Page 1
Installation and User's Guide
Serial Attached SCSI RAID Controllers
Released
June 2017
.
Page 2
Revision History
2
2016
3
2016
Details of ChangeIssue DateIssue
Update supported OSes; add backup unit status, SGPIO/IPBI LED blink pattern, DKMS drivers, misc corrections.April 20161
Update supported OSes, Installing driver on Solaris, and Technical Specication.September
Add support for 8405E and 8805E SAS RAID controllers.October
Updated supported OSes; add DKMS installation instructions.June 20174
2CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Contents
Limited 3-Year Hardware Warranty.................................................................................................9
Regulatory Compliance Statements...............................................................................................10
1 About This Guide........................................................................................................................13
1.1 What You Need to Know Before You Begin.................................................................................................13
1.2 Terminology Used in this Guide..................................................................................................................13
1.3 How to Find More Information...................................................................................................................13
2 Kit Contents and System Requirements.....................................................................................15
2.1 Kit Contents................................................................................................................................................15
2.2 System Requirements ................................................................................................................................15
3 About Your RAID Controller.......................................................................................................16
3.1 Standard RAID Controller Features.............................................................................................................16
3.1.1 Array-level Features......................................................................................................................16
3.1.2 Advanced Data Protection Suite...................................................................................................16
3.2 Adding a Flash Backup Module...................................................................................................................17
3.3 Upgrading the Controller Firmware............................................................................................................17
3.4 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6405..................................................................................................18
3.5 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6445..................................................................................................19
3.6 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805/6805Q......................................................................................20
3.7 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6405E................................................................................................21
3.8 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805E/6805E R5................................................................................22
3.9 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6405T................................................................................................23
3.10 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805T/6805TQ................................................................................24
3.11 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 7805/7805Q....................................................................................25
3.12 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 71605/71605Q................................................................................26
3.13 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 71605E............................................................................................27
3.14 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 71685..............................................................................................28
3.15 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 72405..............................................................................................29
3.16 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 78165..............................................................................................30
3.17 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8405................................................................................................31
3.18 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8405E..............................................................................................32
3.19 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8805................................................................................................33
3.20 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8805E..............................................................................................34
3.21 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8885/8885Q ...................................................................................35
3.22 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 81605Z/81605ZQ............................................................................36
4 Getting Started...........................................................................................................................37
4.1 Choosing a RAID Level.................................................................................................................................37
4.2 Selecting Disk Drives and Cables ................................................................................................................37
4.2.1 Disk Drives....................................................................................................................................37
4.2.2 Cables...........................................................................................................................................37
4.3 Replacing the Full-Height Bracket with a Low-Prole Bracket....................................................................39
4.4 Installation Options.....................................................................................................................................40
4.5 Basic Installation Steps................................................................................................................................40
4.5.1 Installing with an Operating System.............................................................................................41
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4.5.2 Installing on an Existing Operating System...................................................................................41
5 Installing the Controller and Disk Drives....................................................................................42
5.1 Before You Begin.........................................................................................................................................42
5.2 Installing the Controller..............................................................................................................................42
5.2.1 Installing a RAID Controller without Zero Maintenance Cache Protection...................................42
5.2.2 Installing a RAID Controller with Zero Maintenance Cache Protection .......................................43
5.3 Connecting Disk Drives to Your Controllers................................................................................................46
5.3.1 Connecting Drives Directly to the Controller................................................................................46
5.3.2 Connecting Drives to a System Backplane....................................................................................47
5.3.3 Connecting Solid State Drives (SSDs) ...........................................................................................47
5.4 Connecting External Devices ......................................................................................................................48
5.5 Next Steps...................................................................................................................................................49
6 Creating a Bootable Array .........................................................................................................50
6.1 Setting the Boot Controller.........................................................................................................................50
6.2 Creating an Array........................................................................................................................................50
6.2.1 Creating an Array with the ARC Utility..........................................................................................50
6.2.2 Creating an Array with maxView Storage Manager......................................................................51
6.3 Making Your Array Bootable.......................................................................................................................53
7 Installing the Driver and an Operating System ..........................................................................54
7.1 Before You Begin.........................................................................................................................................54
7.2 Creating a Driver Disk.................................................................................................................................54
7.3 Installing with Windows .............................................................................................................................55
7.4 Installing with Red Hat Linux or CentOS.....................................................................................................55
7.5 Installing with SuSE Linux Enterprise Server ..............................................................................................55
7.6 Installing with Fedora Linux........................................................................................................................56
7.7 Installing with Debian Linux........................................................................................................................57
7.8 Installing with Ubuntu Linux.......................................................................................................................57
7.9 Installing with Solaris..................................................................................................................................58
7.9.1 Installing with Solaris 10 U9.........................................................................................................59
7.9.2 Installing with Solaris 11...............................................................................................................59
7.10 Installing with FreeBSD ............................................................................................................................60
7.11 Installing with VMware ............................................................................................................................61
7.12 Installing with Citrix XenServer ................................................................................................................62
8 Installing the Driver on an Existing Operating System ..............................................................63
8.1 Before You Begin.........................................................................................................................................63
8.2 Creating a Driver Disk.................................................................................................................................63
8.3 Installing on Windows ................................................................................................................................63
8.4 Installing on Red Hat, CentOS, SuSE, or Fedora Linux.................................................................................64
8.5 Installing on Ubuntu Linux..........................................................................................................................64
8.6 Installing on Solaris ....................................................................................................................................65
8.6.1 Installing on Existing Solaris 10 U9...............................................................................................65
8.6.2 Installing on Existing Solaris 11.....................................................................................................65
8.7 Installing on FreeBSD .................................................................................................................................66
8.8 Installing on VMware..................................................................................................................................67
8.9 Installing on Citrix XenServer......................................................................................................................67
9 Installing Dynamic Kernel Module Support...............................................................................69
9.1 Installing the DKMS Deb Package on Ubuntu Systems...............................................................................69
9.2 Installing the DKMS RPM Package..............................................................................................................69
9.3 DKMS Reference.........................................................................................................................................69
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10 Managing Your Storage Space..................................................................................................71
10.1 About maxView Storage Manager............................................................................................................71
10.1.1 Installing maxView Storage Manager.........................................................................................71
10.2 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Controller Conguration Utility.......................................................71
10.3 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility........................................................................71
10.4 About the Adaptec Flash Utility................................................................................................................72
10.5 Which Utility Should I Use?......................................................................................................................72
11 Solving Problems .....................................................................................................................73
11.1 Troubleshooting Checklist.........................................................................................................................73
11.2 Monitoring Disk Drives Status...................................................................................................................73
11.3 Silencing the Alarm ..................................................................................................................................73
11.4 Recovering from a Disk Drive Failure .......................................................................................................73
11.4.1 Failed Disk Drive Protected by a Hot Spare ...............................................................................74
11.4.2 Failed Disk Drive Not Protected by a Hot Spare .........................................................................74
11.4.3 Failure in Multiple Arrays Simultaneously .................................................................................74
11.4.4 Disk Drive Failure in a RAID 0 Array ...........................................................................................74
11.4.5 Multiple Failures in the Same Array ...........................................................................................74
11.4.6 Failed SSD in maxCache Device..................................................................................................75
11.5 Resetting the Controller ...........................................................................................................................75
Appendix A Introduction to SAS....................................................................................................76
A.1 Terminology Used in This Appendix ...........................................................................................................76
A.2 What is SAS?...............................................................................................................................................76
A.3 How Do SAS Devices Communicate?..........................................................................................................76
A.4 What’s a Phy?.............................................................................................................................................77
A.5 What’s a SAS Port?.....................................................................................................................................77
A.6 What’s a SAS Address?...............................................................................................................................77
A.7 What’s a SAS Connector?...........................................................................................................................78
A.8 What do SAS Cables Look Like?..................................................................................................................78
A.9 How are Disk Drives Identied in SAS? ......................................................................................................78
A.10 What are the SAS Connection Options?...................................................................................................78
A.10.1 Direct-attach Connections..........................................................................................................78
A.10.2 Backplane Connections..............................................................................................................79
A.10.3 SAS Expander Connections.........................................................................................................79
A.11 How is SAS Different from Parallel SCSI? .................................................................................................80
Appendix B Understanding RAID..................................................................................................81
B.1 Understanding Drive Segments..................................................................................................................81
B.2 Non-redundant Arrays (RAID 0)..................................................................................................................81
B.3 RAID 1 Arrays .............................................................................................................................................82
B.4 RAID 1 Enhanced Arrays.............................................................................................................................82
B.5 RAID 10 Arrays............................................................................................................................................83
B.6 RAID 5 Arrays..............................................................................................................................................84
B.7 RAID 5EE Arrays..........................................................................................................................................85
B.8 RAID 50 Arrays............................................................................................................................................86
B.9 RAID 6 Arrays..............................................................................................................................................87
B.10 RAID 60 Arrays..........................................................................................................................................87
B.11 Comparing RAID Levels.............................................................................................................................88
Appendix C Using the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility.........................................89
C.1 Introduction to the ARC Utility...................................................................................................................89
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C.1.1 Ctrl-A or uEFI/HII? ........................................................................................................................89
C.1.2 Running the ARC Utility................................................................................................................89
C.2 Using the ARC Utility to Create and Manage Arrays...................................................................................90
C.2.1 Creating a New Array....................................................................................................................90
C.2.2 Managing Existing Arrays..............................................................................................................90
C.2.2.1 Creating Bootable Arrays................................................................................................90
C.2.2.2 Modifying Power Management Settings........................................................................91
C.2.2.3 Modifying Cache Settings...............................................................................................91
C.2.3 Initializing Disk Drives...................................................................................................................92
C.2.4 Rescanning Disk Drives.................................................................................................................92
C.2.5 Secure Erasing Disk Drives............................................................................................................92
C.2.5.1 Stopping a Secure Erase.................................................................................................92
C.2.6 Uninitializing Disk Drives..............................................................................................................92
C.2.7 Managing Global Hot Spares........................................................................................................93
C.2.8 Creating and Managing JBODs.....................................................................................................93
C.2.8.1 Creating a New JBOD......................................................................................................93
C.2.8.2 Managing Existing JBODs...............................................................................................93
C.2.8.3 Converting a JBOD Into a Simple Volume.......................................................................93
C.2.9 Managing the maxCache Pool......................................................................................................93
C.3 Using the ARC Utility to Modify Controller Settings...................................................................................94
C.3.1 Opening the Controller Settings Tool ...........................................................................................94
C.3.2 Applying Changes and Exiting.......................................................................................................94
C.3.3 Modifying Your Controller’s Conguration...................................................................................94
C.3.3.1 General Controller Settings ...........................................................................................94
C.3.3.2 Power Management Settings.........................................................................................97
C.3.3.3 Preserving the Controller Cache.....................................................................................97
C.3.3.3.1 Enabling and Disabling Controller Cache Preservation ...................................98
C.3.3.3.2 Clearing the Controller Cache .........................................................................98
C.3.3.3.3 Checking the Cache Preservation Status..........................................................98
C.3.4 Checking Backup Unit Status........................................................................................................98
C.4 Formatting and Verifying Disk Drives..........................................................................................................99
C.5 Locating Disk Drives....................................................................................................................................99
C.6 Identifying Disk Drives ...............................................................................................................................99
C.7 Setting the Drive Write-Cache Policy........................................................................................................100
C.8 Updating the Controller Firmware............................................................................................................100
C.9 Updating the Controller CPLD...................................................................................................................101
C.10 Creating a Support Archive.....................................................................................................................101
C.11 Viewing the Event Log ............................................................................................................................101
Appendix D Using the Adaptec Flash Utility...............................................................................103
D.1 System Requirements...............................................................................................................................103
D.1.1 Compatibility Notes....................................................................................................................103
D.2 Before You Begin......................................................................................................................................103
D.2.1 Obtaining the Firmware.............................................................................................................103
D.2.2 Creating the Firmware Update Disk ..........................................................................................103
D.3 Running the Menu-based AFU.................................................................................................................104
D.4 Running the AFU from the Command Line...............................................................................................104
D.4.1 AFU Commands..........................................................................................................................104
D.4.1.1 List................................................................................................................................105
D.4.1.2 Save..............................................................................................................................105
D.4.1.3 Update.........................................................................................................................105
D.4.1.4 Verify............................................................................................................................106
D.4.1.5 Version.........................................................................................................................106
D.4.1.6 Help..............................................................................................................................106
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D.5 Updating the Flash Using the AFU Command Line...................................................................................106
Appendix E Controller LED, I2C, and Alarm Connector Quick Reference....................................108
E.1 Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6405/6445 LED and I2C Connector Specication.............................................108
E.2 Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805/6805Q LED and I2C Connector Specication..........................................109
E.3 Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6405E LED Connector Specication.................................................................111
E.4 Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805E/6805E R5 LED Connector Specication.................................................111
E.5 Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6405T LED Connector Specication.................................................................113
E.6 Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805T/6805TQ LED Connector Specication...................................................114
E.7 Microsemi Adaptec RAID 7805/7805Q/71605/71605Q/71605E Alarm Connector Specication............115
E.8 Microsemi Adaptec RAID 71685/72405/78165 Alarm Connector Specication......................................115
Appendix F Safety Information...................................................................................................117
F.1 Electrostatic Discharge (ESD).....................................................................................................................117
Appendix G Technical Specications...........................................................................................118
G.1 Environmental Specications...................................................................................................................118
G.2 DC Power Requirements...........................................................................................................................118
G.3 Current Requirements .............................................................................................................................118
G.4 Supercapacitor Ratings ............................................................................................................................119
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List of Tables
Table 1 • IBPI LED Blink Pattern ...............................................................................................................................95
Table 2 • SGPIO LED Blink Pattern ...........................................................................................................................96
Table 3 • Backup Unit Status ...................................................................................................................................99
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Limited 3-Year Hardware Warranty
1. Microsemi Corporation (“Microsemi”) 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, Microsemi, 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 Microsemi service facility or to Microsemi.
2. Repair or replacement parts or products will be furnished on an exchange basis and will either be
new or reconditioned and will be subject to original warranty term. All replaced parts or products
shall become the property of Microsemi. 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 Microsemi service facility or to Microsemi 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, necessaryto effectuate repair, replacement or refundunder this warranty.
4. For more information on how to obtain warranty service, click on the Services & Support link at
microsemi.com.
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 NON-INFRINGEMENT 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 DURINGTHE 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 FROMBREACH OF ANYEXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY ARE NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY
OF MICROSEMI AND, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ARE HEREBY EXCLUDED BOTH FOR
PROPERTY DAMAGE, ANDTO THE EXTENTNOT UNCONSCIONABLE, FOR PERSONAL INJURY DAMAGE.
7. WITHIN THE US, 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 DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU RESIDE.
9. FOR AUSTRALIA RESIDENTS, IF THE PRODUCT SHOULD BECOME DEFECTIVE WITHIN THE WARRANTY
PERIOD, MICROSEMI, AT ITS OPTION, WILL REPAIR OR REPLACE THE PRODUCT, OR REFUND THE
PURCHASER'S PURCHASE FOR THE PRODUCT, PROVIDED IT IS DELIVERED AT THE PURCHASER'S
EXPENSE BACK TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE AFTER MICROSEMI TECHNICAL SUPPORT HAS ISSUED
AN INCIDENT NUMBER. IN ADDITION TO THE WARRANTIES SET FORTH HEREIN, OUR GOODS COME
WITH GUARANTEES THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED UNDER THE AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER LAW. YOU
ARE ENTITLED TO A REPLACEMENT OR REFUND FOR A MAJOR FAILURE AND FOR COMPENSATION
FOR ANY OTHER REASONABLY FORESEEABLE LOSS OR DAMAGE. YOU ARE ALSO ENTITLED TO HAVE
THE GOODS REPAIRED OR REPLACED IF THE GOODS FAIL TO BE OF ACCEPTABLE QUALITY AND THE
FAILURE DOES NOT AMOUNT TO A MAJOR FAILURE.
9CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Regulatory Compliance Statements
Federal Communications Commission Radio Frequency Interference Statement
Attention: Changes or modications 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 foundto comply with the limits for aClass Bdigital device, pursuant
to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interferencein 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 specied 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.
UL Compliance Statement
Microsemi Adaptec products are tested and listed by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. to UL 60950-1
Second Edition and IEC-60950-1 Second Edition standards, le numbers E175975. Microsemi Adaptec
products are for use only with UL listed ITE.
Use only with the listed ITE:Microsemi Corporation
ASR-6405/ASR-6445/ASR-6805/
ASR-6405E/ASR-6805E/ASR-6805E R5/ASR-6805Q/
ASR-6405T/ASR-6805T/ASR-6805TQ/
ASR-7805/ASR-7805Q/ASR-71605/
ASR-71605E/ASR-71605Q/ASR-71685/
ASR-72405/AFM 700
ASR-6405/ASR-6445/ASR-6805/
ASR-6405E/ASR-6805E/ASR-6805E R5/ASR-6805Q/
ASR-6405T/ASR-6805T/ASR-6805TQ/
ASR-7805/ASR-7805Q/ASR-71605/
ASR-71605E/ASR-71605Q/ASR-71685/
ASR-72405/ASR-78165/
ASR-8405/ASR-8405E/ASR-8805/ASR-8805E/ASR-8885/
ASR-8885Q/ASR-81605Z/ASR-81605ZQ/
AFM-700
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European Union Compliance Statement
This Information Technology Equipment has been tested and found to comply with EMC Directive 2014
/30/EU, in accordance with:
• EN55032 (2014) Emissions:
Class B ITE radiated and conducted emissions•
• EN55024 (2010) Immunity:
• EN61000-4-2 (2009) Electrostatic discharge: ±4 kV contact, ±8 kV air
• EN61000-4-3 (2010) Radiated immunity: 3V/m
• EN61000-4-4 (2012) Electrical fast transients/burst: ±1 kV AC, ±0.5 kV I/O
• EN61000-4-5 (2014) Surges: ±1 kV differential mode, ±2 kV common mode
• EN61000-4-6 (2014) Conducted immunity: 3 V
• EN61000-4-11 (2004) Supply dips and variations: 30% and 100%
• EN50581 (2012) Technical Documentation:
• For the assessment of electrical and electronic products with respect to the restriction of hazardous substances
In addition, all equipment requiring U.L. listing has been found to comply with EMC Directive 2014/35/
EU, in accordance with EN60950 with amendments A1, A2, A3, A4, A11, A12.
