Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E Hardware Guide Intel Order Number: D39308-003
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Preface This is the primary reference and user’s guide for the Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E, which can be used for SAS and SATA disk drives. It contains installation instructions and specifications. For details on how to configure the storage adapters, and for an overview of the software drivers, see the Software User’s Guide on the Resource CD. Audience This document assumes that you have some familiarity with RAID controllers and related support devices.
iv Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E Hardware Guide
Contents Preface ........................................................................................................................ iii Audience ............................................................................................................................... iii Organization ......................................................................................................................... iii Related Publication ......................................................................
vi Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E Hardware Guide
Figures Figure 1. Inserting the Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E into a PCI Express* Slot............ 7 Figure 2. Internal SAS Cable for Connection to SAS Backplane or SATA Hard Drives............ 9 Figure 3. SAS and SATA Plugs and SAS Backplane Connector ............................................ 10 Figure 4. Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E to a SATA Hard Drive .................................. 11 Figure 5. Card Layouts..................................................................................
viii Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E Hardware Guide
Tables Table 1. Jumper Descriptions ..................................................................................................13 Table 2. Specifications ............................................................................................................14 Table 3. Array Performance Features .....................................................................................15 Table 4. Fault Tolerance Features ..................................................................................
1 Overview This chapter provides a general overview of the Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E. It consists of the following sections: • Summary of SAS RAID Controller Features • Benefits of Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) The Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E Storage Adapter is a high-performance intelligent PCI Express* SAS RAID controller. It provides reliability, high performance, and fault-tolerant disk subsystem management.
• Support for up to 32 SAS or SATA drives and 40 logical drives. • PCI Express* connector that fits into a x8 PCI Express slot capable of 2.5 Gbps per lane over PCI Express x1, or x4. • 3.0 Gbps point-to-point transfer rate. • Both a standard and a low-profile bracket. The SAS controller supports the ANSI Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) standard, version 1.0. In addition, the controller supports the Serial ATA (SATA) protocol defined by the Serial ATA specification, version 1.0a.
• User specified rebuild rate (% of system resources to use from 0-100%). Warning: Exceeding 50% rate may cause operating system errors caused by waiting for controller access. • Background operating mode can be set for rebuilds, consistency checks, initialization (auto restarting consistency check on redundant volumes), migration, OCE, and patrol read. Redundancy and Error Handling • Enclosure management support, including LEDs.
— I/0 setting: Determines whether to read/write from cache to improve performance: ^ Cache I/O: Writes to the cache and next read checks the cache first. ^ Direct I/O: Never uses cache, all data goes from host to disk to host. • Redundancy through: — Configuration stored in nonvolatile RAM and on the drives (COD). — Hot swap support. — Optional battery backup for cache memory. Controller provides fast or trickle charges. SAS and SATA Features • Provides eight independent phys, each supporting 3.
Operating System Support The RAID Controller SRCSAS144E supports major operating systems, including: • Windows 2000*, Windows Server 2003*, and Windows XP* • Red Hat* Enterprise Linux 3.0 and 4.0 • SuSe* Linux Enterprise Server 9 and 9 SP1 Note: The operating systems supported by this controller may not be supported by your server board. See the tested operating system list for your server board at http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/server/.
2 Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E Hardware Installation This chapter describes the procedures used to install the Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E with internal and external connectors. Requirements The following items are required to install a RAID Controller SRCSAS144E: • An Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E. • A host system with an available x4 or x8 bi-directional PCI Express* slot. • The Resource CD, which contains drivers and documentation. • The cables provided with the RAID controller.
Installation 1. Power off the computer and all drives, enclosures, and system components. Remove the power cord from the computer. 2. Remove the chassis cover and access the PCI Express add-in card slots. See your server chassis documentation for instructions. 3. Align the controller’s connector with a x4 or x8 PCI Express* slot on the server board. 4. Press down gently but firmly to ensure that the card is properly seated in the slot, as shown in Figure 1. Secure the bracket to the computer chassis.
Note: System throughput problems can occur if using SAS cables that do not come with the RAID controller and that are not the correct type. To minimize the potential for problems: - Use cables no longer than ten meters for SAS and one meter for SATA. It is better to use the shortest possible cables. The cable length should be reduced by about one foot (.33 meters) if using a backplane. - You may connect one device per SATA/SAS cable either as a device or as an expander. - Route SAS cables carefully.
