Adaptec 48300 User Manual

ERIAL ATTACHED SCSI

S

48300 C

ONTROLLER

Installation and

User’s Guide

● 2

Copyright

©2005 Adaptec, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of
Adaptec, Inc., 691 South Milpitas Blvd., Milpitas, CA 95035.

Trademarks

Adaptec and the Adaptec logo are trademarks of Adaptec, Inc., which may be registered
in some jurisdictions.

Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the US and other
countries, used under license.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Changes

The material in this document is for information only and is subject to change without
notice. While reasonable efforts have been made in the preparation of this document to
assure its accuracy, Adaptec, Inc. assumes no liability resulting from errors or omissions
in this document, or from the use of the information contained herein.

Adaptec reserves the right to make changes in the product design without reservation
and without notification to its users.

Disclaimer

IF THIS PRODUCT DIRECTS YOU TO COPY MATERIALS, YOU MUST HAVE
PERMISSION FROM THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OF THE MATERIALS TO AVOID
VIOLATING THE LAW WHICH COULD RESULT IN DAMAGES OR OTHER
REMEDIES.

● 3

Adaptec Customer Support

If you have questions about installing or using your Adaptec product, check this
document first—you will find answers to most of your questions. If you need further
assistance, use the support options listed below. To expedite your service, have your
computer in front of you.

Technical Support Identification (TSID) Number

● Before contacting Technical Support, you need your unique 12-digit TSID number.

The TSID number identifies your product and support status.

● The TSID number is included on a white, bar-coded label, like this example:

● Affix a copy of the TSID label to the CD jacket so that you don’t lose it.

North America

● Visit our Web site at www.adaptec.com.

● Search the Adaptec Support Knowledgebase (ASK) at ask.adaptec.com for articles,

troubleshooting tips, and frequently asked questions for your product.

● For information about Adaptec’s support options, call [phone],

24 hours per day, 7 days per week. To speak with a Technical Support Specialist,

● For Hardware products call [phone],

Monday to Friday, 3:00

● For RAID and Fibre Channel products call [phone],

Monday to Friday, 3:00

● For support via e-mail, submit your question at

●

You can order Adaptec products, including accessories and cables, by calling +1 408­957-7274.

Or, you can order cables online at www.adaptec.com/buy-cables.

Europe

● Visit our Web site at www.adaptec-europe.com.

● German: Call [phone], Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00, CET. For

support via e-mail, submit your question at

● French: Call [phone], Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00, CET. For support

via e-mail, submit your question at

● English: Call [phone], Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00, GMT. For

support via e-mail, submit your question at

● You can order Adaptec cables online at www.adaptec.com/buy-cables

Japan

● Visit our Web site at www.adaptec.co.jp.

● Call [phone], Monday–Friday, 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M and 1:00 P.M. to 6:00

P.M.

A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Pacific Time.

A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Pacific Time.

ask.adaptec.com.

ask-de.adaptec.com.

ask-fr.adaptec.com.

ask.adaptec.com.

.

● 4

Limited 3-Year Hardware Warranty

1. Adaptec, Inc. (“Adaptec”) warrants to the purchaser of this product that it will be free
from defects in material and workmanship for a period of three (3) years from the date
of purchase. If the product should become defective within the warranty period,
Adaptec, at its option, will repair or replace the product, or refund the purchaser’s
purchase price for the product, provided it is delivered at the purchaser’s expense to an
authorized Adaptec service facility or to Adaptec.

2. Repair or replacement parts or products will be furnished on an exchange basis and will
either be new or reconditioned. All replaced parts or products shall become the property
of Adaptec. This warranty shall not apply if the product has been damaged by accident,
misuse, abuse or as a result of unauthorized service or parts.

3.

Warranty service is available to the purchaser by delivering the product during the
warranty period to an authorized Adaptec service facility or to Adaptec and providing
proof of purchase price and date. The purchaser shall bear all shipping, packing and
insurance costs and all other costs, excluding labor and parts, necessary to effectuate
repair, replacement or refund under this warranty

4. For more information on how to obtain warranty service, write or telephone
Adaptec at 691 South Milpitas Boulevard, Milpitas, CA 95035, [phone].

5. THIS LIMITED WARRANTY DOES NOT EXTEND TO ANY PRODUCT WHICH
HAS BEEN DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF ACCIDENT, MISUSE, ABUSE, OR AS A
RESULT OF UNAUTHORIZED SERVICE OR PARTS.

6.

THIS WARRANTY IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER EXPRESS WARRANTIES WHICH
NOW OR HEREAFTER MIGHT OTHERWISE ARISE RESPECT TO THIS
PRODUCT. IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THOSE OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON­INFRINGEMENT SHALL (A) HAVE NO GREATER DURATION THAN 3 YEARS
FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE, (B) TERMINATE AUTOMATICALLY AT THE
EXPIRATION OF SUCH PERIOD AND (C) TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY
LAW BE EXCLUDED. IN THE EVENT THIS PRODUCT BECOMES DEFECTIVE
DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD, THE PURCHASER’S EXCLUSIVE REMEDY
SHALL BE REPAIR, REPLACEMENT OR REFUND AS PROVIDED ABOVE.
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT
LIMITATION LOSS OF DATA, ARISING FROM BREACH OF ANY EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED WARRANTY ARE NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ADAPTEC AND, TO
THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ARE HEREBY EXCLUDED BOTH FOR
PROPERTY DAMAGE, AND TO THE EXTENT NOT UNCONSCIONABLE, FOR
PERSONAL INJURY DAMAGE

.

7. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES FOR CONSUMER
PRODUCTS, AND SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW
LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR
EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

8. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights
which vary from state to state.

.

● 5

Regulatory Compliance Statements

Federal Communications Commission Radio Frequency Interference Statement

WARNING: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible
for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy, and if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction
manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee
that interference will not occur in a particular installation. However, if this equipment does cause
interference to radio or television equipment reception, which can be determined by turning the
equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:

■ Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

■ Increase the separation between equipment and receiver.

■ Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is

connected.

■ Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for help.

■ Use a shielded and properly grounded I/O cable and power cable to ensure compliance of this

unit to the specified limits of the rules.

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference and (2)
this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause
undesired operation.

Adaptec, Inc.

ASR-4000SAS/ASR-4800SAS/
ASR-4805SAS

Tes ted t o Com ply
With FCC Stan dards

FOR HOME OR OFFICE USE

European Union Compliance Statement

This Information Technology Equipment has been tested and found to comply with EMC
Directive 89/336/EEC, as amended by 92/31/EEC and 93/68/EEC, in accordance with:

● EN55022 (1998) Emissions

● EN55024 (1998) Immunity:

– EN61000-4-2 (1998) Electrostatic discharge: ±4 kV contact, ±8 kV air
– EN61000-4-3 (1998) Radiated immunity
– EN61000-4-4 (1995) Electrical fast transients/burst: ±1 kV AC, ±0.5 kV I/

O

– EN61000-4-5 (1995) Surges ±1 kV differential mode, ±2 kV common

mode
– EN61000-4-6 (1996) Conducted immunity: 3 V
– EN61000-4-11 (1994) Supply dips and variation: 30% and 100%

In addition, all equipment requiring U.L. listing has been found to comply with EMC
Directive 73/23/EEC as amended by 93/68/EEC in accordance with EN60950 with amendments A1,
A2, A3, A4, A11.

Australian/New Zealand Compliance Statement

This device has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,

pursuant to the Australian/New Zealand standard AS/NZS 3548 set out by the Spectrum

Management Agency.

● 6

Canadian Compliance Statement

This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing

Equipment Regulations.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le

matériel brouilleur du Canada.

Japanese Compliance (Voluntary Control Council Initiative)

This equipment complies to class B Information Technology equipment based on VCCI

(Voluntary Control Council for Interface). This equipment is designed for home use but it

may causes radio frequency interference problem if used too near to a television or radio.

Please handle it correctly per this documentation.

Contents

Introduction

Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) on the Adaptec HostRAID Controller
12

Kit Contents...................................................................................13

Overview of the Installation Process ............................................14

System Requirements and Compatibility..................................... 14

Drive Requirements................................................................14

Hardware Requirements.........................................................14

Operating System Compatibility ...........................................15

HostRAID Controller Features ..................................................... 16

Features Overview...................................................................16

Adaptec SAS 48300 HostRAID Controller Features Summary
17

Advanced RAID Features .......................................................18

About the Documentation ............................................................ 18

Using the CDs ................................................................................ 19

Booting from the CD with No Operating System................. 19

Using the CD Autorun in Windows ......................................19

Installing the Adobe Acrobat Reader............................................ 19

Software Tools Overview...............................................................20

Safety Information......................................................................... 21

Electrostatic Discharge ...........................................................21

Contents ● 8

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives

SAS Drives and Cables................................................................... 23

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives ..........................24

Connecting Disk Drive Options ............................................25

Determining the Boot HostRAID Controller ..............................27

Using Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility to Create a Bootable

RAID Array ....................................................................................28

Installing the Driver

Overview of the Driver Installation Process................................. 31

Creating the Driver Disk ...............................................................31

Installing the Windows Driver...................................................... 32

Installing the Driver When You Install Windows.................32

Installing the Driver in an Existing Windows System ..........33

Installing the Linux Module..........................................................34

Installing the Module When You Install Red Hat or SuSE ..34

Installing the Module in an Existing Linux System ..............35

Managing Your Storage Space

About Adaptec Storage Manager.................................................. 37

Installing Adaptec Storage Manager...................................... 37

About the HostRAID Controller Configuration Utility..............38

About the Adaptec RAID Controller Utility ................................ 38

About the Adaptec Flash Utility....................................................39

Which Utility Should I Use?..........................................................39

SAS Drives and Cables................................................................... 40

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives ..........................41

Connecting Disk Drive Options ............................................42

Determining the Boot Controller .................................................44

Using Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility to Create a Bootable

RAID Array ....................................................................................44

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility

HostRAID—Overview ..................................................................48

Using the Array Configuration Utility .........................................48

Creating Arrays .......................................................................49

Managing Arrays.....................................................................51

Contents ● 9

Adding/Deleting Hotspares.................................................... 52

Configure Disk Drives ............................................................53

Rebuilding Arrays ...................................................................53

Verifying Arrays ......................................................................54

Using SerialSelect ...........................................................................55

SerialSelect Options................................................................. 56

Using the Disk Utilities .................................................................58

Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU)

Introduction...................................................................................61

System Requirements .............................................................62

Compatibility ..........................................................................62

Running the AFU from the GUI................................................... 62

Running the AFU from the Command Line................................ 63

HELP .......................................................................................63

LIST .........................................................................................63

SAVE........................................................................................ 64

UPDATE..................................................................................65

VERIFY....................................................................................66

................................................................................VERSION67

AFU Command Line – Step-by-Step............................................ 68

Using the Command Line Utility

HRCONF Commands...................................................................71

Introduction to SAS

Terminology Used in This Chapter .............................................. 81

What is SAS? ..................................................................................81

How Do SAS Devices Communicate? ..........................................82

What’s a Phy?................................................................................. 82

What’s a SAS Port? ........................................................................83

What’s a SAS Address? ..................................................................83

What’s a SAS Connector?..............................................................84

What do SAS Cables Look Like? ...................................................85

How are Disk Drives Identified in SAS?....................................... 85

What are the SAS Connection Options? ......................................86

Contents ● 10

Direct-attach Connections .....................................................86

Backplane Connections ..........................................................86

SAS Expander Connections....................................................87

How is SAS Different from Parallel SCSI?.................................... 88

Understanding RAID

Understanding Drive Segments ....................................................90

Selecting the Best RAID Level ....................................................... 90

RAID 0............................................................................................91

RAID 1 Arrays................................................................................ 92

RAID 10..........................................................................................93

Specifications

Environmental Specifications .......................................................94

DC Power Requirements............................................................... 94

Current Requirements...................................................................94

Glossary

Index

Introduction

In this chapter...

Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) on the Adaptec HostRAID Controller 12

Kit Contents ....................................................................................... 13

Overview of the Installation Process.................................................14

System Requirements and Compatibility .........................................14

HostRAID Controller Features .........................................................16

About the Documentation ................................................................18

Using the CDs ....................................................................................19

Installing the Adobe Acrobat Reader ................................................19

Software Tools Overview ...................................................................20

Safety Information.............................................................................21

This Installation and User’s Guide explains how to install your Adaptec
SAS 48300 HostRAID controller. It also describes the utilities included
in your HostRAID controller kit, and provides a basic overview of Serial
Attached SCSI (SAS) technology.

1

Introduction ● 12

Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) on the Adaptec HostRAID Controller

The Adaptec SAS 48300 is a low-profile PCI-X to 8-Phy SAS 1.0
HostRAID controller that enables you to connect SAS or SATA I and
SATA II devices, such as hard disk drives, to an Intel-based computer
with 64-bit PCI/PCI-X expansion slots.

SAS is the next-generation enterprise-class storage interface technology
replacing the parallel SCSI interface. It uses a point-to-point connection
for devices including initiators, targets, and expanders, and a routable
protocol to connect up to 128 devices. It offers much faster
communication and easier configuration. In addition, SAS provides
device compatibility to Serial ATA (SATA) and uses similar cabling.

The Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller has an internal 4X SFF-8484
SAS 1.1 6-meter connector and an external 4X SFF-8470 SAS 1.0
8-meter connector with a maximum throughput of 3.0 Gb/sec (300
MB/sec). SAS allows for a cable with a compact design and length of up
to 8 meters for optimal connectivity and airflow inside enclosures. For
more information about SAS, see Introduction to SAS on page D80

External
Connector

Internal
Connector

J1 (LED
Connector)

PCI/PCI-X Connector

Introduction ● 13

The Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller supports:

● Compliance with SAS specification 1.0

● Physical and software compatibility with SAS and SATA-II hard disk

drives

● Standard 2.5 and 3.5 inch SAS hard disk drives

● SES-2 support for disk drive enclosures

See HostRAID Controller Features on page 16 for more information on
the Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller. For more information on SAS,
see Introduction to SAS on page D80.

Kit Contents

Your Adaptec HostRAID controller kit includes:

● Adaptec SAS 48300 HostRAID controller with full-size bracket

● RAID Installation CD (Bootable)

● Device Drivers

● Adaptec Serial Attached SCSI 48300 Controller Installation and

User’s Guide (this guide)

● Readme File

● Adaptec Storage Manager CD

● Adaptec Storage Manager application

● Readme Files

● HostRAID Configuration Utility (HRCONF)

● Low-profile bracket

● One SAS x4 to SAS/SATA (4) x1 internal fan-out cable

● Adaptec Serial Attached SCSI 48300 Controller Quick Install Guide

(printed)

Introduction ● 14

Overview of the Installation Process

This section provides an overview of how to install and configure the
Adaptec HostRAID controller:

1 Install and configure the HostRAID controller and hard disk drives,

as described in Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives on

page 22.

2 Install the HostRAID controller driver, as described in Installing the

Driver on page 31.

3 Install Adaptec Storage Manager as described in Installing Adaptec

Storage Manager on page 37.

System Requirements and Compatibility

This section summarizes the following system requirements:

● Drive Requirements

● Hardware Requirements

● Operating System Compatibility

Drive Requirements

You need to have enough drives available for the RAID array level you
want to build. For details, see Understanding RAID on page E89.

Note: Arrays work best when all array members (drives) are identical.

Hardware Requirements

The following list summarizes the hardware requirements:

● Intel Pentium, or equivalent, processor

●

A motherboard that meets the following compatibility requirements:

● Complies with the PCI Local Bus Specification, Revision 2.2 and

higher.

● Supports multifunction devices where one of the devices is a PCI

bridge.

● Provides large memory-mapped address ranges.

Introduction ● 15

● At least 256 MB of RAM

● An available 64-bit PCI /PCI-X slot

● 40 MB of free drive space

● 16-bit SVGA color monitor with a resolution of at least 800 x 600

● CD drive

● SAS interface cables

Note: Adaptec recommends only using Adaptec SAS cables. For
more information on cables, see the Adaptec website at

www.adaptec.com.

Operating System Compatibility

The following operating systems are supported:

● Microsoft® Windows®

● Windows 2000—32-bit

● Windows 2003—32-bit, x64

● Windows XP—32-bit, x64

● Red Hat Linux

● RHEL 3.0—OOB, QU5, QU6, 32-bit, x64

● RHEL 4.0—OOB, U1, 32-bit, x64

● SuSE Linux

● Professional 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 32-bit, x64

● SLES 9.0—OOB, SP1, SP2, 32-bit, x64

● United Linux 1.0 (SLES 8)—OOB, SP3, SP4, 32-bit , x64

● Novell NetWare 6.5, SP4—32-bit

Note: For the latest drivers, go to www.adaptec.com.

Introduction ● 16

HostRAID Controller Features

This section contains the following subsections:

● Features Overview

● Adaptec SAS 48300 HostRAID Controller Features Summary

● Advanced RAID Features

Features Overview

The Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller offers the following features:

● RAID levels 0, 1, and 10.

● Supports PCI Local Bus Specification, Revision 2.2 or higher.

● 64-bit, 66/100/133-MHz PCI-X interface compatible with

64-bit PCI slots.

● Operating system independent configuration and RAID creation

using the Adaptec RAID Configuration (ARC) utility.

● Flash ROM for easy updates of HostRAID controller firmware.

● Using Adaptec Storage Manager, event logging and broadcasting,

including messaging for alphanumeric pagers.

● HostRAID

®

integrated RAID technology for reliable performance

and full data protection.

Introduction ● 17

Adaptec SAS 48300 HostRAID Controller Features Summary

The following table summarizes the features of the Adaptec SAS
HostRAID controller.

Specification Feature

Form factor Low-profile

PCI compatibility PCI/PCI-X

PCI bus width (max) 64-bit

PCI bus speed (max) 133 MHz

Ports 8

Drives per port 1

Tot a l de vi c e s 8

Total devices (using expander
technology)

Connectors, internal 1

Connectors, external 1

Cables supplied One SAS x4 to SAS/SATA (4) x1 internal

RAID levels 0, 1, 10

Simple volume Yes

Disk Drives SAS (3.0Gb), SATA I (1.5Gb),

Hotspares Yes

Native Command Queuing
(NCQ)

Automatic failover Yes

Audible alarm No

16

fan-out cable

SATA II (1.5Gb)

Ye s

Introduction ● 18

Advanced RAID Features

The Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller supports the following
advanced features:

● SAS/SATA Disk Hot Plug—Allows you to add and remove disks

without shutting down your system.

Hotspares

The Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller supports hotspares—drives that
are reserved to replace a failing drive in a redundant array. If a drive
fails, the hotspare will replace it and the array is automatically rebuilt.

The Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller supports global hotspares,
which protects every fault tolerant array that the drive has enough
available capacity to protect.

About the Documentation

The documentation set for the Adaptec HostRAID controllers includes:

● Readme text file—Contains additional technical information about

device compatibility, operating system support, and drivers.

● Installation and User’s Guide (this book)—PDF file on the RAID

Installation CD with complete information to install and configure
the Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller and attached hard disk drives.

● Quick Installation Guide— Printed manual with information to

quickly install and configure the Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller
and attached hard disk drives.

To view the PDF documents, you need Acrobat Reader or Viewer
installed on your computer. For details, see Installing the Adobe Acrobat

Reader on page 19.

Introduction ● 19

Using the CDs

● The RAID installation CD contains software, drivers, and

documentation. You can use the CD the following ways:

● Booting from the CD with No Operating System

● Using the CD Autorun in Windows

● The Adaptec Storage Manager CD contains the application software

to create and manage RAID arrays. Refer to Using the CD Autorun in

Windows to use the Autorun feature.

Booting from the CD with No Operating System

The RAID Installation CD is bootable. You can use it to start a
computer that has no operating system and configure an array
(provided your computer is set up to recognize bootable CDs).

Note: Verify that your computer supports bootable CDs by entering
system Setup and checking the settings.

Using the CD Autorun in Windows

To use the Autorun executable, autorun.exe, start Windows and insert
the CD. Your computer automatically reads the CD if it is set up to do
so.

Note: If your computer does not automatically read the CD, you can
prompt it to read the CD by clicking on

autorun.exe from the root

directory.

Installing the Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe Acrobat Reader allows you to view the PDF files on the product
installation CD. Adobe Acrobat Reader is available from Adobe as a free
download. For details, visit

www.adobe.com.

Introduction ● 20

Software Tools Overview

The Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller includes the following tools to
configure and manage your storage devices:

● Adaptec RAID Configuration (ARC) Utility—BIOS-based utility

that contains the following components:

● Array Configuration Utility (ACU)—Storage management

utility. Used to create, configure, and manage arrays. Also
available as a DOS-based executable (see below). For details, see

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility on page A48.

● SerialSelect Utility—Device management utility. Used to verify

the hardware configuration of the HostRAID controller and the
drives. For details, see Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration

Utility on page A55.

● Disk Utilities—Drive management utility. Used to format and

verify drives. For details, see Using the Adaptec RAID

Configuration Utility on page A58.

● Adaptec Storage Manager—Storage management application with a

graphical user interface (GUI). Used to create, configure, and
manage arrays. For details, see About Adaptec Storage Manager on

page 37.

● HRCONF Command Line Utility—command line program used to

create and manage arrays.

● Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU)—DOS utility. Used to update, save, or

verify the HostRAID controller firmware, BIOS, and Adaptec RAID
Configuration Utility versions. For details, see Adaptec Flash Utility

(AFU) on page B60.

Introduction ● 21

Safety Information

To ensure your personal safety, as well as the safety of your equipment:

● Keep your work area and the computer clean and clear of debris.

● Before opening the system cabinet, unplug the power cord.

Electrostatic Discharge

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) is a natural by-product of human activity.
ESD is produced by materials that accumulate and retain electrical
charges which are transferred to people or other objects upon contact.

Caution: ESD can damage electronic components when they are

!

improperly handled and can result in total or intermittent failures.
Always follow ESD-prevention procedures when removing and
replacing components.

To p re ve n t ES D d am a g e:

● Use an ESD wrist or ankle strap and ensure that it makes skin

contact. Connect the equipment end of the strap to an unpainted
metal surface on the chassis. If a wrist strap is not available, ground
yourself by touching the metal chassis before handling the
HostRAID controller or any other part of the computer.

● Avoid touching the HostRAID controller against your clothing. The

wrist strap protects components from ESD voltages present on the
body only. ESD voltages on clothing can still cause damage.

● Handle your HostRAID controller by its bracket or edges only. Avoid

touching the printed circuit board or the connectors.

● When you need to put your HostRAID controller down, use an

antistatic surface such as the bag supplied in your kit.

● If you plan to return the HostRAID controller to Adaptec, put it

back in its antistatic bag immediately.

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives

In this chapter...

SAS Drives and Cables.......................................................................23

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives ..............................24

Determining the Boot HostRAID Controller...................................27

Using Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility to Create a Bootable

RAID Array ........................................................................................28

This chapter explains how to install your Adaptec SAS 48300 HostRAID
controller, and how to install and connect disk drives.

2

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives ● 23

SAS Drives and Cables

To install the Adaptec SAS 48300 HostRAID controller and drives, you
need equal numbers of each of the following:

● SAS/SATA disk drives

● SAS cables

Configuration of SAS/SATA drives is simple for the following reasons:

● There are no jumpers or switches to set on SAS HostRAID

controllers or SAS/SATA disk drives.

● All connectors are keyed so that you can insert them in only one

direction.

● Some cable connectors are identical, so you don’t need to worry

about which end to attach to the HostRAID controller and which
end to the drive.