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.
Canadian Compliance Statement
This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment
Regulations.
Cet appareilnumérique 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 ifused too near to a televisionor radio. Please handle it correctlyper thisdocumentation.
Korean Compliance (KCC) Statement
Microsemi Adaptec products are tested and certied by KCC:
KCC-REM-KHK-ASR-6xx5
KCC-REM-KHK-ASR-7xxx5
KCC-REM-KHK-ASR-6xx5
KCC-REM-KHK-ASR-7xxx5
MSIP-REM-KHK-ASR-8xxx5
The above certication covers the following series:
ASR-6805, ASR-6445, ASR-6405
ASR-6805E, ASR-6405E, ASR-6805Q
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ASR-6805T, ASR-6405T, ASR-6805TQ
ASR-7805, ASR-7805Q, ASR-71605
ASR-71605E, ASR-71605Q
ASR-71685, ASR-72405
ASR-6805, ASR-6445, ASR-6405
ASR-6805E, ASR-6405E, ASR-6805Q
ASR-6805T, ASR-6405T, ASR-6805TQ
ASR-7805, ASR-7805Q, ASR-71605
ASR-71605E, ASR-71605Q
ASR-71685, ASR-72405, ASR-78165
ASR-8405, ASR-8405E, ASR-8805, ASR-8805E, ASR-8885
ASR-8885Q, ASR-81605Z, ASR-81605ZQ
AFM-700
This equipment is home use (Class B) electromagnetic wave suitability equipment and to be used mainly
at home and it can be used in all areas.
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About This Guide
1 About This Guide
This Installation and User's Guide explains how to install your Microsemi®Adaptec®RAID controller. It
also describes the utilities included in your controller kit, and provides a basic overview of Serial Attached
SCSI (SAS) and Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) technology.
These Microsemi Adaptec Serial Attached SCSI RAID (ASR) controller models are described in this guide:
• ASR-6405, ASR-6405E, ASR-6405T
• ASR-6445
• ASR-6805, ASR-6805Q, ASR-6805E, ASR-6805E R5, ASR-6805T, ASR-6805TQ
• ASR-7805, ASR-7805Q
• ASR-71605, ASR-71605E, ASR-71605Q
• ASR-71685
• ASR-72405
• ASR-78165
• ASR-8405, ASR-8405E
• ASR-8805, ASR-8805E
• ASR-8885, ASR-8885Q
• ASR-81605Z, ASR-81605ZQ
1.1 What You Need to Know Before You Begin
You should be familiar with computer hardware, data storage, RAID technology, and SAS and Serial ATA
(SATA) technology. (For more information about SAS technology, see Introduction to SAS on page 76.)
You should also be familiar with direct-attached storage (DAS) concepts and technology.
Note: Because this guide covers multiple Microsemi Adaptec RAID products, some of the features
and functions described may not be available for your controller. For more information, see About
Your RAID Controller on page 16.
1.2 Terminology Used in this Guide
Because you can use your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller to manage data storage in a variety of
congurations, the generic term “storage space” is used to refer to controller(s) and disk drives being
managed withMicrosemi Adaptec maxView Storage Manager™(called simplymaxView Storage Manager
in the remainder of this guide) or the other utilities described in this guide.
Many of the terms and concepts referred to in this guide are known to computer users by multiple
names. This guide uses these terms:
• Controller (also known as adapter, board, or card)
• Disk drive (also known as hard disk, hard drive, or hard disk drive)
• Solid State Drive (also known as SSD or non-rotating storage media)
• Enclosure (also known as a RAID enclosure, storage enclosure, or disk drive enclosure)
• Array (also known as a container, logical device, or logical drive)
Note: maxView Storage Manager refers to arrays as logical drives. Your RAID controller
creates arrays, which your operating system (and maxView Storage Manager) recognizes as
logical drives. For more information, refer to the maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide.
1.3 How to Find More Information
You can nd more information about your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller and utilities software by
referring to these documents, available for download at start.microsemi.com.
• Readme.txt—Includes updated product information and known issues.
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About This Guide
• maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide for Microsemi ARC-Family Controllers—Describes how to
• maxView Storage Manager Online Help—Describes how to use the maxView Storage Manager
• Microsemi Adaptec RAID Controller Command Line Utility User's Guide—Describes how to use the
• Microsemi Adaptec Event Monitor User's Guide—Describes how to use the Event Monitor utility
install and use the maxView Storage Manager software (see About maxView Storage Manager on
page 71) to manage direct attached storage on Microsemi Adaptec Series 6/7/8 controllers.
Note: In the remainder of this guide, this manual is referred to simply as the maxView Storage
Manager User's Guide.
software; accessible from the main window of maxView Storage Manager.
included Microsemi Adaptec RAID Controller Conguration (ARCCONF) command line utility (see
About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Controller Conguration Utility on page 71) to perform basic
array and conguration management functions.
to monitor the Microsemi Adaptec storage controllers installed on your system
14CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Kit Contents and System Requirements
2 Kit Contents and System Requirements
This chapter describes the contents of your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller kit and the system
requirements that must be met for you to successfully install and use your controller.
2.1 Kit Contents
• Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller
• Cables (Not included in Microsemi Adaptec 'Single' product. If your kit includes cables, the type
and quantity vary—for more information, see Cables on page 37.)
• (Select models only) Low-prole bracket
Note: The latest rmware, controller drivers, utilities (maxView Storage Manager, ARCCONF CLI)
and documentation can be downloaded at start.microsemi.com. See Creating a Driver Disk on
page 54 for information about downloading drivers.
2.2 System Requirements
• PC-compatible computer with Intel Pentium, or equivalent, processor
• Motherboard with these features:
Support for multi-function devices where one of the devices is a PCI bridge•
• Large memory-mapped address ranges
Refer to the Readme for additional motherboard compatibility information.
• One of these operating systems:
• Microsoft®Windows®Server 2016964-bit), Windows Server 2012R2 (64-bit),Windows Server
2012 (64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2, R2 SP1 (64-bit), Windows SBS 2011 Standard and
Essential (64-bit), Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows PE 5.x (64-bit)
• Red Hat®Enterprise Linux 7.2, 7.1, 6.8, 6.7, 5.11, 5.10 (64-bit)
• SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 12, 12 SP1, 11 SP3 and SP4 (64-bit)
• FreeBSD 10.3, 10.2 (64-bit)
• Debian Linux 8.1 (64-bit)
• Ubuntu Linux 16.04, 14.04.4 (64-bit)
• Fedora Linux 22 (64-bit)
• CentOS 7.3, 7.2, 7.1, 6.8, 6.7, 5.11, 5.10 (64-bit)
• vSphere 6.0, 6.0 U2
• Solaris 11, 10 U9 (64-bit)
• VMware ESXi 6.0, VMware ESXi 5.5 U2, 5.5 U3 (64-bit)
• Citrix XenServer 6.5.1 (64-bit)
Note: Refer to the Readme for up-to-date operating system version support, or check the
Knowledgebase at www.adaptec.com. From the mainmenu, select Support>Knowledgebase>
Answers>Advanced Search. Select your controller, limit the category by OS Support, then
click Search.
• 4 GB of RAM minimum
• Available compatible PCIe slot (depending on your controller model—see the descriptions in About
Your RAID Controller on page 16)
• 350 MB of free disk drive space
• USB ash drive or CD burner, for creating driver disks and bootable media
15CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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About Your RAID Controller
3 About Your RAID Controller
This chapter provides an overview of the features of your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller.
3.1 Standard RAID Controller Features
• Support for SAS and SATA Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and Solid State Drives (SSD)
• Flash ROMfor updates to controller rmware, BIOS, and the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration
utility
• Disk drive hot-swapping
• Event logging and broadcasting, including email notication messages
• Multiple options for creating and managing RAID arrays—A browser-based software application
(maxView Storage Manager), a BIOS-based utility (ARC), a command line utility (ARCCONF) (see
Managing Your Storage Space on page 71)
• Native command queuing (NCQ), which lets disk drives arrange commands into the most efcient
order for optimum performance
• Support for disk drive enclosures with SES2 enclosure management hardware
• Support for a ash backup module (see Adding a Flash Backup Module on page 17)
• Support for Microsemi Adaptec maxCache™SSD read and write caching (see Modifying Cache
Settings on page 91)
Note: maxCache is supported on Microsemi Adaptec Series Q controllers only.
• Power-management of disk drives in your storage space to reduce cooling and electricity costs (see
Modifying Power Management Settings on page 91)
• Audible alarm
• I/O statistics logging
3.1.1 Array-level Features
Note: Not all features are supported by all controllers. For more information, see the maxView
Storage Manager User's Guide.
• Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, RAID 50, and simple volumes
• Support for hybrid RAID1 and RAID 10 arrays comprised of hard drives and Solid State Drives (SSDs)
• (Microsemi Adaptec Series 6 Controllers Only) Support for JBOD disks (appear as a physical disk
drives to the operating system; not redundant)
• Support for hot spares (global and dedicated)
• Support for automatic failover, so arrays are automatically rebuilt when a failed drive is replaced
(applies to redundant arrays in SES2- or SAF-TE-enabled disk drive enclosures only)
• Optimized disk utilization, which ensures that the full capacity of all disk drives can be used, even
if the disk drives vary in size
• Online capacity expansion, so you can increase the capacity of an array without recreating it
• Support for array migration from one RAID level to another
3.1.2 Advanced Data Protection Suite
• Copyback Hot Spare—You can use this feature to move data from a hot spare back to its original
location after a failed disk drive is replaced.
• Striped Mirror (RAID 1E)—A RAID 1 Enhanced array is similar to a RAID 1 array except that data is
both mirrored and striped, and more disk drives can be included.
• (Microsemi Adaptec Series 6 Controllers Only) Hot Space (RAID 5EE)—A RAID 5EE array is similar
to a RAID 5 array except that it includes a distributed spare and must be built from a minimum of
four disk drives.
• Dual Drive Failure Protection (RAID 6)—A RAID 6 array is similar to a RAID 5 array except that it
includes two independent sets of parity data instead of one.
• Dual Drive Failure Protection (RAID 60)—A RAID 60 array is similar to a RAID 50 array except that
it includes four independent sets of parity data instead of two.
16CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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About Your RAID Controller
3.2 Adding a Flash Backup Module
This table shows the ash backup module (or “zero maintenance cache protection”) supported by your
Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller. To purchase a ash backup module, visit www.adaptec.com.
Flash ModuleRAID Controller
Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805/6445/6405/6805T/6405T
Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805Q/6805TQ
Microsemi Adaptec RAID 7805/71605/71685/72405/78165/8405/8805
/8885
Microsemi Adaptec RAID 7805Q/71605Q/8885Q
Microsemi Adaptec RAID 81605Z/81605ZQ
3.3 Upgrading the Controller Firmware
You can upgrade the rmware on your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller using the Adaptec Flash
Utility or from the computer's uEFI BIOS. Follow the instructions in Using_the_Adaptec_Flash_Utility
on page 103 or Updating the Controller Firmware on page 100. You can also upgrade the controller
rmware with maxViewStorage Manager andthe ARCCONF command-line utility. Refer to the maxView
Storage Manager User's Guide and the Microsemi Adaptec Command Line Interface User's Guide for
more information. If the rmware upgrade is unsuccessful, follow the instructions in Resetting the
Controller on page 75.
Flash Backup Module AFM-600 with
Supercapacitor module (optional)
Flash Backup Module AFM-600 with
Supercapacitor module (pre-installed)
Flash Backup Module AFM-700 with
Supercapacitor module (optional)
Flash Backup Module AFM-700 with
Supercapacitor module (pre-installed)
Flash Backup Module AFM-700 with
Supercapacitor module (integrated)
17CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Mounting bracket
PCIe x8 connector
Drive Activity LED connector f or CN0
Internal mini-SAS
connector CN0
Aggregate Activity
I2C connector for CN0
Ext. Alarm connector
Daughterboard
Connector
Activity LEDs
HDA mode connector
Diagnostic LEDs
(back of card)
About Your RAID Controller
3.4 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6405
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6405 is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 2.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
6 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
4Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
512 MB DDR2Standard cache
1 mini-SAS x4 (SFF-8087)Connectors, internal
4 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
I2C and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-600 (optional; sold separately)
18CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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About Your RAID Controller
3.5 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6445
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6445 is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 2.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
6 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
8Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
512 MB DDR2Standard cache
1 mini-SAS x4 (SFF-8087) internalConnectors
1 mini-SAS x4 (SFF-8088) external
8 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
SES, I2C, and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-600 (optional; sold separately)
19CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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About Your RAID Controller
3.6 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805/6805Q
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805/6805Q is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
maxCache SSD support
Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 2.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
6 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
8Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
512 MB DDR2Standard cache
2 mini-SAS x4 (SFF-8087)Connectors, internal
8 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
6805Q: Up to 8solid state drives, 1TB capacity, max. See the maxCache
compatibility list at www.adaptec.com/compatibility.
I2C and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-600 (6805: optional,
sold separately; 6805Q: standard, pre-installed)
20CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Mounting bracket
Internal mini-SAS
connector CN0
PCIe x1 connector
HDA mode connector
Drive Activity LED connector for CN0
Ext. Alarmconnector
Aggregate Activity
About Your RAID Controller
3.7 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6405E
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6405E is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Module
Low-prole MD2 (reduced length: 5.12 inches)Form Factor
PCIe 2.0Bus compatibility
x1PCIe bus width
6 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
4Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
128 MB DDR2Standard cache
1 mini-SAS x4 (SFF-8087)Connectors, internal
4 direct-attachedMaximum number of disk drives
SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
NoZero Maintenance Cache Protection
21CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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CN1
2 internal mini-SAS
connectors
CN0
Mounting bracket
PCIe x4 connector
HDA mode connector
Ext. Alarm connect or
Aggregate Activity
Drive Activity LED connector for CN0/CN1
About Your RAID Controller
3.8 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805E/6805E R5
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805E/6805E R5 is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Module
Low-prole MD2 (reduced length: 6.1 inches)Form Factor
PCIe 2.0Bus compatibility
x4PCIe bus width
6 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
8Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
128 MB DDR2Standard cache
2 mini-SAS x4 (SFF-8087)Connectors, internal
8 direct-attachedMaximum number of disk drives
SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
NoZero Maintenance Cache Protection
22CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Mounting bracket
PCIe x8 connector
Internal mini-SAS connector CN0
Daughterboard
connector
Aggregate Activity
Ext. Alarm connector
HDA mode connector
Drive Activity LED connectorfor CN0
Diagnostic/Activity LEDs
About Your RAID Controller
3.9 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6405T
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6405T is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 2.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
6 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
4Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
512 MB DDR2Standard cache
1 mini-SAS x4 (SFF-8087)Connectors, internal
4 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-600 (optional; sold separately)
23CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Ext. Alarm connector
Drive Activity LED connector for CN0/CN1
Diagnostic/Activity LEDs
CN0
2 internal mini-SAS connectors
CN1
Daughterboard
connector
HDA mode connector
Aggregate Activity
Mounting bracket
PCIe x8 connector
About Your RAID Controller
3.10 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805T/6805TQ
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 6805T/6805TQ is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
maxCache SSD support
Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 2.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
6 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
8Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
512 MB DDR2Standard cache
2 mini-SAS x4 (SFF-8087)Connectors, internal
8 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
6805TQ: Up to 8 solidstatedrives, 1TB capacity, max. See the maxCache
compatibility list at www.adaptec.com/compatibility.
SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-600 (6805T: optional,
sold separately; 6805TQ: standard, pre-installed)
24CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Ext. Alarm connector
HDA mode connector
Daughterboard
connector
PCIe x8 connector
Mounting bracket
2 internal mini-SAS HD connectors
CN0
CN1
About Your RAID Controller
3.11 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 7805/7805Q
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 7805/7805Q is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
maxCache SSD support
Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 3.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
6 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
8Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
1024 MB DDR3Standard cache
2 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)Connectors, internal
8 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
7805Q: Up to 8 solid state drives, 2TB capacity, max. See the maxCache
compatibility list at www.adaptec.com/compatibility.
IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-700 (7805: optional,
sold separately; 7805Q: standard, pre-installed)
25CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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4 internal mini-SAS HD connectors
Ext. Alarm connector
HDA mode connector
CN0
CN1
CN2
CN3
Daughterboard
connector
PCIe x8 connector
Mounting bracket
About Your RAID Controller
3.12 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 71605/71605Q
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 71605/71605Q is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
maxCache SSD support
Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 3.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
6 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
16Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
1024 MB DDR3Standard cache
4 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)Connectors, internal
16 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
71605Q: Up to 8solid state drives, 2TB capacity, max. Seethe maxCache
compatibility list at www.adaptec.com/compatibility.
IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-700 (71605: optional,
sold separately; 71605Q: standard, pre-installed)
26CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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4 internal mini-SAS HD connectors
Ext. Alarm connector
HDA mode connector
CN0
CN1
CN2
CN3
PCIe x8 connector
Mounting bracket
About Your RAID Controller
3.13 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 71605E
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 71605E is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 3.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
6 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
16Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
256 MB DDR3Standard cache
4 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)Connectors, internal
16 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
NoZero Maintenance Cache Protection
27CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Ext. Alarm
connector
Daughterboard
connector
PCIe x8 connector
Mounting bracket
HDA mode
connector
2 external
mini-SAS HD
connectors
4 internal mini-SAS HD connectors
About Your RAID Controller
3.14 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 71685
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 71685 is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Module
Full Height, Half LengthForm Factor
PCIe 3.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
6 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
24Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
1024 MB DDR3Standard cache
4 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)Connectors, internal
2 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8644)Connectors, external
24 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-700 (optional, sold
separately)
28CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Ext. Alarm
connector
Daughterboard
connector
PCIe x8 connector
Mounting bracket
HDA mode
connector
HD connectors
4 internal mini-SAS
HD connectors
2 internal mini-SAS
About Your RAID Controller
3.15 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 72405
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 72405 is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Module
Full Height, Half LengthForm Factor
PCIe 3.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
6 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
24Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
1024 MB DDR3Standard cache
6 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)Connectors, internal
24 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-700 (optional, sold
separately)
29CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Ext. Alarm
connector
Daughterboard
connector
PCIe x8 connector
Mounting bracket
HDA mode
connector
4 external
mini-SAS HD
connectors
2 internal mini-SAS HD connectors
2
3
About Your RAID Controller
3.16 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 78165
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 78165 is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 3.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
6 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
24Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
1024 MB DDR3Standard cache
2 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)Connectors, internal
4 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8644)Connectors, external
24 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-700 (optional, sold
separately)
30CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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PCIe x8 connector
Mounting bracket
1 internal mini-SAS HD connector
Daughterboard
connector
HDA mode connector
About Your RAID Controller
3.17 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8405
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8405 is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 3.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
12 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
4Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
1024 MB DDR3Standard cache
1 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)Connectors, internal
4 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-700 (optional, sold
separately)
31CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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1 internal mini-SAS HD connector
HDA mode connector
Mounting bracket
PCIe x8 connector
CNO
About Your RAID Controller
3.18 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8405E
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8405E is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 3.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
12 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
4Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
1024 MB DDR3Standard cache
1 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)Connectors, internal
4 direct-attachedMaximum number of disk drives
IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
NoZero Maintenance Cache Protection
32CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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PCIe x8 connector
Mounting bracket
2 internal mini-SAS HD connectors
Daughterboard
connector
HDA mode connector
About Your RAID Controller
3.19 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8805
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8805 is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 3.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
12 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
8Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
1024 MB DDR3Standard cache
2 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)Connectors, internal
8 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-700 (optional, sold
separately)
33CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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2 internal mini-SAS HD connectors
HDA mode connector
Mounting bracket
PCIe x8 connector
CNO
C N
1
About Your RAID Controller
3.20 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8805E
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8805E is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 3.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
12 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
8Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
1024 MB DDR3Standard cache
2 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)Connectors, internal
8 direct-attachedMaximum number of disk drives
IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
NoZero Maintenance Cache Protection
34CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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PCIe x8 connector
Mounting bracket
2 external
mini-SAS HD
connectors
2 internal mini-SAS HD connectors
Daughterboard
connector
HDA mode connector
About Your RAID Controller
3.21 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8885/8885Q
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 8885/8885Q is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
maxCache SSD support
Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 3.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
12 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
16Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
1024 MB DDR3Standard cache
2 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)Connectors, internal
2 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8644)Connectors, external
16 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
8885Q: Up to 8 solid state drives, 2TB capacity, max. See the maxCache
compatibility list at www.adaptec.com/compatibility.
IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-700 (8885: optional,
sold separately; 8885Q: standard, pre-installed)
35CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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PCIe x8 connector
Mounting bracket
2 internal mini-SAS HD connectors
2 internal
mini-SAS HD
connectors
Flash backup
connector
module
Stiffener (back of board)
HDA mode
connector
Reserved
About Your RAID Controller
3.22 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID 81605Z/81605ZQ
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID 81605Z/81605ZQ is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
maxCache SSD support
Module
Low-prole MD2Form Factor
PCIe 3.0Bus compatibility
x8PCIe bus width
12 Gb/s per portData transfer rate
16Phys (Unied Serial Ports)
1024 MB DDR3Standard cache
4 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)Connectors, internal
16 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)Maximum number of disk drives
81605ZQ: Up to 8 solid state drives, 2TB capacity, max. See the maxCache compatibility list at www.adaptec.com/compatibility.
IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)Enclosure Support
YesOnboard speaker
Integrated Microsemi Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-700Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
36CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Getting Started
4 Getting Started
This chapter provides the basic information you need to set up your disk drives and arrays the way you
want them. It describes the options you have for installing your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller and
disk drives and creating arrays for storage. It also describes how to prepare your controller for installation
into a low-prole computer cabinet.
4.1 Choosing a RAID Level
This section provides a brief overview of the RAID levels supported by your Microsemi Adaptec RAID
controller, including the minimum and maximum number of disk drives required by each.
Note: Before you begin, familiarize yourself with your controller's physical features and the RAID
levels that it supports (see Standard RAID Controller Features on page 16).
• RAID 0 (Non-redundant Array)—Stripes data across multiple disk drives. Improved performance
but no redundancy (see RAID 0 on page 81).
• RAID 1 Array—Created from two disk drives where one disk drive is a mirror of the other (the same
data is stored on each disk drive). Redundancy, but reduced capacity (see RAID 1 on page 82).
• RAID 1E Array—Similar to a RAID 1 array except that data is mirrored and striped, and more disk
drives can be included (see RAID 1E on page 82).
• RAID 5 Array—Stripes data for improved performance and uses parity data to provide redundancy
(see RAID 5 on page 84).
• (Microsemi Adaptec Series 6 Controllers Only) RAID 5EE Array—Similar toa RAID5 array, but includes
a distributed spare and must include a minimum of four disk drives (see RAID 5EE on page 85).
• RAID 10 Array—Built from two or more equal-sized RAID 1 arrays, stripes and mirrors data across
multiple disk drives. Redundancy and improved performance (see RAID 10 on page 83).
• RAID 50 Array—Built from multiple disk drives congured as two or more RAID 5 arrays, stripes
stored data and parity data across all disk drives (see RAID 50 on page 86).
• RAID 6 Array—Similar to a RAID 5 array except that it includes two independent sets of parity data
instead of one (see RAID 6 on page 87).
• RAID 60 Array—Similar to a RAID 50 array except that it includes four independent sets of parity
data instead of two (see RAID 60 on page 87).
See Selecting the Best RAID Level on page 88 to see how many disk drives you must connect to your
RAID controller to support the RAID level you want.
4.2 Selecting Disk Drives and Cables
4.2.1 Disk Drives
Your RAID controller supports SAS disk drives, SATA disk drives, and SATA and SAS Solid State Drives
(SSDs). When selecting disk drives for your RAID array, ensure that all the disk drives have the same
performance level. You can use different-sized disk drives in the array, but the array will be limited to
the capacity of the smallest and slowest disk drive. For more information about arrays, refer to the
maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide or online Help. For more information about compatible disk
drives, refer to www.adaptec.com/compatibility.
4.2.2 Cables
Depending on your requirements, you can use any of the cables listed below. Cable connectors are
keyed so that you can't insert them incorrectly. For more information about cabling options for your
RAID controller, visit www.adaptec.com.
Note: We recommend using only Microsemi Adaptec SAS cables.
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Getting Started
SAS HD Cables (Series 7 and Series 8 controllers)
Internal SAS HD to SAS HD (SFF-8643 to SFF- 8643
)—Connects to a backplane or enclosure.
External SAS HD to SAS HD (SFF-8644 to SFF- 8644
)—Connects to a backplane or enclosure.
mini-SAS Cables (Series 6 controllers)
External mini-SAS (SFF-8088 to SFF-8470)—Connects to
an external SAS enclosure.
Internal mini-SAS with power (SFF-8087 to SFF-8482
)—Connects to four SAS or SATA disk drives.
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Front of board
Full-height bracket
Back of board
Low-profle bracket
Getting Started
Internal mini-SAS to SATA fan-out (SFF-8087 to 4x SATA)—Connects to four SATA disk drives.
Internal mini-SAS to mini-SAS (SFF-8087 to SFF-8087
)—Connects to a backplane or enclosure.
4.3 Replacing the Full-Height Bracket with a Low-Prole Bracket
If you are installing your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller into a low-prole computer cabinet, replace
the original full-height bracket with the low-prole bracket included in your distributionkit. Thefull-height
bracket is mounted on the front of the controller, the low-prole bracket is mounted on the back of the
controller, as shown in the gure below.
To replace the full-height bracket with the low-prole bracket:
1. Remove the full-height bracket from the controller board. The full-height bracket is installed on the
front side of the controller, with the mounting screws inserted from the back of the controller, as
shown in the Figure 1.
Using a Phillips head screw driver, remove the mounting screws, as shown in Figure 2, then set the
screws aside for use in the next step.
39CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Remove mounting
screws with Phillips
screw driver
Front of board
Figure 2
Back of board
Figure 1
Figure 3
Raised side of bracket
Front of board
Flat side of bracket
Back of board
Getting Started
2. Attach the low-prole bracket to the controller board. The low-prole bracket is installed on the
back side of the controller, with the mounting screws inserted from the front of the controller, as
shown the Figure 3.
Insert the screws through the holes on the front of the controller, then fasten the screws to the
bracket with a Phillips screw driver.
Caution: The mount points on the low-prole bracket have a smooth or at side and a raised
side that looks like a spacer (see Figure 3). Be sure to install the bracket with the at side
against the controller PCB and the raised side facing away from the PCB.
Caution: The torque on the mounting screws should be a maximum of 3.0-4.0 lbf-in to avoid
deformation. Be sure that the controller is not bent after attaching the low-prole bracket to
the controller board.
4.4 Installation Options
When you install your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller, you can choose to create a bootable array
and then install your operating system and the controller driver on that array.
Alternatively, you can complete a standard installation, where the controller driver is installed on an
existing operating system.
4.5 Basic Installation Steps
This section describes the installation process. Follow the stepsfor the installation option you’ve chosen.
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Getting Started
4.5.1 Installing with an Operating System
1. Install and connect your controller and internal disk drives (see Installing the Controller and Disk
Drives on page 42).
If your controller has an external connector, you can connect external disk drives as well (or instead).
2. Set the boot controller (see Setting the Boot Controller on page 50).
3. Create a bootable array (see Creating an Array on page 50).
4. Install your operating system and the controller driver (see Installing the Driver and an Operating
System on page 54.)
5. Install maxView Storage Manager and begin to manage your datastorage(see ManagingYour Storage
Space on page 71).
4.5.2 Installing on an Existing Operating System
1. Install and connect your controller and internal disk drives (see Installing the Controller and Disk
Drives on page 42).
If your controller has an external connector, you can connect external disk drives as well (or instead).
2. Install the controller driver (see Installing the Driver on an Existing Operating System on page 63).
3. Install maxView Storage Manager and begin to manage your datastorage(see ManagingYour Storage
Space on page 71).
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Installing the Controller and Disk Drives
5 Installing the Controller and Disk Drives
This chapter explains how to install your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller, and how to install and
connect internal and external disk drives.
5.1 Before You Begin
• Read Safety Information on page 117.
• Familiarize yourself with your RAID controller's physical features andthe RAID levels that it supports
(see Standard RAID Controller Features on page 16).
• Ensure you have the right number of disk drives for the RAID level you want to use for your arrays
(see Selecting Disk Drives and Cables on page 37).
• If you are installing the RAID controller into a low-prole computer cabinet, replace the original
full-height bracket with the low-prole bracket included in the kit (see Replacing the Full-Height
Bracket on page 39).
5.2 Installing the Controller
This section describes howto install the RAID controller into your computer cabinet. Microsemi Adaptec
RAID controllers come in two basic congurations: standard and zero maintenance cache protection
with batteryless backup (ZMCP). ZMCP uses ash memory and a supercapacitor module to protect the
cache without a battery.
Follow one of these sets of instructions:
• To install a Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller without zero maintenance cache protection, see
the next section.
• To install a Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller with zero maintenance cache protection, see To
install a RAID Controller with Zero Maintenance Cache Protection on page 43.
Caution: Be sure to handle the controller by its bracket or edges only.
5.2.1 Installing a RAID Controller without Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
To install a Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller without zero maintenance cache protection:
1. Turn off your computer and disconnect the power cord. Open the cabinet, following the
manufacturer's instructions.
2. Select an available PCIe expansion slot that's compatible with your RAID controller and remove the
slot cover, as shown below. (PCIe bus compatibility is marked to the controller gures in About Your
RAID Controller on page 16.)
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Installing the Controller and Disk Drives
3. Insert the RAID controller into the expansion slot and press down gently but rmly until it clicks into
place. When installed properly, the RAID controller should appear level with the expansion slot.
Caution: Touch a grounded metal object before handling the RAID controller.
4. Secure the bracket in the expansion slot, using the retention device (for instance, a screw or lever)
supplied with your computer.
5. (Series 6 controllers only) Connect your computer's disk activity LED cable to the LED connector on
the controller (marked on the gures in About Your RAID Controller on page 16).
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.
6. (Series 6 controllers only) Optionally, connect your RAID controller's I2C connector (not available on
all models) to an I2C connector on an internal backplane or enclosure, using an I2C cable. For more
connection details, see About Your RAID Controller on page 16.
7. Prepare and install your internal disk drives, following the instructions in Connecting Disk Drives to
Your Controllers on page 46.
If you are not installing internal disk drives, close your computer cabinet, reattach the power cord,
then continue with Connecting External Devices on page 48.
5.2.2 Installing a RAID Controller with Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Microsemi Adaptec RAID controllers with zero maintenance cache protection include a ash module
daughterboard and a supercapacitor module. On Microsemi Adaptec Series Q controllers, the
daughterboard is pre-installed. On Microsemi Adaptec RAID controllers with optional zero maintenance
cache protection (see Adding A Flash Backup Module on page 17), the daughterboard is user installed.
The supercapacitor module is always user installed.
The following instructions describe how to install the RAID controller and supercapacitor module on a
Microsemi Adaptec Series 7/8/8ZQ controller using the mounting plate method. It assumes that the
daughterboard is already installed.
Note: Microsemi Adaptec Series 6Q controllers do not include a mounting plate for the
supercapacitor module. You must afx the supercapacitor to the computer chassis with cable ties.
For controllers with optional zero maintenance cache protection (non-Q controllers), refer to the
AFM-700 Installation Guide for details about installing the daughterboard on the controller.
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Mounting clip
Recessed side
Large friction
clip
Installing the Controller and Disk Drives
Warning: Do NOT remove or insert a fully charged supercapacitor module. Always discharge the unit
rst to avoid damage to the controller or ash backup module. The factory ships with discharged units,
so they are safe to install when you receive them. To ensure that an installed unit is discharged, switch
your system OFF, then wait 5 minutes. After a dirty shutdown, wait 3 minutes after backup is complete,
then remove the unit.
To install a Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller with zero maintenance cache protection:
1. Assemble the mounting plate and attach the supercapacitor module:
a) Attach the full-height bracket and mounting clip to the mounting plate. The full-height bracket
is installed on the front side of the mounting plate (the side with the bents), with the mounting
screws inserted from the back, as shown in the gure below. (Be sure to attach the mounting
plate to the bracket with recessed side at the bottom!) Attach the mounting clip to the front of
the mounting plate with four (4) Phillips screws. The large friction clip should face the front of
the mounting plate.
b) Insert the supercapacitor module into the mounting clip. The supercapacitor module snaps
securely into place between the large and small friction clips, as shown in the gure below. Be
sure to orient the supercapacitor module such that the connecting cable faces the rear of the
mounting plate.
c) Set the mounting plate aside; continue with the steps below.
2. Turn off your computer and disconnect the power cord. Open the cabinet, following the
manufacturer's instructions.
3. Select an available PCIe expansion slot that's compatible with your RAID controller and remove the
slot cover, as shown in the gure below. (PCIe bus compatibility is marked on the controller gures
in About Your RAID Controller on page 16.) Be sure to choose a slot in the backplane with an empty
slot next to it; you will use the empty slot to install the supercapacitor mounting plate, after you
install the controller. Remove the slot cover for the mounting plate, then continue with the next
step.
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Extender cable
Installing the Controller and Disk Drives
4. Insert the RAID controller into the expansion slot and press down gently but rmly until it clicks into
place. When installed properly, the RAID controller should appear level with the expansion slot.
Secure the bracket in the expansion slot, using the retention device (for instance, a screw or lever)
supplied with your computer.
Caution: Touch a grounded metal object before handling the RAID controller.
5. Attach the supercapacitor module to the RAID controller by inserting the connector into the socket
6. Install the mounting plate in the empty slot next to the controller, as shown in the next gure. After
on the ash module daughterboard, as shown in the gure below. (The connector attaches to the
socket in only one direction.) Use the included extender cable if you need extra length to reach the
connector on the daughterboard.
securing the mounting plate to the card cage, verify that the supercapacitor module and mounting
plate sit above (and do not touch) the PCIe slot.
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GapGap
Installing the Controller and Disk Drives
7. Prepare and install your internal disk drives, following the instructions in Connecting Disk Drives to
Your Controllers on page 46.
If you are not installing internal disk drives, close your computer cabinet, reattach the power cord,
then continue with Connecting External Devices on page 48.
8. Restart your computer.
The supercapacitor starts charging automatically. It should reach full charge in 5-6 minutes.
5.3 Connecting Disk Drives to Your Controllers
You can connect SAS disk drives, SATA disk drives, and SATA and SAS Solid State Drives (SSDs) to your
Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller. (See www.adaptec.com/compatibility for a listof compatible drives.)
There are no jumpers or switches to set before installation.
If you plan to build a bootable array, ensure that you install at least the minimum number disk drives
required to support the RAID level you want. See Choosing a RAID Level on page 37 for more information.
Note: Although you can connect both SAS and SATA disk drives to your SAS controller, we
recommend that you do not combine SAS and SATA disk drives within the same array. See What
is SAS? on page 76 for more information.
You have two connection options:
• To connect directly to the controller, see the following section.
• To connect to a backplane, see Connecting Drives to a System Backplane on page 47.
To connect Solid State Drives to your controller, see Connecting SSDs on page 47.
5.3.1 Connecting Drives Directly to the Controller
In a direct-attach connection, SAS or SATA disk drives are connected directly to a SAS card with SAS
cables. The number of direct-attached disk drives is limited to four per internal SAS connector. (For
more information about direct-attach connections, see How Disk Drives are Identied in SAS on page
78.)
1. Install your internalSAS orSATA disk drives, following theinstructions in your system's documentation.
2. Use internal SAS, mini-SAS, or mini-SAS HD cables to attach the disk drives to the controller, as
required.
3. When all internal disk drives have been installed and attached to the controller, close your computer
cabinet, reattach the power cord, then continue with Connecting External Devices on page 48.
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Installing the Controller and Disk Drives
5.3.2 Connecting Drives to a System Backplane
In a backplane connection, disk drives and SAS cards are attached to and communicate with each other
through a system backplane.
The number of disk drives is limited to the number of slots available on the backplane. Some backplanes
have embedded SAS expanders and can support up to 128 end devices. (For more information about
backplane and expander connections, see How Disk Drives are Identied in SAS on page 78.)
1. Connect one or more internal SAS or SATA disk drives to the backplane. (Refer to your system's
documentation for more information.)
