ATTO Technology ExpressSAS H1288 HBA, ExpressSAS H1280 HBA, ExpressSAS H1244 HBA, ExpressSAS H1248 HBA, ExpressSAS H644 HBA Installation And Operation Manual

ATTO ExpressSAS Host and RAID Adapter

Installation and Operation Manual

ExpressSAS H1208 HBA
ExpressSAS H1280 HBA
ExpressSAS H120F HBA
ExpressSAS H12F0 HBA
ExpressSAS H1244 HBA
ExpressSAS H1248 HBA
ExpressSAS H1288 HBA

ExpressSAS H644 HBA
ExpressSAS H608 HBA
ExpressSAS H680 HBA
ExpressSAS H60F HBA

ExpressSAS R644 RAID Adapter
ExpressSAS R608 RAID Adapter
ExpressSAS R680 RAID Adapter

ExpressSAS R60F RAID Adapter

ATTO Technology, Inc.

155 CrossPoint Parkway
Amherst, New York 14068 USA

www.attotech.com

Tel [phone]
Fax [phone]

Sales support: [e-mail]
Technical support: Monday -- Friday, 8am-6pm EST

[e-mail]
[phone] ext. 242

© 2015 ATTO Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. All brand or product names are trademarks of their respective
holders. No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the express written
permission of ATTO Technology, Inc.

.. ... ..... ....... ........ .... . . ........ ...... ..... .... ..... ... ............ .......... ............ ...,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

4/2015

PRMA-0389-000MD

Contents

1 ATTO Provides Storage Solutions............................................................................. 1

ExpressSAS 12Gb Host HBAs
ExpressSAS 6Gb Host HBAs
ExpressSAS 6Gb RAID Adapters

2 Install Drivers................................................................................................................9

Downloading drivers from the ATTO website
Windows
OS X (ExpressSAS H6xx and R6xx only)
Linux
VMware ESXi 5.x (ExpressSAS H6xx only)
VMware ESX/ESXi 4.1 (ExpressSAS H6xx only)
VMware ESX 3.5 (ExpressSAS H6xx only)

3 New Windows OS Installation...................................................................................12

4 New OS X Installation.................................................................................................13

5 Install Hardware......................................................................................................... 17

Installing the Adapter
Installing CacheAssure (ExpressSAS R6xx only)

Non-Volatile (NV) Memory Card Installation
Power Module Installation
Bracket details
Adapter board details

6 Adaptive Path Optimization (ExpressSAS RAID only).............................................30

7 Data Path and LED Control....................................................................................... 31

LED Control for Internal SAS Connectors

8 Troubleshooting........................................................................................................ 40

Appendix A Glossry........................................................................................................ i

Appendix B VMware Configuration & Management....................................................iii

Driver Configuration
Adapter Management

Appendix C Standards and Compliances....................................................................vi

Appendix D Safety and Warranty.................................................................................vii

Safety
ATTO Technology, Inc. limited warranty

1 ATTO Provides Storage Solutions

Note

Note

CAUTIONCAUTION

ATTO Technology ExpressSAS low-profile HBAs and RAID adapters provide 6Gb and 12Gb SAS/SATA
connectivity for IT and digital video environments.

The ATTO ExpressSAS adapter family provides
enhanced reliability and performance thanks to more
than 25 years of ATTO experience.

Installation procedure

The ExpressSAS RAID adapter has a Getting Started
Guide. If you have not used this guide or you are
installing an ExpressSAS HBA, follow the instructions
in this manual.

You will need:

• ExpressSAS adapter.

• Access to www.attotech.com
drivers, user manuals and utilities.

• The optional low-profile bracket and its
installation procedure.

• A computer with an available x8 or x16 PCI
Express expansion slot. The ExpressSAS
adapter has been optimized for x8 electrical
slots. Check your computer’s
documentation.

• SAS/SATA storage, cables and connectors.