There are various different SAS cables you can use to connect your
HostRAID controller and drives. The following are examples you are
likely to use:

Internal cable

Internal fan-out
cable (included in
your kit)

External cable

Note: Adaptec recommends only using Adaptec SAS cables. For more
information on cables, see the Adaptec website at www.adaptec.com.

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives ● 24

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives

To install the Adaptec SAS 48300 HostRAID controller and drives:

1 If you have a a low-profile computer cabinet, replace the original

full-height bracket with the low-profile bracket supplied in the
Adaptec HostRAID controller kit.

2 Turn off your computer.

3 Ground yourself by touching the system chassis. See Safety

Information on page 21 for more information.

4 Unplug the power cord.

5 Open the system cabinet.

6 Select an available 64-bit slot that is compliant with PCI/PCI-X

Local Bus Specification 2.2 or higher.

Note: You’ll get better performance if you use a PCI-X slot.

7 Remove the cover from the PCI/PCI-X slot.

8 Install the HostRAID controller in the PCI/PCI-X slot and secure

the controller bracket to the chassis.

9 Connect the computer’s disk activity LED cable (J1) to the

appropriate connector on the HostRAID controller.

Ensure that the positive lead of the LED cable, usually a red wire or a
wire marked with a red stripe, is attached to pin 1 and the negative
lead, usually a black wire, is attached to pin 2.

10 Install and connect any internal drives using the appropriate cable.

See Connecting Disk Drive Options for more information.

11 Close the computer cabinet.

12 Connect any external cables and drives to the HostRAID controller.

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives ● 25

Connecting Disk Drive Options

With SAS, you can connect internal disk drives in various ways—from
simple direct connection to highly flexible storage topologies. These
options allow you to mix SAS and SATA drives and increase the
number of drives you can connect to.

Direct Connection

Using the appropriate internal or external cable, connect the HostRAID
controller to any internal or external disk drives.

Installing the HostRAID Controller to a Backplane

Follow these steps to install your HostRAID controller on a backplane:

1 Using the appropriate cable, connect the HostRAID controller to

the backplane of your system.

2 Connect your disk drive to the backplane connector.

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives ● 26

Installing the HostRAID Controller to a SAS Expander

You can use a SAS edge expander to connect multiple hard disk drives
to your HostRAID controller or multiple controllers. Commands can
be sent down one link and data returned on another in a separate
connection to increase fault tolerance. Using a SAS expander and dual­port SAS drives and SATA drives with 2-port adapters, you can design
redundant systems for maximum fault-tolerance.

To install the Adaptec SAS 48300 HostRAID controller to a SAS
expander:

1 Using the appropriate cable, connect the HostRAID controller to a

PHY connector on the expander.

2 Connect a cable from a PHYconnector on the expander to a hard

disk drive.

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives ● 27

Determining the Boot HostRAID Controller

Note: If your system will contain two or more bootable HostRAID
controllers, read this section. Otherwise, skip this section.

The Adaptec SAS 48300 HostRAID controller supports bootable drives
and arrays. The default setting of the HostRAID controller and system
Setup allows you to install and boot from either a disk drive connected
to the motherboard, or from a drive or array connected to the
HostRAID controller.

If you already have an operating system installed on a disk drive
connected to the motherboard and you want to boot a second
operating system from the Adaptec SAS 48300 HostRAID controller:

Note: Selecting the boot controller is done under the system BIOS
Setup Utility. Launching the system BIOS Setup Utility varies, see your
operating system user’s manual for more information.

1 Enter the system Setup.

2 Navigate to the disk drive boot sequence.

3 Move the boot controller to the top of the list.

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives ● 28

Using Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility to Create a Bootable RAID Array

Note: If you want to install an operating system on a drive or array
connected to your Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller, read this section.
Otherwise, skip to installing the driver in your existing operating
system, as described in Installing the Driver on page 31.

This procedure allows you to create a bootable RAID 0, 1, or 10 array
on which you can install your operating system.

To create the RAID:

1 Install the HostRAID controller and drives, as described in Installing

the HostRAID Controller and Drives on page 24.

2 Turn on the computer, press Ctrl+A to enter the Adaptec RAID

Configuration Utility utility.

If you have only one HostRAID controller, then skip to the next
step. If more than one Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller is
installed, the first screen shows the controllers present. Highlight the
HostRAID controller you want to use, then press Enter. The
Adaptec RAID Configuration utility screen is displayed.

3 Press Enter to select Array Configuration Utility.

4 Using the arrow keys, highlight Create Array, then press Enter.

5 Using the arrow keys as in Step 4, highlight the drive for the array,

then press Insert for each highlighted drive.

6 Press Enter.

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives ● 29

7 On the next screen, respond as follows:

Array Type Select a RAID type, then press Enter.

Array Label Type a name of no more than 15 characters, then

press Enter.

Stripe Size Select stripe size, then press Enter. (N/A for RAID

1.)

Create RAID via Select RAID option, then press Enter. (No Init is the

only option for RAID 0.)

[Done] Press Enter.

The Creating Array window is displayed.

Note: RAID 1 and RAID 10, in clearing state the array is not
available to the operating system until clearing process is complete.

8 Press Enter to continue with the array configuration.

Note: You can start using the array now. But, for a RAID 1 and

RAID 10, performance is reduced until the build process is
complete.

9 Press Esc until the Exit Utility window is displayed.

10 Highlight Ye s , then press Enter.

The computer restarts.

11 Create the driver disk and install the driver as described in Installing

the Driver on page 31.

Installing the Driver

In this chapter...

Overview of the Driver Installation Process..................................... 31

Creating the Driver Disk ...................................................................31

Installing the Windows Driver.......................................................... 32

Installing the Linux Module.............................................................. 34

This chapter explains how to install your Adaptec RAID HostRAID
controller driver and an operating system onto a bootable array.

Note: To install the driver on an existing operating system, see page 33
for Windows and page 35 for Linux.

3

Installing the Driver ● 31

Overview of the Driver Installation Process

Adaptec recommends the following driver installation procedure:

1 Create a driver disk. See Creating the Driver Disk on page 31 for

details.

2 Identify the appropriate installation procedure for your computer.

You need to know the operating system and whether you are
installing the driver while also installing the operating system, or
installing the driver onto a system that already has the operating
system installed.

3 Familiarize yourself with the supported RAID types. You will need

to select a RAID type during your driver installation. See

Understanding RAID on page 89 for details.

4 Read and understand the entire installation procedure.

5 Proceed with the installation.

Creating the Driver Disk

Note: If you are adding the HostRAID controller to a Linux system that
was already installed, you do not need to create a driver disk; skip this
section.

Before you install your driver, you will need to create a driver disk. To
create the driver disk:

1

Set your system BIOS so that your computer boots from the CD drive.

2 Insert the Adaptec CD and turn on the computer.

3 Follow instructions and respond to prompts as necessary to get to

the Adaptec Start Menu.

4 Click Create Driver Disk, from the Main Menu.

5 Select one of the operating systems from the list:

–Windows

–Linux

–Netware

6 Select the type of operating system.

7 Select the version of the operating system.

Installing the Driver ● 32

8 When prompted, insert a floppy disk, then click OK.

The computer creates the driver disk.

Installing the Windows Driver

This section contains the following procedures:

● Installing the Driver When You Install Windows

● Installing the Driver in an Existing Windows System

Installing the Driver When You Install Windows

To install the driver while also installing the Windows operating
system, follow these steps:

1 Install and configure the HostRAID controller and disk drives, as

described in

2 If you want to create a bootable RAID array on which you can install

your operating system, refer to Using Adaptec RAID Configuration

Utility to Create a Bootable RAID Array on page 28. Otherwise, skip

to Step 3

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives

on page 24

.

3 Create the driver disk, as described on Creating the Driver Disk on

page 31. When finished, remove the driver disk.

4 Insert the Windows setup CD and restart the computer to begin the

Windows installation.

5 When prompted to install a third-party driver, press F6.

Note: When F6 is active, a prompt appears at the bottom of the

screen for only 5 seconds. If you miss your chance to press F6,
restart the computer.

6 Insert the driver floppy disk and wait until prompted to install a

driver. Press S to specify that the driver is on the floppy disk, then
press Enter. The computer reads the disk.

7 When the Adaptec driver is found, press Enter. Respond to the

on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Installing the Driver ● 33

Installing the Driver in an Existing Windows System

To install the driver in an existing operating system:

1 Install and configure the HostRAID controller and disk drives, as

described in Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives on

page 24.

2 Create the driver disk, as described on Creating the Driver Disk on

page 31. When finished, remove the driver disk.

3 Start Windows. Windows launches the Found New Hardware

Wizard, which searches for the driver.

4 Insert the driver floppy disk, select the floppy disk drive as the

source, then click Next.

5 Click Next in the two subsequent windows and follow the on-screen

instructions to complete the driver installation.

6 Remove the driver disk and restart the computer.

Installing the Driver ● 34

Installing the Linux Module

This section contains the following procedures:

● Installing the Module When You Install Red Hat or SuSE

● Installing the Module in an Existing Linux System

Note: For the most up-to-date information on Adaptec’s support of
Linux, visit www.adaptec.com.

Installing the Module When You Install Red Hat or SuSE

To install the module while also installing the Red Hat or SuSE
operating system, follow these steps:

1 Install and configure the HostRAID controller and disk drives, as

described in

2 If you want to create a bootable RAID array on which you can install

your operating system, refer to Using Adaptec RAID Configuration

Utility to Create a Bootable RAID Array on page 28. Otherwise, skip

to Step 3

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives

on page 24

.

3 Create the driver disk, as described in Creating the Driver Disk on

page 31. When finished, remove the driver disk.

4 Insert the first Red Hat or SuSE installation CD and restart the

computer to begin the operating system installation.

5 When the Red Hat or SuSE Welcome screen appears, do the

following:

● For Red Hat: Typ e

linux dd

at the Boot: prompt. When

prompted, insert the driver disk, then select OK.

● For SLES 8: Press the Alt key to have it prompt for a driver disk,

then select Installation.

● For SLES 9: Press F6 to have it prompt for a driver disk, then

select Installation.

6 Follow the prompts to set up your preferred environment.

7 If you are installing other third-party devices, proceed with the

installation of those devices. Otherwise, select Done.

Installing the Driver ● 35

8 Proceed with the Linux installation according to the Red Hat or

SuSE instructions.

Installing the Module in an Existing Linux System

To install the module in an existing Red Hat or SuSE Linux system:

1 Insert and mount the RAID Installation CD.

2 Install the module RPM by typing:

rpm -Uvh mount-point/xxx/yyy.rpm

where mount-point is the specific mount point on the Linux system,

xxx is the driver path, and yyy.rpm is the rpm file.

3 Reboot your computer to complete the installation.

4 Run fdisk, mkfs, and create mount points for any new drives.

Managing Your Storage Space

In this chapter...

About Adaptec Storage Manager ......................................................37

About the HostRAID Controller Configuration Utility .................. 38

About the Adaptec RAID Controller Utility ....................................38

About the Adaptec Flash Utility........................................................ 39

Which Utility Should I Use?..............................................................39

SAS Drives and Cables.......................................................................40

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives ..............................41

Determining the Boot Controller .....................................................44

Using Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility to Create a Bootable

RAID Array ........................................................................................44

Once you have installed your Adaptec HostRAID controller, disk drives
(or other devices), and device driver, you can begin to build and
manage your storage space.

This chapter introduces Adaptec Storage Manager, and describes the
other utilities included with your Adaptec HostRAID controller.

4

Managing Your Storage Space ● 37

About Adaptec Storage Manager

Adaptec Storage Manager is a full-featured software application that
helps you build a storage space for your online data, using Adaptec
HostRAID controllers and disk drives.

With Adaptec Storage Manager, you can group disk drives into logical
drives and build in redundancy to protect your data and improve
system performance.

You can also use Adaptec Storage Manager to monitor and manage all
the HostRAID controllers and disk drives in your storage space from a
single location.