2. Use an internal mini-SAS or mini-SAS HD cable to connect the controller to the backplane, as required.
3. When all internal disk drives have been installed and connected, close your computer cabinet,
reattach the power cord, then continue with Connecting External Devices on page 48.
5.3.3 Connecting Solid State Drives (SSDs)
To connect aSolid State Drive to your controller, you can use a direct-attachedconnection or a backplane
connection, as required. If your server does not have a standard 2.5-inch drive tray, you must use a
bracket/SLED which enables the SSD to t properly.
Note: For Microsemi Adaptec maxCache applications or hybrid RAID arrays (comprised of hard
drives and SSDs) you can use any Solid State Drive on the compatibility list. See
www.adaptec.com/compatibility for a list of compatible SSDs. maxCacheis supported on Microsemi
Adaptec Series Q controllers only.
In a direct-attach connection (described in the steps below), you connect SSDs directly to the controller
with SAS cables (mini-SAS to SATA). In a backplane connection, use the appropriate cable for your
backplane type (see Connecting Drives to a System Backplane on page 47 for more about backplane
connections). For maxCache caching applications, you can connect amaximum of8 maxCache-compatible
SSDs to a controller. For RAID arrays, Microsemi Adaptec controllers support a maximum of 256 drives,
including SSDs (for details, see About Your RAID Controller on page 16).
1. Install the SSDs in your server. For servers with a standard 2.5-inch drive tray, install the SSD directly
into the tray. If your server does not have a standard 2.5-inch drive tray, use a bracket or adapter
which enables it to t properly.
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Typical SSD installation
Use a 2.5” to 3.5” adapter to
install your SSD if server does
not have 2.5” tray.
To other SSDs
SSD connected to controller with
internal mini-SAS HD to SATA Fanout cable
Single-port connectorInternal x4 mini-SAS HD connector
Installing the Controller and Disk Drives
5.4 Connecting External Devices
2. Use an internal mini-SAS or mini-SAS HD to SATA cable, as required, to attach the SSD(s) to the
controller, as shown in the example below.
3. When all SSDs have been installed and connected, close your computer cabinet, reattach the power
cord, then continue with Connecting External Devices on page 48.
Note: If you are not connecting any external devices, see the following section, Next Steps on
page 49.
Use high-quality cables to connect your controller to your external device(s), such as disk drives or disk
drive enclosures.
We recommend using only Microsemi Adaptec cables. For more information about cabling options for
your controller, see Cables on page 37.
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Installing the Controller and Disk Drives
5.5 Next Steps
If you are installing the controller driver and an operating system onto a bootable array, continue with
Creating a Bootable Array.
If you are completing a standard installation onto an existing operating system, continue with Installing
the Driver on an Existing Operating System on page 63.
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Creating a Bootable Array
6 Creating a Bootable Array
This chapter explains how to set your Microsemi Adaptec controller to be the boot controller, and how
to create a bootable array.
Note: If you are completing a standard installation onto an existing operating system, you don't
have to complete this task. Skip to Installing the Driver on an Existing Operating System on page
63.
6.1 Setting the Boot Controller
Note: If your system won't contain more than one bootable controller, skip to the next section,
Creating an Array on page 50.
Your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller supports bootable disk drives and bootable arrays. To enable
your system to boot from either a disk drive or an array connected to your controller:
1. Enter the system setup.
2. Navigate to the drive boot sequence.
3. Move the boot controller to the top of the list.
For more information, refer to your computer documentation.
6.2 Creating an Array
This section explains how to create an array.
A RAID 5 array is created in the examples shown in this section because RAID 5 provides the most security
and best performance with a minimum of three disk drives. However, you can choose to create an array
with a different RAID level; you can also change array level later, after the operating system is installed.
You can create an array using any of these tools:
• Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility (ARC)—BIOS-based menus and keyboard navigation
(see the following section).
• maxView Storage Manager—Graphical software application (running from a bootable USB image)
that you can navigate with your mouse (see About maxView Storage Manager on page 71).
• ARCCONF—Command line utility. For instructions, refer to the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Controller
Command Line Utility User's Guide.
You can use any of these tools, but the ARC utility is the quickest and easiest tool for this task.
Note: We recommend that you do not combine SAS and SATA disk drives within the same array.
maxView Storage Managerdisplays a warning if you try to create a logical drive using a combination
of SAS and SATA disk drives. See What is SAS? on page 76 for more information.
6.2.1 Creating an Array with the ARC Utility
The ARC utility is menu-based. Instructions for completing tasks appear on-screen. Menus can be
navigated using the arrows, Enter, Esc, and other keys on your keyboard.
To create a RAID 5 array:
1. Power on your computer. When prompted, press Ctrl+A to enter the ARC utility.
Note: On computers that support the Unied Extensible Firmware Interface, or uEFI, ARC
utility optionsare presented with a uEFI/HII interface rather than the Microsemi Adaptec Ctrl-A
interface described below. To begin using the ARC utility with the uEFI/HII interface, see Ctrl-A
or uEFI/HII? on page 89.
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Creating a Bootable Array
2. If you have more than one controller of the same model or family in your computer, select your
controller, then press Enter .
3. Select Logical Device Conguration, then press Enter .
4. Select Initialize Drives, then press Enter .
5. Select at least three disk drives for the array, press Insert for each selected disk drive, then press
Enter.
Caution: During initialization, all data is deleted from the disk. Before continuing, back up any
data you want to keep.
6. Press Y , then press Enter .
The selected disk drives are initialized, then the Logical Device Conguration screen appears.
7. Select Create Array, then press Enter .
8. Select the disk drives that were just initialized, press Insert for each selected disk drive, then press
Enter .
9. When the Array Properties screen opens, follow the instructions in the following table.
Entry or SelectionProperty Line
Select RAID 5, then press Enter .Array Type
Type a name, then press Enter.Array Label
Press Enter , then press Enter again to use the default granularity of GB.Array Size
Press Enter to use the default (256 KB).Stripe Size
Note: This property applies only to striped arrays (RAID 0, 1E, 10, 5, 50, 5EE, 6,
and 60).
Press Enter to use the default (Enable).Read Caching
Press Enter to use the default (Enable always), then press Y to conrm.Write Caching
Press Enter to use the default (Build/Verify).Create RAID via
Press Enter to use the default (Enable)MaxCache Read
Press Enter to use the default (Disable)MaxCache Write
Press Enter .[Done]
10. When a cache warning message displays, type Y .
11. Once the array is created, a message displays telling you that the array can now be used. Press any
key to return to the Logical Device Conguration menu.
You can start using the array immediately. However, performance is reduced until the build process
is complete.
12. Press Esc until the Exit utility window appears.
13. Select Yes, then press Enter.
The computer restarts.
14. Continue with Making Your Array Bootable on page 53.
6.2.2 Creating an Array with maxView Storage Manager
This section describes how to use the maxView Storage Manager conguration wizard to build an array.
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Creating a Bootable Array
Note: Before you begin, download the maxView Storage Manager bootable USB image at
start.microsemi.com, then copy the bootable image to a USB ash drive. For details, refer to the
maxView Storage Manager User's Guide.
To create a RAID 5 array:
1. Insert the bootable USB drive on the machine you want to congure.
The Boot menu opens in a shell window.
2. Select Launch maxView from the menu.
After a minute or so, the maxView Storage Manager login screen opens in a browser window.
3. Enter root/root for the login credentials.
4. On the ribbon, in the Logical Disk group, click Create Logical Drive.
5. When the wizard opens, ensure that Express Conguration is selected, then click Next.
6. Review the logical drive conguration summary.
Note: maxView Storage Manager uses the term logical drive when referring to an array (see
Terminology Used in this Guide on page 13).
The following example shows a RAID 5 array, ready to be created.
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Creating a Bootable Array
7. Click Finish.
maxView Storage Manager builds the logical drives.
8. Partition and format the logical drive(s).
The logical drives you created appear as a physical disk drives on your operating system. You must
partition and format these logical drives before you can use them to store data.
9. Close all windows, remove the bootable USB drive, then restart your system.
For information about installing and using maxView Storage Manager as a full software application,
see the maxView Storage Manager User's Guide.
10. Continue with the following section.
6.3 Making Your Array Bootable
Use the ARC Utility to make the array bootable (see Creating Bootable Arrays on page 90).
Then continue with Installing the Driver and an Operating System on page 54.
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Installing the Driver and an Operating System
7 Installing the Driver and an Operating System
This chapter explains how to install your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver and an operating
system on a bootable array (see Creating a Bootable Array on page 50).
Note:
1. To install the driver on an existing operating system, see Installing the Driver on an Existing
Operating System on page 63.
2. To install the Linux drivers from source with Dynamic Kernel Module Support (for persistence
across across kernel updates), download the Linux Driver Source Code package from the
support page for your product at start.microsemi.com, then follow the instructions in the
embedded Readme.
7.1 Before You Begin
• Install and connect your RAID controller and internal disk drives (see Installing the Controller and
Disk Drives on page 42).
• Create a bootable array (see Creating a Bootable Array on page 50).
• Download drivers from the web
• Create a driver disk (see the following section)
7.2 Creating a Driver Disk
Download the latest drivers from the Web, then create a driver disk by completing the steps below.
You will need a USB ash drive to complete this task. If the driver binary is an iso image, use a writable
CD instead of a ash drive.
To download drivers and create a driver disk:
1. Open a browser window, then type start.microsemi.com in the address bar.
2. Select your RAID controller family (Series 7, Series 8, and so on) and controller model.
3. Select your operating system version, for instance, Microsoft Windows Server 2012 x64 or Red Hat
Enterprise Linux 6; then select the appropriate driver from the list.
Note: For Linux OSs, the list of drivers typically includes a rpm le and an Images le. Select
the Images le only if you are installing the driver on an existing operating system (for more
information, see Installing the Driver on an Existing Operating System on page 63).
4. Click Download Now and accept the license agreement.
5. When thedownload completes, extract the contents of the driver archive le toa temporary location.
If the archive includes drivers for multiple operating system versions (Windows, for instance), each
driver is stored in a separate folder.
6. Change to the folder for your operating system version, as needed.
7. Copy the driver binary le or the entire driver folder contents to a USB ash drive. For Debian,
Ubuntu, and Fedora Linux, be sure to extract the contents of the .tgz les rst.
If the driver binary is an iso image, see Step [8].
8. If the driver binary is an iso image for instance, for Citrix XenServer burn the iso to a writeable CD.
Use whatever tool you prefer to burn the CD, such as an interactive, GUI-based, tool or the Linux
command line.
Note: For VMware ESXi 5.5 and VMware ESXi 6.0, see Installing with VMware ESXi .
9. Remove and label the driver disk.
10. Continue the installation with the instructions for your operating system.
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Installing the Driver and an Operating System
7.3 Installing with Windows
Note: The following instructions apply to all supported Windows operating systems. You need
the Windows installation DVD (or equivalent virtual media/iso image) to complete this task.
To install the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing Windows:
1. Insert your Windows DVD, then restart the computer.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to begin the Windows installation.
3. When prompted to specify a location for Windows, select Load Driver.
4. Insert the USB driver disk, browse to the driver location, then click OK.
5. When the driver is found, press Next.
Note: You may see the message ‘No drives were found’. Repeat Step 3, Step 4 (browse to
driver location), and Step 5. On the second attempt, the driver will load successfully.
6. Click Next again toaccept thedefault partition conguration, or refer to your Windowsdocumentation
to congure partitions manually.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
8. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 71.
7.4 Installing with Red Hat Linux or CentOS
Note: You willneed the Installation DVD (or equivalent virtual media/iso image) for your operating
system to complete this task. You must have root privilege to install the driver image.
To install the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing Red Hat Linux or CentOS:
1. Insert your installation DVD.
2. Restart your computer.
3. When the rst installation screen appears, insert the USB driver disk.
4. Type this command at the Boot: prompt, then press Enter:
linux dd
5. Select Yes to indicate that you have a driver disk, browse the USB drive (typically, /dev/sda1), then
select the driver image.
6. Verify that the driver is loaded, then complete the installation following the on-screen instructions.
7. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 71.
7.5 Installing with SuSE Linux Enterprise Server
Note: You need the SuSE installation DVD (or equivalent virtual media/iso image) to complete
this task.
To install the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing SuSE Linux:
1. Insert the SuSE Installation DVD.
2. Restart your system.
3. When the installation selection screen appears, choose the type of installation you want, press F5
(SuSE 10) or F6 (SuSE 11), then select Yes to indicate that you have a driver disk.
4. Insert the USB driver disk.
5. (SuSE 11 SP3 only) Add 'brokenmodules=aacraid dud=1' to the Boot menu. This step ensures that
the installer loads from the driver disk, not the in-box driver.
6. When prompted to "Please choose the Driver Update medium", highlight the USB partition, then
select OK.
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Note: If the "choose Driver Update medium" screen is displayed again, assume that the driver
was accepted; select Back, then press Enter.
7. (SuSE 11 SP3 only) On the "Welcome screen", switch to the console by typing CTRL+ALT+F2, then
type this command:
insmod ./update/000/modules/aacraid.ko
Press CTRL+ALT+F7 to return to the Welcome screen.
8. Complete the installation, following the on-screen instructions.
9. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 71.
7.6 Installing with Fedora Linux
Note: You need the Fedora installation DVD (or equivalent virtual media/iso image) to complete
this task.. You must have root privilege to install the driver image.
To install the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing Fedora Linux:
1. Insert the Fedora Installation DVD, then restart your computer.
2. When the Welcome screen appears, press Enter. When the installation switches to Graphical
Installation, press CTRL+ALT+F2 to switch to the console. (Do not pass the "linux dd" boot option!)
3. Insert the USB driver disk, then type the following command to scan for the device:
fdisk -l
4. Assuming the USB drive is assigned to /dev/sda1, type the following commands:
mkdir /mnt2 /AACRAID
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt2
cp -r /mnt2/* /AACRAID
umount /mnt2
cd /AACRAID
5. Extract the .tgz le (if not done already) and ensure that the .ko le(s) are located directly under
/AACRAID. For example:
tar -zxvf aacraid-1.2.1-XXXXX-Fedora_20-Boot-x86_64.tgz
cp aacraid-1.2.1-XXXXX-Fedora_20-Boot-x86_64/* .
rm -rf aacraid-1.2.1-XXXXX-Fedora_20-Boot-x86_64*
6. Run the pre-installation script:
sh ./fc-pre-install.sh
7. Press ALT+F6 to switch back to the installation screen, select Next, then follow the on-screen
prompts to continue the installation.
Note: Do not reboot at the end of the installation until you complete Step [8]!
8. When prompted to reboot the system, press CTRL+ALT+F2 to switch to the console, then type the
following commands to complete the driver installation:
mkdir /mnt/sysimage/tmp/AACRAID
cp -r /AACRAID/* /mnt/sysimage/tmp/AACRAID
chroot /mnt/sysimage/
cd /tmp/AACRAID
sh ./fc-post-install.sh
exit
9. Press ALT+F6 to switch back to the installation screen, nish the installation, then reboot.
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10. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 71.
7.7 Installing with Debian Linux
Note: You need the Debian installation DVD (or equivalent virtual media/iso image) to complete
this task. You must have root privilege to install the driver image.
To install the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing Debian Linux:
1. Insert the Debian Installation DVD, then restart your computer.
2. When the Welcome screen appears, select Graphical Install. Continue the installation until you see
the "Congure Network" screen, then type CTRL+ALT+F2 to switch to the console.
3. Insert the USB driver disk, then type the following command to scan for the device:
fdisk -l
4. Assuming the USB drive is assigned to /dev/sda1, type the following commands to begin loading
the driver:
mkdir /AACRAID
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
cp -R /mnt/* /AACRAID
umount /mnt
Note: The following steps assume you are installing Debian 7 64-bit using kernel 3.2.0-4.
5. Copy the driver le to the /lib/modules directory:
cp -f /AACRAID/aacraid.ko
/lib/modules/3.2.0-4-amd64/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko
6. Remove the USB drive.
7. Install the loadable module:
insmod /lib/modules/3.2.0-4-amd64/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko
8. Press CTRL+ALT+F5 to switch back to the installation screen, then follow the on-screen prompts
to continue the installation.
Note: Do not press Continue at the end of the installation until you complete Step [9]!
9. When prompted to reboot the system, press CTRL+ALT+F2 to switch to the console.
10. Type the following commands to complete the driver installation:
cp -f /AACRAID/aacraid.ko
/target/lib/modules/3.2.0-4-amd64/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko
chroot /target
/sbin/depmod -a 3.2.0-4-amd64
update-initramfs -u -v
exit
11. Press CTRL+ALT+F5 to switch back to the installation screen, then reboot.
12. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 71.
7.8 Installing with Ubuntu Linux
Note: You need the Ubuntu installation DVD (or equivalent virtual media/iso image) to complete
this task. You must have root privilege to install the driver image.
To install the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing Ubuntu Linux:
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1. Insert the Ubuntu Installation DVD, then restart your computer.
2. When the installation menu appears, select Install Ubuntu Server. Continue the installation until
the "Congure Network" screen appears, then type CTRL+ALT+F2 to switch to the console.
3. Insert the USB driver disk, then type the following command to scan for the device:
fdisk -l
4. Assuming the USB drive is assigned to /dev/sda1, type the following commands to begin loading
the driver:
mkdir mnt2 /AACRAID
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt2
cp -R /mnt2/* /AACRAID
umount /mnt2
Note: The following steps assume you are installing Ubuntu 12 or higher.
5. Copy the driver le to the /lib/modules directory:
rmmod aacraid
cp -f /AACRAID/aacraid.ko
/lib/modules/3.16.0-23-generic/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko
6. Remove the USB drive.
7. Install the loadable module:
insmod /lib/modules/3.16.0-23-generic/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko
8. Press CTRL+ALT+F1 to switch back to the installation screen, then follow the on-screen prompts
to continue the installation.
Note: Do not press Continue at the end of the installation until you complete Step [9]!
9. When prompted to reboot the system, press CTRL+ALT+F2 to switch to the console.
10. Type the following commands to complete the driver installation:
cp -f /AACRAID/aacraid.ko
/target/lib/modules/3.16.0-23-generic/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko
chroot /target
/sbin/depmod -a 2.6.32-28-server
update-initramfs -u -v
exit
11. Press CTRL+ALT+F1 to switch back to the installation screen, then reboot.
12. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 71.