Download

1

for your operating system. Refer to page 9 for
driver installation.

2 Install the configuration software, the ATTO

ConfigTool, found on www.attotech.com
to the ATTO Utilities Installation and Operation
Manual for details.

3 Install the adapter. Refer to Install Hardware on

page 17.
4 Attach SAS/SATA storage.
5 Configure your storage and adapter, including

RAID, using the ATTO ConfigTool.

device drivers

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

Default settings are appropriate for most
systems but you may change settings using
the ATTO ConfigTool.

from the ATTO website

to obtain

. Refer

ExpressSAS features

• Point-to-point technology delivers full throughput

• One-click installation

• User-friendly ATTO ConfigTool provides a

• Fully Thunderbolt aware, including hot plug and

• For RAID adapters, a user-friendly GUI allows

• ADS™ technology alleviates data transfer

• DriveAssure™ is an ATTO exclusive

• CacheAssure™ provides confidence that your

• Adaptive Path Optimization-has built-in

• Driver support for Windows®, Linux®,

Mac® OS X(6Gb only), and VMware®

• Fully support EFI-HII interface (H12xx HBAs

• RoHS compliant

• 3-year standard warranty

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

to each connected storage device

simple host-based utility for effortless
configuration; BIOS and EFI setup utilities
provide flexibility for custom applications

daisy chain support in a PCIe expansion slot

quick and easy RAID setup

bottlenecks and moves data more efficiently
while managing latency

combination of features for the ATTO RAID
series adapters that performs predictive and
corrective actions to allow the continued
operation of marginal drives, while ensuring
continued and uninterrupted access to data
(6Gb RAID adapter only).

cached data will remain intact in the event of an
unexpected power loss, while offering an
environmentally friendly, maintenance-free
solution. (6Gb RAID adapter only)

intelligence to sense when multiples paths to
drives are available and direct I/O
accordingly.(6Gb RAID adapter only)

ESX/ESXi Server (HBAs only)

only)

1

ExpressSAS 12Gb Host HBAs

ExpressSAS 12Gb host bus adapters combine 12Gb/s
SAS speeds and x8 PCI Express 3.0 to deliver low
latency in real-time environments. They support a
dense and efficient connection to storage from servers
and workstations in datacenter, data warehousing,
VOD and other high-availability, high-performance
applications. Providing SAS/SATA connectivity to up
to 2,048 end devices (H1208, H1244 and H1280
support 1,024 end devices), ATTO 12Gb SAS HBAs
are ideal for both IT and digital video environments
that require a high level of performance.

Power Center Pro

Power Center Pro is an integrated software RAID
solution that brings the performance and protection of
RAID to storage devices attached to your ATTO
ExpressSAS 12Gb host adapters with internal ports.

ATTO’s Power Center Pro is a RAID 0, 1, 1e and 10
solution included for use with ExpressSAS 12Gb SAS
HBAs with internal connections, providing a cost­effective option that adds performance and protection
to your storage architecture.

To learn more about using and configuring Power
Center Pro RAID groups, refer to the ATTO Utilities
software manual (

www.attotech.com

).

H1208 technical specifications

• 8 internal SFF-8643 SAS ports to PCIe 3.0 host
interface

• Up to 12Gb/s per port performance

• Conforms to PCIe low profile form factor

• Length: 6.600”

• Height: 2.536”

• Operating temperature: 0-55 °C (32 °F-131 °F)

• Operating humidity: 10-90% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 0.9A; 3.3V @ 0.1A, 11W

• Airflow: 100 lf/m minimum

H1280 technical specifications

• 8 external SFF-8644 SAS ports to PCIe 3.0 host
interface

• Up to 12Gb/s per port performance

• Conforms to PCIe low profile form factor

• Length: 6.600”

• Height: 2.536”

• Operating temperature: 0-55 °C (32 °F-131 °F)

• Operating humidity: 10-90% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 0.9A; 3.3V @ 0.1A, 11W

