ATTO Technology ExpressSAS Getting Started Manual

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© 2017 ATTO Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. All brand or product names are trademarks of their respective holders. No part of this
document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the express written permission of ATTO Technology, Inc.

8/2017 PRMA-0396-000MD

ExpressSAS®

Getting Started Guide

Thank you for purchasing the ATTO ExpressSAS Adapter. This guide gives you the basics for installing and
configuring your adapter. For more information, refer to the ExpressSAS Adapter Installation and Operation

Manual and the ATTO Utilities Manual.

Installation Procedure

You will follow these steps to successfully install your
ExpressSAS host or RAID adapter:
1 Ensure you have the equipment and software you

need for the installation:

• ExpressSAS adapter

• ATTO ExpressSAS drivers, user manuals and
utilities

• The optional low-profile bracket and installation
procedure

• A computer with an available x8 or x16 PCI
Express expansion slot.

• SAS/SATA storage, cables and connectors.

2 Install device drivers downloaded from the ATTO

website.

3 Install the ATTO ConfigTool configuration software

downloaded from the ATTO website.
4 Install your ExpressSAS hardware.
5 Attach SAS/SATA storage.
6 Configure your storage and adapter, including

RAID, using the ATTO ConfigTool.

CAUTION: Back up your system data before changing
or installing any hardware.

Downloading & Installing Drivers

You must add ExpressSAS drivers to your computer
before continuing with installation. If you already have
one or more ExpressSAS adapters installed and you
have the latest drivers, skip this section. If not,
download drivers on the ATTO website at http://
www.attotech.com/downloads.php. Log in, if previously
registered, or register to proceed to the download
pages. Once downloaded, continue with the driver
installation procedures (below) for your operating
system.

Windows

1 Power on your system.
2 Log on to Windows as the system administrator.
3 Follow the instructions in downloading drivers from

the ATTO website.

4 Click unzip. The driver files are extracted and the

driver installer is launched.

5 For Windows: If you have User Account Control

enabled, you are asked for permission for the
installer to continue. If you do not have administrator
privileges, you are also asked for an administrator
user name and password. Fulfill the required fields

and click Continue.
6 Click Install.
7 Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the

driver installation.

macOS

1 Power on your system.
2 Double-click the downloaded driver file to launch the

installer
3 Follow the on-screen instructions.

Linux

1 Power on your system.
2 Log in as root.
3 Verify that the kernel header files, usually included

with the Linux kernel development package, are

installed.
4 Locate the downloaded driver and copy the driver

file to a directory such as /usr/src
5 Open a Terminal session and change to the

directory where you stored the driver.
6 Extract the driver source and navigate to that

directory. The driver files are extracted to a directory

called lnx_drv_esashba_XXX or

lnx_drv_esasraid_XXX

7 Compile and install the driver using ./install.sh. The

driver is now installed and ready to use.

8 Add the following line to /etc/modprobe.conf after

installing the driver:

• for ExpressSAS HBAs: alias scsi_hostHBAX
esashba where X is the next available HBA
number.

• for ExpressSAS RAID adapters: alias
scsi_hostHBAX esasraid where X is the
next available HBA number.

VMware (HBAs only)

1 Unzip the contents of the bundle on your local workstation.

Within the bundle you will find the Driver VIB file (.vib) for your
ATTO adapter.

2 Use the Datastore Browser in the vSphere Client to

uplo ad the V IB file t o your E SXi hos t. Alte rnative ly, you
can use a program like winscp on Windows or scp on
Linux to upload the file directly to your ESXi host.

3 Log in to the ESXi host on the Local Tech Support

Console (ESXi), or through an SSH client.

4 Install the VIB using the following command on the

ESXi host: # esxcli software vib install -v <full path to
VIB file>

5 Once the VIB is installed, reboot the ESXi host.

Note

Some ATTO drivers for ESXi 5.0 are provided as Community
Supported drivers. To install an ATTO Community Supported
driver on ESXi 5.x, the acceptance level must be changed with
the following command:

esxcli software acceptance set --

level=CommunitySupported

FreeBSD (HBAs only)

Note

Refer to the ExpressSAS Installation and Operation manual for
instructions on installing FreeBSD drivers

Installing the ATTO ConfigTool

The ATTO ConfigTool is a free utility. Visit the ATTO
website (

www.atto.com/downloads.php) for specific

operating system support information and downloads.

The ATTO ConfigTool includes two components: a GUI
Application and a system service. Either, or both, of these
components can be installed on a host, depending on the
functionality desired. Refer to the Utilities manual for
additional details.