7.9 Installing with Solaris
Note: This task is not necessary if you are installing Solaris 10 Update 2 or later. Instead, you can
choose to install Solaris using the in-box driver and update it either during or after the installation
is complete, if required.
Note: If necessary, you can create a driver disk by burning a CD with the aac_solaris-x86.iso
le; for more information, see Creating a Driver Disk on page 54.
The following tasks describe how to install the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver during Solaris
OS installation:
• Installing with Solaris 10 U9 on page 59
• Installing with Solaris 11 on page 59
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7.9.1 Installing with Solaris 10 U9
Note:
• During Solaris 10 U9 installation, the iso image of the driver is required. When the OS
installation process prompts you to insert the iso image of the driver, insert the CD ROM or
DVD ROM containing the driver image.
• You can create a driver disk by burning a CD with the aac_solaris-x86.iso le; for more
information, see Creating a Driver Disk on page 54.
• Login as a superuser to preform this task.
To install the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing Solaris 10 U9:
1. Start your computer.
2. Interrupt the autoboot, press theESC key.The Device Conguration Assistant (DCA) Utilitywill open.
3. Select Apply driver updates.
4. Insert the driver disk or other update media, then press Return.
5. Complete the Solaris installation, following the instructions included with your operating system.
7.9.2 Installing with Solaris 11
Note: Login as a superuser to perform this task.
To install the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver during Solaris 11 installation:
1. Remove the in-box driver package by executing these steps:
a. Check to see which AAC RAID driver package is installed on your system by using the following
command:
# modinfo | grep aac
b. Run the following commands to nd the inbox aac package name:
#pkg list | grep aac
#driver/storage/aac ----> inbox aac IPS packagename
c. Remove the package (if the IPS package is installed) by using the following command:
#pkg uninstall driver/storage/aac
d. Press y to remove the aac package.
e. Run the following commands to recongure while rebooting the machine:
#touch /reconfigure
#reboot
f. At the next boot, a new OS boot option like Solaris1 is shown, select this option.
2. Install the driver by executing these steps:
a. Insert the USB drive and copy the aac package from it on your computer.
b. Change the directory (command cd) to the directory where the Driver Package is, and type the
following command:
# pkgadd -d
c. At the following prompt, enter y.
Do you want to continue with the installation of <aac> [y,n,?]
The following message appears after a successful installation:
Installation of <aac> was successful.
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If the installation is not successful, the following message appears:
Installation of <aac> was suspended (administration).
d. If the installation was successful, skip this step, and go to step 5.
e. If the installation was not successful, remove the previously installed driver package, and then
repeat step 3 to apply the drive package.
f. Run the following commands to recongure while rebooting the machine:
# touch /reconfigure
# reboot
g. At the next bootup, enter b -r as a boot option.
7.10 Installing with FreeBSD
Note: You need the FreeBSD installation DVD (or equivalent virtual media/iso image) to complete
this task.
To install the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing FreeBSD:
1. Insert the FreeBSD Installation DVD.
2. Insert the USB driver disk.
3. Restart your computer. (Be sure to boot from the installation CD!)
4. When the FreeBSD start screen opens, select 2 for 'Escape to Loader Prompt'.
5. Type: load kernel
6. Type this command to locate the USB drive: lsdev
7. Assuming the USB drive is disk2s1, type this command:
load disk2s1:aacu.ko
8. Type this command: boot
9. Complete the FreeBSD installation, as usual. When nished, remove the installation CD, but not the
USB driver disk, then reboot.
Note: Be sure the system is congured to boot from the controller's bootable array, not the
USB drive!
10. To ensure that the driver is loaded automatically as a module at boot time, repeat Steps [4]-[7], then
complete the steps below.
11. Type this command to boot to the kernel: boot
12. Login as root, then type:
dmesg
13. Assuming the USB drive is da1s1, type this command to mount the drive:
mount -t msdosfs /dev/da1s1 /mnt
14. Install the driver package (FreeBSD 9, in this example):
pkg_add /mnt/aac9x-amd64.tgz
15. Reboot the computer.
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7.11 Installing with VMware
Note: You will need a writable CD or USB ash drive to complete this task. You must have
administrator privileges to create the driver disk and install the driver image.
To install the RAID controller driverwith VMware ESXi 6.0 or VMware ESXi 6.5, you must create a custom
boot image using the ESXi-Customizer tool. This tool automates the process of customizing the ESXi
install-ISO and runs as a script under Microsoft PowerShell.
You can download the ESXi-Customizer tool, ESXi-Customizer-PS-v2.5.ps1, from
https://www.v-front.de/p/esxi-customizer-ps.html and other locations on the Web.
Note: Be sure to install the prerequisite software rst, including Powershell and VMware
POWERCLI, before you install ESXi-Customizer.
Note: VMware 6.0 driver supports VMware 6.5.
To install the RAID controller driver while installing VMware:
1. Download and install Microsoft PowerShell and VMware POWERCLI, as needed. You can download
PowerShell from the Microsoft Download Center at www.microsoft.com/download, and POWERCLI
from my.vmware.com.
Note: PowerShell is pre-installed on many Windows systems, including Windows Server 2012
and Windows Server 2016.
2. Download theESXi-Customizer tool from https://www.v-front.de/p/esxi-customizer-ps.html or other
Web location. Then, unpack the archive to a local directory on your Windows system;
C:\ESXi-Customizer, for instance.
3. Copy the VMware driver vib for your OS version to a temp directory, such as C:\temp\pkg. The
driver vib les (listed below, where xxxxxxx is the driver version number) should be in the driver
download directory on your Windows system (see Creating a Driver Disk).
DescriptionOptions
VMware-VMvisor-Installer-6.0.0-2494585.x86_64.isoESXi 6.5/6.0
vmware-esxi-drivers-scsi-aacraid-600.6.2.1.XXXXX.-1.0.6.2159203.x86_64.vib
4. Run ESXi-Customizer from the installation directory:
C:\ESXi-Customizer>ESXi-Customizer.cmd
5. In PowerShell, enter the following command:
.\ESXi-Customizer-PS-v2.5.ps1 –Vxx -pkgDir C:\temp\pkg
where Vxx is the VMware OS version: V60 for VMmare 6.0, V65 for VMware 6.5.
PowerShell begins creating the custom ESXi install-ISO with embedded RAID controller driver. It
displays "All done" when the ISO is ready.
6. Burn the custom ISO image to a writable CD or USB drive.
Note: Use whatever tool you prefer to burn the CD or USB drive.
Remove the CD or USB drive after you nish burning the image.
7. On the VMware ESXi machine, insert the custom boot CD/USB, then restart your computer.
8. Follow the on-screen instructions to begin the VMware installation.
9. Complete the VMware installation, following the on-screen instructions.
10. Remove the custom boot CD or USB drive, then reboot your computer.
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7.12 Installing with Citrix XenServer
Note: To install the RAID controller driver with Citrix XenServer, you must burn the XenServer
driver iso image to a writeable CD; USB driver disks are not supported for XenServer (see Creating
a Driver Disk on page 54). You will be prompted to insert the XenServer driver CD twice. You need
the XenServer installation DVD (or equivalent virtual media/iso image) to complete this task. You
must have administrator privilege to install the driver image.
To install the RAID controller driver while installing Citrix XenServer:
1. On the machine where you want to install the OS and RAID controller driver, insert the XenServer
installation DVD, then restart your computer.
2. When prompted to add a driver, press F9.
3. Remove the XenServer installation DVD and insert the driver CD.
4. When the driver update is complete, remove the driver CD and insert the XenServer installation
DVD.
5. Continue the XenServer installation, following the on-screen instructions.
6. When prompted to add a driver (at the end of the OS installation),remove the XenServer installation
DVD and insert the driver CD.
7. Complete the XenServer installation, following the on-screen instructions.
8. Remove the driver CD, then reboot your computer.
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8 Installing the Driver on an Existing Operating System
This chapter explains how to install your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver on an existing
operating system.
Note:
1. To install the driver while you're installing an operating system, see Installing the Driver and
an Operating System on page 54
2. To install the Linux drivers from source with Dynamic Kernel Module Support (for persistence
across across kernel updates), download the Linux Driver Source Code package from the
support page for your product at start.microsemi.com, then follow the instructions in the
embedded Readme.
8.1 Before You Begin
• Install and connect your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller and internal disk drives (see Installing
the Controller and Disk Drives on page 42).
• Download drivers from the web site
• Create a driver disk (see the following section)
8.2 Creating a Driver Disk
Download the latest drivers from the Web, then create a driver disk by completing the steps below.
You will need a USB ash drive to complete this task.
To download drivers and create a driver disk:
1. Open a browser window, then type start.microsemi.com in the address bar.
2. Select your RAID controller family (Series 7, Series 8, and so on) and controller model.
3. Select your operating system version, for instance, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 or Microsoft Windows
Server 2012 x64; then select the appropriate driver from the list.
Note: For Linux OSs, the list of drivers typically includes a rpm le and an Images le. You can
use either one to install the driver on an existing operating system. The instructions in this
chapter use the rpm.
4. Click Download Now and accept the license agreement.
5. When thedownload completes, extract the contents of the driver archive le toa temporary location.
If the archive includes drivers for multiple operating system versions (Windows, for instance), each
driver is stored in a separate folder, including one each for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.
6. Change to the folder for your operating system version, as needed.
7. Copy the driver binary le or the entire driver folder contents to a USB ash drive.
Note: For VMware and Citrix XenServer, use a remote copy utility to copy the driver to the
local machine; see Installing on VMware on page 67 and Installing on XenServer. on page 67.
8. Remove and label the driver disk.
9. Continue the installation with the instructions for your operating system.
8.3 Installing on Windows
Note: The following instructions apply to all supported Windows operating systems.
To install the driver on Windows:
1. Start or restart Windows.
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2. In the Control Panel, launch the Device Manager, right-click your RAID controller, then select Update
Driver Software.
3. Insert the driver disk, then select Browse my computer for driver software.
4. Browse to the driver disk location, then click Next.
5. Select the driver from the list, then click Next.
6. When the installation is complete, remove the driver disk and restart your computer.
7. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 71.
8.4 Installing on Red Hat, CentOS, SuSE, or Fedora Linux
Note: If your Red Hat 7, SLES 11 SP3, or SLES 12 system is booted with uEFI Secure Boot, you will
need to add a public key to the MOK list (Machine Owner Key) before completing the steps below.
See the Readme for more information.
To install the driver on Red Hat Linux, CentOS, SuSE Linux, or Fedora Linux:
1. Insert and mount the driver disk (assuming the USB drive is /dev/sda1):
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/usb
2. Install the module RPM:
rpm -ivh mount-point/xxx/yyy.rpm
where mount-point is the mount point on the Linux system, xxx is the driver path, and yyy.rpm is
the rpm le name.
3. Reboot your computer to ensure the driver loaded correctly.
4. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 71.
8.5 Installing on Ubuntu Linux
Note: For driver installation on Ubuntu Linux, you may need to create the root account and
password. Enter these commands: sudo bash; sudo passwd root. You must have root
privilege to install the driver image.
Note: Microsemi's pre-built driver supports the kernel that is delivered as part of the ISO. For
other kernels, use DKMS process.
To install the driver on Ubuntu Linux:
1. Update the Ubuntu package index:
sudo apt-get update
2. Load the Ubuntu unpacking tools:
sudo apt-get install build-essential
3. Insert and mount the driver disk (assuming the USB drive is /dev/sda1):
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/usb
4. Install the DEB driver package (where xxxxx is the build number):
Ubuntu 11:
sudo dpkg -i
/mnt/usb/aacraid-1.2.1-xxxxx-Ubuntu11.10+12.04+12.04.1+12.04.2-all.deb
Ubuntu 14:
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sudo dpkg -i /mnt/usb/aacraid-1.2.1-xxxxx-Ubuntu14.10-x86_64.deb
Ubuntu 16:
sudo dpkg -i /mnt/usb/aacraid-1.2.1-xxxxx-Ubuntu16.10-x86_64.deb
5. Reboot your computer to ensure the driver loaded correctly.
6. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 71.
8.6 Installing on Solaris
Note: On the Microsemi website, drivers for Solaris 10 and 11 are provided in two formats— iso
(in the diskette folder) and aac installable (in the solaris-x86 folder). When installing the driver on
an existing Solaris 10 U9 and 11 OS, use the aac installable. You can copy the solaris-x86 folder to
your USB drive from your local machine.
The following tasks describe how to install the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver on an existing
Solaris OS:
• Installing on Existing Solaris 10 U9 on page 65
• Installing on Existing Solaris 11 on page 65
8.6.1 Installing on Existing Solaris 10 U9
Note: Login as a superuser to perform this task.
To install or upgrade the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver on an existing Solaris 10 U9 OS:
1. Remove the pre-existing driver package by executing the following command:
# pkgrm SUNWaac
2. Insert the USB drive and copy the aac package from it on your computer.
3. Change the directory (command cd) to the directory where the Driver Package is, and type the
following command:
# pkgadd -d AAC.PKG
4. Run the following command to reboot the machine:
# reboot
5. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space. on page 71
8.6.2 Installing on Existing Solaris 11
Note: Login as a superuser to perform this task.
To install or upgrade the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller driver on an existing Solaris 11 OS:
1. Remove the in-box driver package by executing these steps:
a. Check to see which AAC RAID driver package is installed on your system by using the following
command:
# modinfo | grep aac
b. Run the following commands to nd the inbox aac package name:
#pkg list | grep aac
#driver/storage/aac ----> inbox aac IPS packagename
c. Remove the package (if the IPS package is installed) by using the following command:
#pkg uninstall driver/storage/aac
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d. Press y to remove the aac package.
e. Run the following commands to recongure while rebooting the machine:
#touch /reconfigure
#reboot
f. At the next boot, a new OS boot option like Solaris1 is shown, select this option.
2. Install or upgrade the driver by executing these steps:
a. Insert the USB drive and copy the aac package from it on your computer.
b. Change the directory (command cd) to the directory where the Driver Package is, and type the
following command:
# pkgadd -d
c. At the following prompt, enter y.
Do you want to continue with the installation of <aac> [y,n,?]
The following message appears after a successful installation:
Installation of <aac> was successful.
If the installation is not successful, the following message appears:
Installation of <aac> was suspended (administration).
d. If the installation was successful, skip this step, and go to step 5.
e. If the installation was not successful, remove the previously installed driver package, and then
repeat step 3 to apply the drive package.
f. Run the following commands to recongure while rebooting the machine:
# touch /reconfigure
# reboot
g. At the next bootup, enter b -r as a boot option.
3. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space. on page 71
8.7 Installing on FreeBSD
To install the driver on FreeBSD:
1. Start your computer.
2. Insert and mount the driver disk:
mount -t msdos /dev/fd1 /mnt
3. Copy the driver package to the /tmp directory:
cp /mnt/aac9x-i386.tgz /tmp
4. Install the driver package:
pkg_add /tmp/aac9x-i386.tgz
5. Remove the driver disk, then reboot your computer.
6. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 71.
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8.8 Installing on VMware
Note: You must remove the old driver before you can install the new one. You must have root
privilege to install the new driver.
Note: To copy the driver VIB le to the VMware ESXi server (in Step 2 below), you must have
access to a remote copy utility, such as WinSCP, putty, or Linux scp.
To install the driver on VMware:
1. At the VMware console screen, type these commands to remove the old driver from a VMware 5.x
or VMware 6.0 system:
esxcli software vib list | grep -i aacraid (list driver packages)
esxcli software vib remove --vibname=scsi-aacraid --maintenance-mode (remove
package)
2. Using a remote copy utility, copy the driver VIB le for your operating system version to a local
directory on the ESXi server. This example uses Linux scp to copy the driver to /tmp/aacraid (where
xxxxx is the build number):
VMware ESXi 5.5:
scp
/mnt/sda1/linux/driver/vmware-esxi-drivers-scsi-aacraid-550.5.2.1.xxxxx.-1.5.5.1331820.x86_64.vib
root@<esx-server-ip>:/tmp/aacraid
VMware ESXi 6.0:
scp
/mnt/sda1/linux/driver/vmware-esxi-drivers-scsi-aacraid-600.6.2.1.xxxxx.-1.0.6.2159203.x86_64.vib
root@<esx-server-ip>:/tmp/aacraid
3. Install the VIB module (where xxxxx is the build number):
VMware ESXi 5.5:
esxcli software vib install -f -v
file:/tmp/aacraid/vmware-esxi-drivers-scsi-aacraid-550.5.2.1.xxxxx.-1.5.5.1331820.x86_64.vib
VMware ESXi 6.0:
esxcli software vib install -f -v
file:/tmp/aacraid/vmware-esxi-drivers-scsi-aacraid-600.6.2.1.xxxxx.-1.0.6.2159203.x86_64.vib
4. Reboot your computer.
8.9 Installing on Citrix XenServer
Note: To copy the driver RPM le to XenServer (in Step 1 below), you must have access to a
remote copy utility, such as WinSCP, putty, or Linux scp. You must have root privilege to install
the driver.
To install the driver on XenServer (where xxxxx is the build # and .x is the OS version):
1. Using a remote copy utility, copy the driver RPM le to a local directory on XenServer. This example
uses Linux scp to copy the driver to /tmp/aacraid:
scp /mnt/sda1/linux/driver/citrix-aacraid-1.2.1-xxxxx.xen-6.x.rpm
root@<xen-server-ip>:/tmp/aacraid
2. Install the driver module rpm:
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Installing the Driver on an Existing Operating System
rpm -ivh /tmp/aacraid/citrix-aacraid-1.2.1-xxxxx.xen-6.x.rpm
3. Reboot your computer.
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Installing Dynamic Kernel Module Support
9 Installing Dynamic Kernel Module Support
This chapter explains how to install the DKMS driver.
9.1 Installing the DKMS Deb Package on Ubuntu Systems
The following steps are for installing the DKMS deb package on an Ubuntu System.
1. Since DKMS involves changing system-level kernel les, it requires superuser permissions.
$sudo su
2. DKMS requires build-essential (which installs all packages that are required to build an executable
on Ubuntu), the current kernel headers, and DKMS.
# apt-get install dkms build-essential linux-headers-`uname -r`
3. Once the dependency packages have been installed, the DKMS deb package can be installed. Now
DPKG calls DKMS internally, which builds the driver and installs it to the current kernel. XXXXX is the
driver release version.