When Adaptec Storage Manager is installed on a computer, the Adaptec
Storage Manager agent is also installed automatically. The agent is like a
service that keeps your storage space running. It’s designed to run in the
background, without user intervention, and its job is to monitor and
manage system health, event notifications, tasks schedules, and other
on-going processes on that system. It sends notices when tasks are
completed successfully, and sounds an alarm when errors or failures
occur on that system.

The agent uses less memory than the full application. If your storage
space includes systems that won’t be connected to monitors (and
therefore won’t require the user interface), you can choose to run the
agent only on those systems instead of the full application. For more
information, refer to the Adaptec Storage Manager User’s Guide or
online Help.

Installing Adaptec Storage Manager

Adaptec Storage Manager is included on the Adaptec Storage Manager
Installation CD. For installation instructions, refer to the Adaptec
Storage Manager User’s Guide, also included on the Adaptec Storage
Manager Installation CD.

Managing Your Storage Space ● 38

About the HostRAID Controller Configuration Utility

The HostRAID Controller Configuration Utility (HRCONF) is a
command line utility that you can use to perform some basic array and
configuration management functions.

With HRCONF, you can:

● Create and delete logical drives

● Modify and copy configuration settings

● Recover from disk drive failures and troubleshoot

HRCONF and the Command Line Interface (CLI) User’s Guide, which
describes how to use HRCONF, are included on the Adaptec Storage
Manager Installation CD.

Note: Adaptec recommends that only advanced users familiar with
command line interfaces use HRCONF.

About the Adaptec RAID Controller Utility

The Adaptec RAID Controller utility is a BIOS-based utility that you
can use to create and manage HostRAID controllers, disk drives and
other devices, and arrays. The Adaptec RAID Controller utility
comprises these tools:

● Array Configuration Utility(ACU)—For creating and managing

arrays, and initializing and rescanning disk drives. (ACU for DOS is
also available. See Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility on

page 48.)

● A -Select utility—SerialSelect, SATASelect, or SCSISelect, for

modifying your HostRAID controller and disk drive settings.

● Disk Utilities—For formatting or verifying disk drives.

Managing Your Storage Space ● 39

The Adaptec HostRAID Controller utility is included in your
controller’s BIOS. For more information, see About the Adaptec RAID

Controller Utility on page 38.

Note: The Adaptec HostRAID Controller utility is primarily intended
to configure your system before an operating system has been installed.

About the Adaptec Flash Utility

The Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU) is a text-based DOS utility that you
can use to update, save, or verify your HostRAID controller’s firmware
BIOS and Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM).

Caution: Although the AFU contains safeguards to prevent you

!

from accidentally damaging your HostRAID controller’s flash
contents, it is still important to use the AFU carefully and correctly
to avoid rendering your HostRAID controller inoperable.
Adaptec recommends that only advanced users familiar with
working in DOS use the AFU.

Which Utility Should I Use?

To create a bootable array, Adaptec recommends that you use the
BIOS-based ACU (see page 38).

For all subsequent storage management tasks, Adaptec recommends
that you install and use Adaptec Storage Manager (see page 37). As a
full-featured software application with a graphical user interface, it is
the easiest to use and offers the widest range of management functions.

Managing Your Storage Space ● 40

SAS Drives and Cables

To install the Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller and drives, you need
equal numbers of each of the following:

● SAS/SATA disk drives

● SAS cables

Configuration of SAS/SATA drives is simple for the following reasons:

● There are no jumpers or switches to set on SAS HostRAID

controllers or SAS/SATA disk drives.

● All connectors are keyed so that you can insert them in only one

direction.

● Some cable connectors are identical, so you don’t need to worry

about which end to attach to the HostRAID controller and which
end to the drive.

There are various different SAS cables you can use to connect your
HostRAID controller and drives. The following are examples you are
likely to use:

Internal cable

Internal fan-out
cable (included in
your kit)

External cable

Note: Adaptec recommends only using Adaptec SAS cables. For more
information on cables, see the Adaptec website at www.adaptec.com.

Managing Your Storage Space ● 41

Installing the HostRAID Controller and Drives

To install the Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller and drives:

1 If you have a a low-profile computer cabinet, replace the original

full-height bracket with the low-profile bracket supplied in Adaptec
HostRAID controller kit.

2 Turn off your computer.

3 Ground yourself by touching the system chassis. See Safety

Information on page 21 for more information.

4 Unplug the power cord.

5 Open the system cabinet.

6 Select an available 64-bit slot that is compliant with PCI/PCI-X

Local Bus Specification 2.2 or higher.

Note: You’ll get better performance if you use a PCI-X slot.

7 Remove the cover from the PCI/PCI-X slot.

8 Install the HostRAID controller in the PCI/PCI-X slot and secure

the controller bracket to the chassis.

9 Connect the computer’s disk activity LED cable to the appropriate

connector on the HostRAID controller.

Ensure that the positive lead of the LED cable, usually a red wire or a
wire marked with a red stripe, is attached to pin 1 and the negative
lead, usually a black wire, is attached to pin 2.

10 Install and connect any internal drives using the appropriate cable.

See Connecting Disk Drive Options for more information.

11 Close the computer cabinet.

12 Connect any external cables and drives to the HostRAID controller.

Managing Your Storage Space ● 42

Connecting Disk Drive Options

With SAS, you can connect internal disk drives in various ways— from
simple direct connection to highly flexible storage topologies. These
options allow you to mix SAS and SATA drives and increase the
number of drives you can connect to.

Direct Connection

Using the appropriate internal or external cable, connect the HostRAID
controller to any internal or external disk drives.

Installing the HostRAID Controller to a Backplane

Follow these steps to install your HostRAID controller on a backplane:

1 Using the appropriate cable, connect the HostRAID controller to

the backplane of your system.

2 Connect your disk drive to the backplane connector.

Managing Your Storage Space ● 43

Installing the HostRAID Controller to a SAS Expander

You can use a SAS edge expander to connect multiple hard disk drives
to your HostRAID controller or multiple HostRAID controllers.
Commands can be sent down one link and data returned on another in
a separate connection to increase fault tolerance. Using a SAS expander
and dual-port SAS drives and SATA drives with 2-port adapters, you
can design redundant systems for maximum fault-tolerance.

To install the Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller to a SAS expander:

1 Using the appropriate cable, connect the HostRAID controller to a

PHY connector on the expander.

2 Connect a cable from a PHYconnector on the expander to a hard

disk drive.

Managing Your Storage Space ● 44

Determining the Boot Controller

Note: If your system will contain two or more bootable controllers,
read this section. Otherwise, skip this section.

The Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller supports bootable drives and
arrays. The default setting of the controller and system Setup allows you
to install and boot from either a disk drive connected to the
motherboard, or from a drive or array connected to the controller.

If you already have an operating system installed on a disk drive
connected to the motherboard and you want to boot a second
operating system from the Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller:

1 Enter the system Setup.

2 Navigate to the disk drive boot sequence.

3 Move the boot controller to the top of the list.

Using Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility to Create a Bootable RAID Array

Note: If you want to install an operating system on a drive or array
connected to your Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller, read this section.
Otherwise, skip to installing the driver in your existing operating
system, as described in Installing the Driver on page 31.

This procedure allows you to create a bootable RAID 0, 1, or 10 array
on which you can install your operating system.

To create the RAID:

1 Install the HostRAID controller and drives, as described in Installing

the HostRAID Controller and Drives on page 41.

Managing Your Storage Space ● 45

2 Turn on the computer, press Ctrl+A to enter the Adaptec RAID

Configuration utility.

If you have only one HostRAID controller, then skip to the next
step. If more than one Adaptec SAS HostRAID controller is
installed, the first screen shows the controllers present. Highlight the
HostRAID controller you want to use, then press Enter. The
Adaptec RAID Configuration utility screen is displayed.

3 Press Enter to select Array Configuration Utility.

4 Using the arrow keys, highlight Configure Drives, then press Enter

to configure all drives.

5 Using the arrow keys, highlight the drives to be used for the array,

then press Insert for each highlighted drive.

The utility displays the selected drives to create the array.

6 Press Enter.

A warning is displayed—this is normal.

7 Press Y, then Enter.

The selected drives are initialized, then the ACU screen is displayed.

8 Using the arrow keys, highlight Create Array, then press Enter.

9 Using the arrow keys as in Step 5, highlight the drive for the array,

then press Insert for each highlighted drive.

10 Press Enter.

Managing Your Storage Space ● 46

11 On the next screen, respond as follows:

Array Type Select a RAID type, then press Enter.

Array Label Type a name of no more than 15 characters, then

press Enter.

Stripe Size Select stripe size, then press Enter. (N/A for RAID

1.)

Create RAID via Select RAID option, then press Enter. (No Init and

Migrate are the only options for RAID 0.)

[Done] Press Enter.

The Creating Array window is displayed.

Note: RAID 1 and RAID 10 clearing is not available to the operating
system until clearing operation is complete.

12 Press Enter to continue with the array configuration.

Note: You can start using the array now. But, for a RAID 1,

performance is reduced until the build process is complete.

13 Press Esc until the Exit Utility window is displayed.

14 Highlight Ye s , then press Enter.

The computer restarts.

Create the driver disk and install the driver as described in Installing the

Driver

on page 31.

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility

In this Appendix...

HostRAID—Overview.......................................................................48

Using the Array Configuration Utility.............................................. 48

Using SerialSelect............................................................................... 55

Using the Disk Utilities......................................................................58

The Adaptec HostRAID Controller utility is a BIOS-based utility that
you can use to create and manage HostRAID controllers, disk drives
and other devices, and arrays.

Note: Adaptec recommends that only advanced users familiar with
working in a computer BIOS use the Adaptec HostRAID Controller
utility tools. For more information, see Managing Your Storage Space on

page 36

A

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility ● 48

HostRAID—Overview

The Adaptec RAID Configuration (ARC) utility is part of the
HostRAID controller BIOS. The utility includes:

● Array Configuration Utility (ACU)—Used to create, configure, and

manage arrays, and make arrays bootable. Also used to configure
and rescan drives.

● SerialSelect Utility—Used to change device and HostRAID

controller settings.

● Disk Utilities—Used to format or verify media.

To run the Adaptec RAID Configuration utility, press Ctrl+A when
prompted by the following message during system startup:

Press <Ctrl><A> for Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility

The Adaptec RAID Controller menu presents the following options:

● Array Configuration Utility

● SerialSelect Utility

● Disk Utilities

To select a menu option in Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility,
browse with the arrow keys, then press Enter. Sometimes, selecting an
option displays another menu; to return to the previous menu at any
time, press Esc.

Using the Array Configuration Utility

The Array Configuration Utility (ACU) allows you to perform these
tasks:

● Creating Arrays

● Managing Arrays

● Adding/Deleting Hotspares

● Configure Disk Drives

● Rebuilding Arrays

● Ver i f y in g A r ra ys

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility ● 49

Creating Arrays

Before creating arrays, make sure the disks for the array are connected
and installed in your system. Note that disks with no usable space are
shown in gray and cannot be used. See

To create an array:

1 Turn on your computer and press Ctrl+A when prompted to access

the Adaptec RAID Configuration utility.

2 From the ARC menu, select Array Configuration Utility (ACU).

3 From the ACU menu, select Create Array.

4 Select the disks for the new array, then press Insert. To deselect any

disk, highlight the disk then press Delete.

5 Press Enter when both disks for the new array are selected. The

Array Properties menu displays.

Assigning Array Properties

Note: Once the array is created and its properties are assigned, you
cannot change the array properties using the ACU. Instead, use Adaptec
Storage Manager (See About Adaptec Storage Manager on page 37 for
details.)

Configure Disk Drives

on page 53

.

To assign properties to the new array:

1 In the Array Properties menu, select an array type then press Enter.

Only the available array types, RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10 are
displayed. RAID 0 and RAID 1 requires two drives. RAID 10
requires four drives.

2 Ty pe i n an optional label of no more than 15 characters for the array,

then press Enter.