Note

Logging and other important features are only available if
the ATTO ConfigTool service is installed. We recommend
installing the service as a minimum configuration.

Note

The vConfigTool supports VMware VCenter Server. Refer to the
ATTO website for information on downloading and using this
free utility.

Windows Installation Instructions:

1 Double-click the win_app_configtool_xxx.exe package

file

2 Click "Unzip" to extract the installer files. The files are

put in "C:\ ATTO\ConfigTool\4.xx" directory.

2.1 To install the Full Application or Application Only:

• Navigate to the "C:\
ATTO\ConfigTool\4.xx\Service" directory

• Double-click on the ConfigTool_xxx.exe installer
executable

• Select Full Installation or Application Only as
desired.

• Follow the on-screen instructions

2.2 To install the System Service only:

• Navigate to the "C:\ATTO\ConfigTool\4.xx\Service"
directory

• Double-click on the "attocfgd.msi" installer
executable

• Follow the on-screen instructions

macOS Installation Instructions:

1 Double-click the osx_app_configtool_xxx.exe package

file.

2 A Finder window appears.

2.1 To install the Full Application or Application Only:

• In the Finder window that appears, double-click on
the ConfigTool_xxx.app installer executable.

• Select Full Installation or Application Only as
desired.

• Follow the on-screen instructions.

2.2 To install the System Service only:

• Navigate to the “Service” folder in the Finder
window that appears.

• Double-click on the "attocfgd.mpkg" installer
executable file.

• Follow the on-screen instructions.

Linux Installation Instructions:

1 Extract the package file by running the following

command in a terminal: tar -xvzf

lnx_app_configtool_xxx.tgz

2 Navigate to the extracted folder

“lnx_app_configtool_xxx”

2.1 To install the Full Application or Application Only:

• Run the ConfigTool_xxx.bin installer executable as
root or superuser.

•Select Full Installation or Application Only as
desired.

• Follow the on-screen instructions.

2.2 To install the System Service only:

• Navigate to the “Service” directory located inside
the lnx_app_configtool_xxx directory

• Double-click on the "attocfgd.msi" installer
executable

2.3 Run the “attocfgd.sei” installer executable as root or
superuser using the following command line: ./
attocfgd.sei -i.

Installing ExpressSAS Host & RAID
Adapter Hardware

Note

Install system drivers before you begin hardware installation.

1 Power down the computer and unplug the computer

from all power sources. Open the case.

2 If applicable, attach the low profile or standard bracket

to the adapter. Consult the Operations and Installation
manual for your product for additional details.

3 Insert the ATTO ExpressSAS adapter into any open

PCI Express expansion slot. If you have questions
about how to install an expansion card in your system,
consult your computer’s documentation.

4 Close the case on the computer and power it up.

5 Installed drivers are loaded.

6 Turn off power to the computer.

Install SAS/SATA Storage

1 Connect your SAS/SATA storage to your ExpressSAS

adapter. Consult with your storage vendor for proper
cabling, power and other installation instructions.

1.1 For SATA, use cables that are no longer than 1
meter.

1.2 For SAS, use cables that are no longer than 10m

1.3 For SGPIO or I2C cabling instructions, refer to the
ATTO ExpressSAS Host and RAID Adapter
Installation and Operation Manual, available for
download on the ATTO website.

2 Plug in your computer and storage.
3 Turn computer and storage on.

Adapter Configuration

The adapter default settings are appropriate f or most
systems but you may change settings using the ATTO
ConfigTool. Refer to the ATTO Utilities manual for
information on using the ATTO ConfigTool.

Create RAID Group

Note

Note: the instructions below refer only to creating RAID groups
using the RAID group creation wizard for ExpressSAS RAID
adapters. For instructions on creating RAID groups using Power
Center Pro onboard RAID for ExpressSAS HBAs, or for more
advanced RAID group settings refer to the ATTO Utilities
manual.

The ATTO ConfigTool RAID group Creation Wizard
automates the RAID group creation process. Start the
wizard by 1) selecting ‘New Group’ in the RAID
Management menu, or 2) selecting the “Groups” tab in the
bottom panel, right-clicking within the panel and selecting
“New Group”, or 3) it will start automatically when the
RAID tab is selected and there are no RAID groups
present.

Follow the prompts to select drives and configure your
new RAID group. Additional information on creating RAID
groups is available in the ATTO Utilities manual.