• Airflow: 100 lf/m minimum

2 ATTO Technology Inc. ATTO ExpressSAS Host & RAID Adapter Installation and Operation Manual

H120F technical specifications

• 16 internal SFF-8643 SAS ports to PCIe 3.0 host
interface

• Up to 12Gb/s per port performance

• Conforms to PCIe low profile form factor

• Length: 6.600”

• Height: 2.536”

• Operating temperature: 0-55 °C (32 °F-131 °F)

• Operating humidity: 10-90% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 1.2A; 3.3V @ 0.1A, 15W

• Airflow: 200 lf/m minimum

H1244 technical specifications

• 4 external SFF-8644, 4 internal SFF-8643 SAS
ports to PCIe 3.0 host interface

• Up to 12Gb/s per port performance

• Conforms to PCIe low profile form factor

• Length: 6.600”

• Height: 2.536”

• Operating temperature: 0-55 °C (32 °F-131 °F)

• Operating humidity: 10-90% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 1.2A; 3.3V @ 0.1A, 11W

• Airflow: 100 lf/m minimum

H12F0 technical specifications

• 16 external SFF-8644 SAS ports to PCIe 3.0
host interface

• Up to 12Gb/s per port performance

• Conforms to PCIe low profile form factor

• Length: 6.600”

• Height: 2.536”

• Operating temperature: 0-55 °C (32 °F-131 °F)

• Operating humidity: 10-90% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 1.2A; 3.3V @ 0.1A, 15W

• Airflow: 200 lf/m minimum

H1248 technical specifications

• 4 external SFF-8644, 4 internal SFF-8643 SAS
ports to PCIe 3.0 host interface

• Up to 12Gb/s per port performance

• Conforms to PCIe low profile form factor

• Length: 6.600”

• Height: 2.536”

• Operating temperature: 0-55 °C (32 °F-131 °F)

• Operating humidity: 10-90% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 1.2A; 3.3V @ 0.1A, 15W

• Airflow: 200 lf/m minimum

3

H1288 technical specifications

• 8 external SFF-8644, 8 internal SFF-8643 SAS
ports to PCIe 3.0 host interface

• Up to 12Gb/s per port performance

• Conforms to PCIe low profile form factor

• Length: 6.600”

• Height: 2.536”

• Operating temperature: 0-55 °C (32 °F-131 °F)

• Operating humidity: 10-90% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 1.2A; 3.3V @ 0.1A, 15W

• Airflow: 200 lf/m minimum

4 ATTO Technology Inc. ATTO ExpressSAS Host & RAID Adapter Installation and Operation Manual

ExpressSAS 6Gb Host HBAs

ATTO ExpressSAS Host HBAs are engineered for the
most stringent IT server and digital media workgroup
environments and are compatible with multiple
operating systems, applications, and drives.

Providing SAS/SATA II connectivity to up to 1,024 end
devices, the ATTO SAS Host HBA is ideal for both IT
and digital video environments that require a high level
of performance.

H644 technical specifications

• Four internal SFF-8087, four external SFF-8088
ports

• Up to 6-Gb/sec per port performance

• Form factor conforms to PCI low-profile
specification

• Length: 6.600”

• Height: 2.713”

• Operating temperature: 0-40 °C (32 °F-104 °F)

• Operating humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 0.6A; 3.3V @ 0.2A, 8W

• Airflow: 100 lf/m minimum

H680 technical specifications

• Eight external SFF-8088 ports

• Up to 6-Gb/sec per port performance

• Length: 6.600”

• Height: 2.846”

• Operating temperature: 0-40 °C (32 °F-104 °F)

• Operating humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 0.6A; 3.3V @ 0.2A, 8W

• Airflow: 100 lf/m minimum

H608 technical specifications

• Eight internal SFF-8087 ports

• Up to 6-Gb/sec per port performance

• Form factor conforms to PCI low-profile
specification

• Length: 5.600”