3 For RAID 0, select the desired stripe size. Available stripe sizes are

16, 32, and 64 KB (default).

Note: Adaptec recommends that you do not change the default.

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility ● 50

4 The options under Create RAID via allows you to select between the

different creation methods for RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10. The
following table gives examples of when each is appropriate.

RAID
Type

RAID 0 Quick Init Creating a RAID 0 on new drives.

RAID 0 Migrate Creating a RAID 0 and you want to preserve

RAID 1 Build Creating a RAID 1 and you want to preserve

RAID 1,
RAID 10

RAID 1,
RAID 10

Create
RAID via When Appropriate

data on an existing drive. You will be asked to
select the source drive. The contents of the
source drive are preserved and any data on the
new drive is lost.

data on an existing drive. You will be asked to
select the source drive. The contents of the
source drive are preserved and any data on the
new drive is lost.

Clear Creating a RAID 1 or 10 on new drives, or

when you want to ensure that the new array
contains no existing data.

Quick Init Fastest way to create a RAID 1 or 10.

Appropriate when using new drives.

Notes:

● Before adding a new drive to an array, back up any data

contained on the new drive. Otherwise, all data will be lost.

● If you stop the Build or Clear process on a RAID 1 or RAID 10

from ACU, you can restart it by pressing Ctrl+R.

● A RAID 1or RAID 10 created using the Quick Init option may

return some data miscompares if you later run a consistency
check. This is normal and is not a cause for concern.

● The ACU allows you to use drives of different sizes in a RAID 1.

However, during a build operation, only the smaller drive can be
selected as the source drive.

● RAID 1 or RAID 10 clearing is not available to the operating

system until clearing operation is complete.

5 When you are finished, press Done.

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility ● 51

Managing Arrays

Select the Manage Arrays option to perform these tasks:

● Viewing Array Properties

● Adding/Removing a Bootable Array

● Deleting Arrays

The following sections describe these operations in greater detail.

Viewing Array Properties

To view the properties of an existing array:

1

From the ACU menu, select Manage Arrays.

2 From the List of Arrays dialog box, select the array you want to view

then press Enter.

The Array Properties dialog box appears, showing detailed
information on the array. The physical disks associated with the
array are displayed here.

3 Press Esc to return to the previous menu.

Adding/Removing a Bootable Array

To make an array bootable:

1 From the Main menu, select Manage Arrays.

2 From the List of Arrays, select the array you want to make bootable,

then press Ctrl+B. An asterisk will appear next to the bootable array.

3 To make the array nonbootable, select it then press Ctrl+B. The

asterisk will disappear next to the array indicating that it is
nonbootable.

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility ● 52

Deleting Arrays

Caution: Back up the data on an array before you delete it.

!

Otherwise, all data on the array is lost. Deleted arrays cannot be
restored.

To delete an existing array:

1 From the ACU menu, select Manage Arrays.

2 Select the array you wish to delete, then press Delete.

3 In the Array Properties dialog box, select Delete then press Enter. A

warning message appears.

4 If you press Ye s , select the member when the following prompt is

displayed:

To delete the par tition table, choose which member:
member #0, member #1, both, none

5 Press Esc to return to the previous menu.

Adding/Deleting Hotspares

Select the Add/Delete Hotspare option to add, delete, or view
hot spares.

1 From the ACU menu, select Add/Delete Hotspare.

2 Use the up and down arrow keys to highlight the disk you want to

designate as a Hotspare, then select Insert>Enter.

3 Press Ye s when the following prompt is displayed:

Do you want to create a spare? (Yes/No)

The Spare you have selected appears in the Selected Drive menu.

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility ● 53

Configure Disk Drives

Caution: If the drive is used in an array, you may not be able to use

!

the array again. Do not configure a drive that is part of a boot array.
To determine which disks are associated with a particular array, see

Viewing Array Properties on page 51.

You will not be able to configure the drive if there is a legacy
partition table or valid Master boot record (MBR) already existing.
You will need to run a disk partitioning software like Fdisk to delete
the partition.

To configure drives:

1 From the Main menu, select Configure Drives.

2 Use the up and down arrow keys to highlight the disk you wish to

configure, then press Insert.

3 Repeat Step 2 if you want to add another drive to be configured.

4 Press Enter.

5 Read the warning message and ensure that you have selected the

correct disk drives to configure. Type Y to continue.

Rebuilding Arrays

Note: Rebuilding applies to Fault Tolerant arrays (RAID 1 and
RAID 10) only. If a spare does not exist and a disk drive fails, you need
to create a spare before you can rebuild an array. See Adding/Deleting

Hotspares on page 52 before continuing your Rebuild.

By replacing a failed drive of a RAID 1 array with a new drive, you can
Rebuild to get the array to Optimal status and assume fault tolerance.
You can perform a Rebuild in the following ways:

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility ● 54

System Shutdown Rebuild

Note: This section applies only when an operating system and drivers
are installed.

You can shut down the system and replace the failed drive with a new
one (of equal or greater capacity). When the system is booted, you can
assign the new drive as a spare, and this will start the Rebuild task. All
the data from the good drive is copied to the new one, and the original
RAID 1 array is recreated.

Manual Rebuild

From the Main Menu, select Manage Arrays. From the List of

1

Arrays, select the array you want to Rebuild.

2 Press Ctrl+R to Rebuild.

Verifying Arrays

If you are notified of a mismatch of data during a RAID 1 build, follow
these steps to verify the arrays:

Note: The Verify option is available only if the array is Optimal. If the
array has failed, you must rebuild the array.

1 Highlight the array you want to verify.

2 Press Ctrl+S.

3 When the Verify is complete, you are notified of any errors found

during the Verify operation.

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility ● 55

Using SerialSelect

The SerialSelect utility allows you to change the BIOS and HostRAID
controller and device settings without opening the computer cabinet.

For information on the SerialSelect options, see SerialSelect Options on

page 56. To access SerialSelect:

1 Restart the computer, then press Ctrl+A when prompted to access

the Adaptec RAID Configuration utility.

2 If multiple HostRAID controllers are installed, select the HostRAID

controller you want to configure, then press Enter.

3 From the ARC menu, select SerialSelect Utility.

To select a menu option, browse with the arrow keys to the option,
then press Enter. In some cases, selecting an option displays another
menu. You can return to the previous menu at any time by pressing
Esc.

To restore the original SerialSelect default values, press F6 from
within the SAS Driver and Controller Configuration screens.

4 To exit SerialSelect, press Esc until a message prompts you to exit (if

you changed any settings, you are prompted to save the changes
before you exit).

5 At the prompt, select Ye s to exit, then press any key to restart the

computer. Any changes you made in SerialSelect take effect after the
computer restarts.

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility ● 56

SerialSelect Options

The following table lists the available and default settings for each
SerialSelect option and the descriptions of each option. The default
settings are appropriate for most systems and appear in bold type in the
table. Adaptec recommends that you do not change the settings.

SerialSelect Options

Controller Configuration

Runtime BIOS Enabled

BBS Support Device

RAID Support Enabled

POST Banner Display Enabled

Available
Settings Description

Disabled
Disabled:Scan
bus

Controller

Disabled

Disabled

Controls the state of the BIOS
at POST time. When Enabled,
the

HostRAID controller

BIOS allows the controller to
act as a bootable device.
Disabling the BIOS allows
another suitable
controller to act as the boot
device.

When BBS support is set to
Device base, the system’s BIOS
will list each attached bootable
device to the
controller as individual entry.
When BBS support is set to
Controller base, the system’s
BIOS will only list the

HostRAID

HostRAID

HostRAID controller in the

system boot order. This is
useful in a multi­controller configuration.

When there are active arrays in
the system, will not allow you
to Disable RAID support.

When Enabled, the Adaptec
banner, version, and copyright
is displayed. When Disabled,
the Adaptec banner, version,
and copyright is not displayed.

HostRAID

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility ● 57

SerialSelect Options

CTRL-A Message
Display

Physical Drives Display
during Post

PHY Configuration

PHY Rate Auto, 1.5, 3.0 The data transfer rate between

Available
Settings Description

Enabled

Disabled

Enabled

Disabled

When set to Enabled, the SAS

HostRAID controller BIOS

displays the
for Adaptec RAID
Configuration Utility message
on your screen during system
bootup. If this setting is
disabled, you can still invoke
the Adaptec RAID
Configuration utility by
pressing Ctrl+A after the SAS
card BIOS banner appears.

When Enabled, attached
physical devices are displayed
during system POST.
Displaying the devices adds a
few seconds to the overall
POST time.

the

HostRAID controller and

devices. The default setting is
Automatic, which allows the
SAS card to adjust the speed as
needed.

Press <Ctrl> <A>

Note: SATA-II targets are
negotiated at 1.5 Gbps only.

SAS Address 0-F Specifies the last digit of a 64-

bit SAS address of the

HostRAID controller, device,

and each port using a globally
unique worldwide name
(WWN) identifier.

Controller Properties

PCI Slot: Bus:
Device:Function

Interrupt (IRQ)
Channel

None Displays the path of the

storage devices in a Host RAID
controller.

None Displays interrupt

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility ● 58

SerialSelect Options

I/O Port Address None Displays I/O port address

Device ID None Displays device ID

Controller Serial
Number

Controller WWN None Displays the controller World

Available
Settings Description

None Displays controller serial

number

Wide Name

Using the Disk Utilities

The disk utilities allow you to format or verify the media of the hard
disk drives.

To use the disk utilities:

1 Restart your computer and press Ctrl+A when prompted to access

the Adaptec RAID Configuration utility.

2 If multiple HostRAID controllers are installed, select the controller

you want to configure, then press Enter.

3 From the ARC menu, select Disk Utilities.

4 Select the desired disk, then press Enter.

You are offered the following options:

● Format Disk—Performs a low-level format to SAS disk drive

while simulating a low-level format to SATA disk drive by
writing zeros to the entire drive. SATA drives are low-level
formatted at the factory and do not need to be
low-level formatted again.

Caution: Formatting destroys all data on the disk. Be sure to

!

back up your data before performing this operation.

● Ver i f y D isk Me d ia —Scans the media of a disk drive for defects.

● Write Ca c h e—Enabled providing maximum performance.

● Connection Rate—Set the connection rate to 1.5Gbps or

3.0 Gbps.

Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility ● 59

● Mark bootable—Marks the drive as a boot device.

● Indicate LED—A green LED on an enclosure blinks when a disk

drive is active and remains solid when it is idle.

Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU)

In this Appendix...

Introduction....................................................................................... 61

Running the AFU from the GUI.......................................................62

Running the AFU from the Command Line....................................63

This chapter describes how to use the Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU), a
text-based DOS utility that you can use to update, save, or verify the
HostRAID controller’s firmware BIOS.

Caution: Although the AFU contains safeguards to prevent you

!

from accidentally damaging your HostRAID controller’s flash
contents, it is still important to use the AFU carefully and correctly
to avoid rendering your HostRAID controller inoperable.
Adaptec recommends that only advanced users familiar with
working in DOS use the AFU. For more information, see Managing

Your Storage Space on page 36.

B

Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU) ● 61

Introduction

The Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU) is a DOS utility used to update, save,
or verify the HostRAID controller’s firmware BIOS.

Caution: The AFU is easy to use and contains safeguards to prevent

!

you from accidentally damaging the HostRAID controller’s flash
contents. Still, you must be careful to use the AFU correctly,
otherwise, you could render the HostRAID controller inoperable.

The AFU is used to:

● Update—Updates all the flash components on a HostRAID

controller with the flash image data from a User Flash Image (UFI)
file.

The AFU updates the HostRAID controller’s flash by reading UFI
files and writing them to the controller’s flash components.

Note: The UFI includes the HostRAID controller’s type, thereby
ensuring that the AFU uses the correct file.

● Save—Updates and verifies the BIOS image of the controller.

● Ve r i f y —Reads the contents of a HostRAID controller’s flash

components and compares it to the contents of the specified UFI
file.

