is the only available three-drive configuration.
In addition to configuring arrays via the Revo64's BIOS, users can install the bundled Netcell Storage Manager software to create and control arrays from within Windows. The app also handles data migration, allowing users to preserve data from one drive while creating an array. This migration capability is a handy feature to have, and it could save users from having to Ghost over the contents of their old system or reinstall Windows completely.
The Netcell Storage Manager is also equipped with email and pop-up notifications that will alert users in the event of a drive failure.
Although the Revo64 doesn't require drivers, XFX will offer new versions of the storage manager software that can automatically upgrade the card's firmware to the latest version. Like driver updates, firmware upgrades have the potential to improve performance over time. Installation is painless, as well.