• Height: 2.713”

• Operating temperature: 0-40 °C (32 °F-104 °F)

• Operating humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 0.6A; 3.3V @ 0.2A, 8W

• Airflow: 100 lf/m minimum

5

H60F technical specifications

• 16 internal SFF-8087 ports

• Up to 6-Gb/sec per port performance

• Form factor conforms to PCI low-profile
specification

• Length: 8.638”

• Height: 2.918”

• Operating temperature: 0-40 °C (32 °F-104 °F)

• Operating humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 1.6A; 3.3V @ 0.8A, 22W

• Airflow: 100 lf/m minimum

H6F0 technical specifications

• 16 external SFF-8088 ports

• Up to 6-Gb/sec per port performance

• Length: 5.600”

• Height: 4.376”

• Operating temperature: 0-40 °C (32 °F-104 °F)

• Operating humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 1.6A; 3.3V @ 0.6A, 22W

• Airflow: 100 lf/m minimum

6 ATTO Technology Inc. ATTO ExpressSAS Host & RAID Adapter Installation and Operation Manual

ExpressSAS 6Gb RAID Adapters

ATTO ExpressSAS RAID adapters are ideal for both IT
and digital video environments that require a high level
of protection and performance, supporting up to 256
end devices.

RAID improves data accessibility and reliability during
normal operations. A RAID group is a virtual,
independent single drive with data written to physical
drives according to a RAID algorithm.

DriveAssure™ lets you run longer, faster and
smoother without interrupting data flow while avoiding
the unnecessary cost of replacing functional drives.

The ATTO ExpressSAS RAID adapters support
JBOD, DVRAID™, RAID Level 0, 1, 4, 10, 5, 6, 50, 60
and advanced features such as read caching, Hot
Spares, automatic RAID group rebuilding, hot swap
and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

R644 technical specifications

• Four external SFF-8088 & four internal SFF­8087 ports

• Up to 6-Gb/sec per port performance

• Form factor conforms to PCI low-profile
specification

• Length: 6.600”

• Height: 2.713”

• Operating temperature: 0-40 °C (32 °F-104 °F)

• Operating humidity: 10-90% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 0.8A; 9.6W

• 12V @1.22A; 3.3V @ .06A, 15.05W
(NVCACHE charging), 12V @1.00A;

3.3V @ .06A, 12.34W (NVCACHE
charged)

• Airflow: 150 lf/m minimum

R680 technical specifications

• Eight external SFF-8088 ports

• Up to 6-Gb/sec per port performance

• Form factor conforms to PCI low-profile
specification

• Length: 6.600”

• Height: 2.713”

• Operating temperature: 0-40 °C (32 °F-104 °F)

• Operating humidity: 10-90% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 0.8A; 9.6W

• 12V @1.22A; 3.3V @ .06A, 15.05W
(NVCACHE charging), 12V @1.00A;

3.3V @ .06A, 12.34W (NVCACHE
charged)

• Airflow: 150 lf/m minimum

7

R60F technical specifications

• Sixteen internal SFF-8087 ports

• Up to 6-Gb/sec per port performance

• Form factor conforms to PCI low-profile
specification

• Length: 6.600”

• Height: 2.713”

• Operating temperature: 0-40 °C (32 °F-104 °F)

• Operating humidity: 10-90% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 0.8A; 9.6W

• 12V @1.22A; 3.3V @ .06A, 15.05W (NVCACHE
charging), 12V @1.00A; 3.3V @ .06A, 12.34W
(NVCACHE charged)

Airflow: 150 lf/m minimum

R608 technical specifications

• Eight internal SFF-8087 ports

• Up to 6-Gb/sec per port performance

• Form factor conforms to PCI low-profile
specification

• Length: 6.600”

• Height: 2.713”

• Operating temperature: 0-40 °C (32 °F-104 °F)

