Owner's manual

Chapter 1 – Overview
9
SAS (Serial Attached SCSI)
The Accusys RAID system is designed for use with the latest SAS hard disk
drives. SAS allows data transfer up to 3 or 6 Gbps, and is backwards
compatible with second-generation SATA drives. SAS offers several high
performance advantages, including speed, I/O frequency, high mean time
before failure (MTBF) and simultaneous support for many users.
SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment)
The Accusys RAID system is designed for use with the latest Serial ATA II
hard disk drives. Serial ATA (often abbreviated as SATA or S-ATA) allows data
transfer up to 3 Gbps and is compatible with older Parallel ATA standards. It
has an additional advantage parallel ATA in that cables are thinner, so airflow
within computer cases is less impeded, and can extend to one meter in length
(against only 40 cm for parallel ATA).
PCI EXPRESS X 4
Developed by Intel in 2004, PCI Express has been developed to match the
speed of CPUs. It provides a serial communications channel that provides up
to 2.5 Gbits/sec in each direction of a pair of wires. The 4 refers to the number
of pairs of wires, therefore allowing a maximum of 10 Gbits/sec transfer.
FIRMWARE
Appropriate firmware must be loaded into the RAID system for it to function.
The Accusys RAID system is shipped with firmware preloaded. Check the
installation CD that came with the package to find a backup firmware copy.
You can also periodically check the vendor’s web site to find the latest
firmware version for use with the RAID system. See ftp.accusys.com.tw for
upgrades.
EFI
The Accusys RAID system contains an internal EFI, which can be used to
configure a RAID array instead of using the RAIDGuard X GUI. The EFI is
accessed as the RAID system boots up and contains all the functionality of the
RAIDGuard X GUI. The BIOS and EFI may be upgraded using the RAIDGuard
X GUI. See ftp.accusys.com.tw for upgrades.