# dpkg -i aacraid-dkms_1.2.1.XXXXX_all.deb
4. After the DKMS install is done, the system needs to be rebooted for the new driver to take effect.
# apt-get install linux-headers-`uname -r`
Note: When the Ubuntu Linux kernel is updated, then DKMS will attempt to build the driver
for the newly updated kernel and fail, since the headers for the new kernel have not been
installed yet. Rebootthe system and select the newly updated kernel. Once it boots up, previous
command will install headers for the updated kernel and install AACRAID driver on it as well.
9.2 Installing the DKMS RPM Package
The DKMS executable package is available in the EPEL repository.
1. Retrieve the EPEL repository le (the "X" denotes the major version).
$ wget https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-X.noarch.rpm
2. Install the EPEL repository.
$ sudo rpm -Uvh epel-release-latest-X.noarch.rpm
3. Install DKMS.
$ sudo yum install dkms
9.3 DKMS Reference
This section contains information on the other functions of DKMS.
1. Build and install a driver.
# dkms add -m aacraid -v 1.2.1.XXXXX
# dkms build -m aacraid -v 1.2.1.XXXXX
# dkms install -m aacraid -v 1.2.1.XXXXX
2. Build a driver for a different system other than native.
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Installing Dynamic Kernel Module Support
# dkms build -k 2.4.21-4.ELsmp -m aacraid -v 1.2.1.XXXXX
# dkms install -k 2.4.21-4.ELsmp -m aacraid -v 1.2.1.XXXXX
3. Make a driver disk from a set of built drivers.
# dkms mkdriverdisk -k 2.4.21-4.ELBOOT,2.4.21-4.ELsmp,2.4.21-4.EL \
-d redhat -m aacraid -v 1.2.1.52009
# dkms mkdriverdisk -k 2.6.11.4-20a-default,2.6.11.4-20a-smp \
-d suse -m aacraid -v 1.2.1.52009
4. Check current status of DKMS.
# dkms status
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Managing Your Storage Space
10 Managing Your Storage Space
Once you have installed your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller, disk drives (or other devices), and
device driver, you can begin to build and manage your storage space.
This chapter introduces maxView Storage Manager, and describes the other utilities included with your
Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller.
10.1 About maxView Storage Manager
maxView Storage Manager is a browser-based software application that helps you build a storage space
for your online data, using Microsemi Adaptec RAID controllers and disk drives.
With maxView Storage Manager, you can group disk drives into logical drives and build in redundancy
to protect your data and improve system performance.
From a single workstation, you can use maxView Storage Manager to monitor and manage all the
controllers and disk drives in your storage space.
When maxView Storage Manager is installed on a computer, the maxView Storage Manager Agent (and
other related services) is also installed automatically. The Agent is designed to run in the background,
without user intervention. Its job is to monitor system health, manage event notications, task schedules,
and other on-going processes on a system. It sends notices when tasks are completed successfully, and
noties you when errors or failures occur on that system.
If your storagespace includes systems that won't be connected to monitors (and therefore won't require
the graphical user interface), you can choose to run the Agent only on those systems instead of the full
application. For more information, refer to the maxView Storage Manager User's Guide.
10.1.1 Installing maxView Storage Manager
For details about installing maxView Storage Manager on different operating systems, refer to the
maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide.
10.2 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Controller Conguration Utility
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID Controller Conguration (ARCCONF) is a command line utility that you
can use to perform basic array and conguration management functions.
With ARCCONF, you can:
• Create and delete logical drives
• Modify and copy conguration settings
• Recover from disk drive failures and troubleshoot your system
For information about installing and using ARCCONF, refer to the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Controller
Command Line Utility User's Guide.
10.3 About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration (ARC) utility isa BIOS-basedutility that you can useto create
and manage controllers, disk drives and other devices, and arrays. The ARC utility comprises these tools:
• Logical Device Conguration—For creating and managing arrays, and initializing and rescanning
disk drives.
• Controller Settings—For modifying your controller and disk drive settings.
• Disk Utilities—For formatting or verifying disk drives.
The ARC utility is included in your controller's BIOS. For more information, see Using the Microsemi
Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility on page 89.
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Managing Your Storage Space
Note: The ARC utility is primarily intended for pre-operating system installation conguration.
10.4 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 RAID controller's rmware.
Caution: Although the AFU contains safeguards to prevent you from accidentally damaging your
RAID controller's ash contents, it is still important to use the AFU carefully and correctly to avoid
rendering your RAID controller inoperable. We recommend that only advanced usersfamiliar with
working in DOS use the AFU. You can also use maxView Storage Manager to update the controller
rmware. See the maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide for more information.
10.5 Which Utility Should I Use?
To create a bootable array, we recommend that you use the BIOS-based ARC utility (See Using the
Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility on page 89).
For subsequent storage management tasks on most supported operating systems, including VMware
Guest OSs, we recommend that you install and use maxView Storage Manager (see About maxView
Storage Manager on page 71). 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. For operating systems
that do not support the maxView Storage Manager GUI, such as FreeBSD, use the ARCCONF command
line utility to congure and manage arrays.
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Solving Problems
11 Solving Problems
This chapter provides basic troubleshooting information and solutions for solving controller problems.
11.1 Troubleshooting Checklist
If you encounter difculties installing or using your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller, check these
items rst:
• With your computer powered off, check the connections to each disk drive, power supply, LED
connector, and so on.
• Try disconnecting and reconnecting disk drives from the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller.
• Check that your RAID controller is installed in a compatible PCIe expansion slot. To double-check
the bus compatibility of your controller, see About Your Adaptec RAID Controller on page 16.
• Ensure that your RAID controller is rmly seated and secured in the PCIe expansion slot.
• If your RAID controller is not detected during system boot, try installing it in a different compatible
expansion slot. (See Installing the Controller on page 42 for instructions.)
• Did the driver install correctly?
• If you have external disk drives (or other devices), are they powered on?
• Check the Readme for compatibility issues and known problems.
If you are still unable to resolve a problem, you can nd additional troubleshooting information and
direction at www.adaptec.com or the Support Knowledgebase at ask.adaptec.com.
11.2 Monitoring Disk Drives Status
You can use the ‘blink’ feature in the ARC utility and maxView Storage Manager to monitor the status
of your SAS and SATA disk drives. When you blink a specic disk drive or set of disk drives, the LED(s)
on the selected disk drives ash.
This table describes the LED ash states.
For more information about using maxView Storage Manager to monitor your disk drives, refer to the
maxView Storage Manager User's Guide or the online Help.
11.3 Silencing the Alarm
If your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller includes an alarm, the alarm will sound when an erroroccurs.
To silence the alarm, use maxView Storage Manager (see Managing Your Storage Space on page 71.)
OR the ARC utility (see Modifying Your Controller Conguration on page 94.)
LED Flash StateSlot StateController Device State
OnDevice is faultyFailed
Slow ashDevice is rebuildingRebuilding
Fast ashIdentify the deviceBlink
OffNo errorOther
11.4 Recovering from a Disk Drive Failure
This section explains how to recover when a disk drive or SSD fails:
• If the array was protected by a hot spare, see Failed Disk Drive Protected by a Hot Spare on page
74.
• If the array was not protected by a hot spare, see Failed Disk Drive Not Protected by a Hot Spare
on page 74.
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Solving Problems
• If there is a disk drive failure in more than one array simultaneously, see Failure in Multiple Arrays
Simultaneously on page 74.
• If it is a RAID 0 array, see Disk Drive Failure in a RAID 0 Array on page 74.
• If multiple disk drives fail within the same array, see Multiple Failures in the Same Array on page
74.
• If the drive is part of the maxCache Device, see Failed Drive in maxCache Device on page 75.
Note: maxView Storage Manager uses the term logical drives or logical devices when referring
to arrays (see Terminology Used in this Guide on page 13).
11.4.1 Failed Disk Drive Protected by a Hot Spare
When an array is protected by a hot spare, if a disk drive in that array fails the hot spare is automatically
incorporated into the array and takes over for the failed drive.
To recover from the failure:
1. Remove and replace the failed disk drive.
2. If copyback is not enabled—In maxView Storage Manager, remove the ‘hot spare’ designation from
the original hot spare (the disk drive that was built into the array). Then, designate a new hot spare
to protect the arrays on that controller.
If copyback is enabled—Data is automatically moved back to its original location once the controller
detects that the failed drive has been replaced. No action is required.
11.4.2 Failed Disk Drive Not Protected by a Hot Spare
When an array is not protected by a hot spare, if a disk drive in that array fails, remove and replace the
failed disk drive. The controller detects the new disk drive and begins to rebuild the array.
If the controller fails to rebuild the array, check that the cables, disk drives, and controllers are properly
installed and connected. Make sure that the new disk drive is equal or greater in size than the failed
disk drive. Then, if necessary, use maxView Storage Manager to rebuild the array. For instructions, refer
to the maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide or the online Help.
11.4.3 Failure in Multiple Arrays Simultaneously
If there's a disk drive failure in more than one array at the same time (one failure per array), and the
arrays have hot spares protecting them, the controller rebuilds the arrays with these limitations:
• A hot spare must be of equal or greater size than the failed disk drive it's replacing.
• Failed disk drives are replaced with hot spares in the order in which they failed. (The array that
includes the disk drive that failed rst is rebuilt rst, assuming an appropriate hot spare is
available—see bullet above.)
If there are more disk drive failures than hot spares, see Failed Disk Drive Not Protected by a Hot Spare
on page 74.
If copyback is enabled, data is moved back to its original location once the controller detects that the
failed drive has been replaced.
11.4.4 Disk Drive Failure in a RAID 0 Array
Because RAID 0 volumes do not include redundancy, if a disk drive fails in a RAID 0 array, the data can’t
be recovered.
Correct the cause of the failure or replace the failed disk drives. Then, restore your data (if available).
11.4.5 Multiple Failures in the Same Array
Except in RAID 6 and RAID 60 arrays (see Understanding RAID on page 81), if more than one disk drive
fails at the same time in the same array, the data normally can't be recovered.
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Solving Problems
You may be able to recover the data by forcing the logical drive online or by recreating the logical drive
without the initialization step. You can use the BIOS utility, ARC (see About the Microsemi Adaptec RAID
Conguration Utility on page 71), the command-line utility, ARCCONF, or maxView Storage Manager.
For more information, refer to the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Controller Command Line Interface User’s
Guide and maxView Storage Manager User's Guide.
Note: In some instances, RAID 10 and RAID 50 arrays may survive multiple disk drive failures,
depending on which disk drives fail.
11.4.6 Failed SSD in maxCache Device
Because the maxCache Device is a redundant logical device, comprised of SSDs only, it is rebuilt
automatically when a failed SSD is replaced, just like an ordinary array. Once you identify the failed SSD,
for example, by using maxView Storage Manager's rapid fault isolation feature, replace it with a new
one (see Connecting SSDs on page 47). The controller detects the new SSD and begins rebuilding the
maxCache Device.
11.5 Resetting the Controller
You may need to reset, or ash, your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller if it becomes inoperable or if
a rmware upgrade is unsuccessful. Microsemi Adaptec RAID controllers support a reset protocol called
HDA mode ash. For information about HDA mode, see the Readme or contact your support
representative. To locate the ash jumper on your RAID controller board, see the illustrations in About
Your RAID Controller on page 16.
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Introduction to SAS
A Introduction to SAS
This section provides a basic overview of the main features of SAS, introduces some common SAS terms,
and explains how SAS differs from parallel SCSI.
Note: For technical articles and tutorials about SAS, refer to the SCSI Trade Association (STA™)
Web site at www.scsita.org.
A.1 Terminology Used in This Appendix
For convenience, SAS HBAs and SAS RAID controllers are referred to generically in this chapter as SAS
cards. HBAs, RAID 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.
A.2 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.
SAS is an evolution of parallel SCSI to a point-to-point serial interface. SAS also uses the SCSI command
set, butmoves 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 canadd 128end devices—or even more—with theuse ofSAS expanders. See SAS Expander
Connections on page 79.)
Note: Although you can use both SAS and SATA disk drives in the same SAS domain (see SAS
Expander Connections on page 79), we recommend that you do 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 How SAS
Devices Communicate on page 76). Link speed is 300 MB/sec in half-duplex mode. Therefore, a SAS
card with eight links has a bandwidth of 2400 MB/sec.
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 Paralle SCSI? on page 80.
A.3 How Do SAS Devices Communicate?
SAS devices communicate with each other through links. A link is a physical connection between two
phys.
As shown in the following gure, SAS devices contain ports (see What is a SAS Port on page 77), ports
contain phys, and each phy contains one transmitter and one receiver—one transceiver. A phy can
belong to one port only.
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Wide
Port
Wide
Port
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter
Narrow
Port
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter Narrow
Port
SAS DeviceSAS Device
SAS Device
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter
Phy
Receiver
Transmitter
Wide
Port
Wide
Port
SAS Device
link
Introduction to SAS
A.4 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 is established from a phy in one port to
a phy in the other port. As shown in the gure above, a wide port can support multiple independent
links simultaneously.
Phys are internal, within SAS connectors (see What's a SAS Connector? on page 78).
SAS cables physically connect one or more phys on one SAS device to one or more phys on another SAS
device.
A.5 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 RAID 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 How are Disk Drives Identied? on page 78), 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 congured 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.)
A.6 What’s a SAS Address?
Each SAS port is identied 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-congure their SAS addresses. User intervention is
not required to set SAS addresses, and SAS addresses cannot be modied.
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Introduction to SAS
A.7 What’s a SAS Connector?
A SAS or mini-SAS connector is the physical plug or receptacle that you see on a SAS device. It's what
you plug a SAS cable into, or the end of the SAS cable that’s being plugged in. (See See Cables on page
37.)
A connector is what forms physical links between phys. 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 supports more than 1 link.
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 gure in Connecting Drives Directly
to the Controller on page 46, the 4-wide internal SAS connector forms links with four independent disk
drives.)
A.8 What do SAS Cables Look Like?
Internal standard 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 fan-out cables let you attach four disk drives to a single 4-wide connector.
Mini-SAS connectors support both internal and external SAS connections. The mini-SAS connectors are
smaller than the standard SAS internal and external connectors. Mini-SAS connectors support single
and multilinks with the ability to scale to future speed needs.
For examples of some internal SAS/mini-SAS cables and an external SAS/mini-SAS cables, see Cables on
page 37.
A.9 How are Disk Drives Identied in SAS?
In the BIOS and in the management utilities (see Identifying Disk Drives on page 99), disk drives are
identied in the following formats:
• CNX:DevY = Device Y is attached to Connector X (see Direct-Attach Connections on page 78 for
more information)
• BoxX:SlotX = Enclosure X is attached to a disk drive in Slot X (see Backplane Connections on page
79 for more information)
• ExpX:PhyX = Expander X is attached to Phy X (see SAS Expander Connections on page 79 for more
information)
where X is the count number.
Note: Devices other than disk drives (CDROM, tape drives, etc...) are listed in order after your
system disk drives.
In parallel SCSI, XX is the disk drive’s channel number, YY is the target number, and ZZ is the logical unit
number (LUN).
A.10 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 SAS Expander Connections on page 79),
you can create large congurations.
A.10.1 Direct-attach Connections
In a direct-attach connection, SAS or SATA disk drives are connected directly to a SAS card with SAS or
mini-SAS cables. One disk drive is attached to one SAS/mini-SAS connector with one SAS/mini-SAS cable
(or multiple disk drives are attached to one SAS/mini-SAS connector with one fan-out cable). The gure
in Connecting Drives Directly to the Controller on page 46 shows an example of direct-attach connections.
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Introduction to SAS
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 SAS Expander Connections on
page 79.)
A.10.2 Backplane Connections
In a backplane connection, disk drives and SAS cards are attached to and communicate with each other
through a system backplane.
There are two types of backplane connections, passive and active. When connecting to eitherbackplane,
it's important to properly connect your disk drive LEDs in order to identify disk drive conditions. See
About Your RAID Controller on page 16 for your RAID controller Activity LED connections and locations.
Once you have connected to a backplane, use maxView Storage Manager to manage your disk drives.
For more information, refer to the maxView Storage Manager User's Guide.
The number of end devices is limited to the number of slots available on the backplane.
Some backplanes support daisy-chain expansion to other backplanes, allowing you to connect multiple
enclosures to a single SAS card in a host system.
A.10.3 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 Backplane Connections on page
79), support large congurations 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 128SAS ports to an edgeexpander. (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 including the fanout expander).
The next gure illustrates (in very basic terms) a SAS domain and shows how SAS cards, SAS and SATA
disk drives, and expander devices can t together in a large data storage topology.
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Introduction to SAS
A.11 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 exible 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.
This table describes many of the main differences between the two interfaces.
Serial Attached SCSIParallel SCSI
Serial interfaceParallel interface
Maximum speed 320 MB/sec shared by all devices
on the bus
Up to 16 devices per SCSI channel
nected to the same adapter
Maximum speed 300 MB/sec per phy when in half-duplex
mode
Supports SATA and SAS disk drives simultaneouslySupports SCSI devices only
More than 100 disk drives per SAS card, using an expander
(see SAS Expander Connections on page 79) or 50 SATAII
disk drives.
Supports single- and dual-port devicesSupports single-port devices only
Uses uniqueSAS addresses todifferentiate between devicesUses SCSI IDs to differentiate between devices con-
SAS addresses self-congured by SAS devicesUser intervention required to set SCSI IDs
Requires no bus terminationRequires bus termination
SAS connectors (see Cables on page 37)Standard SCSI connectors
80CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Unused Space = 150 GB
Disk Drive 1
Disk Drive 2
Disk Drive 3
Disk Drive 4
250 GB
250 GB
400 GB
400 GB
Drive Segment Size
(Smallest Disk Drive)
Disk Drive 2
Disk Drive 3
Disk Drive 4
Disk Drive 1
Unused Space = 150 GB
Disk Drives in Logical Drive
RAID 0 Logical Drive = 1000 GB
9971 5 . . .
9982 6 . . .
9993 7 . . .
10004 8 . . .
Understanding RAID
B Understanding 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.
This appendix describes the RAID levels supported by your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller, and
provides a basic overview of each to help you select the best level of protection for your data storage.