• Operating humidity: 10-90% non-condensing

• Storage temperature: -40-70 °C (-40 °F-157 °F)

• Storage humidity: 5-95% non-condensing

• Power (typ): 12V @ 0.8A; 9.6W

• 12V @1.22A; 3.3V @ .06A, 15.05W (NVCACHE
charging), 12V @1.00A; 3.3V @ .06A, 12.34W
(NVCACHE charged)

8 ATTO Technology Inc. ATTO ExpressSAS Host & RAID Adapter Installation and Operation Manual

2 Install Drivers

ATTO ExpressSAS adapters require a current device driver and hardware flash for proper operation.

Your adapter was properly flashed before shipment.
However, 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 found on the
ATTO website, or you followed the instructions in the
Getting Started Guide, you do not need to perform
of these procedures.

any

Drivers are provided on the ATTO website.
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.

Downloading drivers from the ATTO website

Use this procedure if you need to update drivers. The
latest driver for your adapters can be found on the
ATTO website.

1Go to www.attotech.com.
2 On the home page menu, put your cursor over

Downloads then click on Downloads.
3 Register or log in if previously registered.
4Select SAS/SATA HBAs and RAID adapters

from the product list.
5 Select your model.
6 From the table, find your Operating System.

7 Click on the entry for the latest driver.
8 A download window appears. Follow the

instructions for downloading the driver.

Internet Explorer users may select Run to
automatically run the downloaded self­extracting executable file.

All other browser users select a download
destination and run the self-extracting
executable file.

9 Continue with the driver installation as

described on the following pages for your
Operating System.

at

Windows

Installing from the ATTO Technology
website

1 Power on your system.
2 Log on to Windows as the system

administrator.
3 Locate the ATTO driver on your system and

click unzip. The driver files are extracted and

the driver installer is launched.
4 For Windows 8, 7, Vista and Server 2012,

2008: 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.
5 Click Install.
6 Follow the on-screen instructions to complete

the driver installation.
7 Continue on to Install Hardware

on page 17.

Installing from a directory containing the
ExpressSAS driver

1 Power on your system.
2 Log on as the system administrator.
3 Navigate to the directory containing the

ExpressSAS driver.
4Run Setup.exe.
5 Click Install.

For Windows 8, 7, Vista and Server 2012,

2008: 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 Follow the on-screen instructions to complete

the installation.
7 Continue on to Install Hardware

on page 17.

9 ATTO Technology Inc. ATTO ExpressSAS Host & RAID Adapter Installation and Operation Manual

OS X (ExpressSAS H6xx and R6xx only)

Note

Note

Note

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

launch the installer

Linux

Newer PCs may ship with UEFI firmware
with Secure Boot enabled. With Secure
Boot the operating system boot loaders,
Linux kernel, and all kernel modules must
be signed with a private key and
authenticated with a corresponding public
key.

When trying to load an unsigned ATTO driver
on a secure boot system, you will see the
following error: modprobe: ERROR: could

not insert '<driver-name>': Required key not
available

Refer to the Linux driver read me file
(readme.html) contained in the driver bundle
for instructions on signing and authenticating
your ATTO Linux drivers.

ExpressSAS adapters are not supported
under Linux kernel 2.4.

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 Open your File Browser and browse to

/mnt/cdrom/Linux/Drivers.

7 Click on the driver:

• for the ExpressSAS HBAs, the driver

3 Follow the on-screen instructions.
4 Continue on to Install Hardware
5 Launch

filename appears as
lnx_drv_esashba#_XXX.tgz where # is the
product family and XXX is the driver’s
current version number.

• for ExpressSAS RAID adapters, the driver
filename appears as
lnx_drv_esasraid#_XXX.tgz where # is the
product family and XXX is the driver’s
current version number.