● Ve r s i o n —Displays version information about a HostRAID

controller’s flash components.

● List—Lists all supported HostRAID controllers detected in your

system.

Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU) ● 62

System Requirements

The requirements for AFU are as follows:

● MS–DOS version 5.0 or later. It cannot run from a DOS command

prompt window under any version of Windows.

Note: You cannot create a bootable floppy using Windows 2000.

● At least 8 MB of extended memory.

Compatibility

The AFU has the following compatibility issues:

● Supports

under

● Does not support DOS extenders installed in memory, such as

EMM386.SYS

HIMEM.SYS

HIMEM.SYS

and

; compatible with other DOS drivers running

(for example,

DOS4GW

SMARTDRV.SYS

.

and

SETVER.SYS

).

Running the AFU from the GUI

The easy way to run the AFU is to use its Graphical User Interface
(GUI). If you prefer to run the AFU from the command line, see

Running the AFU from the Command Line on page 63.

To access the AFU:

1 Shut down your operating system and reboot to DOS from a

bootable MS-DOS floppy disk or from a DOS partition on a
bootable drive. (You can use the drive connected to the HostRAID
controller you are updating.)

Note: When updating the HostRAID controller flash, controller
activity is not possible. Before you can use the HostRAID controller
again, complete the flash operation and restart the computer.

2 At the DOS command prompt (typically A:\>), type AFU and press

Enter.

The AFU’s main menu is displayed.

Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU) ● 63

3 Select Select Controllers and select the Adaptec HostRAID

controllers to be flashed. When selecting a single controller, the
system automatically selects it. When selecting multiple controllers,
use the space bar, then press Enter.

4 Select Select an Operation and choose one of the available options.

Then follow the on-screen instructions.

Running the AFU from the Command Line

At the DOS command prompt (typically A:\>), type AFU followed by a
command and any switches. The AFU processes the command,
prompts you to insert additional floppy disks as needed, exits, and
reports success or an error message code. The available commands are
summarized below, in alphabetical order.

HELP

The HELP command displays a summary of AFU functions and
command switches.

Examples

The following are examples of command syntax that will work to get
help:

A:\> AFU HELP

A:\> AFU /?

LIST

The LIST command displays the AFU-supported HostRAID controllers
installed on your computer. Use this command to see which HostRAID
controllers are installed, or to identify the ID numbers assigned to each
physical controller.

You do not have to restart the computer after completing this command.

Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU) ● 64

Example

This example shows a typical system response to a LIST command:

A:\> AFU LIST
Adaptec Flash Utility V1.0-0 B1406
(c)Adaptec Inc. 1999–2005. All Rights Reserved.
Controllers Detected and Recognized:
Controller #0 (03:01:00) Adaptec ASC-48300

SAVE

The SAVE command saves the contents of a HostRAID controller’s
flash in a UFI file. The name of the UFI file is based on the HostRAID
controller type and cannot be changed.

Command Syntax

The command syntax for the SAVE command is as follows:

AFU SAVE [/C<Controller ID>] [/D <UFI File Path>]

Command Switches

The following switches are available:

● /C <Controller ID> is one or more HostRAID controller IDs

representing the set of controllers on which to perform the specified
command. The default is 0, which means that if the computer has
multiple
you specify otherwise.

HostRAID

controllers, the AFU defaults to controller 0 unless

You can specify a single HostRAID controller ID, for example:

/C 0

multiple IDs separated by commas, for example:

/C 0,2

or ALL to indicate all HostRAID controllers.

Note: If you are using multiple HostRAID controllers, you must
specify the controller you want by using the /C switch; otherwise,
the AFU displays an error message and exits. You cannot select ALL
HostRAID controllers when specifying SAVE.

Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU) ● 65

● /D <UFI File Path> specifies the path (drive and directory) where

the UFI files are located. If you do not specify the /D switch, the AFU
looks for, or creates, UFI files in the default location.

Note: You cannot specify the name of a UFI file, only its path. UFI
filenames are predefined, based on the HostRAID controller type.

Examples

In the following example, the AFU saves flash contents from HostRAID
controller 0 to a UFI file in the current default drive and directory:

A:\> AFU SAVE /C 0

In the following example, the AFU saves flash contents from Controller
1 to a UFI file in

A:\> AFU SAVE /C 1 /D C:\UFI_FILES

C:\UFI_FILES.

UPDATE

The UPDATE command updates a HostRAID controller’s flash
components from the flash image data in a UFI file. You can use the
UPDATE command to update a single HostRAID controller’s flash
components or to update multiple HostRAID controllers on your
computer.

You must restart the computer following an UPDATE command.

Command Syntax

The command syntax for the UPDATE command is as follows:

AFU UPDATE [/C<Controller ID>] [/D <UFI File Path>]

Command Switches

For details on the /C and /D switches, see the

SAVE

command on page 64.

Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU) ● 66

Examples

The following example shows a typical system response after an update
has been performed:

A:\> AFU UPDATE /C 0
Adaptec Flash Utility V1.0-0 B1406
(c)Adaptec Inc. 1999–2005. All Rights Reserved.

Updating Controller 0 (Adaptec ASC-48300)
Reading flash image file (Build 1406)
AFU is about to update firmware on controller(s) Adaptec ASC-48300
***PLEASE DO NOT REBOOT THE SYSTEM DURING THE UPDATE***
This might take a few minutes.
Writing Adaptec ASC-48300 (4MB) Flash Image to controller 0...OK.
Verifying...OK
Please restart the computer to allow firmware changes to take effect.

VERIFY

The VERIFY command compares the contents of each of the flash
components on a HostRAID controller to the corresponding image in a
UFI file and indicates whether they match. Use this command to
determine whether a HostRAID controller’s flash components are up­to-date when compared to a specific UFI file.

Command Syntax

The command syntax for the VERIFY command is as follows:

AFU VERIFY [/C<Controller ID>] [/D <UFI File Path>]

Command Switches

For details on the /C and /D switches, see the

SAVE

command on page 64.

Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU) ● 67

Example

The following example shows a typical system response after a verify
command has been performed:

A:\> AFU VERIFY /C 0
Adaptec Flash Utility V1.0-0 B1406
(c)Adaptec Inc. 1999–2005. All Rights Reserved.

Reading flash image file (Build 1406)
Controller #0: Adaptec ASC-48300
File: Checksum: 642C [VALID] (Build 1406)
File: Checksum: 642C [VALID] (Build 1406)
Verified Successfully

VERSION

The VERSION command displays version information about the flash
components on a HostRAID controller.

Command Syntax

The command syntax for the VERSION command is as follows:

AFU VERSION [/C<Controller ID>]

Command Switches

For details on the /C switch, see the SAVE command on page 64.

Example

The following example displays version information about all
supported HostRAID controllers:

A:\> AFU VERSION /C 0
Adaptec Flash Utility V1.0-0 B1406
(c)Adaptec Inc. 1999–2005. All Rights Reserved.

Version Information for Controller #0 (Adaptec ASC-48300)
ROM: Build 1406 [VALID]

Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU) ● 68

AFU Command Line – Step-by-Step

This section provides step-by step instructions for updating the flash.

To update the flash using the AFU command line:

1 Shut down the computer.

2 Insert the bootable disk that contains the AFU utility.

3 Turn on the computer.

4 Enter the system setup utility and verify that your computer is set up

to boot from the bootable disk.

5 If you have multiple HostRAID controllers only—At the DOS prompt,

afu list and press Enter.

type

This command displays the Adaptec SAS HostRAID controllers in
your system. Note the HostRAID controller number for the
controller you want to update; you may need it in Step 6 to perform
the update.

6 You can update the flash using any of the following alternatives:

a Updating the Flash on a Single HostRAID Controller—To flash

the firmware on a single HostRAID controller, type:

afu update /C <controller_number>

Where controller_number is the number of the controller whose
firmware you are updating. For example, to upgrade Controller
0, type:

afu update /C 0

b Updating the Flash on Multiple Controllers—To flash the

firmware on multiple HostRAID controllers, type:

afu update /C <controller_number_a>,<controller_number_b>

Where <controller_number_a> and <controller_number_b> are the
number of one of the Adaptec HostRAID controllers whose
firmware you are updating.

To upgrade HostRAID controllers 0, 2, and 3 for example, type:

afu update /C 0, 2, 3

Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU) ● 69

c Updating the Flash on All HostRAID Controllers

Simultaneously—To flash the firmware on all HostRAID
controllers, type:

afu update /C all

Note: The UFI file identifies the appropriate HostRAID
controllers, so you do not have to worry about flashing the
wrong controller.

7 The AFU prompts you to put in the first firmware disk.

When it detects that the disk is in the drive, the AFU reads the part
of the firmware image contained on the first disk.

8 When prompted, remove the first firmware disk and insert the

second firmware disk.

9 If necessary, repeat Step 8 until the process is complete.

Using the Command Line Utility

In this appendix...

HRCONF Commands ....................................................................... 71

This chapter explains how to use the command line utility interactively
or in batch mode. With interactive mode, enter commands at the
prompt. In batch mode, create scripts and run the script in the
appropriate shell. For example:

Environment Batch File Run Script

Windows

Linux/Unix

In either mode, if your command fails, you immediately see an error
message of Command failed. Other script messages that you can get
are Command completed successfully, or Command
aborted.

Available commands are described on the following pages, in
alphabetical order.

.bat CMD.EXE

.sh sh / bash

C

Using the Command Line Utility ● 71

HRCONF Commands

Perform the following functions from the command line:

HRCCONF COMMANDS

backup getstatus romupdate

create getversion setconfig

delete rescan setstate

getconfig restore

Command

hrconf Backup

What it does

For large-scale deployments, stores the current controller and disk drive
configuration setting to a specific file. Stored files can be used with the
RESTORE command to restore to another controller or disk drive. To
restore, the controller or disk drive must have the same configuration as
it did before the backup. For example: the same type of controller, same
number and type of disk drives with same IDs and channels).

Syntax

hrconf backup <Controller#> <File Name>

Parameters

Controller# is the controller number

File Name is the relative or absolute path with filename

Example

hrconf backup 1 c:\windows\hr2200

Return values

SUCCESS: 0x00 indicates the command completed successfully

FAILURE: 0x01 indicates the command failed

Using the Command Line Utility ● 72

Command

hrconf create

What it does

Creates logical drives. You must provide the channel and device ID of
the physical drives. On redundant logical drives, HRCONF performs
autosynchronization.

Syntax

hrconf create <Controller#> LOGICALDRIVE
[Options] <Size> <RAID#> <CHANNEL# DRIVE#>
[CHANNEL# DRIVE#] ... [noprompt]

Parameters

Controller# is the controller number

Logicaldrive indicates the logical drive stripe size with the

following options:

● Stripesize: Optional parameters for specifying a stripe size.

STRIPE is specified in kilobytes: 16, 32, and 64 are supported.

● Name: Optional parameter for specifying the name of the logical

drive to be created.

● Init_Priority: Initialization Priority for logical drive to be

created. Valid parameters are either HIGH, MED, or LOW.

● Init_Method: Initialization method for the logical drive. Valid

options include: NORMAL, CLEAR, QUICK.

Size indicates the size of the logical drive. MAX is the only size
option available.

RAID# indicates the RAID level for the logical drive (0, 1, 10 volume).

Channel# is the channel number for the device.

Drive# is the device number for the device.

noprompt: No prompt for confirmation.

Using the Command Line Utility ● 73

Example

hrconf create 1 logicaldrive stripesize 64 max
0 1 0 1 1 1 2

Return values

SUCCESS: 0x00 successful termination

FAILURE: 0x01 bad arguments or internal error

Command

hrconf delete

What it does

Deletes a logical drive. All data stored on the logical drive will be lost.
Spanned drives can’t be deleted with this function.