Connecting the Cables This section describes the cables used on the SAS controller and provides instructions for connecting SAS and SATA hard disk drives to the SAS RAID controller. Note: Use only “straight” SAS cables, not “cross-over” SAS cables. Figure 2 shows the cable used to connect the internal connectors on a SAS RAID controller to SATA drives. The cable supplied with the Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E is for SATA drives or a SAS backplane connection.
A SATA connector consists of a signal connector and a power connector. The SAS connector adds a bridge (primary physical link) between the signal connector and the power connector. This means SAS backplane connectors can accept either drive type, but SATA backplane connectors can ONLY accept SATA drives. Figure 3 shows these connectors.
Perform the following steps to connect a RAID Controller SRCSAS144E directly to a SAS backplane or to SATA hard drives. When cabling directly to hard drives or to backplanes that do not include expander support, use one cable per drive. When cabling to backplanes that include expander support, use one or two cables per backplane. 1. Connect the 4-port connector on the internal cable into the connector on the RAID Controller SRCSAS144E. 2.
Replacing a Controller Perform the following steps to replace a failed controller. 1. Power off the computer and all drives, enclosures, and system components. Remove the power cord. 2. Remove the chassis cover and access the PCI Express add-in card slots. See your server documentation for instructions. 3. Disconnect the cable(s) from the RAID controller. 4. Remove the failed controller from the system. 5. Insert the replacement controller into the system. Follow the instructions under Installation.
3 Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E Characteristics This chapter describes the characteristics of the Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E. Figure 5 displays the connectors and headers on the controller and Table 1 describes them. Figure 5. Card Layout s Table 1. Jumper Descriptions Jumper Description Type Comments J4 Flash Recovery jumper 2-pin If a normal firmware update fails, place a jumper across the J4 pins and reflash. The card will not function as a controller until the jumper is removed.
Table 1. Jumper Descriptions Jumper J9 Description Drive fault LEDs Intel® RAID Smart Battery connector J11 Type Comments 8x2 header LED signal on drive fault per port for eight ports. 20-pin Cable connector for the battery pack. This is located on the back (non-connector) side of the board. Warning: May not display correctly if only internal ports are used.
Table 2. Specifications Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E Specification Redundant Configuration 32 Kb NVRAM and config on disk (COD) store RAID configuration. Enclosure Management I2C out-of-band, SES2 in-band, SAF-TE (LEDs) Array Performance Features Table 3 shows the RAID Controller SRCSAS144E array performance features. Table 3. Array Performance Features Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E Specification 15 PCI Express* Host Data Transfer Rate 2.
Fault Tolerance Table 4 shows the RAID Controller SRCSAS144E fault tolerance features. Table 4. Fault Tolerance Features Specification Intel® RAID Controller SRCSAS144E Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) support Detects up to 70% of all predictable disk drive failures and monitors the internal performance of all motors, heads, and drive electronics. Optional Battery Backup Intel® RAID Smart Battery cache backup. Up to 64 hours of data retention. Trickle / fast charging.
Thermal and Atmospheric Characteristics The thermal and atmospheric characteristics are: • Relative humidity range: 5% to 90% non-condensing • Maximum dew point temperature: 32° C • Airflow must be at least 300 linear feet per minute (SFPM) to avoid operating the 80333 processor above the maximum ambient temperature The storage and transit environment conditions are: • Temperature range from -30° C to 80° C (dry bulb) without battery, 0° C to 45° C (dry bulb) with battery.
A Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations BIOS Basic Input/Output System. Software that provides basic read/write capability. Usually kept as firmware (ROM based). The system BIOS on a server board is used to boot and control the system. The BIOS on your host adapter acts as an extension of the system BIOS.
SAS Serial Attached SCSI. A serial, point-to-point, enterprise-level device interface that leverages the proven SCSI protocol set. The SAS interface provides improved performance, simplified cabling, smaller connections, lower pin count, and lower power requirements when compared to parallel SCSI. SAS controllers leverage a common electrical and physical connection interface that is compatible with Serial ATA. The SAS controllers support the ANSI Serial Attached SCSI standard, version 1.0.