8 Copy the driver file to a directory such as

/usr/src.
9 Open a Terminal session.
10 Change to the directory where you stored the

driver.
11 Extract the driver source:

• for ExpressSAS HBAs: tar xfz
lnx_drv_esashba#_XXX.tgz.

• for ExpressSAS RAID adapters: tar xfz
lnx_drv_esasraid#_XXX.tgz.

12 The driver files are extracted to a directory

called lnx_drv_esashba_XXX or
lnx_drv_esasraid_XXX.

Navigate to that directory.

13 Compile and install the driver using ./install.sh.

The driver is now installed and ready to use.

14 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.

15 Continue on to Install Hardware

on page 17.

on page 17.

VMware ESXi 5.x (ExpressSAS H6xx only)

You can add an ATTO adapter and install the driver
after installing ESXi 5.

ESXi 5.0 supports H6xx

ESX 5.5 supports H12XX

10

Note

Refer to Appendix B

Note

Note

on page iii for additional information on
configuring and managing ExpressSAS
adapters in VMware

1 Download the Driver Bundle from the VMware

or ATTO website for your ATTO adapter. 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 upload the VIB file to your ESXi host.
Alternatively, 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:

Driver Configuration

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

5 Once the VIB is installed, reboot the ESXi host.
Some ATTO drivers for ESXi 5.0 are provided as

Community Supported drivers. These are not certified
by VMware. Please contact ATTO Technical Support
for questions about these drivers.

To install an ATTO Community Supported driver on
ESXi 5.0, the acceptance level must be changed with
the following command:

esxcli software acceptance set --

level=CommunitySupported

Including Driver in boot image

VMware vSphere 5 includes the ability to dynamically
construct boot images for your ESXi 5 servers. This
allows you to include ATTO drivers as part of a boot
image and install or boot ESXi 5 with that image. The
end result is that your server(s) will boot and have
ATTO drivers included without any additional steps.
Consult the VMware vSphere 5 documentation for
more information on using vSphere Image Builder.

VMware ESX/ESXi 4.1 (ExpressSAS H6xx only)

1 During ESX installation, select Yes to install

custom drivers and click Add.

Refer to Appendix B
on page iii for additional information on
configuring and managing ExpressSAS
adapters in VMware

ESX Installation (ESX only)

During ESX 4 installation, you may choose to install
additional drivers. This will allow you to install ESX
onto storage that is attached to your ATTO adapter.
You will need to burn the appropriate ATTO driver ISO
image to CD media.

Driver Configuration

2 The installer will prompt you to insert the media

containing the ATTO device driver.

3 After you add the ATTO driver, the installer will

prompt you to reinsert the ESX installation
media and continue with the installation.

4 When the installer reaches the point to choose

the location for the ESX install, you can choose
local storage, or storage that is attached to your
ATTO adapter.

VMware ESX 3.5 (ExpressSAS H6xx only)

Creating a Boot or Update CD.

Refer to Appendix B
on page iii for additional information on
configuring and managing ExpressSAS
adapters in VMware

Driver Configuration

1 Download the correct driver .iso file from the

VMware Drivers & Tools Download site.
2 Write the .iso image to a CD-ROM.
3 Use the CD-ROM as a Boot CD or an Update

CD.

11 ATTO Technology Inc. ATTO ExpressSAS Host & RAID Adapter Installation and Operation Manual

3 New Windows OS Installation

When you install a new or different copy of the Windows operating system on a disk attached to an ATTO
ExpressSAS adapter, you must reinstall the ATTO ExpressSAS drivers.

If you are changing the version of Windows you are
using or installing a fresh copy of your current version
onto your system, you must ensure Windows
recognizes your ATTO ExpressSAS and uses its
drivers.

You may create an installation media (disk, CD or USB
flash drive) from a file from the ATTO website, then
use that media to install the adapter and its driver to
the new version of Windows.

Follow these procedures after you have completed
installation of the ExpressSAS adapter and you have
connected storage devices (refer to
on page 15).