B.1 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.
B.2 Non-redundant Arrays (RAID 0)
An array with RAID0 includes two ormore disk drives and provides data striping, where data is distributed
evenly across the disk drives in equal-sized sections. However, RAID 0 arrays do not maintain redundant
data, so they offer no data protection.
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 in this gure.
81CONFIDENTIAL Document Number: ESC-2160660, Issue 4
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Disk Drive 2
Disk Drive 1
400 GB
Drive Segment Size
(Smallest Disk Drive)
Disk Drive 1
Disk Drive 2
Disk Drives in Logical Drive
RAID 1 Logical Drive = 250 GB
1 – 250
1 – 250
Unused Space = 150 GB
250 GB
Disk Drive 2 400 GB
400 GB
400 GBDisk Drive 3
Disk Drive 2
Disk Drive 1
Disk Drive 3
3
1
2
6
4
5
Disk Drives in Logical Drive RAID 1E Logical Drive = 600 GB
Disk Drive 1
Understanding RAID
B.3 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 up to 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 in this gure.
B.4 RAID 1 Enhanced Arrays
A RAID 1 Enhanced (RAID 1E) array—also known as a striped mirror—is similar to a RAID 1 array except
that data is both mirrored and striped, and more disk drives can be included. A RAID 1E array can be
built from three or more disk drives.
In this example, the large bold numbers represent the striped data, and the smaller, non-bold numbers
represent the mirrored data stripes.
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Unused Space = 150 GB
Disk Drive 1
Disk Drive 2
Disk Drive 3
Disk Drive 4
250 GB
250 GB
400 GB
400 GB
Drive Segment Size
(Smallest Disk Drive)
Disk Drive 2
Disk Drive 3
Disk Drive 4
Disk Drive 1
Unused Space = 150 GB
Disk Drives in Logical Drive
RAID 10 Logical Drive = 500 GB
4991 3 . . .
5002 4 . . .
4991 3 . . .
5002 4 . . .
Understanding RAID
B.5 RAID 10 Arrays
A RAID 10 array is built from two or more equal-sized RAID 1 arrays. 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 in this gure.
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Unused Space = 150 GB
Disk Drive 1
Disk Drive 2
Disk Drive 3
Disk Drive 4
250 GB
250 GB
400 GB
400 GB
Drive Segment Size
(Smallest Disk Drive)
Disk Drive 2
Disk Drive 3
Disk Drive 4
Disk Drive 1
Unused Space = 150 GB
Disk Drives in Logical Drive
RAID 5 Logical Drive = 750 GB plus Parity
P1 4 . . .
7482 5 . . .
7493 P . . .
750P 6 . . .
Understanding RAID
B.6 RAID 5 Arrays
A RAID 5 array is built from a minimum of three disk drives, and uses data striping and parity data to
provide redundancy. Parity data provides data protection, and striping improves performance.
Parity data is an error-correcting redundancy that’s used to re-create data if a disk drive fails. In RAID
5 arrays, parity data (represented by Ps in the next gure) is striped evenly across the disk drives with
the stored data.
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 contain 750 GB of stored data and 250 GB
of parity data, as shown in this gure.
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Unused Space = 150 GB
Disk Drive 1
Disk Drive 2
Disk Drive 3
Disk Drive 4
250 GB
250 GB
400 GB
400 GB
Drive Segment Size
(Smallest Disk Drive)
Disk Drive 2
Disk Drive 3
Disk Drive 4
Disk Drive 1
Unused Space = 150 GB
Disk Drives in Logical Drive
Based on the drive segment sizes used:
and hot spare
RAID 5EE Logical Drive = 500 GB plus parity
P1 S . . .
4492 P . . .
SS 3 . . .
500P 4 . . .
Understanding RAID
B.7 RAID 5EE Arrays
A RAID 5EE array—also known as a hot space—is similar to a RAID 5 array except that it includes a
distributed spare drive and must be built from a minimum of four disk drives.
Unlike a hot spare, a distributed spare is striped evenly across the disk drives with the stored data and
parity data, and can’t be shared with other logical disk drives. A distributed spare improves the speed
at which the array is rebuilt following a disk drive failure.
A RAID 5EE array protects your data and increases read and write speeds. However, capacity is reduced
by two disk drives’ worth of space, which is for parity data and spare data.
In this gure, S represents the distributed spare, P represents the distributed parity data.
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RAID 5
B
RAID 50
Logical Drive
=
1000 GB
plus Parity
RAID 5
A
Each RAID 5 Logical Drive has
500 GB Data Storage
250 GB Parity Data
Drive 1
250 GB
Drive 2
250 GB
Drive 3
250 GB
Drive 4
400 GB
Drive 5
400 GB
Drive 6
400 GB
Total Unused
Space = 150 GB
2, 6, P 4, P, 10 P, 8, 121, 5, P 3, P, 9 P, 7, 11
Understanding RAID
B.8 RAID 50 Arrays
A RAID 50 array is built from six to forty-eight disk drives congured as two or more RAID 5 arrays, and
stripes stored data and parity data across all disk drives in both RAID 5 arrays. (For more information,
see RAID 5 Arrays on page 84.)
The parity data provides data protection, and striping improves performance. RAID 50 arrays also provide
high data transfer speeds.
Drive segment size is limited to the size of the smallest disk drive in the array. For example, three 250
GB disk drives and three 400 GB disk drives comprise two equal-sized RAID 5 arrays with 500 GB of
stored data and 250 GB of parity data. The RAID 50 array can therefore contain 1000 GB (2 x 500 GB)
of stored data and 500 GB of parity data.
In this gure, P represents the distributed parity data.
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Unused Space = 150 GB
Disk Drive 1
Disk Drive 2
Disk Drive 3
Disk Drive 4
250 GB
250 GB
400 GB
400 GB
Drive Segment Size
(Smallest Disk Drive)
Disk Drive 2
Disk Drive 3
Disk Drive 4
Disk Drive 1
Unused Space = 150 GB
Disk Drives in Logical Drive
Based on the drive segment sizes used:
(P1 & P2)
RAID 6 Logical Drive = 500 GB plus parity
P21 P1 . . .
4492 P2 . . .
P1P1 3 . . .
500P2 4 . . .
Understanding RAID
B.9 RAID 6 Arrays
A RAID 6 array—also known as dual drive failure protection—is similar to a RAID 5 array because it uses
data striping and parity data to provide redundancy. However, RAID 6 arrays include two independent
sets of parity data instead of one. Both sets of parity data are striped separately across all disk drives
in the array.
RAID 6 arrays provide extra protection for your data because they can recover from two simultaneous
disk drive failures. However, the extra parity calculationslows performance (compared to RAID 5 arrays).
RAID 6 arrays must be built from at least four disk drives. Maximum stripe size depends on the number
of disk drives in the array.
B.10 RAID 60 Arrays
Similar to a RAID 50 array (see RAID 50 Arrays on page 86), a RAID 60 array—also known as dual drive
failure protection—is built from eight disk drives congured as two or more RAID 6 arrays, and stripes
stored data and two sets of parity data across all disk drives in both RAID 6 arrays.
Two sets of parity data provide enhanced data protection, and striping improves performance. RAID 60
arrays also provide high data transfer speeds.
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Understanding RAID
B.11 Comparing RAID Levels
Use this table to select the RAID levels that are most appropriate for the logical drives on your storage
space, based on the number of available disk drives and your requirements for performance and reliability.
RedundancyRAID Level
Disk Drive
Usage
Read Performance
Write Performance
Built-in Hot
Spare
Minimum
Disk Drives
2No******100%NoRAID 0
2No****50%YesRAID 1
3No****50%YesRAID 1E
4No****50%YesRAID 10
3No****67 – 94%YesRAID 5
4Yes****50 – 88%YesRAID 5EE
6No****67 – 94%YesRAID 50
4No***50 – 88%YesRAID 6
8No***50 – 88%YesRAID 60
Disk drive usage, read performance, and write performance depend on the number of drives in the
logical drive. In general, the more drives, the better the performance.
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Using the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility
C Using the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility
The Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration (ARC) utility isa BIOS-basedutility that you can useto create
arrays and manage controllers, disk drives and other devices.
C.1 Introduction to the ARC Utility
The ARC utility comprises these tools:
• Logical Device Conguration—For creating and managing arrays, and initializing and rescanning
disk drives (see Using the ARC Utility to Create and Manage Arrays on page 90).
Note: On Microsemi Adaptec Series 6 controllers, the tool for creating and managing arrays
is called "Array Conguration Utility".
• Controller Settings—For modifying your controller settings (see Using the ARC Utility to Modify
Controller Settings on page 94).
• Disk Utilities—For formatting or verifying disk drives (see Drives on page 99), locating disk drives,
or setting the drive-specic write cache policy.
• Administration (uEFI only)—For ashing the controller, updating the CPLD, and creating a support
archive (see Updating the Controller Firmware on page 100).
C.1.1 Ctrl-A or uEFI/HII?
Your Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller supports two interfaces to the BIOS-level RAID conguration
options ofthe ARCutility: Ctrl-Aand uEFI/HII.On computers that support the Unied Extensible Firmware
Interface, or uEFI (version 2.10 or higher), the BIOS-level RAID conguration options are presented with
a HII interface, or Human Interaction Infrastructure, rather than the Microsemi Adaptec Ctrl-A interface
described in this chapter. uEFI/HII provides an architecture-independent mechanism for initializing
add-in cards, like the Microsemi Adaptec RAID controller, and rendering contents to the screen in a
uniform way.
In the uEFI/HII interface, access to the RAID controller conguration options is provided through the
computer's standard BIOS. How you access the BIOS varies, depending on the computer manufacturer,
but typically it's started by simply pressing DEL. Once you enter setup, navigate to the "PMC maxView
Storage Manager" option,typically on the BIOS'"Advanced" menu, then scan for and select a controller.
From that point on, the uEFI/HII menus and the Ctrl-A menus for conguring your RAID controller are
almost identical. For example, the top-most menu contains the same three options: Logical Device
Conguration, Controller Settings, Disk Utilities (described above).But it also contains the Administration
option, which is available only in the uEFI/HII menu. Options in the lower-level menus are also similar.
In both interfaces, all the tools are menu-based and instructions for completing tasks appear on-screen.
Menus can be navigated using the arrows, Enter, Esc, and other keys on your keyboard.
This chapter provides instructions for navigating and completing tasks with the Ctrl-A interface. To
complete tasks with the uEFI/HII interface:
• Refer to the on-screen instructions for keyboard navigation and selection options.
• Refer to the option descriptions in this chapter for details about individual RAID conguration
settings and tasks.
Note: Some RAID conguration options are available only in the uEFI/HII interface. uEFi options
are noted in the task descriptions below.
C.1.2 Running the ARC Utility
If your Microsemi Adaptec controller is connected to a RAID enclosure, power on your enclosure (or
enclosures) before you power on your computer.
Start or restart your computer. When prompted, press Ctrl+A.
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During boot up, if your system has insufcient memory this message displays:
“Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility will load after, system initialization. Please wait... Or press <Enter> Key to
attempt loading the utility forcibly [Generally, not recommended]”
“RAID Conguration Utility will load after, system initialization. Please wait... Or press <Enter> Key to attempt
loading the utility forcibly [Generally, not recommended]”
Note: The rst time you power on your computer after you install a new controller, the BIOS may
display a conguration that doesn't match your system's conguration. This is normal.
C.2 Using the ARC Utility to Create and Manage Arrays
To use the ARC utility to create and manage arrays, start the ARC utility (see Running the ARC Utility on
page 89), select your controller (if you have more than one), then press Enter. Select Logical Device
Conguration (or Array Conguration Utility on Series 6 controllers) from the ARC main menu, then
press Enter.
Follow the on-screen instructions to create and manage arrays, and initialize, rescan, and erase disk
drives.
C.2.1 Creating a New Array
To begin creating an array, select Create Arrays from the Logical Device Conguration menu.
Only disk drives that can be used in a new array are available for selection. (Disk drives mustbe initialized
before they can be used in an array. See Initializing Disk Drives on page 92 for more information.)
Note:
• To create a hybrid array that leverages the performance benets of the SSDs in your system,
you must select an equal number SSDs and HDDs. You can create a hybrid RAID1 or hybrid
RAID10 only.
• When you create an all SSD array, we recommend disabling all caching, including maxCache
caching. If any caching is enabled when you create the array, you will be prompted to turn
caching off.
Use the Array Properties menu to modify the array's RAID level, size, name, stripe size, cache settings,
and maxCache settings.
Note: For more information about RAID levels and using disk drives to create arrays, seeChoosing
a RAID Level on page 37. For more information about maxCache, see Modifying Cache Settings
on page 91.
C.2.2 Managing Existing Arrays
To view or modify existing arrays, select Manage Arrays from the Logical Device Conguration menu.
From the Manage Arrays menu, you can:
• View the properties of an array.
Note: Failed drives are displayed in a different text color.
• Make an array bootable (see Creating Bootable Arrays on page 90).
• Assign or remove hot spares.
• Modify power management settings.
• Change the cache settings for an array.
• Delete an array.
Caution: Before deleting an array, back up the data to avoid permanently losing it.
C.2.2.1 Creating Bootable Arrays
Note: You may need to change the system BIOS to modify the boot order. For more information,
refer to your computer documentation.
The controller always uses the lowest numbered array as its bootable array.
To make an array bootable:
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1. Select Manage Arrays from the Logical Device Conguration menu.
2. Select the array that you want to make bootable, then press Ctrl+B.
Note: You cannot make an array bootable while it's building, verifying, or rebuilding.
The array's number changes to Array 00, which makes this array the controller's boot array.
3. Restart your computer.
C.2.2.2 Modifying Power Management Settings
Power management settings switch the array to low power state when it is inactive for a specic time.
To modify power management settings:
1. Select Manage Arrays from the Logical Device Conguration menu.
2. Select the array, then press Ctrl+W.
In the power management console, enter these details:
DescriptionOption
Power Management
Slow Down Drive After
Power Off Drive After
Verify Drive After
C.2.2.3 Modifying Cache Settings
You can modify the read and write cache settings for an array. You can also modify the maxCache
settings. maxCache uses the compatible Solid State Drives (SSDs) in your system as fast cache memory
to improve performance for both read and write operations in I/O-intensive applications with mixed
workloads.
Note: maxCache SSD Caching is supported on Microsemi Adaptec Series Q controllers only.
To modify the cache settings for an array:
1. Select Manage Arrays from the Logical Device Conguration menu.
2. Select the array, then press Ctrl+C.
The Modify Cache Settings window opens.
3. Enable or disable read caching.
4. Press Tab.
5. Enable or disable write caching:
When enabled, switches the array to low power state, when the array/drive is
inactive.
The duration of inactive state of the array/drive after which it is slowed down to
low power mode. This is an optional setting.
Note: The disk drive should support low power mode.
The duration of inactive state of the array/drive after which it is powered off.
This is an optional setting.
Note: Power Off Drive After duration should be greater than Slow Down
Drive After Duration.
The regulartime interval atwhich the system performs ahealth check of the array/
drive.
• Select Enable always for “write-back” caching
• Select Enable with Backup Unit if your controller has a zero-maintenance cacheprotection module
• Select Disable for “write-through” caching
6. Press Tab.
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7. Select the maxCache Read Cache setting (Enable/Disable).
8. Select the maxCache Write Cache setting (Enable/Disable).
9. Press Enter to accept the values.
C.2.3 Initializing Disk Drives
If a disk drive appears grayed-out (unavailable for use in a new array), it may need to be initialized.
To begin initializing a disk drive, select Initialize Drives from the Logical Device Conguration menu.
You can initialize one drive or multiple drives. If an error occurs during initialization, the message
“Initializing drives...FAILED x of n” is displayed. Press Enter to see a list of drives that failed to initialize.
Press Esc to continue.
Caution: Do not initialize a disk drive that is part of an array. Initializing a disk drive that's part of
an array may make the array unusable. Back up all data from your disk drive before you initialize
it.
C.2.4 Rescanning Disk Drives
To begin rescanning a disk drive, select Rescan Drives from the Logical Device Conguration menu.
C.2.5 Secure Erasing Disk Drives
When youperform a secure erase on a disk drive, all data on that diskdrive iscompletely and irretrievably
eradicated. Secure erase performs three distinct writing passes to the disk drive being erased—it does
not just write zeros.
Performing a secure erase takes up to six times longer than clearing (or zeroing) a disk drive; on a 2TB
or 3TB drive, often it takes hours, possibly as long as a day! You may want to perform a secure erase
only on disk drives that contain condential or classied information.
Note: To erase (or zero) a disk drive with non-classied information, you may choose to format
it (see Formatting and Verifying Disk Drives on page 99) instead, or initialize it using maxView
Storage Manager—both options take much less time than the secure erase option.
To begin a secure erase, select Secure Erase from the Logical Device Conguration menu, then select
Y (yes). To return to the main Logical Device Conguration menu once the secure erase has begun, press
Esc.
Note: For newer SATA drives, you can choose to perform a Secure ATA Erase, which implements
the secure erase feature at the drive rmware level. To start a Secure ATA Erase, select a SATA
drive, then type Ctrl-S to open the Secure ATA Erase dialog. You will see this dialog only if the
drive supports Secure ATA Erase.
The selected disk drive(s) cannot be used until the erase is complete.
C.2.5.1 Stopping a Secure Erase
To stop a secure erase in progress:
1. In the Logical Device Conguration menu, select Secure Erase.
2. Select the disk drive being secure erased, then press Ctrl+Q.
The secure erase stops and you return to the main Logical Device Conguration menu.
C.2.6 Uninitializing Disk Drives
Note: This option is available on Microsemi Adaptec Series 7 and Series 8 controllers only.
Uninitializes one or more physical drives. This option clears Microsemi Adaptec metadata and reserved
space and any OS partitions from a drive; any existing data on the drive is destroyed. Drives can
uninitialized only if they are not part of any array.
Note: Uninitialized drives are surfaced to the OS as RAW Pass Through Devices. Typically, they
are used with the controller in HBA mode. Uninitialized drives are also compatible with any HBA
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Using the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility
and can be exchanged with drives on the motherboard's SATA interface. For more information
about uninitialized devices and controller modes, see General Controller Settings on page 94.
To begin uninitializing a disk drive, select Uninitialize Drives from theLogical Device Conguration menu,
then type Y to continue.