Syntax

hrconf delete <Controller#> LOGICALDRIVE
<LogicalDrive#> [noprompt]

Parameters

Controller# is the controller number

LogicalDrive# is the number of the logical drive to be deleted

Example

hrconf delete 1

logicaldrive 1

noprompt

Return values

SUCCESS: 0x00 successful termination

FAILURE: 0x01 bad arguments or internal error

Using the Command Line Utility ● 74

Command

hrconf getconfig

What it does

Lists information about the controllers, logical drives, and physical
drives. This information can include (but is not limited to) the
following items:

● Controller type

● BIOS, boot block, device driver, and firmware versions

● Logical drive status, RAID level, and size

● Physical drive type, device ID, presence of PFA

● Physical drive state

Syntax

hrconf getconfig <Controller#> [AD/LD/PD/AL]

Parameters

Controller is the controller number

AD/LD/PD/AL options:

● AD: Adapter information only

● LD: Logical drive information only

● PD: Physical device information only

● AL: All information (optional)

Example

hrconf getconfig 1 ad

Return values

SUCCESS: 0x00 successful termination

FAILURE: 0x01 bad arguments or internal error

Using the Command Line Utility ● 75

Command

hrconf getstatus

What it does

The GETSTATUS function displays the status of any background
command that is currently running.

Syntax

hrconf getstatus <Controller#>

Parameters

Controller# is the controller number

Example

hrconf getstatus 1

Return values

SUCCESS: 0x00 successful termination

FAILURE: 0x01 bad arguments or internal error

Command

hrconf getversion

What it does

Returns the BIOS and driver version information for all controllers.

Syntax

hrconf getversion

Parameters

Controller# is the controller number

Example

hrconf getversion<Controller#>

Using the Command Line Utility ● 76

Return values

controllers found: 0

SUCCESS: 0x00 successful termination

FAILURE: 0x01

Command

hrconf rescan

What it does

Enables the controller to check for the removal of any disk drives in the
ready state and to check for the connection of any new disk drives to the
controller. The command returns when the rescan is complete.

Syntax

hrconf rescan<Controller#>

Parameters

Controller# is the controller number

Example

hrconf rescan 1

Return values

SUCCESS: 0x00 indicates the command completed

FAILURE: 0x01 indicates the command failed

Command

hrconf restore

What it does

Restores the controller configuration by importing it’s configuration
settings from a specified file. Deletes the current configuration. The file
must have been saved through the BACKUP command from a
controller of the same type, same number, and type of physical drives
with same channels and device IDs. A reboot is required for the
configuration change to take effect.

Using the Command Line Utility ● 77

Syntax

hrconf restore <Controller#> <Filename>
[noprompt]

Parameters

Controller# is the controller number

Filename is the name of the file to read the configuration from

noprompt: No prompt for confirmation.

Example

hrconf restore 1 c:\windows\hr2200 noprompt

Return values

SUCCESS: 0x00 indicates the command completed successfully

FAILURE: 0x01 indicates the command failed

BAD_PATH: 0xFF indicates that the path provided is incorrect

FAILURE: 0xFE indicates an error occurred writing the

configuration file

Command

hrconf romupdate

What it does

Updates the controller or enclosure firmware. The ROM image file
must be in the same directory prior to invoking hrconf.

Syntax

hrconf romupdate ROMUPDATE <Controller#>
[CONTROLLER] <Filename>

Parameters

Controller# is the controller number

File Name is the relative or absolute path with filename

Example

hrconf romupdate 1 controller as4830.ufi

Using the Command Line Utility ● 78

Return values

SUCCESS: 0x00 indicates the command completed successfully

FAILURE: 0x01 indicates the command failed

Command

hrconf setconfig

What it does

Resets the controller's configuration.

Syntax

hrconf setconfig <Controller#> DEFAULT
[noprompt]

Parameters

Controller# is the controller number

Default: Resets the controller's configuration. Logical drives are

deleted, hard drives are reset to the ready state, and any controller
settings are reset to default values.

noprompt: No prompt for confirmation.

Example

hrconf setconfig 1 default noprompt

Return values

SUCCESS: 0x00 indicates the command completed successfully

FAILURE: 0x01 indicates the command failed

Command

hrconf setstate

What it does

Redefine the state of a physical device from its current state to the
designated state (Hotspare).

Using the Command Line Utility ● 79

Syntax

hrconf setstate <Controller#> <Channel#>
<Device#> <State> [LOGICALDRIVE <LD#>[LD#] ... ]

Parameters

Controller# is the controller number

channel# is the channel number for the drive

device# is the device number for the drive

State:

● HSP: Create a hot spare from a ready drive

● RDY: Remove a hot spare designation

● DDD: Force a drive offline

Example

hrconf setstate 1 0 1 HSP

hrconf setstate 1 0 2 RDY

hrconf setstate 1 0 2 RBL

Return values

SUCCESS: 0x00 indicates the command completed successfully

FAILURE: 0x01 indicates the command failed

Introduction to SAS

In this appendix...

Terminology Used in This Chapter...................................................81

What is SAS?.......................................................................................81

How Do SAS Devices Communicate?...............................................82

What’s a Phy?......................................................................................82

What’s a SAS Port? .............................................................................83

What’s a SAS Address? .......................................................................83

What’s a SAS Connector? ..................................................................84

What do SAS Cables Look Like? .......................................................85

How are Disk Drives Identified in SAS? ...........................................85

What are the SAS Connection Options?...........................................86

How is SAS Different from Parallel SCSI? ........................................88

This section provides a basic overview of the main
features of Serial Attached SCSI (SAS), introduces some
common SAS terms, and explains how SAS differs from
parallel SCSI.

D

Note: For technical articles and tutorials about SAS, refer to the SCSI

Trade Association (STATM) Web site at

www.scsita.org

.

Introduction to SAS ● 81

Terminology Used in This Chapter

For convenience, SAS HBAs and SAS HostRAID controllers are
referred to generically in this chapter as SAS cards. HBAs, HostRAID
controllers, disk drives, and external disk drive enclosures are referred
to as end devices and expanders are referred to as expander devices.

For convenience, this chapter refers to end devices and expander
devices collectively as SAS devices.

What is SAS?

Legacy parallel SCSI is an interface that lets devices such as computers
and disk drives communicate with each other. Parallel SCSI moves
multiple bits of data in parallel (at the same time), using the SCSI
command set.

Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) is an evolution of parallel SCSI to a point­to-point serial interface. SAS also uses the SCSI command set, but
moves multiple bits of data one at a time. SAS links end devices through
direct-attach connections, or through expander devices.

SAS cards can typically support up to 128 end devices and can
communicate with both SAS and SATA devices. (You can add 128 end
devices—or even more—with the use of SAS expanders. See page 87.)

Note: Although you can use both SAS and SATA disk drives in the same
SAS domain (see page 87), Adaptec recommends that you not combine
SAS and SATA disk drives within the same array or logical drive. The
difference in performance between the two types of disk drives may
adversely affect the performance of the array.

Data can move in both directions simultaneously across a SAS
connection (called a link—see page 82). Link speed is 600 MB/sec in
full-duplex mode. A SAS card with eight links has a maximum
bandwidth of 4800 MB/sec in full-duplex mode.

Although they share the SCSI command set, SAS is conceptually
different from parallel SCSI physically, and has its own types of
connectors, cables, connection options, and terminology, as described
in the rest of this chapter.

To compare SAS to parallel SCSI, see How is SAS Different from Parallel

SCSI? on page 88.

Introduction to SAS ● 82

How Do SAS Devices Communicate?

SAS devices communicate with each other through links. A link is a
physical connection between two phys.

As shown below, SAS devices contain ports (see page 83), ports contain
phys (see below), and each phy contains one transmitter and one
receiver—one transceiver. A phy can belong to one port only.

SAS DeviceSAS Device

Transmitter
Receiver

Transmitter
Receiver

Transmitter
Receiver

SAS Device

Transmitter
Receiver

Transmitter
Receiver

Transmitter
Receiver

Transmitter
Receiver

Phy

Phy

Phy

Phy

Phy

Phy

Phy

Narrow

Por t

Wide

Por t

Wide

Por t

Narrow
Por t

SAS Device

Wide
Por t

Wide
Por t

Phy

Phy

Phy

Phy

Phy

Phy

Phy

Receiver

Transmitter

Receiver

Transmitter

Receiver

Transmitter

Receiver

Transmitter

Receiver

Transmitter

Receiver

Transmitter

Receiver

Transmitter

link

What’s a Phy?

Phys are part of the physical communication connection between SAS
devices. Each phy contains a transceiver that sends data back and forth
between SAS devices.

When a connection is formed between two end devices, a link can is
established from a phy in one port to a phy in the other port. As shown
in the figure above, a wide port can support multiple independent links
simultaneously.

Phys are internal, within SAS connectors (see page 84).

SAS cables physically connect one or more phys on one SAS device to
one or more phys on another SAS device.

Introduction to SAS ● 83

What’s a SAS Port?

Note: Because the physical link between SAS devices is from phy to phy,
rather than port to port, a “port” is more of a virtual concept, different
from what is normally considered a port on other types of HostRAID
controllers and storage devices.

A port is one or more phys. A narrow port contains one phy. A wide port
typically contains four phys.

Each port has its own unique SAS address (see page 85), and all the phys
in a port share that same SAS address.

SAS card port options vary. A SAS card with four phys could be
configured with one wide port, with two wide ports that comprise two
phys, or with four narrow ports each containing one phy. (A wide port
with four phys is referred to as a 4-wide or 4x port.)

What’s a SAS Address?

Each SAS port is identified with a unique SAS address, which is shared
by all phys on that port.

For example, a SAS disk drive might have two narrow ports. Each port
has one unique SAS address. The single phy in each port uses its port’s
SAS address.

In another example, a SAS device might have one 4-wide port. That
port has one SAS address, which is shared by all four phys in the port.

Unlike SCSI devices and SCSI IDs, SAS devices self-configure their SAS
addresses. User intervention is not required to set SAS addresses, and
SAS addresses cannot be modified.

Introduction to SAS ● 84

What’s a SAS Connector?

A SAS connector is the physical plug or receptacle that you see on a SAS
device. It supports the power and signal line cable. It’s what you plug a
SAS cable into, or the end of the SAS cable that’s being plugged in.

A connector is what forms physical links between phys.

SAS fan-out cable

4-wide internal
SAS connector

External
SAS cable

External
SAS connector

Single-port

connector

Some SAS connectors can support multiple links. The number of links
a SAS connector can support is referred to as its width. Narrow
connectors support a single link; wide connectors support up to four
links.

A single SAS device may have one or more connectors. A single SAS
connector may help form links between more than two SAS devices.
(For instance, as shown in the figure above, the 4-wide internal SAS
connector forms links with four independent disk drives.)

Introduction to SAS ● 85

What do SAS Cables Look Like?

Internal SAS cables are narrower than internal parallel SCSI cables. The
connectors vary in size depending on the number of links they support,
from single link connectors to 4-wide (or larger) connectors. Internal
octopus cables (shown below) let you attach four disk drives to a single
4-wide connector.

4x wide-to-4x wide
internal SAS cable

Internal SAS-to-SATA fan-out
cable (SAS-to-SAS fan-out
cables are also available)

External SAS cable

An example of some internal SAS cables and an external SAS cable are
shown in the figure above.

How are Disk Drives Identified in SAS?

In the BIOS and in the management utilities (see page 85), disk drives
are identified with numbers in this format:

XX:YY:ZZ

where XX is the disk drive count number, YY is the enclosure number,
and ZZ is the slot number (within the enclosure). If the disk drive is not
installed in an enclosure, a double dashes (--) appear instead of YY and
ZZ (for instance, 01:--:--).

In parallel SCSI, XX is the disk drive’s channel number, YY is the target
number, and ZZ is the logical unit number (LUN).

Introduction to SAS ● 86

What are the SAS Connection Options?

You can connect end devices to each other through direct cable
connections and through backplane connections. When you use one or
more expander devices (see page 87), you can create large
configurations.