Install Hardware

Adjusting Adapter settings with the EFI
Configuration Utility

Depending on your configuration, it may be necessary
to adjust adapter NVRAM settings prior to performing
the Windows installation. For example, you may need
to modify the device wait time. The EFI configuration
utility can be launched from an EFI shell. A built-in EFI
shell is included with many PC platforms. If your
platform does not have a built-in EFI shell, one can be
obtained at

Once in the EFI shell, do the following to open the EFI
Configuration Utility:

1 At the prompt, enter the drivers -b command.

Scroll through the list of installed EFI drivers
and find the ATTO ExpressSAS driver. There
may be more than one entry based on the
number and type of adapter(s). Note the two or
three digit hexadecimal driver handle on the far
left of the screen.

2 At the prompt, enter drvcfg -s {handle} where

{handle} is the hexadecimal number from the
previous step. This will launch the EFI
Configuration Utility for the associated adapter.

3 Use the on-screen menus to configure your

adapter. Help is available at the bottom of the
screen.

4 When exiting the configuration utility, if you

changed any settings, the system will restart
the adapter so the new settings take effect.

http://tianocore.sourceforge.net

.

5 At the prompt, enter exit to return to the EFI

boot manager or reset to restart the system.

Power Center Pro HBA RAID Solution

Power Center Pro is an integrated software RAID
solution that brings the performance and protection of
RAID to storage devices attached to your ATTO
ExpressSAS 12Gb host adapters.

ATTO’s Power Center Pro is a RAID 0, 1, 1e and 10
solution included for use with ExpressSAS 12Gb SAS
HBAs with internal connections, providing a cost­effective option that adds performance and protection
to your storage architecture.

To learn more about using and configuring Power
Center Pro RAID groups, refer to the EFI section
ATTO Utilities Manual on setting up RG to install the

www.attotech.com

OS (

).

Creating ExpressSAS installation media
from a file

1Go to www.attotech.com.

2 Put your cursor over Downloads then click on

Driver downloads from the splash screen

menu.

3 Register or log in if previously registered.

4Select SAS/SATA Host & RAID adapters from

the product list.

5 Select your model.

6 From the table, find your Operating System.

7 Click on the entry for the latest driver.

8 A download window appears. Follow the

instructions for downloading the driver.

Internet Explorer users may select Run to

automatically run the downloaded self-

extracting executable file.

All other browser users select a download

destination and run the self-extracting

executable file.

9 Uncheck When done unzipping open

\Setup.exe.

10 Select a destination folder and click Unzip to

extract the driver files.

12

11 The expanded software package contains a

Scsiport driver in the base directory and a
Storport driver in the Storport directory.

Navigate to the folder with the desired
ExpressSAS driver.

Select Scsiport for Windows 2000 and XP.

Select Storport for all other versions of

Windows.

12 Run makedisk.exe.

13 Follow the instructions to complete the

installation.

14 Continue with Install the driver into a new

version of Windows 8, 7, Server 2012, 2008.

Install the driver into a new version of Windows 8, 7, Server 2012,
2008

1 Start Windows text mode setup as described by

your Windows documentation.

2Select Custom installation.

3The Where do you want to install Windows

message appears. Click Load Driver.

4 Insert the ExpressSAS installation media into

the appropriate slot.

5 Click OK.

6 Windows Setup searches for drivers matching

devices in your system. If the ExpressSAS
adapter is not in the Select the driver to be
installed, click Browse and locate the driver.

7 Select the ExpressSAS adapter from the list.

8 Click Next.

9The Where to you want to install Windows

window appears. Your devices should be listed.

Remove the ExpressSAS installation media.

10 Configure and select a partition for installing

Windows.

11 Click Next.

12 Continue with the remainder of the Windows

installation procedure.

13 ATTO Technology Inc. ATTO ExpressSAS Host & RAID Adapter Installation and Operation Manual