C.2.7 Managing Global Hot Spares
Note: For Microsemi Adaptec Series 7 and Series 8 controllers, this option is available in the uEFI
interface only.
A hot spare is a disk drive that automatically replaces any failed drive in a logical drive. A global hot
spare is not assigned to a specic logical drive. It protects any logical drive on the controller (except
RAID 0 logical drives). You can create and delete global hot spares even if no arrays exist.
To create and delete global hot spares:
1. Select Global Hotspares from the Logical Device Conguration menu.
The Global Hotspare Management window opens.
2. Using the arrow keys, select a drive from the list. Existing hot spares are highlighted.
3. Press Ins to create a new global hot spare. Press Del to delete a hot spare.
4. Press Enter to save your changes and return to the main menu.
C.2.8 Creating and Managing JBODs
Note: This option is available on Microsemi Adaptec Series 6 controllers only.
Follow the on-screen instructions to create and manage JBODs.
C.2.8.1 Creating a New JBOD
A JBOD disk appears as a physical disk drive to the operating system. A JBOD disk is not redundant and
not bootable.
To begin creating a JBOD, select Create JBOD from the Logical Device Conguration menu. All the
supported disk drives are displayed. Select a disk drive and Enter.
C.2.8.2 Managing Existing JBODs
To delete a JBOD or morph a JBOD into a simple volume, select Manage JBODs from the Logical Device
Conguration menu.
From the Manage JBODs menu, you can:
• Morph a JBOD into a simple volume.
• Delete a JBOD
Note: When you delete a JBOD, you lose all data on that disk.
C.2.8.3 Converting a JBOD Into a Simple Volume
You can convert any JBOD into a simple volume.
1. Select Manage JBODs from the main Logical Device Conguration menu.
2. Select the JBOD that you want to morph into a simple volume and press Ctrl+V.
C.2.9 Managing the maxCache Pool
Note: This option is available on Microsemi Adaptec Series 6Q controllers only.
Microsemi Adaptec maxCache uses the compatible Solid State Drives (SSDs) in your system as fast cache
memory for read-intensiveoperations.Before you can enable maxCache read caching on alogical device
(see Modifying Cache Settings on page 91), you must assign at least one SSD to the maxCache pool.
Note: You can congure the maxCache pool only if you have one or more compatible Solid State
Drives installed on the RAID controllers in your system. For a list of maxCache-compatible SSDs,
refer to the Adaptec Web site at www.adaptec.com/compatibility.
To add a SSD to the maxCache pool or to remove a SSD from the pool:
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Using the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility
1. Select Manage MaxCache Pool from the Logical Device Conguration menu.
All supported SSDs are displayed.
Note: Uninitialized SSDs may not appear in the list; see Initializing Disk Drives on page 92 for
more information.
2. Using the arrow keys, select a SSD from the list.
3. Press Ins to add the SSD to the maxCache pool.
4. To remove a SSD from the pool, press the right arrow to switch windows, use the arrow keys to
select a SSD, then press Del.
5. Press Enter to save your changes and return to the main menu.
C.3 Using the ARC Utility to Modify Controller Settings
The ARC Controller Settings tool allows you to modify the settings of your controller and the disk drives
connected to it.
C.3.1 Opening the Controller Settings Tool
To open the ARC Controller Settings tool, start the ARC utility (see Running the ARC Utility on page 89),
select Controller Settings from the ARC main menu, then press Enter.
Follow the on-screen instructions to modify the settings of your controller and connected disk drives,
as needed.
C.3.2 Applying Changes and Exiting
1. To exit the Controller Settings tool, press Esc until you are prompted to exit.
If you modied any settings, you are prompted to save the changes before you exit.
2. Select Yes to exit, then press any key to restart your computer.
Any changes you made take effect after the computer restarts.
C.3.3 Modifying Your Controller’s Conguration
Note: Default controller settings are suitable for most computers. We recommend that you do
not change the default setting.
To modify your controller's basic settings, select Controller Conguration from the main Controller
Settings menu.
To modify your controller's power management settings, select Advanced Conguration.
Some options may not be available for your controller.
C.3.3.1 General Controller Settings
Note: Default settings are shown in bold type.
DescriptionOption
Drive's Write Cache
Runtime BIOS
When set to Enable All, write cache is enabled on all disk drives on the controller.
(Enabling the write cache overrides any individual drive settings in maxView
Storage Manager or the BIOS.) When set to Disable All, write cache is not used
on the disk drives. When set to Drive Specic, write cache is enabled/disabled on
a per-drive basis. Default is Drive Specic.
Caution: When write cache is enabled, there is a slight possibility of data
loss or corruption during a power failure.
When enabled, the controller BIOS allows the controller to act as a bootable device. Disabling the BIOS allows another controller to act as a bootable device.
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Using the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility
DescriptionOption
Automatic Failover
Array Background Consistency
Check
Device-based BBS Support
ing (NCQ)
Physical Drives Display During
POST
DVD/CD-ROM Boot Support
Removable Media Devices
Boot Support
Default Background Task Priority
When enabled, the controller automatically rebuilds an array when a failed disk
drive is replaced. When disabled, the array must be rebuilt manually.
When enabled, the controller constantly veries a redundant array. Note that
there may be a signicant performance reduction. Default is disabled.
When enabled in systems that support BBS, the controller presents attached
bootable devices up to the BIOS for boot device selection. This is relevant for
logical arrays. Default is disabled.
When enabled, NCQ is enabled. Only available with SATA II disk drives.SATA Native Command Queu-
When enabled, connected disk drives are displayed during system Power On Self
Test (POST). Displaying the disk drives adds a few seconds to the overall POST
time. Default is disabled.
When enabled, the system can be booted from a bootable DVD/CD. (This setting
is not available on all RAID controller models.)
When enabled, removable media devices, such as CD drives, are supported. (This
setting is not available on all RAID controller models.)
When enabled, the alarm sounds. Default is enabled.Alarm Control
Note: When the alarm is turned off (disabled), it will remain off after a
reboot.
Sets the default priority for background tasks on the controller (such as logical
drive creation) to High, Medium, or Low. Default is High.
Note: This setting applies to new tasks.It doesnot affect currently running
tasks.
LED Indication Mode
When set to Activity and Fault, the drive activity LEDs blink to indicate I/O activity
(randomly dependingon I/O load) and fault (steady 1 Hz). When set toFault Only,
the drive activity LEDs blink to indicate fault state only. For Series 6/6E controllers
only. Default is Fault Only.
Microsemi Adaptec Series 6 Controllers (except Series 6E/6T):Backplane Mode
When set to Auto, controller automatically detects backplane signal type: I2C or
SGPIO. To setthe backplanemode explicitly select SGPIO,I2C, or Disabled. Default
is Auto.
Microsemi Adaptec Series 7, Series 8, and Series 6E/6T Controllers:
When set to Default, controller automatically sets the backplane mode to IBPI.
To set the backplane mode explicitly, select IBPI, SGPIO, or Disabled. Default is
IBPI.
Note: With the default IBPI setting, the rmware sends a SGPIO "Back-
plane_TYPE" signal if it recognizes that a SGPIO Backplane is connected. If
any connected SGPIO backplane does not support the "Backplane_TYPE"
signal, or it does not support the IBPI protocol, you can manually set the
Backplane Mode to "SGPIO".
Table 1 • IBPI LED Blink Pattern
Interpretation
Activity LEDStatus LEDActivity LED
3 LEDs per Slot2 LEDs per Slot
Fail LEDLocate LED
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Using the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility
DescriptionOption
present
present, no
activity
present, activity
(Identify)
Table 2 • SGPIO LED Blink Pattern
XOffXOffDrive not
X
XXOnXOnDrive
XX4 Hz (Blink)X4 Hz (Blink)Drive
Off4 Hz (Blink)X4 Hz (Blink)4 Hz (Blink)Locate
OnOffXOnXFail
1 Hz (Blink)OffX1 Hz (Blink)XRebuild
Fail LEDLocate LEDActivity LEDInterpretation
XXOnActivity
XXOffNo activity
OffOnXLocate (Identify)
OnOffXFail
Selectable Performance Mode
OnOnXRebuild
When set to Dynamic, performance criteria adjusts automatically based on controller usage, RAID level, and disk drive type. When set to OLTP/Db, performance
criteria is optimized for transaction-oriented applications, such as data entry and
retrieval. When set to Big Block Bypass, DRAM write cache is bypassed based on
IO writesize; performance criteria is optimized for serving Webpages, le serving,
and data retrieval. When set to User Dened, you are prompted to use the OS
tools to set individual parameters (contact Microsemi Adaptec support for more
information). Default is Dynamic.
Microsemi Adaptec Series 7 and Series 8 Controllers Only:Controller Mode
• When set to RAID: Expose RAW mode, all RAID functions of the controller
are enabled. Attached drives without Microsemi Adaptec metadata are
surfaced to the host operating system as RAW Pass Through devices (similar
to JBODs on legacy Adaptec controllers).
• When set to RAID: Hide RAW mode, all RAID functions of the controller are
enabled, but RAW devices are not exposed to the operating system.
• When set to HBA Mode, attached drives are surfaced as RAW devices. The
intent of this mode is to allow the RAID controller to act and be used as an
HBA. Changing into HBA mode is allowed only if there are no drives with
Microsemi Adaptec metadata attached to the controller, including hot spare
drives (see Uninitializing Disk Drives on page 92 for more information).
Uninitialized drives are compatible with any HBA andcan be exchanged with
drives on the motherboard's SATA interface.
• When set toAuto Volume Mode, attached drives withoutMicrosemi Adaptec
metadata, but with an OSpartition, are surfaced tothe host operating system
as RAW devices, where the RAID layer of the controller rmware is bypassed
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Using the Microsemi Adaptec RAID Conguration Utility
DescriptionOption
when the host issues commands to the device. Attached drives without Microsemi Adaptec meta-data and without OS partitions, are automatically
congured as Simple Volumes (single drives with Microsemi Adaptec metadata). InAuto Volume Mode, youcan create up to a maximum of 128 Simple
Volumes; no other RAID types are supported. Auto Volume Mode enables
DRAM caching on rotating media to help reduce latency and accelerate
performance.
• When set to Simple Volume mode, you can create Simple Volumes only (up
to a maximum of 128 volumes); no other RAID types are supported.
Note: Before you can change into Auto Volume mode or Simple Volume
mode, you must delete existing RAID arrays, maxCache Devices, and hot
spares drives (if any).
Default is RAID: Expose RAW mode.
Max Link Speed (uEFI only)
Sets the maximum connection speed for SASdevices to 6 Gb/s or12 Gb/s. Default
is taken from rmware.
C.3.3.2 Power Management Settings
Note: Default settings are shown in bold type.
DescriptionOption
Power Management Settings
Time Zone
Stay Awake Start
Stay Awake End
Spin Up Limit (Internal)
When enabled, switches the system to low power state, based on the specied
settings.
The time zone of the place in which the system is located. Time specic power
management settings are implemented based on the set time zone. By default, it is
set to 00:00.
The valid range for the time zone settings is -12:00 to +12:00.
The time from which the system should operate in the full power mode, irrespective
of other power management settings, daily. By default it is set to 00:00.
The valid range is 00:00 to 23:59.
The time until which the system should operate in the full power mode, irrespective
of other power management settings, daily. By default it is set to 00:00.
The valid range is 00:00 to 23:59.
The number of internal drives to be spun up at wakeup. By default it is set to 0. In
the default setting, all the internal drives will spin up.
Spin Up Limit (External)
The number of external drives to be spun up at wakeup. By default it is set to 0. In
the default setting, all the external drives will spin up.
C.3.3.3 Preserving the Controller Cache
Note: This option is available in the uEFI interface only.
Follow the on-screen instructions to toggle the controller's cache preservation policy; clear the preserved
cache for one or more logical drives; and check the controller cache preservation state.
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C.3.3.3.1 Enabling and Disabling Controller Cache Preservation
This option toggles the controller cache preservationstate. With cache preservation enabled, the system
preserves the controller's DDR cache to prevent data loss in the event of (1) a power failure or unsafe
shutdown of external enclosures while the host system, with the controller, still has power; and (2)
connectivity problems with drives.
"Dirty pages" (data that have not been committed to disk) are restored to the cache when power is
restored and the logical drives on the controller are back online. Once the preserved cache is restored,
the controller ushes the data to disk using its normal scheduling mechanism.
Note: You cannot enable maxCache read and/or write caching on a controller with cache
preservation enabled. In addition, the following operations are not permitted on a controller in
the cache preserved state:
• Creating a logical drive
• Changing the Performance mode
• Running a consistency check
• Changing the RAID Level of a logical drive
• Forcing a logical drive online or ofine
• Changing the cache page size
To enable controller cache preservation:
1. Start the ARC utility in uEFI mode (see Running the ARC Utility on page 89).
2. Scan for controllers, then select the controller you want.
3. Select Controller Settings.
4. Select Controller Conguration, then select Cache Preservation.
5. Select Enabled.
C.3.3.3.2 Clearing the Controller Cache
You can clear the preserved dirty cache (data not committed to disk) for a specic logical drive or for
all logical drives on the controller if you expect a failed enclosure or logical drive to remain ofine.
To clear the cache for all logical drives on the controller:
1. Start the ARC utility in uEFI mode (see Running the ARC Utility on page 89).
2. Scan for controllers, then select the controller you want.
3. Select Controller Settings.
4. Select Clear Cache Preserved on Controller.
To clear the cache for a specic logical drive:
1. Start the ARC utility in uEFI mode (see Running the ARC Utility on page 89).
2. Scan for controllers, then select the controller you want.
3. Select Logical Device Conguration, then select a logical drive.
4. Select Clear Cache Preserved.
C.3.3.3.3 Checking the Cache Preservation Status
To check the controller's cache preservation status, select Controller State from the Controller Settings,
Advanced Conguration menu. With cache preservation enabled, the controller enters the Cache
Preserved state; otherwise, it remains in the Optimal state.
C.3.4 Checking Backup Unit Status
To check the status of the controller's ash backup unit, select Backup Unit Status from the Controller
Settings menu. Table 3 • Backup Unit Status describes the backup unit states. This option is available
only if the controller is congured with a ash backup unit.
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Table 3 • Backup Unit Status
Not Present, Not Ready
Preparing
Ready
Failed, Fatal
Health Normal/Low/Dead
C.4 Formatting and Verifying Disk Drives
MeaningStatus
Supercapacitor not present, suffered a fatal error, or
backup unit temperature exceeded allowed maximum.
Backup unit preparing the NAND ash for backup. The
supercapacitor can take up to 10 minutes to charge to
100% from zero charge and report Ready status.
Backup unit is ready to be enabled if NAND is prepared
and supercapacitor is charged.
Green backup feature not enabled in rmware.Invalid, Not Supported
Firmware could not retrieve backup unit information or
conguration due to hardware issues, over-voltage, etc.
Indicates overall energy holding ability of the supercapacitor. Dead status means that supercapacitor should
be replaced.
You can use the ARC Disk Utilities tool to low-level format or verify your disk drives. (New disk drives
are low-level formatted at the factory and do not need to be low-level formatted again.)
Caution: Before you format a disk drive, back up all data. Formatting destroys all data on a disk
drive.
To format or verify a disk drive:
1. Start the ARC utility (see Running the ARC Utility on page 89).
2. Select the controller you want, then press Enter.
3. Select Disk Utilities.
4. Select the disk drive you want, then press Enter.
5. Select Format Disk or Verify Disk Media.
C.5 Locating Disk Drives
You can use the Identify Drive feature to physically locate a disk drive by blinking the LED.
Note: This feature is only available with disk drives that have an activity LED.
To locate a disk drive:
1. Start the ARC utility (see Running the ARC Utility on page 89).
2. Select the controller you want, then press Enter.
3. Select Disk Utilities.
4. Select the disk drive you want, then press Enter.
5. Select Identify Drive, then press Enter.
6. When you have nished locating your disk drive, press any key to stop the blinking.
C.6 Identifying Disk Drives
You can identify disk drives by viewing the list of disk drives on your system. Only physical drives that
display during POST are shown.
To identify a disk drive:
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1. Start the ARC utility (see Running the ARC Utility on page 89).
2. Select the controller you want, then press Enter.
3. Select Disk Utilities.
The Disk Utilities view provides you with the following information:
SizeSpeedRev#ModelLocation
CN1=DEV1
Box0=Slot0
Exp0=phy0
The manufacturer
information.
The revision number
of the disk drive.
The location information of a disk drive is determined by three types of connections:
• Direct attached drives—The connection is determined by the cable connected to a device, for
example CN1 (connector 1) is connected to DEV1 (device 1). For more information, see
Direct-attach Connections on page 78.
• Storage Enclosure Processor (SEP) manageddevices—The connection is determined by an active
backplane. Box0 (enclosure 0) is connected to slot0 (disk drive slot 0 in the enclosure). For more
information, see Backplane Connections on page 79.
• Expanders—The connections is determined by an expander. Exp0 (expander 0) is connected to
phy0 (phy 0 within a connector). For more information, see SAS Expander Connections on page
79.
Note: Devices other than disk drives (CDROM, tape drives, etc...) are listed in order after your
system disk drives.
C.7 Setting the Drive Write-Cache Policy
If the global write cache policy is set to "Drive Specic" (see General Controller Settings on page 94),
you can set the write-cache policy for individual disk drives on the controller. (If the global write-cache
policy is set to Enable All or Disable All, this option is grayed out.)
The speed of the
disk drive.
The size of the disk
drive.
To set the drive-specic write-cache policy:
1. Start the ARC utility (see Running the ARC Utility on page 89).
2. Select the controller you want, then press Enter.
3. Select Disk Utilities.
4. Select the disk drive you want, then press Enter.
5. Select Write Cache, then choose the policy for the drive: Write-Back (Enable) or Write-Through
(Disable).
6. Select Submit.
C.8 Updating the Controller Firmware
Note: This option is available in the uEFI interface only.
Use this option to ash the controller's rmware.
To update the controller rmware:
1. Start the ARC utility in uEFI mode (see Ctrl-A or uEFI/HII? on page 89).
2. Select Administration, then select FW update from Media.
3. Select the device you want to ash, then press Enter.
4. Browse the folder hierarchy, select the rmware update (.UFI) le, then press Enter.
5. Select Update Firmware.
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