Direct-attach Connections

In a direct-attach connection, SAS or SATA disk drives are connected
directly to a SAS card with SAS cables. One disk drive is attached to one
SAS connector with one SAS cable (or multiple disk drives are attached
to one SAS connector with one octopus cable). The figure on page 84
shows an example of direct-attach connections.

The number of direct-attached disk drives is limited to the number of
phys supported by the SAS card. (Note that there may be multiple phys
within a single connector. See page 85.)

Backplane Connections

In a backplane connection, disk drives and SAS cards are attached to
and communicate with each other through a system backplane.

The number of end devices is limited to the number of slots available
on the backplane. For example, the Adaptec S50 enclosure, which
contains an expander, is a backplane connection that supports up to 12
SAS or SATA disk drives.

Some backplanes support daisy-chain expansion to other backplanes.
For example, you can daisy-chain (connect one to the next) up to nine
Adaptec S50 enclosures to a single SAS card in a host system.

Introduction to SAS ● 87

SAS Expander Connections

A SAS expander device literally expands the number of end devices that
you can connect together. Expander devices, typically embedded into a
system backplane (see page 86), support large configurations of SAS
end devices, including SAS cards and SAS and SATA disk drives. With
expander devices, you can build large and complex storage topologies.

There are two types of SAS expanders: fanout expanders and edge
expanders. Each performs a different role in a storage system. (For more
information about how SAS expanders work, refer to the STA Web site
at

www.scsita.org

You can connect up to 128 SAS ports to an edge expander. (A single
edge expander can therefore support up to 128 SAS addresses.)

You can connect up to 128 edge expanders to a fanout expander.

You can use only one fanout expander in any single SAS domain (a
topology of SAS—and possibly SATA—end devices and expander
devices). A single SAS domain can therefore comprise up to 16,384 SAS
ports (and therefore up to 16,384 SAS addresses).

The figure below illustrates (in very basic terms) a SAS domain and
shows how SAS cards, SAS and SATA disk drives, and expander devices
can fit together in a large data storage topology.

.)

Disk Drives

SAS

SAS Card

SAS

Edge

SAS

Disk Drives

SATA

Expander

Edge

Expander

SATA

Edge

Expander

SAS DomainSAS Domain

Disk Drives

SATA

Disk Drives

SATA SAS

Fanout Expander

SAS Card

SAS

Disk Drives

SATA

Edge

Expander

SAS Card

Edge

Expander

SATA

Disk Drives

SATA

SATA

Disk Drives

SAS

Introduction to SAS ● 88

How is SAS Different from Parallel SCSI?

In summary, although SAS and parallel SCSI both use the SCSI
command set, how they move data from one place to another is very
different. To support point-to-point serial data transport, SAS
introduces new types of connectors, cables, connection options, and
terminology.

Generally speaking, SAS is faster and more flexible than parallel SCSI,
and provides more options for building your storage space. SAS lets you
mix SAS and SATA disk drives together, and lets you connect many,
many more devices.

The table below describes many of the main differences between the
two interfaces.

Parallel SCSI Serial Attached SCSI

Parallel interface Serial interface

Maximum speed 320 MB/sec
shared by all devices on the bus

Supports SCSI devices only Supports SATA and SAS disk drives

Up to 16 devices per SCSI channel

Supports single-port devices only Supports single- and dual-port devices

Uses SCSI IDs to differentiate
between devices connected to the
same adapter

User intervention required to set
SCSI IDs

Requires bus termination Requires no bus termination

Standard SCSI connectors SAS connectors (see page 85)

Maximum speed 600 MB/sec per phy
when in full-duplex mode

simultaneously

More than 128 disk drives per SAS card,
using an expander (see page 87)

Uses unique SAS addresses to
differentiate between devices

SAS addresses self-configured by SAS
devices

Understanding RAID

In this Appendix...

Understanding Drive Segments ........................................................90

Selecting the Best RAID Level ...........................................................90

RAID 0................................................................................................ 91

RAID 1 Arrays....................................................................................92

RAID 10.............................................................................................. 93

This appendix describes the RAID levels supported by your Adaptec
SAS 48300 HostRAID controller, and provides a basic overview of each
to help you select the best level of protection for your data storage.

E

Understanding RAID ● 90

Understanding Drive Segments

A drive segment is a disk drive or portion of a disk drive that is used to
create an array. A disk drive can include both RAID segments
(segments that are part of an array) and available segments. Each
segment can be part of only one logical device at a time. If a disk drive is
not part of any logical device, the entire disk is an available segment.

Selecting the Best RAID Level

A RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) provides better
performance and reliability from combinations of drives than is
possible with the same total storage space without RAID.

When you create arrays (or logical drives), you can assign a RAID level
to protect your data. Each RAID level offers a unique combination of
performance and redundancy. RAID levels also vary by the number of
disk drives they support.

The following table shows the number of drives needed and supported
for the Adaptec SAS 48300 HostRAID controller according to RAID
level.

Minimum

Array Type

RAID 0 2 4

RAID 1 2 2

RAID 10 4 4

Drives Required

Maximum Drives

Supported

Note: Select RAID drives of equal capacity and performance.
Otherwise, the RAID tends to be limited in capacity and performance
to that of the smallest and slowest drive.

Understanding RAID ● 91

RAID 0

An array with RAID 0 includes two or more disk drives and provides
data striping, where data is distributed evenly across the disk drives in
equal-sized sections.

RAID 0 arrays do not maintain redundant data, so they offer no data
protection. However, compared to an equal-sized group of
independent disks, a RAID 0 array provides improved I/O
performance.

Drive segment size is limited to the size of the smallest disk drive in the
array. For instance, an array with two 250 GB disk drives and two 400
GB disk drives can create a RAID 0 drive segment of 250 GB, for a total
of 1000 GB for the volume, as shown below.

Understanding RAID ● 92

RAID 1 Arrays

A RAID 1 array is built from two disk drives, where one disk drive is a
mirror of the other (the same data is stored on each disk drive).
Compared to independent disk drives, RAID 1 arrays provide improved
performance, with twice the read rate and an equal write rate of single
disks. However, capacity is only 50 percent of independent disk drives.

If the RAID 1 array is built from different- sized disk drives, the free
space, drive segment size is the size of the smaller disk drive, as shown
below.

Understanding RAID ● 93

RAID 10

A RAID 10 array is built from two or more equal-sized RAID 1 arrays.
Adaptec HostRAID controllers support a maximum number of four
disk drives in a RAID 10 array and two spare drives.

Data in a RAID 10 array is both striped and mirrored. Mirroring
provides data protection, and striping improves performance.

Drive segment size is limited to the size of the smallest disk drive in the
array. For instance, an array with two 250 GB disk drives and two 400
GB disk drives can create two mirrored drive segments of 250 GB, for a
total of 500 GB for the array, as shown below.

Specifications

Environmental Specifications

F

Ambient temperature without
battery backup module

Relative humidity 10% to 90%, noncondensing

Altitude up to 3,000 meters

Note: Forced airflow is recommended, but not required.

0 °C to 50 ° C

DC Power Requirements

Ripple and noise 50 mV peak-to-peak (max)

DC Voltage 5 V ± 0.5 V, 3.3 V

Current Requirements

HostRAID Controller
Model Nominal Current Maximum Current (A)

ASC-48300 1.215A 1.322A

Glossary

A

activity

See task.

ACU

Array Configuration Utility. Used to create, configure, and manage
arrays from the HostRAID controller’s BIOS or MS-DOS.

array

A logical disk created from available space and made up of one or more
partitions on one or more physical disks. Arrays are typically used to
provide data redundancy or enhanced I/O performance. See also

container, volume, spanned volume, and See also mirrored array/
mirroring and See also mirrored array/mirroring and See also mirrored

array/mirroring and ....

Also known as a container.

array configuration

See configure drives.

available space/partition

Unused space on an configured disk from which logical devices (arrays)
are created. When an array is deleted, the space that it used is returned
to the available space pool.

Glossary ● 96

B

background consistency check

Consistency check performed as a background process.

bad partition

partition that is in an unknown state.

bootable array

Array configured as the boot device.

build

Background initialization of a redundant array. The array is accessible
throughout. RAID 1 copies the contents of the primary drive to a
secondary drive. See also clear.

bus

See channel.

C

cache

Fast-access memory on the HostRAID controller that serves as
intermediate storage for data that is read from, or written to, drives.

capacity

Total usable space available in megabytes or gigabytes.

channel

Any path, or bus, used for the transfer of data between storage devices
and a HostRAID controller.

chunk

See stripe.

clear

Foreground initialization of a fault-tolerant array. A clear operation
zeros all blocks of the array. The array is not accessible until the clear
task is complete.

Glossary ● 97

concatenation

Joining of physical or logical drives in sequential order.

configure drives

Process of preparing a disk for use by the HostRAID controller. When a
disk is initialized, the HostRAID controller records the RAID signature
on the disk.

configured array

An array that is ready for data reads and writes. Arrays can be
configured by build or clear.

container

See array.

D

dead partition

See failed.

degraded

A redundant (for example, a RAID 1) array in which one or more
members have failed. The data is intact but redundancy has been
compromised. Any further failure would cause the array to fail and
result in data loss.

dirty data

Data that has been written to a cache, but which has not been “flushed”
out to its final destination.

disk

A nonremovable platter in a disk drive, or removable media used in a
CD drive, floppy disk drive, or Zip drive. See also disk ID, drive, and

hard disk, hard disk drive.

disk ID

Unique disk identifier that consists of the channel number, ID, and
LUN (channel:ID:LUN), for example, 1:04:0. See also channel.

domain

All the devices that may communicate with each other.

Glossary ● 98

drive

Device used for storing data. May contain one or more removable or
nonremovable, writable or read only media. See also hard disk, hard disk

drive.

drive LED

Indicator light that illuminates during read or write operations.

E

event

Notification or alert from the system, indicating that a change has
occurred.

event log

File used to maintain information about prior HostRAID controller
activities or errors.

event notification

Process for transmitting events.

F

failed

State of a nonredundant array that has suffered a single drive failure, or
a redundant array that has suffered multiple drive failures. A failed array
is inaccessible and data is lost.

failed partition

A partition that is no longer usable by an array because it is either
logically bad and therefore no longer needed, or physically damaged.

failover drive

See hotspare.

fault-tolerant array

Refers to an array that can continue to function after a disk drive failure
without loss of data. See also redundant.

Glossary ● 99

foreign disk

Disk that has previously been configured on another Adaptec
HostRAID controller. The RAID signature on the disk allows the
HostRAID controller to identify whether or not the disk was configured
on the controller it is currently connected to.

free space/partition

See available space/partition.

H

hard disk, hard disk drive

Basic unit of nonvolatile, nonremovable, magnetic storage media. See
also drive.

hot swap

To remove a component from a system and install a new component
while the power is on and the system is running.

hotspare

A hard disk drive, an array member, that is not used in day-to-day data
storage but, instead, is reserved for use as a replacement for one of the
other drives in the array in the event of a failure.

I

impacted

An impacted array is one which has been created, but for some reason
the initial build operation did not complete. All member drives are
present and operational, and all data written to the array is protected.
To optimize the array, run a Verify with Fix task.

L

legacy disk

Disk that contained a valid partition table when connected to the
HostRAID controller. The HostRAID controller manages the disk as a
legacy disk array where there is a one-to-one logical-to-physical
mapping of array to disk.

Glossary ● 100

logical device

Volume comprised of space from one or more physical drives and
presented to the operating system as if it were a single storage unit.

low-level format

Process performed by the drive firmware that completely removes the
file system from the disk.

M

migration

See reconfiguration.

mirrored array/mirroring

See RAID 1 Arrays on page 92.

monitoring

Process of receiving, displaying, and logging system events.

multipartition array

Array with multiple operating systems or MS-DOS partitions.

O

offline array

Array that can no longer be accessed.

optimal

The state of an array when it is fully operational. For redundant arrays,
the entire array is protected.

P

partition

Contiguous area of a physical drive that makes up some or all of an
array. When an array is created, space is automatically converted into
partitions.

pathway

All links between two end devices.